By Zack Quaintance — I had very high expectations going into Regarding the Matter of Oswald’s Body #1. I am a long-time fan of writer Christopher Cantwell’s work, from his very thoughtful original series with Dark Horse Comics’ Berger Books imprint (She Could Fly, Everything) to his very thoughtful superhero stories for Marvel Comics (Doctor Doom, Iron Man). I also really enjoyed familiarizing myself with artist Luca Casalanguida in this year’s underrated series, Scouts Honor. On top of that, I also thought the title and concept were fantastic, suggesting another conspiracy comic in a year where those sort of books have never been so strong.

So yes, I had high expectations, and within those expectations, I had very specific things I expected to enjoy. And I came away from Regarding Oswald’s Body #1 wholly satisfied, yet a little surprised at some of the things I enjoyed in this book. Cantwell’s scripting and Casalanguida’s artwork are both quite strong, doing the interesting concept justice, but there’s another quality to this book I didn’t see coming — this comic features one of the best first issue ensemble cast introductions I can remember in some time.

Indeed, this book features a very rich cast, and the first issue has the usually-difficult job of introducing a varied set of new characters, never an easy task within monthly comics, where a strong majority of readers tend to primarily read books in which they already know the central players. But Regarding Oswald’s Body #1 introduces its characters very well, doing so within a set of often-playful character moments that introduce us to the players in this book while at the same time giving us relatable touchpoints that make us care about their fate. It’s strong work.

One of the natural questions around this book might be how it compares to the breakout hit Image book, Department of Truth, which features Lee Harvey Oswald as a character (albeit in a very different way than what we see in this book). And I think the ensemble cast approach to this particular conspiracy story will be the easiest way for readers to differentiate the two titles, with many (many!) more ways for doing that located beneath that surface.

In the end, Regarding Oswald’s Body #1 is an intriguing and engrossing comic, one that uses natural reader curiosity about Oswald and the Kennedy assassination to setup a mystery and deliver a rich cast of new characters. It remains to be seen what the exact thematic interests of this story will be and how each of these great new characters will contribute in meaningful ways, but everything in this first issue is handled with such deliberate skill, that it’s easy to put your faith in this title moving forward.

Overall: Regarding Oswald’s Body #1 is an intriguing new series that uses a widely-discussed conspiracy as a hook before really winning readers over with a rich and interesting ensemble cast. 9.5/10

REVIEW: Regarding the Matter of Oswald’s Body #1

Regarding the Matter of Oswald’s Body #1
Writer: Christopher Cantwell
Artist: Luca Casalanguida
Colorist: Glada Marchisio
Letterer: AndWorld Design
Publisher: BOOM! Studios
Where is Lee Harvey Oswald's body?
The Kennedy assassination is a rat's nest of conspiracy theories: mafia involvement, the second gunman, government cover-up... but the most important chapter of this sordid tale may just be the theory that the body buried at Oswald's Rose Hill gravesite is not actually Lee Harvey himself.
Meet the ragtag group of "useful idiots" who are unwittingly brought together to clean up the crime of the century - a wannabe cowboy from Wisconsin, a Buddy Holly-idolizing (former) car thief, a world-weary Civil Rights activist ready for revolution, and a failed G-Man who still acts the part - and specifically, regarding the matter of Oswald's body.
For fans of Department of Truth and Time Before Time comes an off-kilter crime thriller set in the shadows of history's greatest conspiracy by Eisner Award-nominated writer, producer, and director Christopher Cantwell (Iron Man, The United States of Captain America) and artist Luca Casalanguida (Lost Soldiers, Scout's Honor).
Price: $3.99
More Info: Regarding the Matter of Oswald’s Body #1

Read more great graphic novel and comics reviews!

Zack Quaintance is a tech reporter by day and freelance writer by night/weekend. He Tweets compulsively about storytelling and comics as Comics Bookcase.