There is a series of video games that has been around since I was a wee boy called Leisure Suit Larry. The object of the series of games, which are still being made today, is simply to help Larry meet women and score, and I don’t mean with points. The game was notorious for its slightly offensive nature and cheesy pick-up lines. Change Larry’s role from gigolo to top-secret CIA agent and you’ll have a pretty good idea of the makings of Jack Hightower who stars in his first, self-titled, graphic novel from Dark Horse Books.

The plot of Jack Hightower follows your basic hero/villain scenario with Agent Jack Hightower, a James Bond on a martini bender type, being shrunk down to ten-inches tall by his arch-enemy Dr. Flagitious Savant, who is also bent on taking over the world Lex Luthor style. Overcoming his new found dwarfism Hightower (Get it, Hightower?) chases skirt and saves the day all while enduring every height-based joke the writers could think of.

While the book is enjoyable in a “dick and fart joke” sort of way, the characters are mainly one dimensional and the story could have been better developed. Graphically the book is well drawn with good color and stunning renditions of members of the fairer sex.

The last graphic novel I read was V for Vendetta, and Jack Hightower is the polar opposite and not anywhere near as engaging. I have always admired Dark Horse’s work with their Star Wars books and comics and I can only hope as the Jack Hightower series develops, as I assume it will, we will see some better story development in what is an otherwise great concept.