Sleeper - All False Moves by Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips - Paperback Graphic Novel

From Booklist

In the second story arc of Sleeper, a spy comic in which the colorfully code-named operatives possess superpowers, the already ambiguous morality of its milieu grows murkier. The emphasis is on the dichotomized life of government agent Holden Carver, who infiltrates a shadowy, all-powerful criminal cartel. The suspense and the series' overarching paranoia are ratcheted up as Carver becomes more uncomfortable with his undercover role and grows more emotionally attached to his beautiful colleague, the amoral Miss Misery. Meanwhile, the mysterious mastermind of the crime cartel learns of his operation's infiltration and comes dangerously close to unmasking Carver. Writer Brubaker's intelligent plotting and gritty dialogue make the story work even when it skirts outrageousness, and Phillips' noirish art and skillful storytelling portray brutal action and talking-heads sequences equally effectively. As in Out in the Cold [BKL Mr 1 04], the protagonists' superpowers, even downplayed as they are, constitute Sleeper's least impressive element. But if couching intelligent espionage yarns in genre trappings makes them viable for today's mainstream comics readers . . . Gordon Flagg
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