Series: Hadrian’s Wall
Written by: Kyle Higgins and Alec Siegel
Art by: Rod Reis
Publisher: Image Comics
Summary from Comixology: “When an astronaut on HADRIAN’S WALL is murdered, pill-popping detective Simon Moore is dispatched to investigate the ship’s crew, including his own ex-wife. But if Simon’s not careful, what he finds could make the interstellar Cold War go red hot. From the creative team behind the critically-acclaimed series C.O.W.L. comes a gripping, locked room murder mystery where the secrets of everyone involved are as dark as the space that surrounds them.”
This teams previous effort, C.O.W.L., was one of my first Image titles, and it was awesome (seriously, go track down the trades). It was like Mad Men meets the Justice League, if the League was in a corrupt union in the 1950’s. The story was really interesting, and Rod Reis’ art is so unique. Anyway, whenever it ended it left a hole to fill, and HADRIAN’S WALL looks to fill that hole.
While both of these titles could be considered noir, the settings are vastly different. As stated previously, C.O.W.L. took place in 1950’s Chicago, while HADRIAN’S WALL takes place in space, aboard the titular ship. After a member of the crew is murdered, Simon Moore is sent out to investigate. Things get complicated when we learn about Moore’s history with both the deceased astronaut and said astronaut’s wife, who happens to be Moore’s ex-wife. Not the best of circumstances considering they are confined on a ship in the middle of nowhere.
The tone of this issue is really neat. The set pieces look like they were pulled out of the 70/80’s sci-fi aesthetic, and the idea of a noir murder mystery is definitely intriguing. Higgins and Siegel have already proven that they can spin a great noir yarn, and this issue is not an exception to that rule.
I know that the sci-fi genre can be hit or miss, especially with the genre being flooded, but this creative team put out a great first issue that has enough humanity in it to ground it. Not to mention the gorgeous visuals, particularly the two-page spreads, provided by the fantastic Rod Reis. If you are a fan of 80’s sci-fi, murder mysteries, or James S. A. Corey’s Expanse series, this is definitely a book for you.
HADRIAN’S WALL is out today so make sure to pick up you copy ASAP!