Big Man Plans

Revenge is a dish best served cold, and the vengeance brought to the table in this gory tale is as frosty as it is terrible. Big Man was born with dwarfism, abused by his farming family and considered a freak by everyone except his father and a childhood friend. He trades his harsh existence for life in a top-secret program during the Vietnam War, gaining lethal skills that transform him into "the tiniest version of death." Returning to the States, he becomes a bitter barfly, eventually landing in prison before a letter from a dear old friend ignites the fuse that spurs him to exterminate a pack of redneck cops in horrific ways. When taken at face value, this narrative reads like a 1970s exploitation flick starring Peter Dinklage, but its visceral savagery, depicted by Powell (The Goon) in rage-drenched artwork, takes the material to the level of a modern fairy tale whose twist is that readers root for the gruesome hero from page 1, despite%E2%80%94or perhaps because of%E2%80%94the viciousness of his actions. (Dec.)