I’ve been a fan of Roddy Piper for years. Going back to the
early WWF shows in the eighties where he was featured as one of the ultimate
heels you had to love him, the swagger he displayed, his willingness to take on
even the biggest good guys, his turns at being a good guy and his ability to
work a mic like no one else before or after. When he went into movies I only
had one problem and that was that he didn’t make more. I still can’t believe
that studios didn’t see the potential he possessed while at the same time
outfitting Hulk Hogan in a tutu. Really? To this day his performance in THEY
LIVE is a classic. So when I heard that he was taking on the comic book world I
knew it would be good. I wasn’t disappointed.
Stars of the WWE have been in comics prior to this one. Most
famously were those done by Chaos Comics that featured stories involving Stone
Cold Steve Austin, Mankind, The Rock and a series about The Undertaker. Since those were the top stars at the time
its little wonder they didn’t bring back the stars who made the WWE what it was
to begin with. That changes now.
With this graphic novel we find a new hero in Roddy Piper.
His character is Toombs, born and bred to be a monster killer. Coming from a
long line of Toombs he carries on the family tradition of killing the demons
and monsters that haunt this world, preventing them from taking over the entire
planet. But now he’s on a different mission. Armed with a bagpipe that drives
the monsters wild and a shillelagh he used to dispense of them hand to hand,
Toombs has come to Portland, OR, to be reunited with his son.
Knowing that the monsters would do their best to end the
line and finally claim the Earth for their own, Toombs left his son and wife in
Portland along with his best friend, a werewolf named Folly. Folly has helped
raise the boy, training him to fight knowing full well that one day those
skills would become not just a way to make a living but a way to protect himself
as well. That day has come. As Toombs returns to reunite with his son, the
monsters have gathered together to kill them both and claim what they want. But
will the son he left behind understand? Will he accept the role that his family
laid out for him centuries ago? Or will he ignore his legacy and form his own
way in life?
I think you probably know the outcome to those questions but
it’s the combination of story and artwork that bring it to life in this graphic
novel. If you’re a fan of comics then you’re sure to enjoy this one. The story,
written by Sean Skelding, Brad McCray and Ian Edginton based on characters
created by Piper himself is well written, delivering enough substance to hold
your interests and providing the launching pad for artist Cliff Richards to
deliver the graphics needed to help fill it out. Richards has a nice, clean
look to his art, not going for the etch type style of some or the funny book
feel of others, but providing a superhero style akin to that used by the early
works found in both DC and Marvel. I’m guessing those two companies passed on
this title because Piper isn’t in the current WWE line up. Their loss as far as
I am concerned.
The characters are fully fleshed out, as much as can be in a
short graphic novel, enough so that I could see this becoming a regular series
should they choose to do so. Once you finish reading you find yourself wanting
to know more about what happens next, just what terrible demon will pop up out
of the blue and…well the wondering might reveal what happens in this book,
whether father and son can reconcile or even survive this attack. For now just
enjoy the book you can pick up here and run with it. Let your local comic shop
know you’re interested. Tell them to pass along that you want more. You never
know what a little push can do for a small start. This one is fun and you’ll
have a good time with it.
Click here to order.
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