Written by: J. Michael Straczynski
Art by: Gordon Purcell & Mike Atiyeh
Publisher: Image Comics
Like Straczynski’s Sidekick book, it’s been a couple of months since we last had an update to Detective John Riley’s investigation into Protectors Inc. as to who killed the Huntsman, and it is a mystery I have been looking forward to returning to.
This issue literally kicks off exactly where #6 finished with Angel having brought Riley to Protectors Inc. home in the sky as it seems that as suspicion grows it is most likely a Protector who did the deathly act.
What follows is a really nice sequence that is a throwback to classic detective comics and TV shows, as Riley makes reference to himself. And then just like in Straczynski’s Sidekick book this week, we get a sort of an origin type story explanation into how the Protectors powers work and we see some great character development through this and also through this relationship that is slowly growing between Angel and Riley. It really feels like Straczynski has a great love and understanding for these characters more so than in any of his other books that are out at the moment.
The book ends full circle with a return to Riley being called to a homicide and doing some detective work he has a lights on moment where he thinks there is some connection with this homicide and with the coroners from a previous issue. Slowly we see Riley trying to connect the dots and it is really playing out nicely. This last sequence really sets things up nicely for the next issue. I don’t know where this book is going 3 or 4 issues down the line, but it is really enjoyable to read from one issue to the next.
Ultimately, this was a great issue which had one annoyance in my opinion and that was the fact we only just got told about how the powers of the Protectors work, and I am assuming this isn’t the whole story. Don’t get me wrong, it was great that we finally have some answers to this but I question why it took so long to get this explanation. Unlike in Sidekick where I can’t see why it took 7 issues, with Protectors Inc. being more of a detective story it doesn’t bother me as much that it took this long and that is one of the strengths of this book as it feels like a detective story throughout. It is slow, methodical, and pays a lot of attention to detail and it really is an enjoyable book. On top of that the art is fantastic, especially the colouring, and perfectly in tune with the writing.
If you are a fan of superhero books and detective stories, and even light noir then this book is definitely for you.
