TITLE: Jon Sable Freelance vol. 1, Issue #4
YEAR: September 1983
COMPANY: First Comics
Created/Written/Illustrated:Mike Grell
Colorist: Janice Cohen
Letterer: Peter Iro
Editor: Mike Gold
If you really want to discover Mike Grell’s awesome work outside of DC Comics, his work on First Comics “Jon Sable Freelance” is one of his greatest works in his oeuvre.
With issue #4, the storyline of Jon Sable’s origin continues in this four-parter.
As any discussion will spoil issue three, I recommend to not read further if you do not want to be spoiled.
OK, here is my discussion (with spoilers from issue #3), Jon Sable became a mercenary after his wife and children were gundown by poachers who were upset that Jon, who is a game warden, was interfering with their criminal operations.
They took down his family that Jon loved deeply and he wants revenge. But not just on the poachers who massacred his family but the people in charge of the poaching crime syndicate.
So, this fourth issue continues where the last issue left off and that is Jon losing his family and now wanting to avenge them. And you get to see how Jon methodically hunts them down and going after their crime boss.
Again, some may see the comparisons to Frank Castle (The Punisher), loyal husband/father avenging their family but where Frank Castle was integrated into the Marvel Universe as a mercenary who can fight with the superheroes, Jon Sable is a storyline that takes place in a non-superhero world, lives a secret life as popular children’s book writer B.B. Flemm and uses his skills to fight crime.
While those who were into independent comics back then enjoyed it, many people may not be familiar with Grell’s indie work outside of his “Warlord”, “Green Arrow” and “Green Lantern/Green Arrow” comic book series.
But this was a creator-owned title and a title that showed readers that comic books aren’t just for kids.
A recommended issue, but definitely pick up issues 3-4! The storytelling and artwork is magnificent!