The Tower Chronicles: Geisthawk, Vol. 1

John Tower has everything the well-equipped supernatural bounty hunter should possess: a square jaw, a fetching scar, a taciturn demeanor and the cash flow to fund all the tools the well-equipped vampire hunter might need. As we meet him in this introductory outing, Tower is being investigated by tough-but-sexy FBI agent Alicia Hardwicke, while decapitating a living ghost, tracking down an owl-shaped demon, and looking broody. He’s forced to team up with Hardwicke to investigate a vampire gang, and then things get really bloody. As introduced in this first tale, the story elements crafted by Wagner (Mage; Grendel) aren’t exactly fresh, but they’re well executed, aided by Bisley’s angular, menacing art that doesn’t stint on the mayhem. More secrets of Tower’s past promise to be revealed in future issues, hopefully putting more meat on the bones of a promising but thus far generic concept. (Oct.)