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Immortal Sergeant #1-9
Immortal Sergeant
Eisner nominated, International Manga Award winning I KILL GIANTS storytellers JOE KELLY and KEN NIIMURA return to yank on your heartstrings with IMMORTAL SERGEANT!
On the eve of his unwelcome retirement, Jim Sargent (aka “Sarge”) a grizzled, old-school detective, catches a break on a murder case that’s haunted him for decades. Unfortunately, Sarge must drag his anxiety-riddled adult son, Michael, along for the ride or risk losing the lead forever. Can this dysfunctional duo overcome their own hang-ups, blindspots, and secrets to catch a killer?
Collects Immortal Sergeant 1-9
On the eve of his unwelcome retirement, Jim Sargent (aka “Sarge”) a grizzled, old-school detective, catches a break on a murder case that’s haunted him for decades. Unfortunately, Sarge must drag his anxiety-riddled adult son, Michael, along for the ride or risk losing the lead forever. Can this dysfunctional duo overcome their own hang-ups, blindspots, and secrets to catch a killer?
Collects Immortal Sergeant 1-9
400 pages, Paperback
Published December 12, 2023
3 people are currently reading
57 people want to read
About the author
Joe Kelly
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There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name
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Displaying 1 - 29 of 29 reviews
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February 15, 2023From the same team as I Kill Giants, an equally unclassifiable new Image book. When it became clear that the title character was an ageing badass cop unwilling to retire, and his ridiculous antics were rendered in spare black and white, my first thought was that we were in similar territory to Kyle Starks' action movie pastiches, albeit maybe with an edge of copaganda satire, not to mention a manga-esque decompression (and it does feel manga-esque in what it chooses to let breathe, as against the more obvious choices you'd get during noughties western comics' decompression boom) in place of Starks' knockabout rush.
Except then the focus shifts to Sarge's son, and the son's family, and the way the son's wife has seen the damage his dick of a dad did to her husband, and doesn't want that handed down to their own kids too. Which, you know, serious issue, and treated as such...but also with the awareness that the situation, the irascible old bastard insisting his crime scene stories are fine for kids so long as he leaves out the goriest bits, is also quite funny. Hell, even the speakerphone call on the drive over leads to the kids piping up with the following, and had me genuinely struggling not to wake my sleeping spouse by fully cracking up:
"What's a thruple?"
"What's a douche?"
"I put a raisin up my nose!"
It continues twisting and turning from there, a braid of generational trauma and cop show action which doesn't always work, but which you certainly couldn't say felt focus-grouped. And compared to some of the entirely generic elevator pitches which get put out under the guise of creator-owned comics these days, that already feels like an achievement. Never for a moment does this read like anything but the work of people who are making comics because they want to make comics, because that's the way this story is told – and it works as such, where I can all too easily imagine the same thing told in any other medium coming across trite at best, deeply objectionable at worst, without this precise use of the possibilities of words, art, even lettering placement operating in a balletic harmony belying the apparent scrappiness of the visuals.
(Edelweiss ARC)
Except then the focus shifts to Sarge's son, and the son's family, and the way the son's wife has seen the damage his dick of a dad did to her husband, and doesn't want that handed down to their own kids too. Which, you know, serious issue, and treated as such...but also with the awareness that the situation, the irascible old bastard insisting his crime scene stories are fine for kids so long as he leaves out the goriest bits, is also quite funny. Hell, even the speakerphone call on the drive over leads to the kids piping up with the following, and had me genuinely struggling not to wake my sleeping spouse by fully cracking up:
"What's a thruple?"
"What's a douche?"
"I put a raisin up my nose!"
It continues twisting and turning from there, a braid of generational trauma and cop show action which doesn't always work, but which you certainly couldn't say felt focus-grouped. And compared to some of the entirely generic elevator pitches which get put out under the guise of creator-owned comics these days, that already feels like an achievement. Never for a moment does this read like anything but the work of people who are making comics because they want to make comics, because that's the way this story is told – and it works as such, where I can all too easily imagine the same thing told in any other medium coming across trite at best, deeply objectionable at worst, without this precise use of the possibilities of words, art, even lettering placement operating in a balletic harmony belying the apparent scrappiness of the visuals.
(Edelweiss ARC)
January 10, 2024
It's hard to like this at first. The main character, Detective Sergeant Sergeant is a terrible human being - racist, sexist, a homophobe, and a man who treats his family poorly. He is not the only flawed character, though, and as the story develops you start to understand everyone. Ken Niimura's art is very cartoony, yet he is a strong storyteller and can show emotion in his line. I never read Kelly and Niimura's previous collaboration, I Kill Giants, but I may have to after this. Overall, a tough but rewarding read.
April 26, 2023
On one hand, I appreciated the gray of this story, because trauma and the idea of passing it on (or trying not to) should be gray, as should the difficulty of communicating across generations. Nimura's art also skilfully leads the reader's eyes through the story with minimal black and white style.
On the other hand Sergeant is a racist, homophobic, traumatized asshole who allows his shit to hit everyone around him, and the book, in my opinion, comes off as too easy on him. Unlike in many cop stories, I don't get the impression that Sergeant is doing the best that he can, and despite that, is screwing up his relationships and the lives of the people he cares about. It doesn't seem like he's trying particularly hard, and we have to hear it from the dialog of some random cameo Black cop who is sympathetic that we should cut Sergeant slack because he was raised with toxic masculinity culture. :eye roll: Maybe he should learn to apologize and try harder. It also bugs me that it's somehow Sergeant's son's job to help "fix" him. It is never a child's "responsibility" to take care of their parents, but it *is* a testament to how well the child was raised and loved if they choose to. (In this case, Sergeant is lucky his kid ended up with two moms to love him, mitigating the damage of his abandonment and emotional abuse.)
On the other hand Sergeant is a racist, homophobic, traumatized asshole who allows his shit to hit everyone around him, and the book, in my opinion, comes off as too easy on him. Unlike in many cop stories, I don't get the impression that Sergeant is doing the best that he can, and despite that, is screwing up his relationships and the lives of the people he cares about. It doesn't seem like he's trying particularly hard, and we have to hear it from the dialog of some random cameo Black cop who is sympathetic that we should cut Sergeant slack because he was raised with toxic masculinity culture. :eye roll: Maybe he should learn to apologize and try harder. It also bugs me that it's somehow Sergeant's son's job to help "fix" him. It is never a child's "responsibility" to take care of their parents, but it *is* a testament to how well the child was raised and loved if they choose to. (In this case, Sergeant is lucky his kid ended up with two moms to love him, mitigating the damage of his abandonment and emotional abuse.)
September 12, 2025
If nothing else, this is a book that provokes big feelings.
Sergeant Sargent is gratingly homophobic, racist, and sexist, endlessly abusive to his son and daughter-in-law, and loves telling violent, explicit cop stories to his little grandchildren. His son should be a more sympathetic character but is a damp waffle of a human being, forever kowtowing to his monstrous dad and letting his longsuffering wife down.
The author comes close to crossing the line between writing a credibly awful character and actually sharing the character's awful beliefs. Sargent eloquently defends his positions that blacks are criminals, Mexicans are lazy, and racist cops are just doing what has to be done, while his son is a flaccid liberal SJW pansy who keeps folding to his father's relentless logic and facts. The Joe Arpaio character had many great qualities--observant, determined, clever--while the 'woke' guy had none.
In the end I suppose the onslaught of articulate bigotry serves to bring the title character to life. And on that front it is a magnificent success. I hated the guy and found myself longing for a cosmic comeuppance, for some kind--any kind--of course correction. But the pitiful squib of a resolution was less than satisfying.
The Afterword clears up Kelly's actual beliefs but for a time he had me thinking he could moonlight for Breitbart. His character skills are damn good; some of his choices here, less so.
Sergeant Sargent is gratingly homophobic, racist, and sexist, endlessly abusive to his son and daughter-in-law, and loves telling violent, explicit cop stories to his little grandchildren. His son should be a more sympathetic character but is a damp waffle of a human being, forever kowtowing to his monstrous dad and letting his longsuffering wife down.
The author comes close to crossing the line between writing a credibly awful character and actually sharing the character's awful beliefs. Sargent eloquently defends his positions that blacks are criminals, Mexicans are lazy, and racist cops are just doing what has to be done, while his son is a flaccid liberal SJW pansy who keeps folding to his father's relentless logic and facts. The Joe Arpaio character had many great qualities--observant, determined, clever--while the 'woke' guy had none.
In the end I suppose the onslaught of articulate bigotry serves to bring the title character to life. And on that front it is a magnificent success. I hated the guy and found myself longing for a cosmic comeuppance, for some kind--any kind--of course correction. But the pitiful squib of a resolution was less than satisfying.
The Afterword clears up Kelly's actual beliefs but for a time he had me thinking he could moonlight for Breitbart. His character skills are damn good; some of his choices here, less so.
June 30, 2024
The soon-to-retire James P. Sargent is an asshole. And as is often the case, everyone in his personal and professional life, by virtue of engaging him on the regular, also ferries some facet of being an asshole. IMMORTAL SERGEANT is a good example of a thoroughly disarming read that's ultimately very difficult to enjoy.
Altogether, this is a graphic novel that tells a very small story to communicate a very large problem. In IMMORTAL SERGEANT, a washed-up folk hero believes himself greater than he is; the man's son must confront a lifetime of neglect; and everyone else in his family scrambles to clean up the scraps of dignity left behind when all of the bickering is finally done. To wit, Sargent is retiring, and he's spending his final days on the force as bitter and unlikable as he has each day prior. So when a retirement dinner beckons the man's son (who develops mobile games), his son's family, his ex-wife, and his ex-wife's partner, one can probably guess how things are going to go.
Of policing in the United States, the blend of bigotry, racism, and old-timey arrogance that knits together a character with five and a half decades of experience behind the badge is undoubtedly familiar. Sargent's insults pucker the usual coercive insolence and disingenuous reserve for anything (or anyone) that doesn't meet a deceptive, sterilized notion of a peaceful life.
IMMORTAL SERGEANT, is a road-trip comic that bottles up Sargent's erstwhile bitchiness alongside his son's simplemindedness. The book hopes readers will press themselves to balance two impossibly unequal dispositions: Michael Sargent never stands up for himself, wavers under years of parental abuse, and fancifully imagines all people are good by nature; James Sargent walks all over everyone, wields his misogyny like a battle-axe, and genuinely believes vindictive and extrajudicial murder is a good idea.
Again, while the character dynamics are thoroughly urgent and relatable, one's capacity to engage the runaway narrative concerning these two men's pursuit of a long-acquitted, alleged killer feels distant. Sargent the elder wants to track down and settle the score with a guy he thinks got away with some real bad stuff. Sargent the younger simply wants his racist father to stop barking at the locals. Neither are particularly likeable. And while likeable characters are not necessary for a good story, one struggles to value a book when the characters routinely lack the depth of integrity to mindfully curate their actions, likeable or otherwise. The challenge, here, rests in how difficult it is to sympathize with these character's sometimes weak, sometimes villainous, and sometimes uncultured predilections for an unvarnished (unfulfilled) urban life.
Niimura's art is entertaining, in the least. The austere and simplified line work and meaningful gray-scale contrasts offer clever and vulnerable character interactions that maneuver the story in ways the script cannot do on its own. It's not enough to give this graphic novel the edge it needs to make readers care about bad people doing bad things for bad reasons, but it certainly helps.
Altogether, this is a graphic novel that tells a very small story to communicate a very large problem. In IMMORTAL SERGEANT, a washed-up folk hero believes himself greater than he is; the man's son must confront a lifetime of neglect; and everyone else in his family scrambles to clean up the scraps of dignity left behind when all of the bickering is finally done. To wit, Sargent is retiring, and he's spending his final days on the force as bitter and unlikable as he has each day prior. So when a retirement dinner beckons the man's son (who develops mobile games), his son's family, his ex-wife, and his ex-wife's partner, one can probably guess how things are going to go.
Of policing in the United States, the blend of bigotry, racism, and old-timey arrogance that knits together a character with five and a half decades of experience behind the badge is undoubtedly familiar. Sargent's insults pucker the usual coercive insolence and disingenuous reserve for anything (or anyone) that doesn't meet a deceptive, sterilized notion of a peaceful life.
IMMORTAL SERGEANT, is a road-trip comic that bottles up Sargent's erstwhile bitchiness alongside his son's simplemindedness. The book hopes readers will press themselves to balance two impossibly unequal dispositions: Michael Sargent never stands up for himself, wavers under years of parental abuse, and fancifully imagines all people are good by nature; James Sargent walks all over everyone, wields his misogyny like a battle-axe, and genuinely believes vindictive and extrajudicial murder is a good idea.
Again, while the character dynamics are thoroughly urgent and relatable, one's capacity to engage the runaway narrative concerning these two men's pursuit of a long-acquitted, alleged killer feels distant. Sargent the elder wants to track down and settle the score with a guy he thinks got away with some real bad stuff. Sargent the younger simply wants his racist father to stop barking at the locals. Neither are particularly likeable. And while likeable characters are not necessary for a good story, one struggles to value a book when the characters routinely lack the depth of integrity to mindfully curate their actions, likeable or otherwise. The challenge, here, rests in how difficult it is to sympathize with these character's sometimes weak, sometimes villainous, and sometimes uncultured predilections for an unvarnished (unfulfilled) urban life.
Niimura's art is entertaining, in the least. The austere and simplified line work and meaningful gray-scale contrasts offer clever and vulnerable character interactions that maneuver the story in ways the script cannot do on its own. It's not enough to give this graphic novel the edge it needs to make readers care about bad people doing bad things for bad reasons, but it certainly helps.
October 3, 2023
Detective Sergeant James Sargent (hoho geddit…) is begrudgingly retiring from the police. Worse, his estranged son Michael and his family are coming to visit for the retirement party. But Jim has other plans. A decades-old case haunts him and he’s determined to find justice for the dead before he hands in his badge…
Joe Kelly and Ken Niimura made a superb comic years ago called I Kill Giants so it sounded like good news that the two were reuniting for another project - maybe lightning would strike twice? - and then I read Immortal Sergeant. Oh. Poo. Yeah, it’s… not good.
I’m guessing Joe Kelly’s a big Rick and Morty fan because Jim and Michael are basically those characters - Jim even looks like Rick and you can all but hear Morty’s whiny voice coming out of Michael. The book isn’t nearly as inventive or funny as that show though.
Jim and Michael have a difficult relationship so of course they end up on a father-son road trip. Gee, I wonder if Jim will come to appreciate the value of his son’s gaming app work and learn something about the revenge he’s been holding onto for years? And I wonder if Michael will learn to stand up to his dad? Yeesh, it’s so predictably trite.
Ken Niimura’s art has always been loose but, wow, it’s a whole new level of that here. It’s similar to the style in his most recent solo comic, Never Open It. It’s serviceable - you can easily follow along with the action and get what’s happening in a scene - but it still looks really slapdash. Some pages honestly look like thumbnails rather than the finished article.
In the late ‘90s/early ‘00s, there was this annoying trend in movies where a character would give a stupid speech at the end. I don’t know why Kelly’s decided on trotting that tired old trope out here, but we get one of those in this comic. It’s a terrible end to a terrible book.
And it’s so bloody long too! Nearly 350 pages of tedious, boring garbage. Oof. Never entertaining and always trying, Immortal Sergeant is a disappointing follow-up from this creative team.
Joe Kelly and Ken Niimura made a superb comic years ago called I Kill Giants so it sounded like good news that the two were reuniting for another project - maybe lightning would strike twice? - and then I read Immortal Sergeant. Oh. Poo. Yeah, it’s… not good.
I’m guessing Joe Kelly’s a big Rick and Morty fan because Jim and Michael are basically those characters - Jim even looks like Rick and you can all but hear Morty’s whiny voice coming out of Michael. The book isn’t nearly as inventive or funny as that show though.
Jim and Michael have a difficult relationship so of course they end up on a father-son road trip. Gee, I wonder if Jim will come to appreciate the value of his son’s gaming app work and learn something about the revenge he’s been holding onto for years? And I wonder if Michael will learn to stand up to his dad? Yeesh, it’s so predictably trite.
Ken Niimura’s art has always been loose but, wow, it’s a whole new level of that here. It’s similar to the style in his most recent solo comic, Never Open It. It’s serviceable - you can easily follow along with the action and get what’s happening in a scene - but it still looks really slapdash. Some pages honestly look like thumbnails rather than the finished article.
In the late ‘90s/early ‘00s, there was this annoying trend in movies where a character would give a stupid speech at the end. I don’t know why Kelly’s decided on trotting that tired old trope out here, but we get one of those in this comic. It’s a terrible end to a terrible book.
And it’s so bloody long too! Nearly 350 pages of tedious, boring garbage. Oof. Never entertaining and always trying, Immortal Sergeant is a disappointing follow-up from this creative team.
January 13, 2024
A soon to retire detective sergeant goes on to work one last case that has hung over him like a specter his whole career. Joining "Sarge" is his son, Mike, an affable but mostly milquetoast individual who is still processing his childhood trauma. The setup is pretty vanilla and the story itself mostly bland, but the personal relationship stuff between Sarge and Mike is pretty well executed. It makes sense that Joe Kelly is mining from personal experiences here since the story does read like someone who has intimate knowledge of having a father like Sarge.
Though the story only spans nine issues, the issues are long and padded with fluff that really only detracts from the better stuff. Sarge is a fairly unpleasant man who demonstrates bouts of racism, homophobia and general bigotry, but it's also clear that he's a man traumatized by a long career in law enforcement. The story strips down Sarge's character fairly well due to Mike's appeal to his better side, but it honestly could have been wrapped in half the time.
Ken Niimura continues his collaboration with Joe Kelly here, adding his loose but expressive art style to deliver the story. I'm a fan of Niimura's sparse style, though I did feel there were a few panels where it was difficult to decipher what exactly was happening. But it mostly works well for the story, adding a nice visual flair to a story that really needed to be more interesting to justify the distinctive aesthetic belonging to Niimura.
Though the story only spans nine issues, the issues are long and padded with fluff that really only detracts from the better stuff. Sarge is a fairly unpleasant man who demonstrates bouts of racism, homophobia and general bigotry, but it's also clear that he's a man traumatized by a long career in law enforcement. The story strips down Sarge's character fairly well due to Mike's appeal to his better side, but it honestly could have been wrapped in half the time.
Ken Niimura continues his collaboration with Joe Kelly here, adding his loose but expressive art style to deliver the story. I'm a fan of Niimura's sparse style, though I did feel there were a few panels where it was difficult to decipher what exactly was happening. But it mostly works well for the story, adding a nice visual flair to a story that really needed to be more interesting to justify the distinctive aesthetic belonging to Niimura.
December 15, 2024
This is a tough read. It’s hard to imagine a more thoroughly unlikable character than Detective Sergeant Jim Sargent, a racist, homophobic, perpetually-angry career cop trying to close a case that’s haunted him for 35 years on the day of his retirement. He’s just incredibly unpleasant to everyone all the time. Spending time with such a person ain’t fun.
But it’s necessary to see him through his journey of — well, not exactly self-discovery and realization, but at least recognition that he didn’t have to be such an unbending asshole his entire life. I nearly bagged on this one a couple times but kept reading for some reason. The afterword by Kelly explains why: this is loosely based on Kelly’s own relationship with his police officer father. I think that’s what compelled me to continue, recognizing on some level this was as close to a real person as these sorts of stories come. The details were changed but throughout it had a ring of reality to it.
The art by Ken Niimura is frustrating because it’s so loose and sketch-like. These guys did the brilliant I Kill Giants, but Niimura’s art was much more detailed and cohesive there. Here there were often pages where I had little clue what was happening.
I’m glad I read this, but I can’t really recommend it if you aren’t looking to get real with seriously flawed individuals.
But it’s necessary to see him through his journey of — well, not exactly self-discovery and realization, but at least recognition that he didn’t have to be such an unbending asshole his entire life. I nearly bagged on this one a couple times but kept reading for some reason. The afterword by Kelly explains why: this is loosely based on Kelly’s own relationship with his police officer father. I think that’s what compelled me to continue, recognizing on some level this was as close to a real person as these sorts of stories come. The details were changed but throughout it had a ring of reality to it.
The art by Ken Niimura is frustrating because it’s so loose and sketch-like. These guys did the brilliant I Kill Giants, but Niimura’s art was much more detailed and cohesive there. Here there were often pages where I had little clue what was happening.
I’m glad I read this, but I can’t really recommend it if you aren’t looking to get real with seriously flawed individuals.
March 24, 2023
Here, a cartoonishly vile kind of chap is first seen shooting at the watch he's just been given for his retirement from the police force. The bulk of the book shows why he didn't actually pick it up in person, what with everything else that went on. No, the great bundle of bitterness had somehow got to drag the son he seems to despise into a bar, and then conspired for the two to go on a road trip together – the reason for which will reveal the rest of the plot, and perhaps something of his character.
I don't know if this is as great as it could have been, but of course there was room for it to be a lot worse. The artwork goes for a free, expressive hand, and is generally pretty good, if again not smacking of brilliance. To go into the pros and cons of the script is to give too much away, but it seems most suited to people who are going to find his racism and bitching about his wife leaving him for a wife of her own, etc, cutting edge and daring. He seems horrid, everyone else a martyr in comparison – that seems to be about the level of the characterisation, until late on. It's not really a subtle affair, all told.
Still, the regular use of full-page frames certainly means this is not in your hands too long, and the quick trip down these roads is certainly worth taking, even if just the once. Three and a half stars seems right.
I don't know if this is as great as it could have been, but of course there was room for it to be a lot worse. The artwork goes for a free, expressive hand, and is generally pretty good, if again not smacking of brilliance. To go into the pros and cons of the script is to give too much away, but it seems most suited to people who are going to find his racism and bitching about his wife leaving him for a wife of her own, etc, cutting edge and daring. He seems horrid, everyone else a martyr in comparison – that seems to be about the level of the characterisation, until late on. It's not really a subtle affair, all told.
Still, the regular use of full-page frames certainly means this is not in your hands too long, and the quick trip down these roads is certainly worth taking, even if just the once. Three and a half stars seems right.
March 18, 2025
A softie mobile-game developer heads off on a road trip with his own dad, a retiring cop who's trying to close one last case.
Apparently inspired by Joe Kelly's own relationship with his cop father, "Immortal Sergeant" was long and grating. There's something in the painful dynamic between the two characters that's worthy of exploring, but the storytelling here is too exaggerated to play it straight and too grounded for a gonzo parody.
The titular sergeant is an overbearing jerk, the kind of crass, sneering type who convinces himself he's just "telling it like it is." Sure, there are some kernels of truth in the portrayal here, but it's hard to buy how often this longstanding cop waves his gun around--or that the son would even show up to kick the narrative into action after all the trauma he's been put through.
Families are complicated, but this take ended up being too repetitive and sitcom-y for me. The art by Ken Niimura has a raw, scratchy power, equally adept at sharing screaming matches on the street and sad memories of tough times.
Apparently inspired by Joe Kelly's own relationship with his cop father, "Immortal Sergeant" was long and grating. There's something in the painful dynamic between the two characters that's worthy of exploring, but the storytelling here is too exaggerated to play it straight and too grounded for a gonzo parody.
The titular sergeant is an overbearing jerk, the kind of crass, sneering type who convinces himself he's just "telling it like it is." Sure, there are some kernels of truth in the portrayal here, but it's hard to buy how often this longstanding cop waves his gun around--or that the son would even show up to kick the narrative into action after all the trauma he's been put through.
Families are complicated, but this take ended up being too repetitive and sitcom-y for me. The art by Ken Niimura has a raw, scratchy power, equally adept at sharing screaming matches on the street and sad memories of tough times.
January 22, 2024
A painfully drawn out, outdated (yet reeking of Rick and Morty) follow-up to the cult-worshipped I Kill Giants. It's obvious from the start what Kelly and Nimura are doing here, setting up a completely irredeemable asshole of a cop and then, through rehashes of the same talking points you've heard a million times before, do nothing to redeem him. There's just nothing to love here, from the drawn out paper-thin plot to the weird justifications for the main character's behavior to the strange attempts at levity in a book that feels dour, unpleasant and sluggish despite Nimura's stylized and kinetic art. What a shame.
March 21, 2024
Stile molto minimal ma espressivo, come se fosse lo storyboard di un film d’animazione
Dialoghi molto brillanti.
Chiaramente la storia e’ incentrata sul vecchio e burbero sergente, ma e’ raccontata attraverso gli occhi del figlio, Michael, quindi sarebbe stato bello se avessero dato maggior profondità e personalità al suo personaggio. Allo stesso modo e’ un peccato che gli altri componenti della famiglia dopo i primissimi capitoli vengano completamente accantonati: sarebbe stato bello approfondire le loro relazioni.
Dialoghi molto brillanti.
Chiaramente la storia e’ incentrata sul vecchio e burbero sergente, ma e’ raccontata attraverso gli occhi del figlio, Michael, quindi sarebbe stato bello se avessero dato maggior profondità e personalità al suo personaggio. Allo stesso modo e’ un peccato che gli altri componenti della famiglia dopo i primissimi capitoli vengano completamente accantonati: sarebbe stato bello approfondire le loro relazioni.
January 25, 2024
A difficult, deeply personal story from Kelly and Niimura. Niimura is as talented as ever, and brings energy and life to the page in a story that can be a bit tough to stomach at times. Sarge is a complicated and at times downright unlikeable central character, but the story doesn't shy away or whitewash his failings. While I personally would recommend this one, I can understand why some folks may bounce off it.
December 28, 2024
i'd give this 2 and a half stars if i could. while i really like the art style and i can understand the story it was trying to tell, i really didnt like the cop dad :/ i get that hes supposed to be complicated character, but i just personally did not find him interesting and i hated every moment he opened his mouth and would inevitably say something racist/homophobic/etc. i'm not sure if we're supposed to empathize with michaels dad, or sympathize, but i sure didnt.
April 2, 2025
I stopped reading this after just three issues. The main character is a horrible bigoted bully with no redeeming qualities. He's also such an abusive father that his son is still terrified of him, even after becoming a father himself. And somehow all of this is supposed to be funny. This comic is pointless, it treats child abuse as a joke, and it's not remotely on the same level as its predecessor, I Kill Giants.
September 27, 2025
I borrowed this from my son, something about the cover caught my eye.
A grizzled old school cop heading into retirement grabs a lead on a 35 year old case and brings his anxiety ridden son along with him to close the case once and for all. It was a good story (terrible art) but I found it hard to read because I spent every page of the book hating the main character. But at the end of the day, I'm glad I read it.
A grizzled old school cop heading into retirement grabs a lead on a 35 year old case and brings his anxiety ridden son along with him to close the case once and for all. It was a good story (terrible art) but I found it hard to read because I spent every page of the book hating the main character. But at the end of the day, I'm glad I read it.
April 25, 2024
I had trouble getting into this graphic novel at first. You jump into the deep-end story wise. But once I got the just of what each character wanted, it was a very compelling read. The characters all felt very real - very nuanced. And I’ve never read a character so crass, bigoted, and racist as Jim. It was amazing to see an au to or pull out all the plugs and go for it.
December 5, 2025
Good book. I'd reread it.
Honestly, I related more to Sargent than his wishy-washy son.
I really loved the way his story developed and how he came to terms with his flaws and mistakes through his pursuit of misguided 'justice'.
This is a story of growth and how it's never too late to make the right choice.
The son, his wife, and Sarge's ex-wife really bugged me though.
Honestly, I related more to Sargent than his wishy-washy son.
I really loved the way his story developed and how he came to terms with his flaws and mistakes through his pursuit of misguided 'justice'.
This is a story of growth and how it's never too late to make the right choice.
The son, his wife, and Sarge's ex-wife really bugged me though.
January 23, 2024
Read this because of I Kill Giants. This comic was a great read, especially since there is a ream emotional connection with the storyline and the creators. Loved the rough illustration and all the energy that it brought. Still favor I Kill Giants but very glad I experienced this comic.
January 24, 2025
For me the story was fine enough and I could deal with the unpleasant aspects of the characters and the grey in the whole story. Despite all that I found it a bit of a slog to finish and not especially captivating so I am going to go with 3/5.
September 15, 2025
The creators of I Kill Giants return for a comic based on Joe Kelly's relationship with his father. If his father is like the character in this comic, he may be the most unlikable person on the face of the Earth. He's such a racist asshole and bully, that's it's hard to get through. It starts off and you think this is some kind of Archie Bunker situation and then it just keeps getting darker and darker. Ken Niimura's art is so loose and unfinished that it looks like thumbnails blown up to full scale. I hated it.
March 17, 2024
Originally considered that was a 4 star story and then read the Joe Kelly’s notes about how it was based on his personal experience and it elevated it to 5 stars for me.
August 26, 2025
Está bien, pero las historias de "poli aprende que quizás ser poli de la vieja escuela no es lo mejor" no me dan para más.
August 11, 2024
Rick and Morty dynamics but less funny and inconsistently plotted and paced. This had a couple of unique moments, but overall did not hold my interest. I gave this one hundred pages before tapping out.
May 1, 2024
At the end of this omnibus, the author shares that the character of the Sergeant was inspired by his father, and that the father-son dynamic, and clashing worldviews, of the story were likewise inspired. Kelly shares specifically that he *wanted to try and understand his father.
I feel this is important to state, because the reader might decide very quickly they do not share that desire. In which case, this isn't the story for you. Just know that neither the author, nor the work, argue that understanding or forgiveness is earned, or deserved.
This story deals with heavy themes and explicit topics, and is both confronting and offensive in some passages, and only possibly in a way that might do some good. Either way, it's a well told story and an engaging comic.
I feel this is important to state, because the reader might decide very quickly they do not share that desire. In which case, this isn't the story for you. Just know that neither the author, nor the work, argue that understanding or forgiveness is earned, or deserved.
This story deals with heavy themes and explicit topics, and is both confronting and offensive in some passages, and only possibly in a way that might do some good. Either way, it's a well told story and an engaging comic.
January 16, 2024
Bello tosto e scorrevole... Per me non al livello di "i kill Giants" ma sicuramente godibile
November 18, 2023
Esilarante specialmente le gag con la famiglia di Michael, perfetto ma scontato il “ritrovo” fra Sergent e il padre della piccola.
Il finale un po’ tirato forse.. ma ci stava.
Il finale un po’ tirato forse.. ma ci stava.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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February 20, 2024unfinished, got to ~p67
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