10 YEARS OF THE BF SIX TO WATCH! When it launched on Kickstarter earlier this year The Stranger – written by 2024 Broken Frontier Six to Watch creator Tom Philipson alongside James Patrick, illustrated by Devlin Baker, and lettered and designed by Philipson – promised something of a different approach to the standard world of super-heroes. A worthy aim in regards to what is undoubtedly comics’ most played-out and recycled genre, and one that the team most certainly achieve in these pages. Here the initial focus was to be put on a worldweary detective character, Sal Denaro, intent on discovering the identity of a returned costumed vigilante. One long believed to be dead. In short the secret identity, that key ingredient of the super-hero comics world, would be turned on its head, and the super-heroic presence would become almost an antagonist figure.
So the basic premise first. It’s 1975 and the Stranger, who supposedly died in the ‘50s, mysteriously returns to exact revenge when their convicted murderer is released from jail. Denaro’s investigations will lead him to seven possible suspects. Is one of them really the Stranger and, if so, how/why have they re-emerged after all this time?
This is the first issue of The Stranger and, as such, it’s all about the set-up; introducing us to cast, world and concept. Presumably future issues will begin to look at the various “suspects” in more depth and give us some backstory on them as the mystery deepens. As introductory chapter, though, The Stranger #1 does a particularly good job at hooking the reader. Rather than the potentially turgid exposition that these affairs can descend into Philipson and Patricks instead opt for a fast-paced action sequence that leads organically into a dramatic cliffhanger.
Devlin Baker’s art is moody, atmospheric and impressive in the action sequences where multiple angles on events give us a flowing appreciation of time and environment. Colour is carefully applied to build up feelings of the claustrophobic, the oppressive and the intense. While The Stranger’s true narrative success can only really be evaluated after the conclusion of this story arc this is an opener that ticks every box in terms of suspense and ensuring reader anticipation. A rare feat indeed in super-hero comics in 2024!
Tom Philipson & James Patrick (W), Devlin Baker (A), Tom Philipson (L/D) • CoCo Comics
Review by Andy Oliver
Tom Philipson will be a guest artist at the ’10 Years of the Broken Frontier Six to Watch’ Party at Gosh! Comics this coming Saturday, August 31st. Full details here.
2024 marks the tenth year of Broken Frontier’s ‘Six to Watch‘ initiative. Look for articles throughout the year celebrating the work of those artists who have been a part of the programme.
