When you read comics all of the time, it can be hard to find something that grabs your attention and shakes it like a new born baby. But when I stumbled across something called “Man-Gull” I was instantly enthralled. It was strange, it was new, and it was exciting. Plus with a name like Man-Gull, it had to be good. In the town Pleasant Point, a loving couple by the names of James and Debbi sit by the lake at night and enjoy each other’s company; but then all of a sudden from out of the darkness, James is attacked by an unknown assailant. After the chaos ends, Debbi finds her boyfriend half dead without his arms.
Detective Nick Obecks drops by the hospital as he’s been assigned to the dismemberment case of James Moxon. Nick talks to the doctor but don’t really get any insight on what the attacker used to sever the arms. James is alive, be it on life support with an armed guard in front of his room.
After that Obecks heads back to the station to check in on James’ girlfriend, Debbi who has been in questioning for hours. But she has no idea what attacked them and ends up being no help. Frustrated, Nick called his ex, Julie for some insight but again Nick gets nothing that really helps. Out of options he heads back to the hospital.
Once there Nick notices that something isn’t right when the officer guarding James’ door has a broken neck. Nick goes to investigate James’ room only to find Man-Gull attempting to finish James off.
Then after that, is one the most exciting sequences to take place in comics that I’ve seen in a very long time.
What drew me to this book? Was it the badass cover of Man-Gull attacking a woman with a knife? Was it the name of the book that tickled my curiosity? Actually it was both of those things. One of the best things about Man-Gull is that it’s a story that would be a normal run of the mill police/crime procedural. But Miller does you one better and offers one of the best and refreshing twist (antagonist wise) in the business and somehow it works.
When you do something exciting and daring as Man-Gull you should be rewarded with all the riches in the world! It had been a long time since I smiled ear to ear while reading a comic and chuckling at the sheer brilliance of it all. This book has a seagull with a man’s arms kicking ass. Think about that for a moment, pretty cool huh?
There’s not too much I can really say about this book because it has to be experienced. You can listen to me rant like a raving idiot about on the CBMFP episode 82. So if you’re looking for a comic that goes that extra mile in creativity look no further that Man-Gull.
Score: 5/5
Writer/Artist: Rian Miller Publisher: Stock Pile Price: $2.00 (Digital PDF) $5.00 (Physical)12