Brit Volume 1: Old Soldier

Set in the same universe as Invincible, Capes, Tech-Jacket and Wolf-Man, Brit is the story of an old superhero whose power is indestructibility. Brit runs a strip club and has a stripper girlfriend along with an ex-wife. On the side he still works for the government when they need him. Brit currently has an ongoing series which are being collected from the second trade on. This trade contains the 3 colorized one shots Kirkman did for the character which was originally in black and white. Really some great story telling and a lot happens in just one trade. Some strong language and sexual situations, so it is not for the younger readers. It is a great addition to the Kirkman universe and I will be picking up Volume 2 next.

Robert Kirkman sure is darn prolific. I don't exactly know how long the man's been in the comic book industry (Was Battle Pope Vol. 1: Genesis his earliest published stuff, back in 2000?), but his resume already numbers an assortment of impressive titles (Invincible: The Ultimate Collection, Vol. 1, The Walking Dead Book 1 (Walking Dead), Marvel Team-Up Vol. 1: The Golden Child, Marvel Zombies, Ultimate X-Men, Vol. 7, etc.). Now, Brit is a lesser known creation of Kirkman's which debuted for Image Comcis in 2003, and, no, it isn't nearly as popular as his Invincible or The Walking Dead series. Brit (short for Brittany) is, in a way, Kirkman's own bastardized version of the patriotic supersoldier, say, a way older and infinitely crankier (and rated R) Captain America. Certainly Brit clings to his own rough-and-rugged code of honor. How old is Brit? Dunno, but he's pretty damned old. Brit's sole super power seems to be invulnerability (but he only has normal strength). He's a tough so-and-so and sports a burly physique. He can withstand anything, from being shot at or blown up or being chomped at by alien beasts. He's the government's last line of defense, our final hope. So you can just imagine the types of menaces he ends up facing. Between 2003 and 2004, Kirkman came out with 3 black & white one shot issues - BRIT (2003), BRIT: COLD DEATH (2003), and BRIT: RED, WHITE, BLACK, AND BLUE (2004). Set in the same universe as Kirkman's other superhero Invincible, Brit's guest-starred some in that kid's series. In 2007, the old man got his just desserts and was given his own ongoing series, with Bruce Brown as new writer and with Kirkman editing. But, never mind that. Let's focus on BRIT - OLD SOLDIER, the trade paperback which compiles the 3 mentioned one shot issues. And, as a bonus, this TPB will have these issues in full color. SPOILERS now. Absolutely, these stories are recommended for mature readers. There's quite a bit of profanity here and Kirkman's not too shy in depicting sexual situations (although nothing graphic). And Brit, what's he like? Brit is a curmudgeon, brusque and no-nonsense. When he's not saving the world he runs a modest strip club, which is where he met his girlfriend of 3 years now. Jessica is much, much younger than Brit (hell, her dad is younger than Brit), but these two are in love. She's ready to settle down. Brit, not so much. She wants Brit to meet her parents. Brit, not so much. There, so much for the touchy-feely stuff. BRIT: OLD SOLDIER careens right up Jerry Bruckheimer's alley. It's boisterous and preposterous, it's got big special effects, and it's damned noisy. The messes that Brit gets to sort out are terrifying and would push the needle on the peril meter extremely into the red. Brit ends up tussling with mind-bending criminals, otherdimensional monsters, a destructive snow titan woken from deep slumber, a super-powered nutjob who invades Indonesia, and, oh, the piece-de-resistance: invaders from outer spa

This trade paperback is quite good. I was disappointed that no more are available yet. If you are a fan of other titles by this author, such as Invincible and Marvel Team-Up, you should like this too.