The Warden #2

Review copy provided by the publisher.

Title: The Warden
Issue: 2
Date: 2025
Publisher: Ironclad Comics
Writer: David Timm Jr., Cody Karamol
Penciller: Mathieu Pereira
Inker: Mathieu Pereira
Colorist: Roman Stevens
Letterer: Jimmy Greenhalgh
Cover: Jonny Wise

Somewhat surprisingly, the kidnapping plotline from the first issue gets resolved off-screen. This is one of those things that shouldn't work, but it does, as we go straight to the reactions of the various cast members as it becomes apparent that a (possibly superhuman) vigilante is fighting crime in Detroit. There's also another flashback sequence as the origin of our vigilante begins to take shape.

Emma Summers is back with her newspaper as she senses that the vigilante story might be just the thing she's been looking for. Henry Hunt confesses his sins, and Detective Cabello is in full uptight-cop mode.

The final action sequence is really good, and a nice look at what we can expect as we see more of the Detroit vigilante in future stories. 

All the storytelling here was nice and tight, without too much new being introduced. Instead, we got a bit more time to get to know the main characters, which was nice. The story is developing nicely, but still needs to find what distinguishes it from similar tales of masked vigilantes that have been a standard of comics since the 1930s (and the pulps before that). The story also is now seeking a new villain, as the vigilante can't just stick to beating up random robbers forever. That being said, this  issue laid some very necessary groundwork delivered a bit of a plot twist up front, and kept the pacing while still developing characters.

Rating: 6.5/10

The Warden #1

Review copy provided by the publisher.

Title: The Warden
Issue: 1
Date: 2025
Publisher: Ironclad Comics
Writer: David Timm Jr., Cody Karamol
Penciller: Mathieu Pereira
Inker: Mathieu Pereira
Colorist: Roman Stevens
Letterer: Jimmy Greenhalgh
Cover: Nate Wells

This plays as an ensemble crime drama with some hints of moving into superhero territory. We begin with a flashback to 1978 Detroit, and the violent and chaotic birth scene involving a pregnant woman wounded by gunfire and rushed to the emergency room. We then jump ahead to the early 00's with a girl kidnapped off the streets, and then the introduction of three main characters.

Henry Hunt is a prison guard with possibly some kind of extraordinary abilities. Emma Summers is a crime reporter just beginning her investigation of the recent kidnapping spree. Her boyfriend, Matt, is a cop working the same case.

This had a good, gritty noir feel. The publisher is going for something of a throwback vibe and it generally works well. The dialogue was solid, especially the relationships between Emma and Matt, and between Emma and her editor at the newspaper where she works, as we see them on the edge of a possible transition in their lives. Henry Hunt is a bit more of a mystery, which is intentional, and the slower rollout of his introduction is effective.

The villain felt generic. The story made references to human trafficking, but this the kind of human trafficking you see in James Patterson novels or in those well-intentioned email forwards that warn people to beware of kidnappers in white vans. We did only get a few scenes with the villain, so there is room to make him a bit more compelling. And it's not a bad idea to keep the first storyline pretty straightforward, even if falling back on tropes a bit.

This had a lot of potential, with a good set of interesting characters set up, art that does a nice job of capturing the action and the mood, and lots of room for the plot to expand from here. I have the second issue, so I'm looking forward to checking out more of this series.

Rating: 7/10