REVIEW: The Hangman #1

Story: Frank Tieri
Art: Felix Ruiz
Publisher: Dark Circle Comics
Release Date: 11/4/2015

Next week Dark Circle Comics resurrects a character from their past with The Hangman #1. This time around writer Frank Tieri and artist Felix Ruiz are tasked with reintroducing us to the character. This first issue is a quick, easy read that gives us our first look at our titular vigilante.

The opening pages of the issue introduces us to a character named Mikey as he bids farewell to his family, on his way to work. Later, we find out that “Mikey Ice” is actually an enforcer for some bad people, and his job today is to kill a man who slept with the bosses wife. After handling his business, Mikey attempts to leave the scene, but is confronted by The Hangman. The issue ends shortly after the confrontation, with an interesting twist in the final panels.

This first issue of The Hangman comes in at 34 pages, however only 22 of them are actual story and that’s not enough to make me feel one way or another about the issue. It’s unfortunate because the story is well written and illustrated by Tieri and Ruiz and it feels like they can be a great pairing. There’s just not enough in this first issue to make me care about what happens next. In fairness, the remaining pages of the issue are spent advertising for the imprint’s other titles and if I were trying to resurrect an entire imprint I can’t say that I would do different. But as a reader, it feels like I was shortchanged on a potentially interesting title.

Final Verdict: I thought the issue was well done, but there wasn’t enough there to make me come back for the next issue (if that makes any sense). You’ll have to judge for yourself on this one.

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