Broken Frontier

Bulletproof Coffin returns with a ton of gruesome crime scenes.

Bulletproof Coffin: Disinterred #1 is the bizarre superhero origin meets paranoid detective story you never knew existed.  Caught in the midst of several gruesome murders is Detective Johnny P. Sartre, who at first glance appears to be a typical gruff and tough-as-nails cop.  With the headless remains of several murders haunting his memory, however, is it possible that the tasks of a homicide detective can destroy what was an otherwise normal man?

Beginning with what would appear to be an otherwise unsolvable murder, Detective Sartre is led down the path of obsession and paranoia.  Sartre’s downfall is both logical and well designed, with the murders taking a mental toll on the cop over the course of the issue.  Series writer David Hine pulls no punches with his leading man.  Hine forces Sartre to face several gruesome crime scenes (though readers will surely find them ironic and humorous), which send him on a maddening mental rollercoaster where every set piece holds a hidden meaning, finally culminating in a paranoid downward spiral that leaves victims of its own.  Sartre’s ruin and eventual rise from the ashes is a complex and bloody take on a superhero origin, one that can be guaranteed to never have been seen before.

Bulletproof Coffin: Disinterred’s gruesome murders are brought to colorful light by Shaky Kane, whose art matches theme for theme with Hine.  There are numerous different styles for Kane to work with in this single issue alone, with crime scenes being set next to the heroic yet odd daydream sequences for instance.  Though only briefly featured, Sartre’s daydream of The Shield and Lady Justice unleashing “American Lead” on some “mindless union men” is too funny to describe and must be read.  The true heart of Bulletproof Coffin: Disinterred, however, are the murders Detective Sartre must solve; the best being a squid-for-a-head elderly woman trapped in an aquarium within a seafood restaurant.  The ironic scene is only matched by the establishment’s pun for a name and the eventual clues perceived to be left behind.  Kane’s work, page after page, adds several layers of fun to Hine’s words and story.

Bulletproof Coffin: Disinterred #1’s greatest strength is David Hine’s story of one man’s paranoia and eventual downfall.  Through his story and Shaky Kane’s art, Detective Sartre’s descent into madness is clearly understood.  Sartre’s return as a “superhero,” likewise, is unlike any other story, making it worth the price of admission alone.  There’s no telling where Hine and Kane will be taking Detective Sartre in the future.