I'm a hero hunter. I hunt heroes. Haven't found any yet.
This book collects the six issue mini-series that was published in the late eighties by epic and was written by Pat Mills with art by Kevin O'Neill. The pair are both alumni of the British comic 2000AD and collaborated previously on the fantastic Nemesis the Warlock. Mills has written a number of other series for 2000AD including sword and sorcery epic Slaine and ABC Warriors. O'Neill is probably best known these days for his work on The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen.
The story is set in a earthquake ravaged San Francisco of the future that has been renamed San Futuro. Marshal Law is a genetically modified human - one of many produced as super soldiers to fight in a conflict in The Zone - who works for the San Futuro police department. He specifically targets the returned super soldiers who dress as superheroes but act like spoiled brats fighting rival gangs and terrorising the ordinary population. Marshal Law is hunting a serial killer who is targeting women dressed like the siren Celeste and suspects the holier than thou hero the Public Spirit. In the course of his investigation he uncovers the true killer but reveals dark secrets from the Public Spirit's past.
Published just after Watchmen and The Dark Knight Returns, Marshal Law is a savage deconstruction of the superhero paradigm. Its bleak setting and black humour is perfectly captured by Kevin O'Neill - most panels deserve extra scrutiny for the humorous background details and random graffiti. The over the top storytelling might not appeal to all but I have always loved the amoral antics of the heroes and disproportionate response of San Futuro's finest. One of the many comics of the eighties that I wish the creators would revisit.
First published on RevolutionSF on Wednesday Oct 05, 2011
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