Kilroy Is Here

by Joe Pruett, Tim Bradstreet (Artist), Guy Burwell (Artist)

A being of unknown origin and power who is drawn to scenes of human suffering, Kilroy is an avenger of the innocent and protector of the weak. With topical stories focusing on the little known or forgotten atrocities of the real world, Kilroy Is Here has become a cult classic series where a number of today's top creators honed their craft.

Genres: Fiction

304 pages, Paperback

First published May 10, 2006

About the author

Joe Pruett is an American comic book writer and occasional editor, and, most recently, a publisher.

Reviews

[Rod Brown · Rating 3 out of 5]

#ThrowbackThursday - Back in the '90s, I used to write comic book reviews for the website of a now-defunct comic book retailer called Rockem Sockem Comics. (Collect them all!)

From the February 1998 edition with a theme of "A Tenuous Konnection":

INTRODUCTION

Most months the theme for this kolumn is so obvious it just kind of kicks me in the kranium. I've apparently taken a few too many kicks to the kranium, however, bekause this month it took a shoe horn, aksle grease, and dukt tape to kram a tenuous konnection into the following komik book reviews. Kan you guess it? Kan you forgive me?

PHANTOM SPECTRE: HELLBLAZER

KILROY IS HERE #0-10 (Caliber Comics)
KILROY: DAEMONSTORM (Caliber Comics)
KILROY: REVELATIONS (Caliber Comics)
KILROY: THE SHORT STORIES (Caliber Comics)

"Kilroy was here."

This bit of graffiti shows up repeatedly in the photographs of World War II war-torn rubble. Really. It's origins are lost in mystery, but the phrase became a slogan for American G.I.'s in most every theater of combat during that epic struggle. Writer Joe Pruett has taken that bit of graffiti trivia and turned it into a moody and moving comic book series featuring a powerful and enigmatic drifter named Kilroy.

Kilroy is an amalgamation of some of my favorite occult heroes of the DC Universe. Like the Spectre, Kilroy is a cruel avenger who has no mercy for those who are evil at heart. Like the Phantom Stranger, Kilroy mysteriously appears wherever he is needed and his background is shrouded in mystery. Like John Constantine, Kilroy looks cool skulking about in a long, rumpled trenchcoat.

While derivative at first glance, Kilroy is stunningly original thanks to Pruett's terrific storytelling. Pruett tears his ideas from history books and today's headlines. Kilroy's experiences span from World War II, through the Vietnam War, to Tiananmen Square, to Somalia, to Sarajevo. Kilroy is drawn to evil. When fate allows, he stops evil before it can strike. Too often however, Kilroy is devastated to find innocence crushed and himself with no function other than vengeance. At the same time, the role of executioner is necessary for Kilroy's survival, as he lives off the life force of others. We do not know how Kilroy came to be in this bleak situation; all we do know is that he is hunted by both the angels of heaven and the demons of hell. Until such time as the forces of lightness or darkness destroy him, Kilroy is immortal.

My main reservation about KILROY comes from the cloudy nature and background of the lead character. Writing this type of character is a careful tightrope walk, balancing between the reader's frustration of knowing too little and the reader's disillusionment at finding out too much. By concentrating on the people and situations Kilroy encounters, Pruett has managed the highwire act pretty well. Be warned also, that despite the occasional ray of hope, many KILROY stories are unrelentingly depressing. This is not a feel-good book, folks.

The artwork on KILROY is as somber and dark as the writing. Caliber Comics has drawn upon its large stable of artists to chronicle Kilroy's travels, with Ken Meyer, Jr.; Phillip Hester; and Mike Perkins illustrating the majority of KILROY tales. The character's dark and gloomy nature seems to have helped Caliber to attract a wide-ranging group of artists for the pin-up gallery which appears in every issue. Pin-up contributors include Tony Harris, Vincent Locke, Terry Moore, Paul Pope, Guy Davis, Ray Snyder, Craig Hamilton, Steve Rude, Wayne Vansant, Paul Grist, Mark Badger, Galen Showman, Bernie Mireault, Brent Anderson, Jim Calafiore, and Dan Brereton.

Let me end by saying that I was starting to get worried about Kilroy. The KILROY IS HERE series ended back in 1996, and the KILROY: DAEMONSTORM special was the only Kilroy title published in 1997. I thought Kilroy was gone, and that made me sad. But this month Caliber Comics offers a new KILROY #1, and that makes me happy. Dare I say it? Yeah. Kilroy is here!

Grade: B

[Alex · Rating 4 out of 5]

Όλο το κόμικ είναι Α/Μ ανεξαρτήτως σχεδιαστή, ενώ εγώ ξεχώρισα από τα περίπου δέκα διαφορετικά στιλ αυτό του Ken Meyer Jr. Ήταν το πιο ατμοσφαιρικό και σκοτεινό, η καλύτερη επιλογή για την θεματολογία του κόμικ. Είναι προφανώς υπερφυσικό αλλά δεν εστιάζει σε αυτό, εκτός από τις στιγμές που ο Kilroy "εξασκεί" την ιδιότητα του. Με εξαίρεση μία short story που εμφανίζονται 2 Άγγελοι και ένας δαίμονας που τον καταδιώκουν, όλες οι άλλες είναι βασισμένες σε πραγματικά ιστορικά γεγονότα ή σε καταστάσεις που σίγουρα έχουν συμβεί και θα συνεχίσουν να συμβαίνουν. Κοινός παράγοντας οι βασανισμένες ψυχές των θυμάτων, χαρακτηριστικό που κάνει το κόμικ εξαιρετικά βίαιο και σκληρό. Προφανέστατα ακατάλληλο για παιδιά, ίσως και για αρκετούς ευαίσθητους μεγάλους. Δικαιολογεί απόλυτα τον τίτλο του horror comic ενώ περιγράφει μια μοντέρνα συμπαντική νομοτέλεια των ύβρις - άτη - νέμεσις - τίσις.