Gary's life is going nowhere. He lives in public housing with a mother who answers to her brutish boyfriend, and spends his nights carousing with pals. But Gary's Uncle Jack has taken a different path - one of glamour, danger and mystery. And when Jack is called upon to get his nephew out of trouble one last time, their lives are going to intersect in a way neither of them could have foreseen. From the writer of Kick-Ass and the artist of Watchmen comes a story about family, class, and high-stakes espionage.
The Secret Service #1 is not your typical Mark Millar comic book. While it's of the same high quality we've come to expect from the writer, the setting and tone just feels completely different to anything we've seen before. The writer has made no secret of just how much it means to him to be collaborating with
Watchmen artist Dave Gibbons, and it becomes clear early on that there's a lot more to this tale than you might expect. Millar packs a lot into the first issue, introducing the key players and adding a real sense of depth to them all. Depsite the action packed opening, there's a lot of dialogue and it delivers a hell of a lot for a $2.99 comic. The story is immediately engrossing and despite the fact that the tone varies throughout (the funny opening is followed closely by a scene depicting Gary's disturbing home life) it's consistently interesting.
Gibbons' artwork isn't as stylised as artists such as Lenil Yu and John Romita Jr., but his work here is still pretty astounding. The facial expressions of each character adds a lot to the story and while some backgrounds lack detail, this doesn't nagatively impact the issue whatsoever. Instead, he crafts a London which feels REAL and the action packed and bloody opening is tremendous fun. And yes, it's the opening seen in previews which includes none other than Mark "Star Wars" Hamill. The actor (best known for playing Luke Skywalker and voicing The Joker) meets a grizzly, and quite honestly, hilarious end in a sequence which promises to translate wonderfully to film. Speaking of which, with
Kick-Ass and
X-Men: First Class director Matthew Vaughn on co-plotting duties, a big screen adaptation beckons. Once again, this feels like another Millar book which is just begging to be brought to life as a film. Perhaps it's just me, but the second Jack appears, I couldn't help but see Michael Fassbender being a perfect fit for the role.
The Secret Service #1 takes us into a world that many will find it easy to relate to and puts a unique spin on it through a likeable lead, a la
Attack The Block. The spy elements of the comic also manage to avoid feeling clichéd, and judging from the ending, they'll continue to unravel and develop as the series progresses. Jack and Gary are believable and relatable, and I for one can't wait to find out more about the former and find out what's next for the latter. Just like Dave Lizewski, it's easy to find yourself invested in their lives even at this early point as Millar is adept at crafting realistic and engrossing characters. With an intriguing sub-plot about cult actors being kidnapped, this feels like something very special indeed.
Attack The Block meets James Bond in this excellent new thriller from Mark Millar, Matthew Vaughn and Dave Gibbons. A must-buy!