Minotaur Press/Top Cow Productions 2015
Created & Written by Matt Hawkins
Created & Illustrated by Rashan Ekedal
Coloured by Bill Farmer
One of the reasons I really enjoy Matt’s writing is because he manages to create books that blend ideas that are socially known with his enjoyment of things Heist movies. Religion is a touchy subject to tackle for many people and not all churches discriminate or bleed you dry but Televangelists are another story entirely they came onto the scene and became these mega churches which are built on the money the collect making the Preacher richer than one can ever dream. We know this, we’ve seen them convicted of crimes of fraud and wonder why they have mansions to live in and fancy cars and planes and yet still people give just to feel like they belong and they loved. They are preyed upon in my opinion for their insecurities.
That’s my belief others will vary so what happens then when a modern Robin Hood decides to take matter into their own hands? Rob from the rich, in this instance a church guilty of fraud, and gives that money to charities, hence giving to the poor. The FBI gets involved and things escalate as they oft to do when the FBI recovers the stolen money, through computer hacking and such of course and then returned to the Church. Naturally things move onto the next level and that’s where we come in.
Wow a pompous arrogant jerk the minister is and we see him giving a service not really praising God in my opinion but money but that’s a point of view. That’s another thing you get from this you see it from several angles I don’t want to feel sorry for the church I mean I think what they is inherently wrong but in all reality the church is still a victim regardless of popular belief. The heist that we see can be ripped from any Hollywood movie or made into one hell of a good one or even seen in today’s new, think England and that diamond heist. The planning needed and reconnaissance and all that jazz required to pull this off is genius.
The characters we are introduced to here are pretty well defined too. Granted I cannot wait to learn about the Samaritan and the group involved in doing the heist we do get to meet the FBI agent involved and his partner. From what we learn this issue they are in complete contrast of one another and yet they seem to share something in common. I like Agent Campbell he’s complicated and conflicted about this with his own religious beliefs at play. Agent Miller on the other hand well he’s a former child hacker turned FBI worker now agent and he’s up against someone with better skills than he has. Well to be fair he’s hampered by the law and being an Agent whereas the Samaritan isn’t so it’s almost an unfair advantage. Both men have interesting stories to them and different motivations for this assignment which we learn about as the story unfolds.
The writing really is exceptional, the research and personal interests are clearly evident making this a well rounded story with multiple views so as not to solely focus on one viewpoint. Smart, engaging, interesting and highly entertaining this could be one of the best action stories to come along.
Rashan’s interiors are pretty darn flawless too. It’s very comic book art but there’s this style and panache to it that helps draw you into the story. There are standout moments that almost make you pause and stare at the page taking the work in. Page layouts and panel usage are utilized perfectly for maximum impact.
You aren’t going to find a better book to have fun and get lost in.