Joe’s Comics returns, but is this series a keeper?  Read on to find out.

The official description from Image:

Joe Fitzgerald was a mob enforcer until the day he met Laura, who convinced him to leave that world behind. Before quitting, Joe agreed to one last job, little realizing that the man he’d been sent to kill was deeply involved in demonlogy. He survived Joe’s attempt and came after him, fatally wounding Joe and killing Laura. As he lay dying, an angelic force (who may or may not be what she appears) pointed out that where she is going, he can’t follow, and where he is going, he wouldn’t want her to follow. But if he will agree to work for them as a different kind of enforcer, they will bring him to life and keep on bringing him to life every time he is killed in a righteous cause. The reward: for those five minutes of death, he will be with Laura again.

If you’re familiar with the author behind this than chances are you know exactly what you’re getting into. This is a text heavy affair with a morbid level of curiosity that should easily attract an audience.

J. Michael Straczynski handles the writing responsibilities and he wastes no time blending elements of the supernatural with his own spin on the world.  From beginning to end he introduces us to a man who has made plenty of mistakes and is currently trying to make up for them through some solid content.  But there are moments where an overabundance of text makes this particular issue drag quite a bit.

Ben Templesmith does the art and his simplistic designs give way to a minimalist piece.  He effortlessly brings the narrative to glowing life, but there were some hiccups along the way.  To some his work may be a bit off-putting but I’m willing to bet that by the time you reach the final page you’ll find yourself enjoying the more subtle aspects therein.

Ten Grand #1 is not a perfect beginning but it does more than enough to warrant a recommendation.

4/5