Simon Spector

(Avatar, 2004)
™ and © Avatar Press, Inc.

The premise of Warren Ellis’ Apparat titles is that it’s a line of titles from an imaginary comic–book company in a world in which super–hero comics never happened. Apparently, the result would be contemporary heroes that hearken back to the pulp magazines—like Simon Spector, who owes much to both Doc Savage and The Shadow. Spector is a detective who helps the helpless through the use of a drug that puts his mind into overdrive, allowing him to input information like a computer and stay one jump ahead of his enemies, in this case his arch–nemesis Christos. Simon’s a reserved intellectual of Sherlockian proportions but, when push comes to shove, he’s more than capable of coming into a situation with guns blazing. The fact that he’s black is the least interesting thing about him. So it’s a shame that someone with his professional attitude toward crime–fighting (not to mention a stylish fashion sense) should be relegated to a one–shot. The art by Jacen Burrows is minimal, sparse, and bare but just right for this stark story.

— S.A. Bennett

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Notes

Writer

Artist

#1 Variation A

December, 2004
Cover Price: $3.50
4 copies available from $0.75

Warren Ellis

Jacen Burrows