Choker #1
Written by Ben McCool
Art by Ben Templesmith
Image Comics
Price: $3.99
Released date: February 24, 2010

If you’ve been longing for the return of Warren Ellis’ Fell this is probably the closest thing that will fill that hole until the long fabled tenth issue comes out. This is of course largely due to artist Ben Templesmith, who puts his always moody style to work here. Of course, saying that Chocker is similar to Fell does it a disservice. Outside of the visual style, the story is very different.

Johnny Jackson is your typical down on his luck private eye, until he is given the chance to rejoin the police force by capturing an escaped criminal he helped put in jail. The first issue is largely concerned with setting up the futuristic world and the main character, and it does that very well. I didn’t know much about the series coming into this issue, but enjoyed what was here, and I hope there will be more story in the next issue. New writer Ben McCool has a good handle on how to introduce the characters and even though there’s a lot of things to introduce — the futuristic setting, the background of the main character, and even an odd twist ending to the issue — I never felt confused by what was going on.

Really though, the art is what most people will buy this book for, and if you’re a fan of Templesmith’s art, you’ll find more of what has made him famous. The art sets the perfect mood for the story, and also does a good job of explaining a lot about the world the story takes place in. If you’ve seen his work before and didn’t like it, this isn’t going to change your mind, but I’ve always enjoyed his work, and there’s plenty to like about this one.

I would recommend checking this one out. It’s got great art and the start of what looks to be an interesting story. Definitely a new series worth picking up. I’m giving this issue a 4 out of 5.