Hysteria: One Man Gang

    (Image, 2006)
™ and ©2006 Mike Hawthorne

In Port Aesteria, warring gangs have divided the city into four parts. It’s an uneasy truce that lasts as long as everyone stays on their own turf. Accidents and misunderstandings do occur, however, and thus Bruce—who truly is a one-man gang – ends up at war with the vicious Eggs Gang. He seems to be more than a match for them…but is he really?

This madcap adventure reads like a cross between a Kung Fu movie and an animated show, as the action never lets up… but never takes itself too seriously, either. The humor seems to be just as important as the drama, and accordingly, visual sight gags abound. The series is written and drawn in a sparse, over-the-top style by Mike Hawthorne.

— Andy Richardson

From the Comics Buyer’s Guide:

Writer-artist Mike Hawthorne returns to the gang-ridden urban existence of his Hysteria universe with this four-issue series, One Man Gang. Hawthorne’s fiery enthusiasm for his rumble-oriented world is apparent in every panel.

The original idea for this story was to put it in a 100-page graphic novel with no dialogue. It’s now broken down into four 25-page segments with an occasional word. It’s a thrill ride chock (or chop) full of martial-arts action and Sergio Leone-worthy glances between the good guys, the bad guys, and—never mind, you know where this is going.

This is exaggerated mayhem extraordinaire. Hawthorne embraces the impossible insanity of this über-throwdown, with one man protecting himself, his beliefs, and—oh, yeah, the cute little neighborhood girl with attitude caught in the middle of it all.

Fans who want any sort of depth or multisyllabic dialogue (or anything beyond a minimal amount of dialogue) will want to avoid this series; it just ain’t for you. Everybody else, get strapped and hang on for a kung-fu comics rush.

— Ray Sidman
Jump to issue:
  NotesWriterArtist
#1

March, 2006
Cover Price: $2.99
5 copies available from $2.75 		Mike HawthorneMike Hawthorne
#2

April, 2006
Cover Price: $2.99
3 copies available from $2.75 		Mike HawthorneMike Hawthorne