Written by Scott Marder, Rob Rosell and Jack Lambert
Art by Brandon McKinney
Published by IDW
Frank Doberano comes back to the real world in this issue to get revenge on Jasper Kane. I didn’t find this issue to be quite as funny, maybe because there wasn’t the level of satire here that I was hoping for. Still, it has an original voice and a quirky comedic sensibility that I can’t quite shake. I have no idea where the series is going, apart from the revenge story, but I’m willing to read along.
After Doberman’s rescue of the women last issue, a visitor drops off a magazine that reveals that
Jasper Kane is a free man. Doberman angrily returns to civilization where his indefinite leave from the police force is ended. His only goal is revenge, and he has kind of a hard time fitting in to the department after being gone for so long. He tries to confront Kane, though Kane is apparently untouchable, and being around him triggers uncomfortable memories for Doberman. His new partner is a bit hapless, and Doberman quickly ditches him before taking care of a domestic abuse case which gets him in even more trouble.
To me, there was a lost comedic opportunity to show the difference between ‘80s/’90s cop flicks and those of today. Films in the vein of Lethal Weapon have given way to Training Day that depict the grittier side of police work and more skepticism toward their macho characters. The tone here never really changes. Doberman runs up against exasperated police chiefs and bureaucrats, but all of that is part and parcel of cop films from a few decades ago. I think it could be really fun to show this quintessential ‘80s hero struggle to fit in a world that has rejected his kind. I wanted to see some trope smashing going on in this comic, but that hasn’t happened yet. We are only in issue two, so it’s possible that they’re building up to something.
The comic certainly has its funny moments, mostly in the way that Doberman disarms dangerous people by being ridiculous. This is where the most interesting genre subversion happens because Doberman appears to be unafraid to just be ridiculous when he feels like it. Other characters dip into this as well, including one sequence with some spilled coffee. I wish the partner had a better developed comedic voice, but it’s still early in the series to be worrying about that.