The Collected Will Eisner's John Law HC Review: Part 2

 

 

Creator: Will Eisner

Writer & Artist: Gary Chaloner

Publisher: Titan Comics

Price: $24.99

Release Date: March 4, 2025

 

After presenting Will Eisner's original stories, Part 2 discusses character origins and appearances. Careful editing transmuted the eyepatched detective into The Spirit. Decades later, the stories reached comic shops. Then Wil Eisner handed the reins of John Law to Gary Chaloner. The character charts in Part 3: Passing The Badge reveal a world populated with colorful characters. How will the stories change in Part 4: Dead Man Walking: The New John Law Adventures? Let's leap into The Collected Will Eisner's John Law HC and find out!

 

Story: Meet John Law

Two officers sit in a squad car. The young black officer hears John Law request assistance. His partner, an older white man, continues eating his lunch. He says John Law may inspire the rookies, but he's got a death wish. Anyone who gets too close to him pays the price. The specter of racism rises in this prelude story that introduces the titular hero as The Gray Man. This shadow of eminent death is withheld only by the protection of The Angel.

 

Art: Meet John Law

If Will Eisner's art suggests glossy photos, Gary Chaloner's panels boast a matte finish. The gray tones diminish the stark contrast between black and white. While Chaloner may use lines to suggest shadows, he uses gray tones instead of Old School crosshatching or computer-generated dots for shadows. Vehicles and pedestrians pass streets with vendors offering goods for sale, damaged shopfronts, forlorn backyards and alleys, and clothes drying on lines on flat roofs.

 

In Meet John Law, the first Gary Chaloner story in The Collected Will Eisner's John Law HC, a heavyset cop with close-cropped hair focuses on his sandwich. An arrestee with greased hair and one hand secured to the roof sits in the backseat. The rookie argues, throws open his door, and runs to help his hero.

 

Story: The Opal Skull

As kids play trick or treat at the Crossroads Police HQ, Nugget (formerly Tiger) runs out of the Coroner's Office with Mrs Johnson's femur. His master, Nubbin, shines shoes instead of joining with other boys. He asks if John Law believes in spirits and zombies and stuff. John Law tells him a story about an Australian gangster.

 

Wallaby Bob stole the skull from its aboriginal caretakers in the outback and took it to the United States. One night at the Crossroads docks, Bob tries to sell The Angel the fossilized skull of an aboriginal elder laced with rare opals. When the Angel declines, Wallaby Bob wonders what to do next. This second Gary Chaloner story in The Collected Will Eisner's John Law HC dances to the drumbeats of an undead spirit who haunts a desperate man.

 

Art: The Opal Skull

John Law reclines in his office chair, resting his feet on the desk while Nubbin works on the floor. The policeman smiles, relaxing with his hands behind his head, as the homeless orphan squints and frowns. Rain pelts the men on the docks as a car arrives. Wallaby Bob, dripping wet, shows the skull to the man with dark, oiled hair smoking a cigarette. He doesn't roll down his window or touch the jewel-encrusted skull.

 

Story: A Family Concern featuring John Law's Pal Nubbin

It is Christmas Eve, and John Law is sick. Nubbin urges the cops to rush John to the hospital. The desk sergeant laughs off John's sickness as overindulgence. A veteran cop leans against the raised desk with his hands in his pockets and dismisses the homeless boy's concerns. All the patrol cars are out. Besides, it is John Law's fault that he is on duty! After Nubbin helps get John to the hospital, the boy waits in an empty lobby while Dr Groper operates on his appendix. But the criminal fraternity notices The Gray Man's moment of weakness. And not all of them fear The Angel's wrath.

 

Art: A Family Concern featuring John Law's Pal Nubbin

While the desk sergeant recalls the officer who dismissed the ghost in Will Eisner's story as a prank, the disinterested cop recalls the veteran in Meet John Law. Nubbin struggles to keep John from collapsing. Bent at the waist and vomiting, John seems barely conscious of Nubbin struggling like Atlas to keep him upright. The two make slow progress along the sidewalk while Nugget trots alongside. John clutches a bucket on a wheeled table as Nubbin and Nugget accompany the tired nurses.

 

Nubbin sits on a bench near a water cooler as an older man mops the floor. A reflection of the cleaner appears on the window as gangsters smoke outside. This third new story in The Collected Will Eisner's John Law HC shows Nubbin acting despite his fright when the gangsters enter. Thanks to Titan Comics for providing a copy for review.

 

Final Thoughts

The first three Gary Chalconer stories in The Collected Will Eisner's John Law HC evoke the complicated morality Mario Puzo presented in his immortal novels. They recall an earlier era when homeless children worked for their room and board. Yet John Law inspires young people who want to make a difference in their world. Even people like The Angel, who chose to live on the opposite side of the fence, respect his dedication to protecting citizens and apprehending villains.

Rating: Essential Reading

(I'll calculate a more precise rating when I finish reviewing the complete volume).