Brodie's Law


Brodie's Law is a comic book series created by Daley Osiyemi and David Bircham which tells the story of anti-hero, Jack Brodie, East end Gangster, expert thief and professional killer, who in a twist of fate gains the ability to steal his victims' souls and take on their appearance, memories and feelings.
Brodie's Law takes place in the gritty underworld, nightclubs and dark alleys of the seedy metropolitan area of London.

Plot

On what appeared to be a routine assignment, Jack was paid to break into a high tech lab and steal a disc that contained a top-secret experiment. His contractor being the CEO and shareholder of the research company, Eugene Della Cruz. A third party gets wind of the job and everything goes horribly wrong. It was a set up. He escapes – barely alive.
This makes front-page news and Brodie suddenly becomes the most wanted man in Britain. He goes underground, seeking refuge away from the world and for the first time he fails to see a way out. Things come apart fast as his son is kidnapped and he is framed for his ex-wife's murder. He begins to lose his sense of self-belief and everything Brodie ever valued is gone. Forced to live like an animal, his hideout becomes his new home, only stepping out of the shadows under the cover of darkness.
In a bid to fight back, Brodie does whatever it takes to find his son, clear his name and seek his revenge. With the help of Tomokai Yoshida a genetic scientist, Brodie from the bleakest point of his life being the countries public enemy finds a way to turn the tables. Using the disc he stole which contained the blue print for a process called Psycho Metamorphosis or PM13, a compound that stimulates a human's latent ability to morph from one human likeness to another, male or female. Brodie realizes the power that comes with anonymity, without a fixed identity the law cannot track him. The compound was only a prototype and so is inherently unstable. Brodie never knows how long it will work and with each metamorphosis the process takes its toll. His victims once touched are left in a coma, helpless until their identity is returned. In essence Brodie becomes a soul reaper. The process of transformation is far from clean and Brodie partially retains the soul of each person he touches. Each journey into the body of another takes Brodie further into the darker recesses of the human mind. Brodie is no longer alone; with each passing day, the voices within grow louder.

Tattoo

Brodie's unique tattoo which covers his back originates from a symbol called "Takai" which means "Face of Death". In ancient Japan it represented the mask worn by a Samurai warrior called "Kayuma" who was head of the "Kabuki Death Seekers Clan". He was feared and revered by all. He was known for not sparing the lives of enemies captured in battle. It was claimed he made a pact with the Devil, that if he collected the souls of the dead this would in turn make him stronger and more fearless in battle.
Jack Brodie came across the symbol when reading an earlier version of the "Hagakure" Way of the Samurai. The symbol immediately had a profound effect on him. He saw similarities between Kayuma and himself and started using the symbol as his calling card. A sign that spelt trouble for those who crossed him.
The symbol later came to have a different meaning to Brodie. After he gained his powers of transformation the symbol that spelt danger for others soon became a symbol that almost cost him his own life.

Characters

Main characters

The title was nominated for an Eagle Award in 2006 for "Favourite Colour Comic book – British."

Issues

After the initial volume, publication was taken over by Markosia, a new edition of the volume 1 trade paperback was released.

Vol.1 Project Jameson

Vol. 1: is made up of six, first series issues.
Trade Paperback
Brodie's Law: Project Jameson

Vol. 2

Vol. 2: is made up of five issues.
Series 3 of Brodie's law is planned, and will be the final installment of the Brodie's Law trilogy.

''Brodie's Tales''

A prequel to Brodie's Law, under the working title Brodie's Tales, is currently in production.

Film

A film adaptation is in development.