Review: Officer Downe (One-Shot)

Fallen officer, Terrence Downe, has been given a second chance to help take back the streets of Los Angeles. Resurrected by the most powerful minds on the planet, Officer Downe is back from the grave to put criminals in theirs.

OFFICER DOWNE

Written by Joe Casey

Art by Chris Burnham

Colors by Marc Letzmann

Letters by Rus Wooton

Logo and Book Design by Drew Gill

Published by Image

Previously in Officer Downe: This story is the first ever we’ve seen of Officer Downe. What’s really nice about it is that it’s a one-shot as well, so you can just pick it up and keep it handy for whenever you have a spare moment to read. There is absolutely nothing you need to know to enjoy this story. (Except maybe the ability to read … even then I think you could still enjoy it.) There is one thing that any one who wants to read this comic MUST understand. THIS COMIC IS GRAPHIC! I’m talking language and violence here. So kiddies, sorry but this comic isn’t for you.

A TALE OF BLOOD AND BADGES

Our story opens with Officer Downe raiding local drug dealer “Headcase” Harry’s warehouse. By the time Officer Downe finishes reading everyone their rights, the only person left alive is Harry who has his finger hovering over a detonator that’s wired to dozens of barrels of explosives. Headcase lives up to his name and blows himself and Officer Downe sky high. As the Coroner digs Downe out of the rubble, the local crime syndicate, Fortune 500, decides it’s time to send a message to the police and calls in Zen Master Flash and his students to flex a little muscle for them. Meanwhile, back at Police Headquarters, Chief Berringer explains to a rookie how the police department is using the minds of one hundred of the world’s most telekinetic people (called the Bullpen) to resurrect Officer Downe every time he falls in the line of duty. The tour ends with Downe getting off the operating table, getting dressed, armoring up and asking to get back out on patrol.

As Officer Downe hits the streets, a report comes in for trouble at Cedars-Sinai Hospital where Zen Master Flash and his ninja students are going on a bloody rampage that would rival anything seen in Kill Bill. Officer Downe drives right into the lobby of the emergency room and starts to dispense some justice. This time, however, he is knocked out after having a hand and finger cut off and a sword thrust through the chest. When Downe next opens his eyes, he finds himself suspended upside down in a cell at Kings County Correctional Facility where he’s responsible for half of the inmates’ incarceration. After Zen Master reintroduces them, the inmates go to town and beat him in ways they could only have dreamed of. To everyone’s surprise, Officer Downe didn’t die. Instead, he was pulling so much telekinetic energy from the Bullpen to stay alive that he suddenly jumped to his feet and started killing his way to Zen Master Flash who had just teleported to the Warden’s Office. Officer Downe then burst through the office doors and proceeded to rip Zen Master’s eyes out followed by throw him out a window. After killing the Warden, who he suspected of criminal dealings, Downe collapsed only to be recovered and brought back to Police Headquarters. After the Bullpen recovered from the toll Downe’s extreme beating took on them, they brought him back to life so that he could once again hit the streets.

GRAPHIC

This comic doesn’t just slap you in the face with it’s graphic nature; it helps you up again and slaps you back down twice as hard. The very first word in the comic is even a curse! None of this is to say it was a bad comic or that it uses the cursing as a crutch though. Lets face facts here; if your reading this comic, it’s not for intellectual stimulation. This comic is every bit as hokey as the Evil Dead/Army of Darkness movies with a plot essentially stolen from Robocop. It’s pure violent candy. You wanna see someone get their face peeled off? It’s got that. You wanna see a man lit on fire while his murderer relieves himself? That too. Pregnant woman getting her head cut off? Yep. Guy with a crutch stuck in his head with an impaled infant on it? What do you think? Like I said, graphic.

VIOLENT YET FUNNY

This comic is for everyone out there that has a little deviant running around in the back of their head. It’s a place to see something violent for the sake of being violent and adding a twist of comedy for flavor. There is more than enough parody references strewn throughout the book from CHiPs, to Robocop, to Kick Ass that’ll put a smile on your face. Another entertaining aspect is when Officer Downe is armoring up and goes through all the pet names he has for his weapons and his car. It reminds me of Hellboy with how he talks to and names his weapons. Pure testosterone driven, kill happy fun.

WHAT DO YOU GET FOR YOUR $5

There are a few (other) reasons why someone might not pick up this title. For one, it costs $4.99 for a title that no one has ever heard of before. In today’s budget filled world, that could be a big leap of faith for someone to take on an unknown title. However, for your five bucks, not only do you get a complete tale … not only do you get a rather thick book filled with more blood and gore than a mortician could handle (so thick that it’s hard to bag and board), but they throw in a sketchbook and interview with the writer too. By the time you’re done reading the comic, you really do feel like you’ve gotten your moneys worth.

IS THIS FOR YOU?

Answer me this: Do you like violence for the sake of violence? Do you like over the top adrenaline filled tough guys? Do you like campy stories that feel like they were stolen from Hollywood’s B-movie archives? If you said yes to all three of these then boy do I have a story for you. If you said no to any of these, perhaps you’re better off saving your money for something else. This comic caught me in the right mood at the right time and because of that I thoroughly enjoyed it. I can see how it won’t appeal to everyone though. I have to give this three and a half stars out of five because, while fun, I can’t bring myself to give anything this campy and over the top anything higher than that.

Rating: