Control

by Andy Diggle, Angela Cruickshank, Andrea Mutti (Artist)

Detective-Sergeant Kate Burnham isn't making any friends in the Washington, DC Police Department. That makes her the perfect scapegoat when a routine homicide investigation threatens to blow open a criminal conspiracy reaching to the upper echelons of the DC power elite. Either Kate makes it go away, or they make her go away. Cop or criminal, power is all about control, applied top-down from the penthouse elite to the hustlers on the street. But what happens when the street pushes back...? A political crime thriller from Andy Diggle, Angela Cruickshank, and Andrea Mutti!



"Inciting action... a nice set of breadcrumbs setting up the trail to follow." - Comic Spectrum

"A solid crime mystery with a heart of darkness that is engaging and fast-paced." - Spartantown

"An interesting villain, an intriguing murder mystery, and... great art." - We The Nerdy

Genres: Comics, Graphic Novels, Crime, Mystery, Fiction, Ebooks, Graphic Novels Comics

152 pages, Paperback

Published March 28, 2017

About the author

Andy Diggle is a British comic book writer and former editor of 2000 AD. He is best known for his work on The Losers,Swamp Thing, Hellblazer, Adam Strange and Silent Dragon at DC Comics and for his run on Thunderbolts and Daredevil after his move to Marvel.

In 2013 Diggle left writing DC's Action Comics and began working with Dynamite Entertainment, writing a paranormal crime series Uncanny. He is also working on another crime series with his wife titled Control that is set to begin publishing in 2014.

Reviews

[Chad · Rating 4 out of 5]

Andy Diggle knows how to write crime thrillers. He doesn't disappoint here. A female detective comes across a crime scene and her partner is murdered. Now she must uncover a crime that reaches the upper echelon of DC politics.

Received an advance copy from Dynamite and NetGalley .

[Dan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Typical crime mystery. This was entertaining but not great. The art was okay and the story felt rushed as it skipped scenes. I think this could have been better if it were more developed and filled out. The characters felt flat and didn't seem anything original either. An okay story.

[ItzSmashley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Library Read #6 planning to slowly make my way through every graphic novel in my local library

This one was quick and enjoyable, a simple detective story with a great pace. An intriguing mystery penned throughout. My only criticism would that there isn't much character development. Which I suppose isn't out of the ordinary for this sort of graphic novel. I would reccommend this one though.

Detective Burnham witness the death of her partner and vows to track them down. This leads her to government corruption and city wife blackmailing racket.

[Alex Sarll]

I think one of the reasons I don't much like thrillers, even when the characters refrain from doing dumb things to unnecessarily make their predicaments worse, is that there seems to be such a limited pool of dark secrets for the sinister establishment conspiracies to cover up, and I've seen them all. This is competent enough, but does not add to that list.

(Netgalley ARC)

[Rodolfo Santullo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dos policías están tomando un trago, al terminar su servicio. Escuchan en la radio una llamada: una vecina vio como en el edificio de enfrente, hay un hombre colgando de una cuerda, se está ahorcando. Es exactamente en la esquina del bar, por lo que llegan primero que nadie y descubren dos cosas: 1, las manos del ahorcado -que aún patalea- están atadas a su espalda y 2, a quién las ató -y además le puso al otro la soga al cogote- se lo acaban de cruzar en la escalera. La policía mujer decide quedarse con el ahorcado, mantenerlo vivo con respiración asistida. El policía hombre sale solo en persecusión del victimario, a pesar de que ella le dice que espere refuerzos. ¿El resultado? El policía hombre termina con un plomo en la cabeza. Este es el arranque de una miniserie de 6 números donde Diggle vuelve a sus obsesiones sobre complots gubernamentales, agencias en las sombras con su propia agenda -muy parecido a lo que hizo en The Losers- pero esta vez bajo el manto de un police procedural bien construido, con buenos personajes y apoyado en el arte de Cruickshank, que tiene tremenda contundencia (me recuerda a un improbable combo entre Eddie Campbell y Guy Davis). Sobre el final no todos los patitos están en fila y eso termina por tener un desenlace algo confuso, que se precipita en un resultado algo entreverado. Sacando ese detalle, es una lectura recomendable.

[Robert · Rating 2 out of 5]

My friend Josh already wrote a good review I agree with, so I'll just steal it - I mean quote it - here:

Strong start. Weak finale. Solid stylized art. Control is a mixed bag.

The first 3 issues of Control are tense. Around the middle of issue 4, the journey becomes less important as Andy Diggle rushes to cram everything into 6 issues. The plot should have been trimmed down, or expanded into a two part limited series. As it is, Control is a tense, frustrating, mess. Not for deus ex machine averse readers.

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

[Josh · Rating 2 out of 5]

Strong start. Weak finale. Solid stylized art. Control is a mixed bag.

The first 3 issues of Control are tense. Around the middle of issue 4, the journey becomes less important as Andy Diggle rushes to cram everything into 6 issues. The plot should have been trimmed down, or expanded into a two part limited series. As it is, Control is a tense, frustrating, mess. Not for deus ex machine averse readers.

[Wayne McCoy · Rating 3 out of 5]

'Control' by Andy Diggle and Angela Cruickshank with art by Andrea Mutti is a crime story about a loner cop who stumbles across a conspiracy. Which is a similar plot to other cop stories.

Detective-Seargeant Kate Burnham is a cop in Washington D.C. She's not out to make friends, and when her decision to help a hanging man leaves her partner to die, they like her even less. She finds her allies along the way, though. Like the cop from another district who likes her instincts. Those instincts lead to more trouble for Kate though. Now she has to decide to pursue the case outside of the police force. It's a case of corruption and perversion that leads to the heights of government.

It's a pretty standard cop story. Rogue cop gets kicked off the force but can't let the case go. It's decent enough, and I liked the art for this story.

I received a review copy of this graphic novel from Dynamite Entertainment, Diamond Book Distributors, and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this graphic novel.

[Rebecca Tollingworth · Rating 3 out of 5]

(I read a free copy thanks to NetGalley)
(SPOILERS!!!
But I feel I have to mention
CW: rape)

I wanted to like this book. A comic series about a badass female detective taking on a conspiracy? Sign me up!

And, don't get me wrong, it was okay. But it could have been better. The whole thing seemed kind of disjointed and quick. Scenes seemed to switch abruptly. There seemed to be a lot that happened behind the scenes. Almost like they left pages out...

The ending was especially quick to finish. I guess my biggest complaint is the lack of story.

But of what story there was, it was decent. It had promise. Maybe if it was twelve issues instead of six it wouldn't have felt so quick and disjointed? There would be been more room for backstories on Kate and the other characters.

I feel bad for complaining so much... But, the art was awesome! I really loved the look of the book!

[Theediscerning · Rating 4 out of 5]

A strong four stars for this crime adventure, where a token ballsy woman cop gets in too deep with both her bosses and colleagues, and the bad guys. There are graphic novels you read quickly just to get it over and done with, and ones you read quickly as they're concise, intelligently told and just plain fun – this is definitely the latter. Would welcome more.

(And I hate to critique the critiques, but to say as people who got here before me have done, that it feels too rushed and with scenes missing - utter bollux.)

[Mark Sutherland · Rating 4 out of 5]

A solid political crime thriller, with lots of contemporary themes and a bad ass female detective who's tired of it all. Somewhat surprised he didn't just call the Murdoch analog "Fox". Some elements remind me of Scarlet or even the latest season of Daredevil, but this is ultimately a much simpler story.

[Xavier Hugonet · Rating 5 out of 5]

CONTROL is an hidden gem by British author Andy Diggle, with A. Cruickshank, & A. Mutti.

It presents us with Kate Burnham, a DC detective with few friends, set to be the perfect scapegoat when she stumbles unto a criminal conspiracy going all up to Washington.

A perfect political crime comic, a genre not encountered enough in comics. For fans of noir and conspiracy books.

[M.i. · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed it. Felt familiar but in a welcoming way. The uber elite, all powerful media scion bending reality to plow through society isn’t new. But these stories will always have traction primarily in w period of time when the elite are under more scrutiny with each passing day.

[Bookthreat · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read our review at https://bookthreat.com/2017/07/10/1722/

[Garrison · Rating 3 out of 5]

Though the art is scribbly and facial expressions in many panels don’t drive the story, the plot and characters in Control are engaging.

[Buddy Scalera · Rating 4 out of 5]

Solid crime mystery. Good storytelling. Character development a bit light. Probably would have benefitted from one more issue.

[William O’Pomegranate · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

[Paul Franco · Rating 3 out of 5]

A detective in DC is playing pool with her partner when around the corner two cops are shot while trying to save a kid from hanging. Great start. The assassin is so cool and collected he slips right past them without a problem. Being DC, politics gets in the way during the hunt, and there’s a big conspiracy involved.
There were some moments I really liked. For instance, I do enjoy when clichés are turned on their head or expanded, such as “I’m an open book. Big print, lots of pictures.” A senator is caught having sex with a tied-up woman while a dominatrix looks on, and he has the gall to say, “This isn’t what it looks like!”
But on the other hand, for being a smart detective sometimes she’s just dumb. For one, she makes the same mistake as her partner, going off after the bad guy without backup. There’s one page with a bunch of panels showing off rain and her walking in it, which seemed like too much.
Not at all sure how I feel about the ending. Her remarks at the ceremony were awesome, but what she did with the evidence and the new job offer doesn’t seem compatible. I really wanted to like this more, but in the end I realized it just wasn’t very original. The villain wasn’t that special either.

[Vanessa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pretty by-the-numbers crime thriller; it's got the hard nosed cop, the inept and hypocritical brass, and a shadowy conspiracy effectuated by men in power. All together it's a solid C outing, buoyed by the potential of an interesting female friendship/collaboration between characters in the future.

I received an ecopy from the publishers and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

[Patrick · Rating 3 out of 5]

Solid story and gritty artwork make for a good read overall. I won't say I was enthralled with the tale, but I was interested in seeing how things played out. Very dark story but good read.

I received an advanced copy of this from NetGalley.com and the publisher.

[Crittermom · Rating 5 out of 5]

Control is an action filled thriller that leaps off the page so vividly that you can imagine you are seeing it at the cinema.  Between the edgy story filled with politics, police conspiracies, sex and murder and the brilliant illustrations, Control has all that is needed for success.

Detective Sergeant Kate Burnham is good at her job, but doesn't have many friends in the DC police department.  When a professional killer is interrupted and several officers are shot in the process, Kate’s decision to save 3 lives leads to her partner’s death.  A text to a phone discovered at the scene leads to her discovering a prominent senator in a scandalous poisiton.  Higher ups want her to stop investigating.  What Burham finds is a web of wealthly and prominent individuals being blackmailed by a powerful media mogul.  Those who don't toe the line are exposed.  Even police officials are entangled.  But Kate is not one to bow to pressure.  The truth is too important even if it means losing her career.

5/5

Control is a gorgeously illustrated, fast paced political crime thriller that is a pleasure to read.  Control is available for preorder and will be released March 21, 2017.

I received a copy of Control from the publisher and Netgalley.com in exchange for an honest review.

-Crittermom

[Orsayor · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

[Ben · Rating 3 out of 5]

Solid detective story, update on a classic genre utilizing the modern relationship between media and power - with a little of the feminist struggle dropped in. Went down smoother than 3 episodes of Law & Order after a big meal. Love it, would absolutely read a follow up.

[Blithe · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent detective comic, great references to modern politics, superb artwork and interesting characters. The only thing which keeps this from being truly great was that the main character never really deeply questions her moral direction. Perhaps this will be addressed in a later series? I'd like to read more.

[Ron · Rating 3 out of 5]

Detective -Sergeant Kate Burnham stumbled into a situation that cost her partner his life. So she started pulling what little strings she could find and managed to untangle a scandal that could cost her life. Powerful men were being manipulated by leverage held by a media mogul. So she bulls ahead and works on pulling down what she can. A gritty tale that rings true to life.