I love this series. To begin with I'm an absolute nut for Joe Staton. Ever since I stumbled across his work on E-Man for Charlton back in the 70's I've craved more of his stuff. His early Charlton work is a must-have for me when I find them, his covers especially. So, when I chanced across a series online that he was illustrating I had to check it out. It was big time fun.
The series was written by Chris Mills, a name I'd come across in other Indy comics and a name I've come to associate with stuff I like. (He was even a commentor at the Dojo in its early days.) The two of them produce a comic story that's got all that old-fashioned storytelling jazz I adore. It's grim but not necessarily gritty. It's dark but not necessarily gloomy. It's a ripe blend of fun and furious action. It was a great online comic adventure. And when I heard the boys were going to publish some of these on actual paper I was thrilled. The series did not disappoint.
The stories were wide-ranging in contents and characters but nonetheless still obviously took place in a recognizable world. Whether fighting jungle girls or robot hoods, "Blonde Justice" the knockout star of the series finds a way to give the adventure a clever and distinctive twist. The series evokes Will Eisner's The Spirit for certain, and then it adds layers of other references and influences. Spotting what inspired this, that, and the other in the short-lived series is fun for fans. Whether you round up these stories in the original comics or get the trade, I highly recommend this series. It's the most fun you can have reading comics...period.
Here are the covers (with both A and B versions) for the four-issue mini-series.
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If you can find it, it's a treasure. For more about where to look, check out this link to the Thrilling Detective Website.
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