August
4 Dark Games

Brodie's Law: Project Jameson

Creators: David Bircham and Daley Osiyemi, creators; Alan Grant, writer; David Bircham, artist

Pulp Theatre Entertainment, 156 pages, color, $14.95

So? When a graphic novel begins with an introduction from action director Renny Harlin, you expect to see pages full of big guns, bigger explosions and high-octane chases. Creator/artist David Bircham and writer Alan Grant exceed these expectations to deliver a compelling crime thriller drenched in as much human pain and suffering as it is in blood. Jack Brodie wants nothing less than to do right by his estranged, drug addicted wife and son. He hopes a corporate espionage gig will be their ticket to a better life together. Unfortunately, the heist goes awry, but Jack escapes with the chemical formula PM13 from the P-Fact offices. He later discovers that his wife has been killed and his son kidnapped in retaliation for the theft. He's been set-up. To find the responsible parties, Jack unlocks the secrets of PM13 with the help of an alluring researcher. He infects himself with the formula and gains the ability to absorb human DNA to take on the physical form and mind of whoever he touches. In his desperate search for answers, Jack becomes the very man who killed his wife and then a sultry internal affairs investigator who lusts after the local crime boss. The trail leads back to P-Fact. Before losing his own identity to these transformations, Jack must confront the man behind this elaborate plot, rescue his son and save his own sanity. Grant delivers a dark and twisting tale that unravels the mystery behind the stolen formula along with Jack Brodie’s psyche. Bircham keeps the kinetic pace of the story moving along with his “jump-cut” panels and moody pencils colored in sepia and gray tones with splashes of red. The pages turn themselves as you try to keep up with Jack. Pulp Theatre sold 500 advance copies at Comic-Con Intl. In advance of their September newsstand release, look for Brodie's Law at WizardWorld Chicago and Memorabilia (Birmingham, U.K.). Grade: A