PROMISE

If you’re the kind of person who is intrigued by a comic called Shirtless Bear-Fighter, you won’t be disappointed by the first issue of this new series from Image Comics. While we don’t meet the protagonist for several pages, the comic is exactly what you think it will be: a man, minus a shirt, fighting bears. It’s a story about the hubris of men, the hubris of bears, and being caught between those two races. The comic opens in Major City, where we see a man working for animal control — or “Puppy Prison” as it’s written on the side of his van. He’s singing out loud in public (awful) and has no respect for the animals he deals with (even worse), so of course he’s the first casualty. There’s a gorgeous splash page of him facing down a humongous bear with the tiniest possible can of bear spray. The art, by Nil Vendrell and Mike Spicer, elevate the bear from scary to terrifying, but it’s Dave Lanphear’s letters that make this animal control worker look pathetic in comparison. The “SSSSSS