December
6
Cobb #1-3
Cobb #1-3
Creators: Beau Smith, writer; Eduardo Barretto, artist
IDW, black and white, 32 pages and $3.99 each
So? A tough-guy action tale in the vein of “Walking Tall,” this is a comicbook for manly men who like heroes who see the world in black and white. Story is about a loner ex-government agent who is drawn into a special case involving the Russian mob. There’s lots of action, but little plot or character to give it context. Barretto draws this like it were one of those black and white comics mags from the 1970s: with a high level of craft that easily outshines an otherwise thin story that seemingly exists solely as an excuse for extensive fight scenes and gunplay. Grade: C
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Wow... Couldn't disagree more about the plot on Cobb being thin. Sure, it doesn't spoon feed you every little detail like most American entertainment, but there's not only a story here but it's a story with teeth. Cobb isn't all anguished about whether he's on the right side and the Russian mob guys aren't all conflicted about hurting people to the other mob guys won't think poorly of them like Tony Soprano, but there's a job to be done. Not a job he asked for, but one to be done. And he does it. Sure, it's not My Dinner With Andre, but then it's not supposed to be. Unless Andre is packing and Wallace Shawn has acquired a taste for Borscht.
I agree about the art. It's stunning and I think the fight scenes are very well coreographed.
Posted by: JCV | December 06, 2006 at 09:20 PM
I have to say that I definitely couldn't disagree more on all accounts. Beau did a fantastic job with the story and the characters.
Cobb has the perfect balance of story and action.
Of course, this is just my $.02.
Posted by: Matt | December 06, 2006 at 09:30 PM
I agree that the art is tremendous, but disagree about the story - this is an action film-as-comic that hits the ground running and never lets up. Even so, I love the flashback sequences to Cobb's childhood. The series is lots of fun - I'm looking forward to Cobb's return.
Posted by: Chuck | December 06, 2006 at 09:40 PM
I must be a manly man than because I love Cobb, CYNTHIA
Posted by: Cynthia | December 06, 2006 at 10:08 PM
I wonder if Mr. McLean read the same comics that I did . . . "Cobb: Off the Leash" is hands down one of the most fun and exciting comics I've read all year. Creators Smith and Barretto infused more character and depth into this book than I've seen in a long time, all without bogging the story down with overlong introductions and backstories. We're given all we need to know about the characters to enjoy the yarn, and, with no apologies, Smith and Barretto drag us along for three issues of a damned fine story.
The character Cobb is a gritty beacon of rugged heroism, doing what's right because it's right. He's not a spandex hero; he's defined by his actions rather than his costume.
Posted by: Derek M. Koch | December 06, 2006 at 10:47 PM
Not much character?
Not sure what is meant by that. Because I found the characters in COBB: OFF THE LEASH distinctive. Cobb is not a carbon copy of his mentor. And the Russian mob hench-thugs are not cookie-cutter renderings either. We got just enough of each to have a taste of them, but not so much that they distracted from the forward movement of the story.
Is the story complicated? Heck no. Is that a detriment? I don't think so. I don't see that every story needs to be twisted and convoluted. We have (1) hero-type at loose ends, and given some place to work, (2) the good guys take the battle to the bad guys. Two women are put in jeopardy - but one has made a gutsy escape from the bad guys, and is willing to help the good guys, and the other is no shrinking violet and rescues herself. A direct straight-on story does not equal a poor story.
What the heck, I liked the story. I wasn't annoyed or bored by any of the elements of the story. The art rocked. Am I supposed to ask for more from an action tale? Well, except for wanting more of COBB.
Posted by: Sarah Beach | December 06, 2006 at 11:01 PM
It wasn't shakespeare, but Cobb isn't shakespeare! You don't need 40 pages of exposition to get to know the characters. Beau and Eduardo did a better job in three panels then some teams do in three issues! Yuri and The Cossack were not typical bad guys. Each one had their own sense of honor and philosophy. The damsel in distress didn't exactly seem all that distressed to me. As for Cobb, he may not have been a saint but he was loyal and knew where he stood. And the reader did too. That is good characterization.
There were no real twists and turns, but it wasn't that kind of tale.
My only regret? Was that cobb couldn't have been another issue.
JP
Posted by: Joshua Pantalleresco | December 07, 2006 at 12:11 AM
You have to understand: Cobb is a book that fits a certain genre. Beau and Eduardo pull it off neatly because this is their thing. If you're looking for "plot" in the vein of Watchmen, go read Alan Moore. If you're into Goth fantasy, Neil Gaiman's your man. Abstract? Check out Grant Morrison. These are all considered top authors. To myself, Smith is no different. It's like discriminating between liking hamburgers over steaks. In the 80's, TV/toy tie-in books like G.I. Joe and Transformers were considered "low brow kiddie fare" when displayed next to award winners like X-Men or Swamp Thing. Yet they sold like hotcakes and only the critics complained. Cobb deserves as much shelf space and respect for what it represents to the reader who enjoys it.
Posted by: Joe Tages | December 07, 2006 at 12:17 AM
I definately disagree with the "little plot or character to give [the action] context" part. While most comics are not worth their price tags, Cobb offers CONTENT in each issue, never just teases for the next one or hints at a looming plot. There's no artificial "complexity" through VAGUENESS that leave me regretting my purchase as with most comics I've stopped buying. Another commenter called it a "straight-on" story, I'd just call it clear.
The art is quality black & white that serves the storytelling. It sets a stage which makes the action (violent and casual alike) logical and followable. You can tell where characters are in relation to each other and objects, which adds drama. Sounds simple, but it's not.
My positive review standing, I have not gotten the third issue yet as I don't have enough comics on my buy list to make it worth going all the way to the shop where I have a 50/50 chance of being insulted for looking at the wrong comic. Do I sound jaded to you?
Posted by: z ryan | December 07, 2006 at 12:26 AM
The art is amazing, and the gritty style was spot on for this series. I'm thinking that the reviewer was not the target audience for a guy like Cobb, though. He probably has the same reaction to every action hero movie he's forced to see. Beau packs plenty of characterization in such a tight story. It's definitely worth reading.
Posted by: Lance Stahlberg | December 07, 2006 at 01:07 AM