Men of Wrath (Crime) (Graphic Novels)

by Jason Aaron (Author), Ron Garney (Artist) 

Publisher: Image Comics (November 27, 2018)

Softcover, 144 pages

Amazon Listing 

“This may be the darkest meanest thing I’ve ever written. And if you’ve read some of my work on Wolverine or Scalped or Southern Bastards, you know I’m no stranger to things dark and mean. But there’s something personal about all this as well.”

-         Jason Aaron (from the introduction)

And the author does not exaggerate about the nastiness of the content, proving his point by having the main character drowning a baby in the opening scene. There are no redeeming characters here and no happy ending. Kindness is a vice exploited by others and ultimately leads to a violent death for several characters.

This tragic tale revolves around a father, a Southern hitman, who voluntarily takes a job to track down and murder his own son. The son is desperately trying to find money to support his pregnant girlfriend and a seemingly endless series of firefights ensues. Along the way we see the origins of the evil in the Rath family and how it passed down from father to son and onto the current generation.

This is not the greatest graphic novel, but it is far from the worst as well.  A southern gothic tale with no punchline, just a punch in the gut. The action is deftly illustrated and fast paced. Ultra-violent without ultra-gore.

For more readings, try books by Rex Hurst.