One of the earliest superheroes in comics history makes his return, but things aren’t exactly like they were in 1941… Your Major Spoilers review of The Hangman #1 awaits!
THE HANGMAN #1
Writer: Frank Tieri
Artist: Felix Ruiz
Colorist: Kelly Fitzpatrick
Letterer: Rachel Deering
Editor: Alex Segura
Publisher: Archie Comics/Dark Circle Comics
Cover Price: $3.99
Previously in The Hangman: During the Golden Age of Comics, circa 1941, Professor John Dickering injected himself with an experimental formula that gave him the power of flight and the ability to shoot death-rays out of his eyes as The Comet! It did not, however, make him invulnerable, and so it was that John was fatally shot in the line of duty. After his brother’s death, The Comet’s sibling Bob Dickering vowed his revenge on the criminal element, and took to the streets as The Hangman!
Or so it was, in 1941…
OBEY THE MATURE READERS WARNING
We open with a cute little suburban tableau, as a charming couple playfully argues about the husband’s inability to stay and sit down for breakfast yet again, thanks to his uncompromising boss. My first instinct is to wonder if we’re seeing our new Hangman in action, but it’s a successful bait-and-switch, as the man in question is mob enforce Mikey Ice, whom we quickly discover has a man tied up in the trunk of his car. He leaves his home, wife and cute daughter behind, and the bulk of the issue is a conversation between the brutal Mikey and the man he has been contracted to murder, and it’s… pretty terrible, to be honest. The stark portrayal of brutality comes with some surprising language and a Stephen-King-clever murder-scheme, all of which adds up to me hating Mikey Ice. Fortunately, his victim threatens him with the curse of The Boia, which in English means Executioner or Hangman…
A SURPRISING ENDING
I really enjoy the art in this issue, reminding me of the work of Denys Cowan (particularly his work on ‘The Question’ and ‘Hardware’ back in the day), all shadows and grit, but still featuring strong storytelling throughout the issue. The only real complaint that I have in terms of the art is a murkiness during Pete’s execution (which seems like it might be an intentional attempt at a Gory Discretion Shot, but then again might not?) The revelations regarding The Hangman at the end of the issue (which I’m not going to spoil, but are totally worth the price of admission for me) are particularly shocking, but the story cuts off at a point that is utterly maddening for me, especially given what hints we are given about the new Hangman status quo. The hook of the story is a compelling one (which bears a resemblance to and/or may be a continuation of the DC Red Circle Hangman of a few years ago) and I’m willing to come back next issue based on the strength of this one, which is often the real test of a first issue.
THE BOTTOM LINE: STRONG BUT ODDLY PACED
The important consideration for me in this issue’s pacing is that it feels like an intentional decision to create the strongest cliffhanger possible which, even if it doesn’t work for me, leaves readers with a compelling “HOLY CARP!” moment and lots of questions about where the story goes from here. All in all, The Hangman #1 is following the same slow-burn pattern as all the Dark Circle books, with appropriately moody art and real surprises, earning 3.5 out of 5 stars overall. Best of all, you won’t need to know anything about any of the previous iterations of the Hangman to enjoy this issue…
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