Writer - Frank Tieri
Artist - Felix Ruiz
SPOILERS-SPOILERS-SPOILERS
The Hangman is another one of the Archie Comics/Dark Circle re-imaginings of older characters done in a much darker vein. What I know of this character coming into this book is there was an innocent man that was being hanged when a phantom type force came to him and offered a deal. Now he roams the earth protecting the innocent and hanging (literally) the guilty.
The story begins with a man named Mike Minetta getting ready to leave for work in the morning. He is lovingly interacting with his wife and young daughter and seems to have a wonderfully happy life. As he leaves for work we discover he has a man bound and gagged in the trunk of his car. Uh oh. As Mike drives away we catch a glimpse of a silhouetted Hangman watching from a distance. Mike takes the dude out of the trunk and down to the river and beats the living crap out of him. Come to find out Mike is known as Mad Dog Mikey Ice and he is some sort of a hitman or mob enforcer. He covers the poor bastard with strawberry jam and watches as the man is swarmed by a mob of rats and is slowly eaten. When Mike gets in his car and begins to leave the scene he sees the Hangman outside his car. He shoots at him and tries to run him over, to no avail. The Hangman appears inside the car and throws Mike through the windshield. He throws a rope over a light pole and hangs Mike from it, but as he does something strange begins to happen. Twinkling lights appear around the Hangman and he dissipates and ascends into the sky. We are left with Mike hanging from the light pole. The end. Evidently we are getting a new Hangman in issue 2.
This was a decent issue but it read very fast. If this were an episode of a tv show the content of this entire issue would have been the scene that takes place before the opening credits. The art is extremely sketchy and scratchy by choice, to fit the gritty tone. This works fine but some panels are a little hard to follow exactly what is happening or where I should be looking. Felix Ruiz draws the Hangman hauntingly, which is effective, and the cover is great. Overall I enjoyed this issue but for $3.99 I want a little more. There are many good books being published these days competing for my money so a book needs to grab me right away. I am curious as to what happens next. Does Mike become Hangman? I am curious but probably not enough to buy issue 2. Captain Creepy says The Hangman #1 is okay, but slightly disappointing.
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