Nixon's Pals

I have hinted at some of the background to my acrimony toward Image Comics; to shorthand it, these were the days of Dave Sim and the whole indie movement and Image was, ostensibly, the culmination of this. But less than a year after its lackluster superhero lines hit stands, it became just another major publishing house. Further, Image's "cutting-edge" technology forced the other major publishers to move in that direction, resulting in something like a 300% mark-up on comics prices across the board. All in all, a real kick in the pants.

But Image has done a lot to redeem themselves over the years and while I still have yet to find a good superhero title from them, they have scored big points with me with their bizarre titles, most of which are noir and just plain... bizarre. Nixon's Pals appears to be one of these, and I have a feeling it will be worth checking out.

This is an official Image Comics press release:

January 10^th, 2008 (Berkeley, CA) - This March YOUNGBLOOD's Joe Casey and rising star Chris Burnham dig deep into the hidden super-villain underbelly of Los Angeles this March in the 120-page graphic novel, NIXON'S PALS.

"The 'Nixon' in NIXON'S PALS is Nixon Cooper, parole officer to Los Angeles' ever growing super-villain scene," said writer Joe Casey.

"This is hard boiled storytelling, basically putting a superpowered spin on what I love in crime fiction by writers like Elmore Leonard and Jim Thompson."

Casey is not comparing NIXON'S PALS to Leonard's work lightly. The world of NIXON'S PALS is far from bright, with Burnham bringing a refreshingly unique twist on the conventional grim and gritty super tale.

Burnham said, "Not only is Joe the type of writer who lets an artist run free, but NIXON'S PALS is exactly the type of comics I love to draw.

"It's an insane romp, filled with giant furnance robots, sentient breasts, and a ton of really vile bastards. It's fun for the whole family!"

NIXON'S PALS (JAN082057), a 120-page black and white graphic novel for $12.99, will be in stores March 26^th, 2008