REVIEW: Judges #1 - 3

Writer: Ben Miller
Artist: Cory Hamscher
Colors: Sean Forney
Review: Art Bee

Anyone calling themselves a comic enthusiast has to love comic conventions, the small ones as well as the big. Smaller cons are actually where you will find those rare stories that you won’t find at most local stores. Many great comic writers and artists can barely afford to pay for a table at a smaller convention, so larger ones like SDCC and NYCCC are just a goal for them. A comic enthusiast at a small convention, like Kokomocon (www.kokomocon.com)in my local area, can dive in and find a great story to get behind.

Two years ago I met Chris Charlton of Assailant Comics at Kokomocon and have been following a few of his stories since. This year I had the pleasure of meeting Ben Miller, the writer of Judges. While talking to him, the book’s artwork jumped right out at me. Hamscher has a wickedly distinct flow to his drawing that screams action.

While standing at the booth with issue #1 in my hands, Miller told me the story was about a group of soldiers, known as Judges, hunting down demons that plague the world. I admit that the plot is not completely original, but it sounded intriguing nonetheless. Willing to take the chance on it, I bought the three issues that are currently out (the free print was also an incentive).

The series starts with Jephthah Earl O’Neal, Jep for short, a Navy Seal sniper being sought to be a part of a small team for hunting down evil. The story is centered on the belief that all evil people are demons in disguise or under the control of demons. Judges exist to battle these agents of evil and have done so since the beginning of time.

The plot is solid enough and is easily followed. Miller’s writing transitions well from each scene and even better between issues. Bad transitions is one problem I hate to see in comics, because readers get bewildered from issue to issue if the it is not done well. The only problem I have with the writing is in the dialog. Sometimes the characters’ dialog does not seem to fit the character saying it. For example, Jep uses almost perfect English all through issue #1, but towards the end of issue #2, he almost sounds like he is from a stereotypical Harlem ghetto at one point. This is really just a minor thing, but it was cumbersome to read. I had to double check the character.

The series is a great read thus far, and I am glad to have invested in it. Supporting local and lesser known writers and artists is huge and if any of our readers is not doing it, get started. There are some real treasures to be found at these small conventions. Judges was a good grab for me, and I am looking forward to issue four. You can purchase Judges at www.benmillercomics.com.