Postal Vol 1

The townsfolk of Eden, Wyoming wake up to the first official murder the town has seen in 25 years. Their reaction to this isn’t normal, and there’s a reason for that. Eden operates as a haven for fugitive criminals who remain here while new identities, often including facial reconstruction, are created for them. There is zero tolerance for any illegal activity that might draw attention to the town and an “official murder” is the last thing they want. A single, tight-knit family runs Eden with the youngest oddball son Mark Shiffron overseeing the postal branch, the only means of shipping in or out of the city. THE FBI has repeatedly been foiled trying to insert an undercover here; they see Mark as the weak link to exploit. This murder gives them a new opportunity.

At first, I though that this comic was called Postal because it was about a guy going postal. Then I actually read the comic, and as it turns out the main character is a postal worker! Just goes to show that you can’t always judge a book by its cover. I am judging this book by its cover though, and my judgement hence be that it is good. So basically there’s a small town in Nowhere, Wyoming, and Mark “Rain Man” Shiffron notices that strange things are afoot in his town. Through detective footwork that would make Hank from Breaking Bad focus on minerals full time, Mark discovers some very spooky things in the town he calls his home. The writing here is top notch, Matt Hawkins and Bryan Hill have crafted a depressingly realistic narrative of a small, rural town driven crazy by its own twisted delusion. Mysteries lead into further mysteries until nothing is left but blood and broken bones.

One thing that really grinds my gears (in a good way) about Postal is the degree to which it focuses on the mental disorder Aspergers Syndrome. Our protagonist Mark is afflicted with it, but he doesn’t let it slow him down! There really are some disappointing stigmas regarding mental illness in this country, I was diagnosed as bipolar a few months ago and most people ask if that means I have “two different personalities” (it doesn’t, I only have this one which sucks). But if Mark Shiffron can use his “malfunctioning brain” for good, maybe I can use a McDonalds without crying in the bathroom!

It’s also worth mentioning that the art of Postal is sublime. Isaac Goodhart paints an image of a bleak, broken town held together by paranoia and duct tape. If anything the art is too flattering, I was in Wyoming once and it did not look as interesting as the pages of this comic. This art’s got some grits! You can practically feel the blood dripping off the pages.

Postal was published by Image Comics, but don’t let their name fool you! Their comics also have words. If you like them on Facebook, a representative will show up to your doorstep with a bouquet of flowers.

Geek-o-Rama received a copy of this book for the purpose of this review. All thoughts, comments and opinions are those of the individual reviewer.

Postal 1

"The townsfolk of Eden, Wyoming wake up to the first official murder the town has seen in 25 years. Their reaction to this isn’t normal, and there’s a reason for that. Eden operates as a haven for fugitive criminals who remain here while new identities, often including facial reconstruction, are created for them. There is zero tolerance for any illegal activity that might draw attention to the town and an “official murder” is the last thing they want. A single, tight-knit family runs Eden with the youngest oddball son Mark Shiffron overseeing the postal branch, the only means of shipping in or out of the city. The FBI has repeatedly been foiled trying to insert an undercover here; they see Mark as the weak link to exploit. This murder gives them a new opportunity."

For a town full of criminals, they sure don’t like people breaking the rules, or at least that’s the case with Postal, the new series by Bryan Hill and Matt Hawkins.  With this first issue, we see through the eyes of Mark Shiffron, a postal worker with Asperger’s, who’s constantly trying not to let his condition get himself into trouble.  An interesting concept to say the least, a town full of criminals who don’t tolerate crime.  They know what they’ve done, but don’t want to rot in a prison cell for the rest of their lives, so at least in Eden, Wyoming they have a bit of freedom to live out a normal life.   The thing that gets me though is that they execute anyone who breaks the unwritten rule, but get all in a tizzy when they find someone murdered out in the street.  Sure, the law could come sniffing around, but what about all of the others they’ve killed to keep the peace?  Perhaps there’s more to it than what I’m seeing, but that’s for the next issue to tell.

I’ve gotta say though, this issue didn’t really do anything for me.  It’s well structured and the characters seem fleshed out enough for the first book, but in the end it just didn’t grab my attention.  Like I’ve said before, it’s an interesting enough concept, but the characters were very forgettable to me.  I honestly don’t feel compelled to pick up the second issue, which is a shame because I enjoy Matt Hawkins’ take on Aphrodite IX.  Everything I read doesn’t have to be all sci-fi or fantasy, but this first issue didn’t make a good impression on me.  Hopefully things will pick up as the series moves on. 

I can’t really say, one way or the other if I would recommend this. The artwork was good and the story itself was pretty original, but the characters just weren’t remarkable enough to really want to keep up with the series. If anyone else wants to give this one a shot, perhaps you’ll see something in it that I don’t. In either case, the first issue of Postal will be hitting shelves next month and despite the name. For more info on where to find this issue, visit the Top Cow website, or the Top Cow Facebook page.

Geek-o-Rama received a copy of this comic for the purpose of this review. All thoughts, comments and opinions are those of the individual reviewer.