Review by: Connor Russell Looking up “Maniac Cop” on IMDb I came across a short film of the same name done by a man named Chris R. Notarile. Looking up his stuff he's done many short films and it was a given he is a lover of comic books, with many of his short films being based on comic characters. I then learnt that he had put one of his original works into comic book format with company Hound Comics, The Protector.

Before it starts, Notarile gives a brief description on his thought of comics and you can tell he draws inspirations from the Silver Age of comics as he reflects on his ideals for a super hero being a purist.

Basically, it is a story about the beginning of our titular character The Protector and his secret identity, Allen Adams. He is an insurance investigator looking around a recent crime scene on a bank robbery in Republic City. Then going on home he receives a package from his mother, his costume. The next day he stops an attempted bank robbery, apprehends the criminals and shows himself to the public.

Reading this, you can tell Notarile loves comics and his handle of the character is well done. Superman is an obvious influence as it is in the essence of the story telling, but The Protector still stands on his own. Notarile comes across as having a clear idea of where he wants to take this story. It is a fun read and the older time period gives it a nice change and atmosphere.

His father, Chris Notarile, is the artist of this comic. A style of being almost a drawn photograph, (sorry I'm never really good at describing art). The light brown edging around the artworks emphasise the almost 50s feel of the comic and adds a nice touch. It may not seem like much of a compliment but his work on the hair and faces is definitely worthy of note. Hair often comes across as way too many lines or cartoony, but he gives nice detail that is realistic. And well, I just like his work on the faces. Heck, his entire work of art in this book.

Again as I said this is a comic that revives the life seen during the Silver Age and it is a nice change. It is almost a feel good story and is absent of being dark, gritty or full of angst. That again is a nice change. It is a story that I can see working for older and younger readers and I definitely recommend it to anyone who is a fan of Superman. This is one that I hope continues because I'd love to keep reading it as I was quite surprised by the whole thing.

Score: 3/5

Writer/Artist/Creator: Chris R. Notarile Self-Published Price: $5.00