ComiXtreme, take note: Unlike some people, iComics' Greg McElhatton knows how to write a review. Not coincidentally, he's also heard of Farel Dalrymple, and even a Jewish mafia.

Today, Greg reviews Judd Winick's "Caper" #1, noting that it "treats its readers like adults, and I'm always in favor of that."

Me, too. Unflinching violence and cursing aside, "Caper" is a "mature readers" title because it presumes its audience has a certain level of sophistication and intelligence. Of course, judging from ComiXtreme and the "debate" on the John Byrne message boards, perhaps Winick & Co. misjudged at least a portion of that readership.

Winick doesn't waste his time, or ours, with needless exposition, a glossary of Yiddish terms or a primer on the history of organized crime. He expects us to be at least somewhat familiar with all of that, or to be sharp enough to figure it out through context.

What a refreshing change from humdrum "recap" pages with endless soliloquies filling in the gaps.

Yes, "Caper" is an intelligently crafted comic for a mature audience. And (gasp) it's not even under the Vertigo banner.