The super-hero comic is something I normally stay away from. Maybe I just got bored with all the spandex, good intentions and the fact that you almost always knew the good guys were going to win. But a comic about super-villains? Now that I’ll give a chance.

Mark Millar’s Wanted is the story of 24 year old Wesley Gibson. He’s an average, under-achieving, timid loser. He goes about his life getting picked on by his boss, spit on by his neighbors and cheated on by his girlfriend (with his best friend no less).

But everything changes when he finds out he’s the son of one of the world’s most feared assassins and super-villains “The Killer.” And if that’s not enough The Killer’s been killed and Wesley stands to inherit everything – the name, the millions and his father’s place in the world-wide criminal fraternity – if he can fill the shoes.

Only Wesley doesn’t have to contend with super-heroes in the world that Millar has created. Oh no. They’ve all been killed. In 1986 the bad guys from around the world all teamed up to annihilate every last super-hero in a war that climaxed above Manhattan. Only their deaths weren’t enough. They wiped the very memories of those super-heroes from the face of the planet, obliterating all traces of their existence.

The detailed drawings by J.G. Jones are exquisite and highly detailed, expertly illustrating an entire world and the colors of Paul Mounts vividly bring this gritty world to life.

The only real complaint I have about this comic is that it was too short. By the time everything was done and concluded I didn’t want to put the book down. I’m not saying it felt unfinished, in fact it was very well crafted. Besides, there’s something to be said for a writer that can tell a compelling story and not lose track of the plot for 100 pages (or a few TPB’s for that matter).

Be warned however, this series is graphic and explicit. It is certainly not intended for younger readers.