I established not so long ago that Warren Ellis is the owner of my ovaries should he ever care to take possession of them and knock me up. "No Hero" does not change this factoid but it does lead into an interesting little tale.  Last night, I ventured into Toronto's Little Italy with a Canadian man who gives me butterflies in my stomach and makes me forget all about sporks.  Original purpose for the trek was not forgotten but tossed aside due to the cold and we sought momentary shelter in a comic book shop.  Well, momentary shelter really does put it lightly but that would be a tangent rather than part of the introduction. 

After engaging what seemed to be the two proprietors in a discussion of American politics which, as an expatriate I found rather comical, I settled on the new Warren Ellis comic.  Okay, I lie.  I settled on the first three issues as they lacked issue zero.   And it's not really settling when you get giddy like a high school freshman having beer for the first time. The book jumped at me like a flying monkey on acid.  The artwork on the three covers was so vivid and dare I say, miraculous, that I couldn't resist.  

The books are a conglomeration of thick glossy pages so smooth to the touch that I thought I might have found a long lost lover.   Though, Juan Jose Ryp's gritty and refined visualization reminded me that it was one of those lovers that might have been toxic.  It's just too pretty.  Airbrushed, painted, colored in... I want it.  Lots of it.  I'm fawning over the covers with a screwdriver in hand when I remember that I'm supposed to read this thing too! 

 My conspiracy addled mind goes into a comicgasm at the opening quote, before the words of Warren Ellis's dialogue even kick me into gear.  

"The history of vigilantism in the United States is as old as the country itself.  In many ways, the history of the United States begins with vigilantism." 

                                                         - American Law Encyclopedia Volume 10

 I'm looking through my notes on the comic trying to seperate probable spoilers from the meat of the review and I'm noticing that almost every other line is a declaration of brilliance.  

 I've drowned in the Kool-Aide.

 And I don't feel like giving away the flavor.