Sleeper: Out in the Cold

By Alex De-Gruchy
December 14, 2005

Sleeper: Out In The Cold collects the first six issues of the super-powered spy thriller from Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips. The series is a mature-readers title set firmly in the Wildstorm universe. So along with all the violence, swearing and nudity that you'd expect from a mature-readers book, it still has its fair share of capes and superpowers. Just don't expect a hero in a bright costume to swoop in and save the day - the characters of Sleeper inhabit a dark world of murder, secrets and betrayal that our main character, Holden Carver, finds himself increasingly sucked into.

Plot

Holden Carver is a member of an extremely powerful criminal organisation whose influence spans the globe. He kills, steals and basically does whatever is required of him by the man named Tao, the head of the entire empire. However, Holden is not quite what he seems - he is also a spy working for the covert government agency, International Operations, under the orders of one of its top men, John Lynch.

For the last four years, Holden has slowly been infiltrating the ranks of Tao's organisation, attempting to learn more about its workings and its members while also trying to ensure his cover isn't compromised. Holden's cover story involves his betrayal of I.O. after working for them as an agent. Tao learns of the supposed betrayal and thus invites him to join his organisation. The only person who knows that Holden isn't a traitor is Lynch, and right now he happens to be in a coma. With no one to turn to and no proof to back up the true nature of his position, Holden has no choice but to keep doing what he's been doing for the last four years, even if it is costing him his soul as he falls further and further into the dark world he is now a part of.

Characterisation

The ranks of Tao's organisation include both normal human members as well as super-powered ones. Holden falls into the latter category - after coming into contact with an alien artefact years ago, he is now unable to feel pain. However, if he is hit, cut, shot or basically suffers any kind of physical harm, he is able to store the pain from these attacks and then inflict it upon whoever he touches. The main drawback with this is that Holden can't feel anything - his lack of sensation makes him increasingly separated from himself and the world around him. As the protagonist and narrator of the story, Holden is a brooding character who becomes more disillusioned with his mission, while simultaneously hating himself more and more because of what he has to do to maintain his cover. He can't see a way out of his situation, and as time passes, he begins to wonder if he wants one anyway, as he slowly seems to be become the very thing he is supposed to be fighting.

Brubaker has done a great job crafting all the characters in Sleeper, as they really shine and move the story forward, even if on the whole they are liars, thieves and killers. There are no one-dimensional super-villains or raving psychopaths in Holden's supporting cast, as each person is an individual with their own distinct characteristics. Holden's two best friends in the organisation are the super-powered Genocide and Triple-X Ray. Holden genuinely considers them friends, even though he knows who they are and what they do. A good example is when Holden gets the opportunity to let Genocide take the fall for something he has done, but chooses not to take it. He says, "...the problem was, Genocide was my friend...I couldn't just let him die." However, Genocide is only in trouble because he killed Steeleye, a fellow organisation member who was raping and murdering children, something that is far over the line even for someone like Genocide. Thus, it's clear these are not simple, stereotypical super-villains.

The head of the criminal organisation, Tao, is an extremely intelligent and dangerous man, who uses his ruthlessness and cunning to run his empire, influencing powerful figures and world events along the way. At several points, Brubaker teases the fact that Tao may already know of Holden's status as a double agent, and this adds an air of tension and mystery to the interactions between the two men, as Tao's intentions are never clear to anyone but himself.

Art

I was familiar with the art of Sean Phillips before picking up this graphic novel, from his run on Hellblazer several years ago. He has his own distinctive style, but it also brings to mind the art of others such as Charles Adlard, Jock and Darwyn Cooke, to name a few. His angular lines and use of shadows give his work an atmosphere that is perfect for a title like Sleeper, as it complements the brooding, noir feel to the characters and the world they live in.

One aspect of the art in the book that particularly stands out is the colouring by Tony Avina. The colour palette is a very subdued one, with some scenes being done in different shades of just one or two colours - some using earthy tones such as brown and orange, and other scenes with a heavy use of purple or blue shades. Overall, the effect is a successful one, once again adding to the art in terms of contributing atmosphere to the story. However, there are one or two cases where the heavy use of shadows by Phillips combined with the monochromatic colour palette by Avina made it more difficult to decipher the action. A wider variety of colours would have served to enhance these scenes and make the storytelling clearer.

Overall

Sleeper is an extremely refreshing and exciting title, and this first volume does a great job of drawing the reader into the seedy world of violence and betrayal through which Holden Carver walks. With a gripping set-up and various ongoing sub-plots that arise throughout these six issues, it leaves you wanting more, especially when it has such a great range of characters filling the stories. If you're looking for a title featuring a successful combination of super-powered action and spy-thriller intrigue, all presented with a genuinely intelligent adult edge, then look no further than Sleeper: Out In The Cold.

Publisher: Wildstorm
Writing: Ed Brubaker
Pencils & Inks: Sean Phillips
Colours: Tony Avina
Collects Sleeper Issues #1-6