Still on the Shelf #3 – Sleeper

Originally published April 8th, 2003 on www.ComiXtreme.com. This work is, of course, © Craig Reade.

Overview-

Sleeper is a relatively new title from DC’s Wildstorm label. Right on the cover of each issue, you can find the words “Suggested for Mature Readers.” I would heed this advice- it is certainly not for the kiddies. The story takes place in a pretty brutal world of criminals- not the “secret layer,” or invincible fortess type of supervillian hang-outs, rather a more modern, more dirty world of sleaze bars and criminal subculture that seems a lot more realistic. You have drugs, sex (of many flavors), murder, and of course, super powers. And not a drop of it is gratuitous.

Holden Carver, otherwise known as (only once, as a matter of fact) as the Conductor, is a member of an underground criminal association of “post-humans” (mutants, superhumans, whatever you want to call them). Mind control seems to be among the most common of powers up to this point, but Holden is a bit unique in that he is completely immune to mind control. His power derives from an alien artifact that was absorbed into his body, acting as a parasite. This parasite absorbs all of the pain and trauma that Holden is exposed to, and allows him to redirect it at other people. There is a pretty telling scene in the second issue where Holden asks to be shot, so that he could then direct that pain to an out-of-control colleague, to snap him out of a killing frenzy. On the more personal side, it seems this parasite also prevents Holden from feeling pleasure, or any other emotions for that matter. This leaves Holden despondant, and he often experiments with different things (sexually and otherwise) to simply feel SOMETHING. Far from a superhero story, this title is all about espionage and the criminal underworld. It just happens to take place in a world where super-powers are a very real thing.

The Story So Far

Tao, the leader of the International Association, the criminal organization which Holden belongs to, starts off the first issue explaining to Holden that he believes that a fellow agent is a spy for the government, and he sends Holden out to asses the situation. A series of events and flashbacks inform the reader that Holden himself is indeed the double agent, imbedded by a man named Lynch and the International Orginization, a security agency described as more top secret than the CIA. It seems that while Tao is highly successful in his endeavors, the government, when it comes down to it, has no idea what Tao is trying to accomplish. Holden is placed in the organization in hopes that he will be able to work his way up the ranks, and try and discover the method behind Tao’s seeming randomness. So, for the last several years, Holden has been operating as a criminal, waiting for the time when he can be of use to the I.O.. Only, as the story pregresses, it becomes clear that he has become less-than-fond of the “Good-guys.”

Thoughts

Personally, I am a story guy when it comes to comics. And while I really feel that Sean Phillips did a superb job with the art (this is a classic example of when the art matches up to the comic perfectly), it was really the story here that grabbed me. Ed Brubaker weaves a very intricate story here, and having heard absolutly nothing about this title before reading the first issue, i was sucked right in. As Andrea Speed mentioned in her Advance Review of Sleeper #1 (this was also posted on comixtreme.com), Brubaker offered a personal, money-back guarantee on the quality of the story in this book. I can see now why he was so confident about that- and it is pretty clear that he will not be paying out too much money to unhappy readers.

While the tale is filled with sex and violence, it is only appropriate considering the nature of the story. And rather than using it gratuitously, Brubaker uses it tastefully, for depth. The most graphic of sex scenes are used to depict Holden’s desire for feeling of some kind, the violence serves the purpose of advancing a major stoy idea, or adding further depth to character’s like Genocide, Holden’s sometime “partner” in the organization who he has become friends with.

Each character thus far has had his or her own brand of sickness and depravity- they are villians, after all, but Brubaker allows that to exist while still putting the focus on the character’s themselves.

Bottom Line-

Get this book. Now. Sleeper #1, #2, and #3 are available for sale now. Sleeper #4 is due out April 27th. Right now, this book has it all. I am not so sure about the long-term, however, since the whole focus of the story seems to revolve around taking Tao down from the inside. Once this occurs, it is tough to see where Holden will go, so the book could really suffer at that point. But, that is a long way away (and any number of twists could occur by then), and by all accounts, this is the best new book I have read in a while.