They say the Hangman is nothing more than an urban legend. A spook story told to scare criminals straight. But those who encounter him—like hitman “Mad Dog” Mike Minetta—know different. They know that when he comes for you… you’re dead already. Join fan-favorite writer Frank Tieri and artist extraordinaire Felix Ruiz  for an ongoing tale of horror, the supernatural and violence…  and learn why some men may never be redeemed.

The last series from Dark Circle Comics I read was the fantastic The Fox. It was a mixture of mad cap action, odd ball humour and surprising moments of comic ultra violence (albeit rare in the six issues released). The Fox was one of the best comics on the rack every week when it released because it was above all other things fun.

Something The Hangman isn’t.

The first issue of The Hangman is a particularly violent comic that’s liberally doused with dialogue that at times borders on excessive with the amount of, shall we say, sweary goodness.  Now I’ve nothing against cursing, an while I usually try to avoid it in my writing, I am well aware that when used well it’s a great tool to accentuate your point and to give added depth to your characters. That there’s cursing in The Hangman #1 doesn’t bother me, indeed in some scenes it is quite effective, but there are other panels – perhaps one or two too many – where Frank Tieri goes above and beyond using the curse words as an effective tool and instead crosses the line into excess; that most of the excessive sweary goodness comes from one character is worth noting, and perhaps Tieri is underscoring the kind of guy that Mike Minetta is with the language he uses, and it took me a little out of the story; your mileage may vary, however.

Felix Ruiz provides some solid artwork, which is complemented nicely by Kelly Fitzpatrick‘s colours, especially as the comic progresses, and goes a long way to immersing you in the grubby feeling of the world we’re entering. More than almost anything else, it’s the artwork that set the tone with some scenes angled a certain way to give you a feel for the characters within the comic. 

The story itself serves as a gateway into the world of The Hangman who seems (based off the preview imagery alone) like a mix between the Punisher and Batman, but how accurate that is is still an unanswered question, which I suspect will be answered within the next issue or two. The Hangman #1 genuinely disappointed me; I really wanted to like this series, and while it’s still too early to judge a series based on one issue, that first issue wasn’t a great start for me. I couldn’t help but compare it to the other Dark Circle offerings, and for me at least, it didn’t quite measure up.

I’m not ready to give up on The Hangman just yet, however, and hopefully the series will hit its stride with the next issue. If it does, I’ll let you know.

Story: Frank Tieri Art: Felix Ruiz Colours: Kelly Fitzpatrick
Story: 6.25 Art: 7.5 Overall: 6.5 Recommendation: Pass

Dark Circle Comics provided Graphic Policy a FREE copy for review.