March
27 Guy Ritchie's Gamekeeper #1

Creators: Guy Ritchie, creator; Andy Diggle, writer; Mukesh Singh, artist
Virgin Comics, 32 pages, color $2.99
So? Director Guy Ritchie ditches the city and the hipster crooks of "Snatch" and "Lock, Stock & Two Smoking Barrels" for the high country in the most recent entry in Virgin's Director's Cut line of comics. Working with writer Andy Diggle and artist Mukesh Singh, Ritchie's Gamekeeper is a taut tale of secrets and second chances told against a starkly beautiful and unforgiving natural backdrop. At a remote Scotland estate, a man named Brock from Chechnya works as a gamekeeper and master hunter for Jonah Morgan, who takes in homeless kids and gives them work and a second chance at life. But a young boy brings along some well-armed invaders who are after some secret from Morgan's past. Brock is a tragic action hero, evoking sympathetic film icons such as John Rambo in "First Blood" and comics icons such as Wolverine. He can kill with amazing efficiency, but is haunted by his past. Not much about him is revealed in this issue, but he's sympathetic enough and interesting enough to make it work. It's far from the most original concept you'll ever see, but it is interesting to look at and to read. What really stands out here is Singh's artwork, which captures in stunning blue and red tints the cold, hard and very beautiful terrain of Scotland. What's most refreshing about this title is that it feels like its own creation, instead of a retread of well-worn genre. Grade: B+