DC comics book review: Jack Hammer: Political Science #3 Review

"> June 26, 2011 Reasonably Priced Comics 0 comments Tweet

Jack Hammer, private eye, and former street level superhero, is on a case that is proving to be much more than he thought. It all began with the murder of a high ranking businessman. Now the victim’s widow is missing, and the man who holds all the answers is far more dangerous than anyone bargained for.

Jack Hammer: Political Science #3

Jack and his team, including police detective Martin (who was originally assigned to the murder of the business man), Jack’s assistant, Ramona, and Jack’s driver, Stu, are trying to piece together information about a company called Technotrends. This is where the victim worked and where he discovered some not so great things about. Unable to break into the security of the final website they gathered, Jack, Martin, and Stu head to an abandoned warehouse that seems to be using an awful lot of water and power for it to truly be abandoned. Jack, not exactly subtle, hence his Jack Hammer name, creates a diversion so Martin is able to enter the building to find the kidnapped Kara Newman. Ramona discovers that the victim’s boss, the head of Technotrends, is actually a really high level super human wanted for over forty murders (including a high level superheroine). Will Jack be able to stop the murderer without being killed? And who is the mysterious woman Martin runs into as he searches for the missing widow?

I’ve liked this series from the start. Writer Brandon Barrows added the right amounts of intrigue with some nice thrills. I legitimately care that the good guys get to the bottom of this issue. I am legitimately invested to see how this ends. It’s no small thing to do this in an indie comic. A lot of indie books will boil the life out of the story or show flaws in the story by focusing too much on having a “cool” hero or awesome monsters, etc. When doing a street-level crime book at the core, Barrows made sure he gave us enough characterization mixed in with a solid story that has depth. It isn’t just about Jack Hammer once being a hero and using his fists to solve crimes. It isn’t an overblown bad guy trying unleash hell on Earth in an equally overblown scheme. Everything seems to be balanced properly. And speaking of the bad guy… Havelock Beltram is just delightfully evil. I love it when the heavies are just so damn tickled to be bad. He makes no bones about it, he’s going to do whatever he feels necessary to meet the end goal. Sure, he may have to kill some poor, innocent girl, but he actually seems to take pleasure in being what he is. I love that in the bad guy.

I really like Ionic’s work on two different levels. First of all, his covers are amazing. I’d like to see Marvel pick him up for some cover work. He has a quality that’s reminiscent of Adi Granov. I would love to see him use this style with Black Widow or Steve Rogers. In his sequential style on this book, it really sets a great tone. This side of his art is rough and “dirty”. I don’t have to read the words to understand he’s depicting a gritty crime story. But his style also has another quality to it. I wonder what he could do with some of the DC characters like the Demon or even John Constantine with this style. I honestly would love to see him get a crack at some characters from the “Big Two”. I think he could really find some success with some well known characters if given the opportunity.

My only real critique comes right at the very end. I get that Jack has been knocked down and I understand it appears he’s eventually tossed out a window. However, there’s a jump between one frame to the next that isn’t exactly clear what happened. I’m not sure if one more frame or one more word bubble would have made it clearer, but I feel one more extra step was required to make sure we understood exactly what happened to Jack.

Overall, this is good book. I really think this is something I could recommend to just about anyone who enjoys genre. Not only that, but I’m also finding myself really loving what Barrows and Ionic do.

A COMIC BOOK BLOG RATINGProsConsSolid story and an art style that fits the genre. I like that the story doesn't bog down in the characters but gives us what we need to know where we are. That's something not many are able to do well.The biggest problem is the end. There's a bit of confusion, but the understanding is there. I just wish it was a little better defined. Rating85%

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Jack Hammer: Political Science #3 Review

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