Today's reommended comic is Seven Soldiers: Guardian by Grant Morrison and Cameron Stewart.

Normally I like to preview a new book that is coming out this week but today I'm actually going to recommend a book that came out last week but that should still be available and is worth seeking out. I love comics that don't try to be something other than a comic and that embrace the advantages of the medium. Sometimes that means telling nearly ludicrous stories that would never be accepted if it was a TV show or a movie. A lot of Grant Morrison's work falls into that category, especially his last collaboration with artist Cameron Stewart, "Seaguy".

Guardian is actually a lot more grounded than Seaguy yet having said that it boasts a plot that revolves around two warring factions of Subway Pirates that ride the NYC subway system, terrorizing and plundering passengers, one led by a man named No-Beard and the other by a man named All-Beard.

The hero of the story, Jake Jordan, is a disgraced ex-cop who is hired by a newspaper called The Manhattan Guardian to be it's living mascot. The paper is run by a talking head that appears via video (sort of a cross between Rupert Murdoch and Max Headroom) and the paper's mission is to not only report on crime but to fight it. It's all very silly stuff but it's cleverly balanced by the subtle characterization of Jordan and his relationship with his family.

Guardian is a 4 issue limited series that is part of a grander story called Seven Soliders of Victory architected by Morrison. There are 6 other series telling the Seven Soldiers story but Morrison has designed it so that each series is stand alone. You can read them all and get the bigger story or you can enjoy them on their own.

Check out your local comic shop today. If you don't know where your local comic shop is, find it here: http://www.the-master-list.com