Even though it's nothing super-duper new or special, I thought this was pretty good. Not mind-blowing, but decent.The gist of the story is that superheroes are unionized now, and work for an agency called C.O.W.L., instead of doing things on their own. Which is great, because now they have health and dental, right?I'm still not sure of all the particulars, but the agency apparently farms their services out to the police force. They're right in the middle of renegotiating their contract, when (in...

COWL is the Chicago Organized Workers League, aka the world’s first superhero labor union. Makes sense I suppose, not all superheroes have the resources of Bruce Wayne’s billions. But you know why no writers really focus too much on how superheroes get their rent paid? Because it’s not even remotely interesting!! It’s 1962 and after years of protecting Chicago from supervillains, COWL have disposed of them all, effectively making themselves redundant. So when it comes to renegotiating their cont...

"Take my advice , Jim - find a straight line of work, or find a new city." -- Kathryn Mitchell, a.k.a. C.O.W.L.'s telekinetic-endowed 'Radia,' after thumping an organized crime-connected mookOn the surface, C.O.W.L. has an interesting and unique premise - take one part of the critically acclaimed but short-lived mid-80's NBC TV series Crime Story (a squad of tough plainclothes cops, in the pre-Beatles / pre-Miranda era, fighting organized crime on the streets of Chicago in 1963) and some inspira...

This is it, the first Stinker from my Image Humble Bundle...1 star seems a bit harsh, so 1.5, which means 2 on GR.COWL is a piece of derivative work. It's ripping off Watchmen, and every other book written about a team/group of heroes where things aren't what they seem, and the relationships between everyone are actually pretty shitty.On top of that, the art looks like a bad copy of Bill Sienkiewicz (from the Elektra Assassin book by Frank Miller in the 80s). Rod Reis, is he related to Ivan Reis...

"Welcome to the "Chicago Organized Workers League"- the world's first Super-Hero Labor Union!" the blurb says about this series. C.O.W.L. And it has all these elements: union activism, crime drama, period piece (sixties, at least in this volume, which calls up not NYC MadMen but Chicago, though it has some resemblance to Madmen with some of the fancier characters), working class, Chicago history, politics, and some (not all) of the COWL dudes have superpowers. So, there's a lot of things here I

I received this from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. I liked this one, especially the back-and-forth between the COWL union representatives and the Chicago reps. The story reminded me of a cross between The Watchmen (superheroes with major emotional and psychological problems) and The Incredible (superheroes no longer "needed" by the people they're protecting). I'll definitely be looking for the next volume in this series.

Bullet Review:Anybody heard of consistency in art? No? OK then...The last issue is probably the most interesting as it seems to make the whole thing different from another Watchman or Jupiter's Circle clone. This isn't the most ground-breaking or earth-shattering comic I've ever read, but for a time waster, could be worse.

Well, that was a disappointment. And it's my fault, I looked at the gorgeous covers and I though the story was going to be good. Interesting at least. Well, no, I couldn't care less about what happens to the COWL guys. I liked the art, but I didn't really find anything in the story that compelled me to continue reading. On the bright side, one less comic I have to buy, less money I have to spend.

Pretty cool new series that had some interesting characters, world building, and some unexpected twists. The only thing I didn’t really care for is the contract negotiations part in the middle really seemed to slow down the momentum of the book.

I like the premise of the series. All the super heroes of Chicago have unionized and become the defacto police force back in the 60's. I didn't care for the art in the book at first, but I do have to say it had grown on me by the end of the book.

I enjoyed this one. A good detective character. Guy at the top with questionable morals. Unionized Special police force unsure of their directives.

A disappointing drag that never quite reaches liftoff. MY GRADE: C minus.

I put off reading this for a while because of other reviews I had read, but I had the feeling I get when I know I'm going to like it. When I read Anne's review and saw the artwork that was the final trigger for me. The artwork is brilliant and the era that it's set in is one of my favourites. A little bit like mad men. C.O.W.L are like a task force, consisting of members who all have their own gifts. Some of them have powers and some don't but they all have expertise and they all use them to kee...

I'd really liked Kyle Higgins' Batman: Gates of Gotham and was interested in reading more things from him, so when I came across this book at my LCS, I found the premise interesting - and factoring in the $ 9.99 price point - I said to myself 'What the hell...' and took the plunge.This inaugural volume did a good job of establishing the main characters & their motivations. The art was at times confusing and unclear, but otherwise okay. Gritty, scratchy, setting the right tone for the story. I wo...

The first issue available for free on Comixology during SDCC 2014, C.O.W.L. is a brand new series by former Nightwing writer Kyle Higgins and artist Rod Reis.I liked Higgins' take on Nightwing and his exploration of the chracter's pre-Batman origins. He also uprooted the character from Gotham and moved him Midwest to Chicago. In C.O.W.L., Higgins continues the Chicago setting and he also returns to a familiar concept, his superhero labor union which he originated in a short film titled The Leagu...

Perhaps an oversimplified description of this comic, but it is trying really hard to be Frank Miller meets Watchmen. The premises are similar (superheroes losing their place in society, attempting to prove their legitimacy as an organization as they age and seem to be less and less socially relevant). It also is full of unlikeable, anti-hero figures in superhero roles. I suppose this comic wanted to use the landscape of the 1960s to start from a similar premise but ultimately tell a different st...

This was okayish. Since running low on time today make this a quickie. Taking place in the 60's a organization of superheros are trying to stop criminals and super villains from rising once again. Basically a police force of superheroes. In doing so this story is a bit of fighting, a lot of political talk, and some pretty interesting art moments. This didn't blow me away but it was good enough to finish even if it did get dull at points. A 2.5 out of 5.

Very cool art style but while this has a cool concept I felt that it fell short. It seemed to lack any character development and I honestly felt no attachment to any of them. I heard volume 2 is much better but is it really?

This review was originally published at http://www.comicpow.com/2016/01/06/wh... (go there to see images). This review covers both volumes (which is the entire story), but is extremely light on plot spoilers, so don't worry too much about that.----Two things attracted me to C.O.W.L.: the subject matter and the author. I knew Kyle Higgins from Nightwing Vol 3 (AKA New 52 Nightwing) where I enjoyed his writing. C.O.W.L. takes place in Chicago in 1962 when unions are still strong and the Chicago Or...

While the artwork is sometimes simplistic, it's also expressive, dynamic and rugged. A perfect match to the drama that unfolds in a surprisingly realistic workers union for superheroes. Politics rears its ugly head in COWL's negotiations with the city. Ethics and morality are an issue in an investigation that can destroy COWL from within. This isn't the X-Men and it's not a light read.Chicago, 1962. C.O.W.L. is the world's first superhero labor union. With Skylancer, the last villain of the Chic...