01.Aug.2010 Sleep is Good!

Sleep Is Good  by Intrepid Reporter Jason Chin
The problem with me is that the only thing I’m good as is procrastination. Some people would say that’s a bad thing, but to me it means delaying death and taxes. The drawback, of course, is that some things shouldn’t be delayed- work, love, and, uh, taxes.

“Sleeper” by Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips is one of those things you shouldn’t delay reading. I read it in one delicious gulp and as it flew through my mind I couldn’t help comparing it to other great works; the Godfather, Gaiman’s Marvelman work, the Watchmen. I mean, I’ll tell you the truth I’m not a big fan of Brubaker’s Marvel work and I’m a giant Steve Rogers fan (though “Steve Rogers: Super Soldier #1 was pretty good) and my expectations for this trade collection (or “Season One”) were low.

“Sleeper” takes place within the fairly ridiculous Wildstorm Universe, but there are only oblique references to it and it doesn’t influence the story too much; just more of a context really, to give you a sense that this story is behind the scenes of a world seemingly run by capes and cowls.

“The problem with my story is that it has too many beginnings and, far as I can tell, no ending in sight.” – Holden Carver

With a superhero-laden world a given, wouldn’t it make sense for people with “talents” to be recruited by both the CIA and the Mob? What if James Bond was bulletproof? What if Michael Coreleone could shoot fire? What if Austin Powers was funny? Holden Carver is a “torpedo” within the Tao criminal organization. He’s an enforcer, an assassin, and a murderer. But he’s something else as well; he’s actually Agent Carver, sent by the American spy agency International Operations (IO, heh) to infiltrate and research the true motives behind the mastermind Tao and his empire. How can Carver remain true to his original mission as he rises up the ranks of this powerful organization?

This is, quite simply, a fantastic story. Here’s some pop-culture math:
(Donnie Brasco + Training Day + Bourne Conspiracy) – overacting/shaky-cam) X the Godfather) X the Watchmen

In this world, the etiquette of super-powered people is tell each other their personal origin stories, sometimes in the third person and I loved that tradition. I’m going to do that from now on IRL. One of the best things about the series (and all great episodic work, really) is how Brubaker upends the expectations on the genre. Usually, a writer will extend a plot or idea just to keep the series going and that is not evident here. People die, people confess, $#!T gets completed f’ed up. “Sleeper (Season One)” by Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips is available at
Chicago Comics right now!