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Leo Kragg: Prowler #1
Leo Kragg: Prowler
The exploits of Leo Kragg: Prowler -- an Old School crimebusting vigilante whose urge to prowl has long since outlived his heyday -- marked a high point of the independent-comics phenomenon of the 1980s and 1990s, teaming comics-scene masters Timothy Truman, John K. Snyder, III, and Graham Nolan with FORGOTTEN HORRORS creator Michael H. Price. Born of the social turmoil of the Great Depression, Kragg's masked alter ego, the Prowler, gained heroic recognition during World War II, when he lent his fists and .45 automatics to the Allied Effort -- only to find himself outlawed once again amidst the rampant paranoia of the 1950s. The original LEO KRAGG: PROWLER series of five issues is collected here for the first time as a self-contained graphic novel, tracing the desperate arc of Leo Kragg's later years as he finds an enemy long believed defunct, the zombie-raising Murder Legendre, at large and wreaking bloody mayhem on a grand scale. Kragg's response is to come charging back as the Prowler -- never mind the burden of years -- and to conscript a reluctant protege, in the process.
180 pages, Paperback
First published September 19, 2013
7 people want to read
About the author
Timothy Truman
533 books59 followersTimothy Truman is an American writer, artist and musician. He is best known for his stories and Wild West-style comic book art, and in particular, for his work on Grimjack (with John Ostrander), Scout, and the reinvention of Jonah Hex, with Joe R. Lansdale. Truman is currently writing Conan and is an instructor at the Pennsylvania College of Art and Design.
Truman's first professional comics work was Grimjack with writer John Ostrander, for the independent comics company First Comics. Grimjack first appeared in Starslayer #10 in November 1983, before moving to his own series after issue #18 in 1984, and continued for 81 issues. Along with being a fan favorite and often imitated character, Grimjack almost single-handedly defined the "grim and gritty" action comic character archetype.
Truman has been continuously creative for more than 20 years, displaying his pulp sensitivities in his writing. In 1985, he created Scout, which was followed by Scout: War Shaman, a futuristic western. A year later, he relaunched the Hillman characters Airboy and The Heap for Eclipse Comics. He also developed The Prowler, a Shadow type character, and adapted The Spider for Eclipse. In 1991, at DC Comics he created Hawkworld, a reinvention of Hawkman. With author Joe R. Lansdale, he reinterpreted Jonah Hex as a horror western. In it, their creation of villain Edgar Autumn elicited a complaint from musician Edgar Winter. With his son, Benjamin Truman, he created A Man Named Hawken.
Truman was chosen by Dark Horse Comics to illustrate a newly completed Tarzan novel and wrote a story arc for the comic book. He also wrote virtually the entire run of Turok: Dinosaur Hunter for Valiant Comics, after David Michelinie launched the book with its first three-issue story arc and subsequently departed the series. For the defunct SF imprint of DC, Helix, he created The Black Lamb. He also worked on a typical pulp adventure Guns of the Dragon, featuring Enemy Ace and Bat Lash; and wrote Star Wars at Dark Horse Comics. While at Dark Horse Comics, he took over the writing of Conan from Kurt Busiek in 2006, and after that series ended he started Conan The Cimmerian.
Truman's startling work, Simon Girty, Renegade was a two-volume black and white graphic novel that translated the horrors and triumphs of the American settler's western frontier in a fresh, interesting light. In bold, black and white use of positive and negative space, Truman appealed to both young and old audiences in West Virginia and Pennsylvania. It was especially important for West Virginians that had been struggling against novelist Zane Grey's portrayal of Lewis Wetzel in an overly romanticized, florid light. Truman himself is an avid historian who dislikes nothing more than to see a drawing of a war using the wrong weaponry, and the second volume of his two-volume series on Simon Girty was devoted to the errors caught in his first volume.
Tecumseh! a graphic novel based on the West Virginia Outdoor Theater, is a colored graphic novel that shows the play from beginning to end. It renewed interest in the warrior in Appalachia. When asked why he used "Tecumseh" instead of "Tecumtheh" he explained he didn't want to explain to the mainstream audience the variance in spelling — the movement on pronunciation began with General William Tecumseh Sherman who came from a family that wanted to commemorate the warrior, but felt the lisping "Tecumtheh" would be unmanly.
Truman's first professional comics work was Grimjack with writer John Ostrander, for the independent comics company First Comics. Grimjack first appeared in Starslayer #10 in November 1983, before moving to his own series after issue #18 in 1984, and continued for 81 issues. Along with being a fan favorite and often imitated character, Grimjack almost single-handedly defined the "grim and gritty" action comic character archetype.
Truman has been continuously creative for more than 20 years, displaying his pulp sensitivities in his writing. In 1985, he created Scout, which was followed by Scout: War Shaman, a futuristic western. A year later, he relaunched the Hillman characters Airboy and The Heap for Eclipse Comics. He also developed The Prowler, a Shadow type character, and adapted The Spider for Eclipse. In 1991, at DC Comics he created Hawkworld, a reinvention of Hawkman. With author Joe R. Lansdale, he reinterpreted Jonah Hex as a horror western. In it, their creation of villain Edgar Autumn elicited a complaint from musician Edgar Winter. With his son, Benjamin Truman, he created A Man Named Hawken.
Truman was chosen by Dark Horse Comics to illustrate a newly completed Tarzan novel and wrote a story arc for the comic book. He also wrote virtually the entire run of Turok: Dinosaur Hunter for Valiant Comics, after David Michelinie launched the book with its first three-issue story arc and subsequently departed the series. For the defunct SF imprint of DC, Helix, he created The Black Lamb. He also worked on a typical pulp adventure Guns of the Dragon, featuring Enemy Ace and Bat Lash; and wrote Star Wars at Dark Horse Comics. While at Dark Horse Comics, he took over the writing of Conan from Kurt Busiek in 2006, and after that series ended he started Conan The Cimmerian.
Truman's startling work, Simon Girty, Renegade was a two-volume black and white graphic novel that translated the horrors and triumphs of the American settler's western frontier in a fresh, interesting light. In bold, black and white use of positive and negative space, Truman appealed to both young and old audiences in West Virginia and Pennsylvania. It was especially important for West Virginians that had been struggling against novelist Zane Grey's portrayal of Lewis Wetzel in an overly romanticized, florid light. Truman himself is an avid historian who dislikes nothing more than to see a drawing of a war using the wrong weaponry, and the second volume of his two-volume series on Simon Girty was devoted to the errors caught in his first volume.
Tecumseh! a graphic novel based on the West Virginia Outdoor Theater, is a colored graphic novel that shows the play from beginning to end. It renewed interest in the warrior in Appalachia. When asked why he used "Tecumseh" instead of "Tecumtheh" he explained he didn't want to explain to the mainstream audience the variance in spelling — the movement on pronunciation began with General William Tecumseh Sherman who came from a family that wanted to commemorate the warrior, but felt the lisping "Tecumtheh" would be unmanly.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
May 3, 2022
Una historia que recoge un poco todas aquellas cosas buenas de los superheroes en los 80. Eclipse comics tenia la originalidad por bandera en sus cómics y estos tenían un toque más oscuro que el resto de editoriales. En the Prowler seguimos las andanzas de un anciano antaño heroe enmascarado que entrena a un joven para que juntos se enfrenten a un antiguo villano creador de un ejército de zombies. El personaje de Prowler es como meter en una coctelera al Roschach de Watchmen y mezclarlo con Batman. Eso si, un batman que no duda en matar.
June 9, 2017
Timothy Truman, John K. Snyder III, Michael H. Price, and Graham Nolan bring the Prowler to the page. A hero out of the pulp era revives his crusade in the modern day taking on an unlikely protege. The art is out of this world. The depth of the backstory that unfolds in between chapters of the modern day (1980s) adventure elevates this book into something extra special.
December 21, 2024
Fun story as an elderly pulp hero comes out of retirement to take on a protege and deal with the return of an old enemy.
Truman and company create a fun little universe that mixes new characters, obscure PD heroes and an imaginary golden age comic company.
Does a nice job mixing the old and new elements/eras.
Truman and company create a fun little universe that mixes new characters, obscure PD heroes and an imaginary golden age comic company.
Does a nice job mixing the old and new elements/eras.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews