With all the hoopla over WATCHMEN these days, it's sometimes hard to remember that it wasn't the sole piece of groundbreaking comic book work done in the 1980s. Point of fact, Kevin O'Neill, who would later work with Alan Moore on the LEAGUE OF EXTRAORDINARY GENTLEMEN, co-created (with Pat Mills) Marshal Law, and in a sense, continued what Moore and Dave Gibbons had started with their deconstruction of the superhero genre. It's arguable that Mills and O'Neill were two of a very small group that actually contributed to the whole "adult superhero" phase the industry went through, not for a quick buck or to bandwagon jump, but because they actually had something interesting to say and the skills to back it up.
MARSHAL LAW was originally published by Marvel's Epic Comics imprint in 1987 before hopping about from publisher to publisher, finally landing at Top Shelf Comix this year, where the entire series will be reprinted in a deluxe Omnibus edition. The title tended more towards satire than WATCHMEN did, with over the top violence, hyper-sexual content and themes and razor-sharp political commentary, but while it could at times be titillating (especially to a then-teenage comic book fan), it was never really gratuitous. Even the "lesser" spin-off titles such as the somewhat odd crossover with Hellraiser's Pinhead was a solidly written and illustrated story that felt like it mattered and wasn't simply a greedy cash grab.
Admittedly, the title may not be for everyone. It was, after all, illustrated by the only artist to ever be refused the Comics Code Authority's seal of approval based solely on how disturbing his art was. But for those of us who remember the series fondly, or were fans of titles that came later and ended up somehow taking all the glory for "doing things first" that MARSHAL LAW had basically already done (we're looking at you, Authority/Ultimates) could do far worse than to set aside a few dollars for the upcoming collection.
THE MARSHAL LAW OMNIBUS is scheduled for release November, 2009.
Related posts:
- Another Kids' Books Article... var add
- Facebook Wants To Use You To Sell Crap To Your Friends var add
- PAX Gets Swine Flu var add
Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.
on Mar 18th, 2009 at 11:40 am
Yes! Finally! I honestly thought Marshal Law was forever damaged by the constant publisher problem that the strip suffered, and something like this would never see the light of day. This is my favorite comic ever produced.
I wore my Marshal Law "Mercy My Ass!" t-shirt from way back then to the opening of Watchmen, having to explain its significance to a good many friends... C'Mon everyone, lets restore the Marshal to his rightful place in comics history!
on Nov 26th, 2009 at 9:46 pm
I too fondly remember these tales of high adventure. This is why I love writers like Garth Ennis so much. It's about the humor! Fanboys take comic books oh so serious these days. I loved this series and it's blatant disregard of respect to the holy "icons" at Marvel/DC.
Books like the beloved Marshal Law and Hitman, Garth Ennis's Punisher, The Boys, Wanted and yeah, even the Authority/Ultimates--Keep Hope Alive for comics.