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Thursday, June 13, 2013

Comic Review: (ARC) Bloodhound: Brass Knuckle Psychology by Dan Jolley

Dark Horse
Writer: Dan Jolley
Penciller: Leonard Kirk, Eddy Barrows
Inker: Robin Riggs
Colorist: Moose Baumann
Cover Artist: Dave Johnson
Genre: Classic, Superhero
Publication Date: June 19, 2013
Format: FC, 232 Pages; TP,
Price:$19.99
Age range:14
ISBN-10:1-61655-125-9
ISBN-13:978-1-61655-125-4


Superpowered criminals don’t stand a chance when the FBI unleashes the bloodhound! Ex-cop Travis Clevenger was the most effective tracker of superhumans in the country, until he was sentenced to twenty years in a maximum-security prison for killing his partner. Offered a reduced sentence in exchange for helping the FBI capture a superpowered serial killer, Clevenger agrees when he learns that the killer’s next intended victim is his dead partner’s daughter. Can the disgraced hero redeem himself, and can the FBI control him once they’ve let him loose? Collecting the acclaimed DC series from Dan Jolley, Leonard Kirk, and Robin Riggs!

* From fan-favorite creators Dan Jolley (Prototype 2, JSA: The Liberty File) and Leonard Kirk (JSA, Ultimates, Agents of Atlas)!

* Foreword by Kurt Busiek!


Who says you have to be nice to be a good guy?

Travis Clevenger is a lot of things, but nice ain't one of them. He's a convicted murderer holed up in solitary confinement, yes, but he used to be a cop whose expertise was hunting down and stopping supervillains. Then he killed his partner and his life fell apart.

When supervillains start coming out of the woodwork again, the FBI is left with little choice but to recruit Clevenger to help hunt them down. At face value, Clevenger looks like a cross between Brock Samson from The Venture Bros. and Conan the Barbarian. But as the story progresses, he develops into a character with some actual complexity, even frailty. Albeit, his best qualities remain an ability to withstand ungodly punishment, and an even ungodlier ability to dish out said punishment.

On the other side of the coin is FBI agent, and Clev's handler on assignment, Saffron Bell. A no-nonsense, yet sympathetic butt-kicker, who has to find a away to keep her musclebound charge from bloodying up the wrong people while they chase down one super-powered killer after another. She strikes a balance somewhere between Sigourney Weaver and Rowdy Rhonda Rousey. Sufficed to say I liked her.

Bloodhound felt like one of those comic books that was getting away with something as I read it. The action, the one-liners, the blood, it all felt like it had sneaked by some censor. As it turns out, it might have too when it was originally published several years ago for a younger audience, even though it had been pitched and written as a comic for mature readers. Go figure.

In any case, it was a treat for a genre mutt like me. Imagine every odd-couple cop movie you ever saw in the eighties, then add superpowers. Excited? If not, this ain't the book for you. If so, I think you're gonna like it. 



4 1/2 Sheep





Guest Reviewer: Gef Fox

1 comment:

  1. FBI stories are always fascinating to me! Add some hunky dudes (or chicks) throw in some drama and flash backs of Kindergarten Cop and I am SOLD!

    This actually sounds like it would be a good movie. :)

    ReplyDelete