Creators: Kyle Higgins, Alec Siegel & Rod Reis Read if you like: Watchmen, Mad Men Current Issue: 2 C.O.W.L. stands for Chicago Organised Workers League, and is essentially a superhero union, formed after World War Two to tackle supercrime in the city of Chicago. As if that wasn't enough of a twist on your usual mainstream comic book, the story starts just as public opinion of C.O.W.L is waning. Rather than this being a series about the glory days of a unionised superhero culture, issue 1 begins with the last of the great supervillains being rounded up, and C.O.W.L being put in the uncomfortable position of justifying their own existence. This setting throws readers into a complex-yet-accessible landscape, and its tone is very reminiscent of Watchmen. There's a sense of disillusionment to all the characters; this is a bleak and realistic post-war climate in which superheroes aren't seen as necessary anymore. Writers Higgins and Siegel throw you into the thick of it straight away, and Rod Reis' art is sketchy and grim and sets the tone apart from others on the shelf. There are interpersonal relationships we're only just scratching the surface of, and a cold, noir streak running through the narrative. If that all sounds up your street, then this is definitely worth a look.
