C.O.W.L., Volume 2: The Greater Good is the second and most likely the final installment of the series about Chicago Organized Workers League, C.O.W.L. It's your basic superhero story with a twist. There's always a twist. C.O.W.L. is a unionized group of superheroes in Chicago in the 1960s, and they're on strike. Lucky for them, there are some super-powered villains on the loose, but is that mere coincidence? Things get even more ominous when one of C.O.W.L.'s members is found dead with "SCAB" burned into his forehead. A "scab" is someone who breaks union lines during a strike, of course, and it looks like the victim was murdered by someone in C.O.W.L.
The art, particularly the line art by Rod Reis is very detailed. It really looks different from every other comic I've been reading recently; it's awesome. Volume 2 contains Issue #7 through Issue #11. The writing duty is split between Kyle Higgins and Alec Siegel. I will say that it's sad to see a fine series like this end with fewer than a dozen issues. Of course, comic-book politics are just as convoluted as Chicago politics, and I don't know what went on behind the scenes.
This book has been on my to-buy list for some time, but when I saw it at the San Diego Downtown Library, I finally picked it up. It's a fun title, and if you liked Volume 1, you'll definitely want to read Volume 2 to see how it concludes. There are so many strong aspects to this series: setting, timing, characterization, scope... I'll happily read more from its creators.
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