Son of Hitler includes plenty of standard elements — hulking stormtroopers, beret-wearing Resistance fighters, car chases through the cobblestoned byways of Paris, a frosty female spy with a fabulous forties hairdo — but it also tweaks the usual formulas. If it's not quite as unruly as it could have been, its gung-ho spirit is consistently infectious ... The story rattles along at a vigorous pace, but it doesn't have as many twists and turns as it needs to sustain narrative urgency to the end. Fortunately, artist Jeff McComsey is on hand to bring action sequences to life and infuse some drama into the draggy parts ... McComsey's just not that interested in subtleties of expression. He models faces the same way he models a snarled bedsheet or a glass tumbler, playing up what's visually grabby. As with Del Col and Moore's story, there's a bit of a sense of opportunities lost. Even so, the opportunities the creators do take are plentiful, and they nail every one ... Their humanity is nicely balanced against the story's shocking elements. Son of Hitler may have its slow spots, but few war stories are this much fun.

Del Col and Moore’s story is packed with classic espionage-thriller turns, such as coded messages hidden in baked goods (though the madeleines Pierre bakes look nothing like the shell-shaped classic in the artwork), double-crossing agents, bloody shootouts, blackmail, and a rookie operative with a hair trigger, who fouls up the plan. McComsey’s luminous monochromatic artwork makes great use of highlight and shadow on his realistic figures, which only adds to the noirish atmosphere. Pierre’s story drags a bit in the middle, but a twist toward the end sends the story careering toward the conclusion, which takes a hearty swipe at contemporary American politics.

Despite its sensational concept, this is a solid historical thriller. Del Col and Moore generously pepper the plot with double (and triple) crosses. McComsey captures the period and its tension with expressive thick lines colored in dark, monochromatic shades and a consistent three-toned palette that distinctly separates the acts of the story ... With its intricate elaboration of secret service work and shocker of a last-act twist, this comic achieves the satisfying web-of-secrets allure that John le Carré and Len Deighton pull off in prose.

McComsey has an interesting drawing style, something between Steve Dillon and Philip Bond, and flexes the same white-highlighted, straight-from-pencils approach that Connor Willumsen was recently hailed for in Anti-Gone. But his ability to create a comic in which one panel leads smoothly to the next is sorely lacking ... Then again, I don't want to chalk too much of Son of Hitler's failings up to its artist when the writers' grasp of how to manipulate the comics form is in clear need of some sharpening ... How to sum up a book that fails even to sum itself up very well? Gosh, I dunno. Son of Hitler isn't something any asshole off the street could have made - there's a standard of professionalism being met (not competence, professionalism) that I'd imagine will put it across the finish line with a large percentage of the audience for such a book. And it's not howlingly tone deaf or offensive like I figured it would be when I saw the title. Mostly I just wondered why anyone bothered.

Anthony Del Col and Geoff Moore have crafted a beautiful, and heart-breaking story with Son of Hitler. Besides the aforementioned Pierre and Cora, the book is filled with relatable and well-written characters that help to bring this somber tale to life. Both sides of the conflict are full of interesting, sympathetic, and in some cases, despicably terrifying characters. With a story that could have easily coasted by on its over-the-top premise, it remains an intimate, character driven spy story which makes the twists and turns the book takes all the more impactful ... The artwork from Jeff McComsey is not going to appeal to everyone, but I found it incredibly appealing. The entire aesthetic is reminiscent of an artist’s sketchbook ... It takes you down some dark alleys and consistently surprises you with some of the turns that it takes, but the ride never ceases to be engaging and compelling.