Postal, Volume 1

“Welcome to Eden. We’re all sinners here.”

Eden, Wyoming. Population 2,198. “Eden is a town of criminals but we accept no crime. You don’t move here for a second chance. You move here for your last chance.” The mail carrier has Asperger’s Syndrome. I really liked the whole set up of this series! I'm not entirely sure that I like the execution. I do, however, want to check out the next volume. As a current letter carrier for the USPS, I would love to see a 'hero' mailman!

“Damaged letters get transcribed.” (I have worked as a mail carrier for over 22 years, and I've never heard of that!)

“Can’t you just deliver the f!n’ mail?”

“But when gods have everything… eventually they destroy it all.”

“I deliver your show more mail. I know where you live.” show less

This first volume of the graphic novel series Postal opens by introducing the small town of Eden, Wyoming. Eden is a quiet town with zero tolerance for any illegal activity. People who live in Eden want the town to stay quiet and obscure as they are all criminals who live here while they wait for new identities to be established for them. The main character of the story is Mark, who acts as the town’s mailman. He is the son of the mayor Laura Shiffron, and she runs a very tight ship.

When a body is found lying in the street, Mark learns that the murdered woman was his sister, and that she was killed by his father, who has returned to claim his revenge on his wife, the mayor, and on the town of Eden. Mark has Asperger’s Syndrome and show more it is through his eyes that the story unfolds.

This is a dark and violent story and being the first volume the story is secondary to establishing the setting and introducing the characters. This series has a lot of potential and I am interested in seeing what happens next. show less

Mark Shiffron is the local postman, in Eden, Wyoming. He has Aspergers and we see the sleepy town through his unique and slightly skewed viewpoint. When a murdered woman, is found on main street, Mark feels it's his duty to investigate and this leads him to an underworld of evil and darkness, which involves both of his parents. This is a solid start to a promising series but it a violent one, so be prepared. The artwork is amazing.

This book is on the border for me between two and three stars. A generic crime noir is made mildly interesting by the lead and his romantic interest. I'll give it another volume to fully win me over.

I'll probably check out the next volume because I like the main character, but there were a few too many stereotypes in this story, and I'm not sure I like the direction or level of darkness. One more should decide me.

Small town America with a difference

I only have issues 1 & 2 so can only comment on those: this is a small town in America called Eden, full of criminals, administered by a female Mayor and a Reverend who do not tolerate any crime in the town. Our narrator, the son of the Mayor, has Asperger’s and is the town postman – thus the title. He wants to find out everything – much to the dismay of the other inhabitants.

The second issue centres around the finding of a girl’s body, the destruction of that body and the reason that it has been left there. We discover more about the relationships in the town and how it came about.