Impressively funded in just eleven minutes as part of the publisher’s 2022 “Rise of the G-Men” Kickstarter, this comic certainly places its audience up to their necks in adrenalin-fuelled violence and some utterly insane firefights. Indeed, as opening issues go, this first installment of “Sgt. Flag” definitely must have left a lasting impression upon any bibliophile lucky enough to purchase a copy, with Rik Offenberger’s two stories showing just how versatile, and down-right deadly, the smart-mouthed FBI operative can be when it comes to gunning down either a gang of gun-toting gangsters or a deadly super-villain.First up is arguably the more intriguing (origin) tale “Semper Fi!”, which does a great job in depicting the pulse-pounding pandemonium surrounding Rob McFarlane’s reassignment to President Trump’s recently reactivated Caped Agent Program from an undisclosed modern-day battlefield. Energetically sketched by Gilbert Monsanto, this twenty-page plot hooks the reader straight from the start, and simply doesn’t let them go until The Agent’s latest recruit smashes his way out of an exploding building with the battered banker he was sent to rescue; “Oof! You here to help me or hurt me?!”Somewhat more leisurely paced, at least at the beginning, is “Two Of A Kind!”, which is co-authored by Gregg Whitmore. This much shorter adventure, confined to the interior of the Beaumont Building, has a distinct “Die Hard” feel to it as the titular character and Wildcard blast through a veritable army of armed hoodlums to reach the skyrise building’s ground floor. Such relentless gunplay, even when prodigiously penciled by Bobby Ragland, could potentially become a little tiresome after a while. But the outnumbered pair’s ‘back and forth’ banter manages to keep everything entertaining.
Perhaps therefore this publication’s sole quibble lies in the portrayal of McFarlane himself, who seemingly swears at everyone and everything throughout his action-packed exploits. True, no actual expletives are on show. But coupled with the marine’s evident overbearing arrogance and chauvinism, this almost relentless assault upon the sensibilities for the entire duration of the comic could potentially cause some readers to dislike Offenberger’s colourfully-costumed creation – especially when so much of the chaos being caused is seemingly due to Sgt. Flag’s poor judgment in the first place.
The regular cover art of “SGT. FLAG” #1 by Gilbert Monsanto
