Broken Frontier

After the shocking events of the previous series the Knights of Liberty are vulnerable without the Black Coat’s leadership. But will the cost of getting him back be too high?

Writer Ben Lichius along with co-plotter Adam Cogan have returned to the Revolutionary (in more ways than one) War and pulp–horror themes of this unique title. Proving their storytelling skills, Lichius and Cogan keep this first issue moving with a perfect blend of horror, drama, action and romance.

If you haven’t read the first Black Coat mini-series and you don’t want the ending spoiled then stop reading this review now. Are you still here? Okay, good. The Black Coat sacrificed himself to stop the monster known as the Butcher but Ursula Morgan is not about to leave the body of the man she loved and followed into revolution to rot. The British, though, are cheering their victory over the masked rebel and making plans to destroy the remaining Knights of Liberty. The mysterious and monstrous League, however, are more skeptical of success and well they should be. Ursula just might have a way of bringing the Black Coat back from the dead but the question lingers of exactly what she would be bringing back... a man, or another monster?

In a switch from the previous series, character creator Ben Lichius now takes over the scripting duties from Adam Cogan but the transition is perfectly seamless. Lichius continues to mix and match genres with a delightful result as he adds some new, gothic monsters, a little bit of real Revolutionary War history, and some old-fashioned action. The characters who inhabit this drama also continue to be compelling and fun. There is no mistaking that this is one title that reads just like an old-fashioned Saturday movie serial… in the best ways possible. Lichius has taken the best aspects of film and put them on the printed page, discarding everything that does not work.

Also returning to this title is the work of Francesco Francavilla. His black and white work is so perfectly suited to this title that it would be hard to imagine anyone else handling these characters. He has a cinematographer’s eye and so works perfectly with Lichius and the story. Francavilla’s work manages to be both rough and detailed, giving the tale a noir toughness and a sense of time, place, and atmosphere that grounds the more fanciful aspects of the story.

The Black Coat is like a gallop across a dark landscape – you are not sure where you are going, there could be danger looming ahead but darn if it isn’t one thrilling ride. If you want appealing characters, an exhilarating story, and a title that throws caution and the rules to the wind then pick up The Black Coat…Or Give Me Death. They really don’t make comics like this anymore.