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Choker, Vol. 1
Johnny Jackson is a bitter ex-cop working at a deadbeat detective agency, but an escaped fugitive soon thrusts Johnny right back into the thick of the police force and Shotgun City's despicable underworld! Collects Choker #1-6.
160 pages, Paperback
First published February 10, 2010
74 people want to read
About the author
Ben McCool
94 books14 followersBritish comic book writer, Ben McCool has gone from selling comics to writing them. He has written for Justice League: Unlimited and Negative Burn and is now working on the forthcoming graphic novel NEVSKY (April 2012). McCool is engaged to Heidi MacDonald, whom he lives with in New York.
Born and raised in Birmingham, England, Ben McCool was a long time fan of US comics. He first began to work with comics when he was employed by Nostalgia & Comics in his home town. There he met and became good friends with the Hitman artist John McCrea and began to learn more about the art of writing comics. Since then McCool has moved to New York, where he lives with his fiancé Heidi MacDonald.
He has worked with DC Comics on Justice League Unlimited, plus also in DC's creative services/licensing departments. There, McCool has been in a steady working relationship and come into contact with many other creators. It has been a launch-pad to his freelance writing career, which has led to the creation of Choker with artist Ben Templesmith through Image. This will be previewed in the upcoming Liberty #2 anthology, benefiting the CBLDF, and also featuring creators such as Neil Gaiman, Jim Lee, Dave Gibbons, Gail Simone and Tim Sale.
Outside of comics, Ben McCool has also written for the gaming website UGO.com, and various bits & pieces for 20th Century Fox (including interviews, junkets & promotional writing).
Born and raised in Birmingham, England, Ben McCool was a long time fan of US comics. He first began to work with comics when he was employed by Nostalgia & Comics in his home town. There he met and became good friends with the Hitman artist John McCrea and began to learn more about the art of writing comics. Since then McCool has moved to New York, where he lives with his fiancé Heidi MacDonald.
He has worked with DC Comics on Justice League Unlimited, plus also in DC's creative services/licensing departments. There, McCool has been in a steady working relationship and come into contact with many other creators. It has been a launch-pad to his freelance writing career, which has led to the creation of Choker with artist Ben Templesmith through Image. This will be previewed in the upcoming Liberty #2 anthology, benefiting the CBLDF, and also featuring creators such as Neil Gaiman, Jim Lee, Dave Gibbons, Gail Simone and Tim Sale.
Outside of comics, Ben McCool has also written for the gaming website UGO.com, and various bits & pieces for 20th Century Fox (including interviews, junkets & promotional writing).
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
March 17, 2019
Well, Choker was promising but didn't deliver. The art is dirty, dark, and bit ugly, but that fits the story, but it's messy and chaotic sometimes and that eventually led to me being fed by the art. The story is interesting, but it's not very coherent. I eventually didn't care about any of the characters, didn't understand their logic and had a hard time to recognize who is who between men with glasses. There are few flashbacks, which serves only as confusion because it's hard to tell you're in a flashback right from the first page. Eventually, it ended. Luckily this series is only six issues long. I wanted to give 3 stars, but I actually didn't found anything upbeat on Choker. It just didn't work for me.
January 7, 2021
Templesmith má u mňa vždy miesto a tak som sa konečne dostala aj k tomuto. Choker je... zaujímavý. Idea celej story je naozaj zaujímavá ale prevedenie nie je veľmi dobré. Strašne, ale strašne nesúvislé, občas som sa stratila v príbehu, výjavy z minulosti bolo ťažké odlíšiť od prítomnosti. Postáv bolo zbytočne veľa (a ženská hlavnejšia postava mi liezla na nervy; sorry ako ale stačila jej hláška "The fastest way to a man's heart? My fist." a zavesené odrezané vajca v aute na spätnom zrkadle, nemusel ju písať CELÝ čas tak že z nej tiekol testosterón). Art ale chválim, neviem sa ho prejesť, upíri a potvory mu proste idú, tmavé, temné prostredia s nádychom červeno-žltej mi vždy prišli ako skvelá kombinácia pre hororové veci. Za mňa slabší priemer a síce chápem, prečo to nepokračovalo, ale nevadil by ďalší 6-zošitový paperback. 3/5
August 5, 2012
Ben Templesmith's art is as fantastic as ever. The story and characters were interesting and compelling, but I wish they'd all been further developed. Perhaps that will happen as the series continues, which I hope it does. McCool and Templesmith make a great team. The story and setting definitely scratch my itch for gritty, brutal noir, but I can't help feeling like at least a few chapters were left out along the way.
June 2, 2012
story is disjointed and lacking. templesmith's art is great, as always.
May 18, 2023
The Choker was a great reminder that I used to loved Templesmith work and that I must get my hands on all the other series, also. Especially, Wormwood: Gentleman Corpse.
I quite understand the complaints here, and some of them are pretty accurate, that you don`t know all the time what characters is who, and there is definitely a feeling that this is a second volume in the series, not the first, from some of the events that are hinted and not so much detailed.
The story I found it to be interesting, I read this one in one go (so that`s a compliment), with potential and some nasty surprises in the end.
And when this hard boiled crime story goes hand in hand with the peculiar style of illustration of an artist like Templesmith, with a post apocalyptic world, for me, you really don`t need to put one and one together(!), that this was a HIT.
And I say this, despite it`s evident shortcomings, but choosing instead to be impressed by it`s mesmerizing and amazing art in which various creepy creatures are brought to life.
I wanted to give this one a four star rating, but in the end, I feel that this one it deserves a five!
I quite understand the complaints here, and some of them are pretty accurate, that you don`t know all the time what characters is who, and there is definitely a feeling that this is a second volume in the series, not the first, from some of the events that are hinted and not so much detailed.
The story I found it to be interesting, I read this one in one go (so that`s a compliment), with potential and some nasty surprises in the end.
And when this hard boiled crime story goes hand in hand with the peculiar style of illustration of an artist like Templesmith, with a post apocalyptic world, for me, you really don`t need to put one and one together(!), that this was a HIT.
And I say this, despite it`s evident shortcomings, but choosing instead to be impressed by it`s mesmerizing and amazing art in which various creepy creatures are brought to life.
I wanted to give this one a four star rating, but in the end, I feel that this one it deserves a five!
July 9, 2018
A good crime comic or book is hard to come by these days from writers who don't have Hammett or Chandler in their names. Choker isn't one the good ones I came across from my local library.
Templesmith (artist/designer) and McCool (story) try their darnest to make futuristic crime digestible for kittens. The plot ran too fast and superficially while the art was either too crowded or dark to decipher what was happening in significant action scenes. Even the lines were as cliche as a trench coat-clad gumshoe for a main character--which was there, too, right down to the poor drinking habits and a chip the size of his alien fist. So many times this comic had a chance to slow down, be creepy and crime-y and real, yet it misstep with stereotypical lines and cursing in almost every frame. It's just OK for someone who has reads comics and manga on a daily basis without much regard to names and titles, but for someone who is a real crime head, RUN.
Templesmith (artist/designer) and McCool (story) try their darnest to make futuristic crime digestible for kittens. The plot ran too fast and superficially while the art was either too crowded or dark to decipher what was happening in significant action scenes. Even the lines were as cliche as a trench coat-clad gumshoe for a main character--which was there, too, right down to the poor drinking habits and a chip the size of his alien fist. So many times this comic had a chance to slow down, be creepy and crime-y and real, yet it misstep with stereotypical lines and cursing in almost every frame. It's just OK for someone who has reads comics and manga on a daily basis without much regard to names and titles, but for someone who is a real crime head, RUN.
January 26, 2022
I enjoyed this violent nihilistic romp through a dirty old-school neo noir inspired city. While sometimes the story felt a little muddled in the action sequences that can be a little hard to follow, the story was ultimately a great no holds barred crass entry into the genre with a cyberpunk twist. The series is unabashedly gritty and revels in its grimy take on detective stories, and hooks you solidly like a good thriller should.
It's not perfect though. The story gets muddled with a lot of characters that aren't given enough to do, and gets a little convoluted at times with not every plot point being clear. Characters are a lot of fun, especially our main character, but they can be a little flat. Some of the characters are pretty well written though, simultaneously espousing noir cliches while still having character depth.
Worth a read for fans of sci-fi, thrillers, and noir. This is the only volume as well so it's a short story.
It's not perfect though. The story gets muddled with a lot of characters that aren't given enough to do, and gets a little convoluted at times with not every plot point being clear. Characters are a lot of fun, especially our main character, but they can be a little flat. Some of the characters are pretty well written though, simultaneously espousing noir cliches while still having character depth.
Worth a read for fans of sci-fi, thrillers, and noir. This is the only volume as well so it's a short story.
July 13, 2017
I am usually a Ben Templesmith fan and this was thoroughly disappointing. Art wasn't as great as his normal stuff and the story was pretty awful and slightly hard to follow who's who in the bad guys realm.
May 6, 2022
Disegni molto interessanti e base di trama intrigante, affatto affetta dalla lentezza che di solito caratterizza i primi volumi. Un mondo dove ci sono mutanti, diversi, una città dove gli angeli scelgono di morire. Aspetto di vedere il seguito.
November 1, 2019
Well, good as Templesmith usually is, but this one has its limits: it starts in a pretty understandable way but it loses coherence at the end. So it could be better, but it is good enough
December 27, 2021
I really love Ben Templesmith's art, and it really works in this fucked up, pulpy, cyberpunk world
April 24, 2013
If this was just rated on Ben Templesmith's dark, brutal and utterly gorgeous art this would be a five star book, as it is, Ben McCool's script, while enjoyable, isn't up to Steve Niles. Still, the characters are interesting and Johnny could well be an anti-hero to watch.
February 23, 2013
Full review on HorrorTalk.com: http://www.horrortalk.com/comic-revie...
December 14, 2012
disturbing, even by templesmith standards.
March 23, 2017
Nice artwork. Story and dialogue fairly poor.
July 12, 2014
Amazing compelling art. The story and dialog just don't do the art justice.
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews