Pigs #1

Written by Nate Cosby and Ben McCool
Art by Breno Tamura

The high concept for this comic is pretty awesome.  A group of KGB sleeper agents, with orders to take down the American government were installed in Cuba back in the 1960s, and are still there, awaiting orders to begin their mission, and passing it on to their children.  You know, despite the fact that the Soviet Union has fallen, and Castro is retired.

It sounds like Cosby and McCool are really taking the long view on this comic, and so take their time establishing some of the characters, and some of the conflicts between them.  When the senior member of the cabal, Vidlen, dies of a heart attack, there is new uncertainty in the group, just as they are finally activated.

The story jumps around in time quite a bit, with the most recent part involving a pair of police interrogating a woman who looks to be in her fifties or sixties.  The cops seem to know a lot about this KGB stuff, and the last page contains a pretty big surprise that definitely has me coming back for the next issue.

This is the type of comic I like to read - the cover by Jock immediately reminds me of DC/Vertigo's The Losers (which is MUCH better than the movie) but the comic itself continued that feeling of familiarity in tone and appearance, if not in details.  Tamura, who I'm not familiar with, has a Jock-ish vibe to his art.  Cosby and McCool explain a little about the book's genesis in the back-matter, and what I read there gives me comfort that there is a highly-detailed plan for this comic, and that it's been exceptionally well-laid out.

Which brings me to my main concern.  I've read bits of McCool's other comics - Choker and Memoir, and haven't been all that impressed. I'm also pretty sure that neither one of those titles have finished yet, and are months behind schedule.  On the other hand, I've enjoyed many books that Cosby has edited for Marvel, and feel confident that his editing skills will help him keep the book on track.  I'm definitely interested in sticking with this title, so long as it keeps coming out.