ADVANCED REVIEW: ‘Immortal Sergeant,’ Issue #1

Detective Sergeant James Sargent is in his final days as a police officer. With his retirement looming, whether he wants it or not, James struggles with the place he finds himself in life. In Immortal Sergeant #1 from Image Comics, writer Joe Kelly, and artist Ken Niimura, readers get their first glimpse into James’ world and how he sees it.

Issue one of this new limited series spends most of its time simply getting readers familiar with its main character, James. This time is spent effectively, as writer Kelly does a great job of fleshing out the character for readers. But, while James is a well-formed personality by the end of Immortal Sergeant #1, whether or not I would want to read an entire nine-part series focused on the man will depend greatly on where the story ultimately plans to take him. Unfortunately, and not surprisingly, there is no sure sign of that in this first issue.

James is presented as your classic hard-case police officer. When not on the job, he’s at one bar or another drinking and grumbling about the world, gripes about the organic, free-range dinner his ex-wife preps for him as “hippie bullshit,” and talks down to anyone who thinks or sees things differently than him. He gives off that distinct vibe of a man who is always right, even if he is wrong.

For me, the biggest takeaway I have from Immortal Sergeant #1 is that I don’t like James. He’s condescending and generally hostile to those around him. With no significant secondary characters to soften the tone of this first issue, I’m left only knowing that moving forward, I will have to continue to deal with James. That’s not a welcoming proposition. However, it’s not a hopeless one.

There are elements introduced in this issue that hint at avenues that could lead to change for James. And that is where I find my hope for the story. If Kelly is striking out to draw his lead through a redemption-style arc, he’s off on the right foot. James doesn’t seem terrible; he’s just not someone I’d ever want to be in the same room with. So seeing him learn from his upcoming journey as his professional life winds down and having those experiences craft a good story is entirely possible. I just don’t know yet.

The art in Immortal Sergeant #1 does a good job of building up the main character’s personality. Through its sparse linework and simple black-and-white color scheme, artist Niimura presents the world and its star clearly and effectively.

When all is said and done, Immortal Sergeant #1 left me with mixed impressions. While part of me is interested in finding out what Kelly and Niimura have planned for their protagonist, the thought of spending enough time with him to find out holds much of my interest in check. If gruff, moderately unlikable main characters are something that doesn’t bother you, though, this story will have much more promise for you than it did me.

Immortal Sergeant #1 is available on January 18th, wherever comics are sold.