IDW Publishing 2017
Written by Brian Ruckley
Illustrated by Andrea Mutti
Coloured by Vladimir Popov
Lettered by Shawn Lee
Since the dawn of time, immortals have lived secretly among us—fated to await the time of the Gathering, when those who remain will battle for the Prize. A Prize that will bestow immense power upon the sole survivor.New York, 1955. Connor MacLeod—the Highlander—and his fellow immortal OstaVazilek are on the trail of another of their kind:John Hooke, a heartless killer who has roamed North America for centuries. But there are others following that same trail, and no secret can be kept forever….
I love that everything old is new again. I mean this was an okay movie at best then it got turned into a good solid television series and now once again it’s a comic book series. One of the things about this franchise that’s actually a huge bonus is the depending on the writer’s mood and interest there’s a whole timeline rife for exploration. Like this one for instance set in the not too distant past.
I like this story because not only to we get to meet a friend and ally from MacLeod’s past .but we are also introduced to an enemy he made and how all of this got the attention of an FBI Agent. Brian is doing an amazing job in tying it all together so that it makes sense. I mean the fact that this FBI Agent is kind of rogue from the agency, not that that is official but you can kind of tell, and he’s on the scent of a killer that has ties to the Monk and MacLeod yeah it’s delicious. It has all the drama of someone trying to make a name for himself and it opens up another avenue that needs exploring.
I’m totally into the interiors here, i’ve been a big fan of Andrea’s for ages and his linework and attention to detail is so nice to see. The style of dress, the fact that everyone smoked at this time and the city as it was are all spotlighted in ways that are both subtle and powerful to see. His eye for storytelling is amazing and the utilisation of page layouts through angles and perspective are extremely well done. The use of backgrounds is strategic and adds to the drama of what we’re seeing.
We all know that MacLeod is the Highlander and it’s his story to get to the end, survive and become the one. That is kind of what the plan is anyway. So seeing these stories of his past and what he’s had to go through to get there and the people he’s met along the way is what makes the series so attractive. The whole immortal, sword fighting swashbuckling stuff is great and all but that there’s more to this than people realise is where the real meat of the story comes from.
I’ve said it before but this FBI guy is stealing the show for me right now. I mean the fact that he’s nosing around and knows something, not anything specific but is frustrated that he doesn’t know and desperately wants to while the guys are going after an immortal met during the civil war well it’s all just too much dang fun! The story structure, the pacing, premise and characterisation are stunning and make this easily one of the better avenues to keep this franchise alive and well.