This might be the easiest review that I’ve ever had to write. If I had to sum up this issue in one word, it would be “Classic.” I didn’t really know what to expect going into it, but it brought back so many memories of the good old days of superhero comics. It’s simple, funny, action-packed and very well drawn. This creative team of Mark Waid and Dean Haspiel really brought their best. Red Circle Comics really knew what they were doing when they snagged these guys. Paul Patton is our hero, not to mention that his name fits the classic (there’s that word again) system of the hero’s first and last name starting with the same letter. He’s a photojournalist who got sick of waiting for the action to come to him, so he created the means to go get it. One cool aspect of the title so far is the fact that Paul is married. Married to woman who knows all about his exploits as The Fox. I can foresee that creating some fun stuff for our hero later on down the line. Not a bad way to start a series.

This issue opens with Paul being tied to a chair during an interrogation by two unsavory gentlemen. These thugs are on the payroll of a Mr. Smile, a corrupt businessman tied to organized crime. Mr. Smile isn’t a big fan of Paul’s latest story and decides to let his goons take his anger out on him. The rest of the issue is based on the events leading up to Paul’s capture and eventual interrogation. I don’t want to give too much away, but let’s just say that his latest interviewee isn’t what she seems.

In this issue we get to see The Fox put the hurt to several baddies in the same fun style of heroes like Spider-Man or Daredevil, which both titles have had Waid at the helm in the past. The art really compliments the movement of the character. That plays a big part since The Fox tends to move around a lot while spouting sarcastic remarks to his opponents during fight scenes.

Bottom line, this is a great read. And with as many titles as there are that have reached the $3.99 mark, this title delivers at just $2.99. So far, all I have to say are good things. The writing is excellent, the art is complimentary and with a great backup story by Dean Haspiel, it’s a definite achievement. Add this one to your pull list, folks.

Score: 5/5

Writer: Mark Waid Artist: Dean Haspiel Publisher: Red Circle Comics Price: $2.99 Release Date: 10/30/13