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Modern-day cowboy hero Vigilante goes up against real-life gangster Bugsy Siegel, set in 1944

This miniseries was largely ignored when it first came out over a decade ago but now that its writer, James Robinson is back working for DC Comics on a regular basis, the company has finally brought out this trade paperback.

The story does not adhere too closely to either comic-book history or real-life history (Bugsy didn’t really pioneer gambling in Las Vegas) but it does tell a strong story with both mythic overtones and noirish, gangster mood.

Vigilante, in his civilian identity as a singing cowboy, is trying to break into movies just as Bugsy is spreading his influence to Hollywood. When Vigilante’s sidekick gets mixed up with Siegel, trouble soon follows, spiralling into a confrontation between the two characters.

The story has just enough superhero-elements to be enthralling while keeping things realistic enough to make the story more gripping. It actually reads like a very good movie– and would make a very good movie with just a little re-writing. A lot of credit goes to Vigilante whose search for justice propels the story, giving it a lot of suspense, even during the scenes that move away from the main plot, like those dealing with Bugsy’s womanizing and his obsession with setting up a casino in Las Vegas.