Cyclops

In a futuristic world in which international peacekeeping forces have been privatized, the main character, Doug, becomes a "cyclops," a global soldier whose helmet, fitted with a camera, allows the images he sees to be broadcast to the masses. This means that men like Doug aren't just soldiers, they're also celebrities, and, in a global industry in which war and media have become one, he has no choice but to play both roles to the hilt. In glossy, brilliantly colored panels, the story unfolds, with geostrategic alliances and political maneuvering underlying every noncovert action. When footage of Doug in the midst of heroically saving a political figure makes the global airwaves, he becomes a world-class celebrity, and his life gets even more complicated than it was as a peacekeeper/mercenary soldier as he moves on to "photogenic missions," which make up the substance of a television-style show to be broadcast to the masses. Jacamon and Matz are known both in the U.S. and in Europe for their previous collaboration, The Killer. Sharp art, relevant political commentary, and sexy, action-packed story make this another winner. (July)