Greg Salinger was just your typical merc for hire – FOOLKILLER – killing those that he deemed to be “foolish.” And for money. But that life is behind him now. Today, he’s a psychiatrist, trying to help others. But now S.H.I.E.L.D. wants him to try to rehabilitate super villains. The catch? If these “patients” don’t make enough progress, they’re dead!

Solo, Slapstick, Foolkiller, it feel like the 90s are back in many ways at Marvel as they introduce each character in their own solo series. Written by Max Bemis the series introduces new readers to Greg Salinger, the second individual to take up the mantle of Foolkiller. This version of the character debuted in 1976 and got his own series in the early 90s.

Foolkiller #1 catches up readers and gives us the basics of who Salinger and Foolkiller are in a story that feels really comedic and original in many ways. Like Solo and Slapstick, I went in to the comic asking myself the important question of how this series sets itself apart from the other two or the Deadpool universe of comics the character was spun out of. It partially succeeds in that with an interesting aspect of his being a psychiatrist. The Doc Samson infusion feels like something new and interesting and a comic I’d want to read. And it’s done really well with a first patient that eases us into the concept.

The tone of the comic is what doesn’t feel unique. It has the jokey tone that we see in Deadpool or in Solo and that was perfected in Hawkeye. So, the comic feels like a cope of those series in many ways, just with a different setting. It’s like a write by numbers network sitcom. Change the characters and settings, leave a lot of the rest the same.

Still the idea of his being a psychiatrist is what’s interesting, along with an attempt to lead a normal life. The latter part of the comic indicates that may be the less dominant aspect of the comic, but we’ll see.

Dalibor Talajic‘s art is solid and adds to the humorous tones of the issue. There’s something about it that clicks and the daydream sequences with Salinger left me entertained. It’s solid art that really matches the tone of Bemis’ writing well.

The first issue has some good and it has some bad and as a first issue I want to come back and see what’s next. The big thing for me going forward is how this series sets itself apart from the group of comics it orbits in. So far, they all feel a bit too similar and lack that special something.

Story: Max Bemis Art: Dalibor Talajic
Story: 7.95 Art: 8.05 Overall: 7.95 Recommendation: Read

Marvel provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review