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Review of C.O.W.L. #6 – Oh No! It’s The Grey Raven!

C.O.W.L. #6

COWL #6 Cover

Kyle Higgins has brought C.O.W.L. to life! Along with Alec Siegel and Rod Reis! Based on characters from Kyle’s short film The League. Issue #6 starts a whole new arc within the series. This serves as an origin issue for The Grey Raven! This will be a SPOILER FREE  Review of C.O.W.L. #6! 

EDITOR’S NOTE: I HAVE GONE BACK TO MY ORIGINAL WRITING STYLE FOR THIS REVIEW. BECAUSE THERE REALLY IS NO DISTINCTION OF WHAT WORKS AND WHAT DOESN’T. EVERYTHING WORKS WITHIN THIS COMIC SERIES.

COWL Sessions Ad

So I wasn’t sure WHAT to expect from issue #6 of C.O.W.L. Because we ended The Principles of Power arc, which are the first five issues of the series. Which myself and Dane Lamont covered in The Pull Bag Back Issue Classics Episode released a few weeks ago. So go listen to that and get caught up on the series, because C.O.W.L. is easily one of the BEST new series of 2014 in comics! You DO NOT HAVE to go back and catch up, but it would really help. As I said in the beginning of this review… this is the Origin of Geoffrey Warner becoming The Grey Raven! The coolest thing about this issue is the 60s style ads that are featured through out the comic. Most people that listen to The Pull Bag will know I’m severely against ads breaking up the story in a single issue comic. However here it’s kinda awesome. Even The C.O.W.L. Sessions by Joe Clark has an ad, that was amazingly cool.

COWL Toys Ad

Writing: 

Higgins and Siegel do such a great job on this series. After the end of the first story arc I wasn’t sure what to expect, until I saw the solicitations for this issue. The writing is solid as always, and we are given many reasons as to why Warner is the way he is the current timeline of the series. I’m not even sure what pop culture reference I can make to compare Warner’s origins to. I think in geekdom the first thing that comes to mind is that his childhood is shattered by his father’s actions. Kinda like Daredevil’s was. However it turns out very differently. Warner is not blinded by chemicals, at the same time he moves on to be a non powered superhero. The core of this origin story, without spoiling it is that Geoffrey grows up realizing that you can’t count on anyone. Because the ideals he has are all shattered. When he became a cop to follow in his father’s footsteps, or when he became a boxer. There were people all around him in both situations that wanted him to compromise his integrity. Higgins and Siegel do a wonderful job here giving us insight to The Grey Raven, while making him a somewhat sympatheric character here, we also see what he’ll eventually become. The writing is top notch, really enjoyed the story.

Art:

COWL #6 Page 1

On the art for the issue we have Elsa Charretier and then Rod Reis is foing the colors. Jen Aprahamian did the ad designs, which are fantastic!!! I like Elsa’s designs on the city of Chicago in the early part of the 19th century. I love Reis’s colors! They pop and fade all at the same time. The art direction in this issue was spot on, and I love how different the style is compared to how Chicago is in the main storyline in 1962. The action is wonderfully paced through out the issue.

COWL #6 Page 2

Final Thoughts:

Overall C.O.W.L. #6 gives us a great origin for Grey Raven. Higgins and Siegel work together so very well on the writing, and Reis along with the other artists on this issue on art is wonderfully refreshing!!! Looking forward to issue #7 and seeing where the next story arc takes us! You can get C.O.W.L. #6 from Comixology digitally or any of your local comic shops!

COWL Patch Ad

Review Overview

Warner's Origin is Awesome!

The Grey Raven Flies!!!!

C.O.W.L. #6 is an enlightening tale of The Grey Raven's past. It shows us why he acts the way he does in the present day. Kyle, Alec, and the rest of the team do an amazing job crafting these stories!!!

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TFG1Mike

TFG1Mike is a geek with many interests. He has been podcasting for over a decade, and sees no stopping point in sight. From Transformers, He-Man, Batman, Comics, movies, video games, cartoons, and so much more, Mike has a zeal for the things he loves, and he will bring the hammer down on the things that he has a disdain for. He's generally a postive person, but negativity can creep in there. Mike is all about the innuendos and innuendon'ts too. You'll hear him on many of The GCRN podcasts!

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