Simon N. Kirby, The Agent #6 - G-Man Comics

SIMON N. KIRBY, THE AGENT No. 6, May 2023

For those bibliophiles unfamiliar with events leading up to the death of Terror Noir, as depicted in Issue One of “Lynx”, this particular twenty-page periodical’s premise of exploring its aftermath and wrapping up “the mole storyline with Michael Infantino” might seem a little daunting. But whilst this “kind of buddy cop movie version” comic initially focuses upon the quite literal demise of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Interim Director. It soon sets this ongoing narrative aside in favour of a genuinely pulse-pounding piece which sees both Agent Kirby and Sgt. Flag battling more rambunctious robots than a reader will find at the Wolfsburg Volkswagen Factory in Germany.

Indeed, having disconcertingly disclosed the treacherous Jameson as Murder Hornet’s latest pawn inside America’s domestic intelligence and security service, Rik Offenberger suddenly completely changes the atmosphere of this book into a far more tongue-in-cheek affair, with Rob McFarlane’s colourfully costumed alter-ego genuinely providing a fair few belly laughs throughout its remaining storyline; “Ha! Are you @#$%£ing me?! General Nuisance?! That has to be the worst @#$%£ing code-name ever!”

Just as clever though, has to be the American author’s ability to surprisingly revert this publication’s tone back to a much more serious one, following the titular character’s somewhat shocking capture by “a massive quantity of androids.” Initially, Simon N. Kirby’s battle inside a Seabucks Coffee house appears to be going so well that his regular comrade-in-arms is shown actively trying to drag the fight out because he's enjoying it so much. However, once a modern-day Nazi officer arrives with an army of mechanical thugs in tow, the ‘sport’ in the superheroes’ predicament is quickly replaced by concern, and a shockingly solemn defeat.

Notably “making the eye candy” for such a roller-coaster of a comic is Alan Faria, who does a tremendous job of pencilling some truly jaw-dropping fight sequences - such as when Sgt. Flag seemingly completely loses it whilst slicing through his robotic attackers with a giant double-handed sword. In addition, the Brazilian artist does a stellar job in illustrating the sheer size of General Nuisance’s base of operations, and the subsequent carnage that ensues when the rest of the G-Men arrive to rescue their incarcerated leader.

Writer: Rik Offenberger, Artist: Alan Faria, and Letterer: Eric N. Bennett