Happy! Comic Books 1 and 2, Review

The new comic book series, Happy! is about Nick Sax, a heavily intoxicated ex-cop turned hit-man…and his sidekick–a tiny blue flying horse with wings named Happy.  Image Comics, the American comic book publisher responsible for Happy! is also responsible for such winners as The Walking Dead, Invicible and The Darkness.  How does Happy! fair with the wildly popular The Walking Dead?

So far, Image Comics has released two of the four books in the series, with number 3 slated for release December 5 and number 4 releasing December 19.  This new series is definitely a unique concept; a maniac foul-mouthed ex-cop has a near death experience after a hit gone wrong and now thinks he is hallucinating and sees a small flying blue horse with wings named Happy.  Happy says that he is on a mission to rescue a little girl and only Nick can help him.  The dynamic created between Nick and Happy works very well.  Nick is a miserable and dark, while Happy is, well, happy.  Plus, you know, he’s a little, blue flying horse.  Craziness.

Grant Morrison, who was also responsible for Hellblazer, Batman & Robin and Batman Incorporated, has written a delightfully dark and twisted tale of a jaded ex-cop who has turned into a hitman.  Other than the overuse of the f— word, Happy is a creative read.  The original cover for Happy!, drawn by Darick Robertson, is the sole reason I picked up the comic to begin with.  The artwork throughout the is greatly detailed and colorful.  Even though it is colorfully drawn, the book still retains an overall gritty feel to it.  The second issue has a picture of a sadistic looking Santa Clause on the cover, holding a sack with a person inside of it.  Upon reading issue number two, we learn that, in fact, this Santa Clause is sadistic.  At the end of the comic, we see Santa has a few young female hostages tied up and on the floor.

So far, Happy! has grabbed my interest but it is hard to tell if it is a winner yet.  Image comics has a knack for publishing the gritty yet unique comic books that aren’t about superheroes or superpowers, but tell a different sort of story.  I would not recommend giving this comic to your 10 year old brother for Christmas, though, as there is a plethora of adult themes throughout, including sexual content, foul language and violent content.  However, if you are a “mature audience,” the first two comics of the series are worthy of your Wednesday afternoon.