Since Ghostface Killah first called himself Tony Starks (along with naming his classic debut Ironman), and MF DOOM donned the metal mask, some of rap’s greatest characters have taken great influence from the world of comic books, and with his ambitious project The Adventures of…, New York MC Hookz Murdock becomes a hip-hop hero himself.

The project is described as an audio-graphic novel, and it would be hard to consider this hyperbole considering how strongly Hookz dedicates himself to the theme at large. A large portion of the tracks are titled after comic book characters, namely highlight Hal Jordan which features Hookz delivering a series of cleverly braggadocious bars referencing everything from the titular hero to Fetty Wap, over a beat that wouldn’t sound out of place on a Special Herbs beat tape.

However, throughout the tape Hookz shows he has multiple powers, as he effortlessly shifts to a more somber tone on tracks like Frank’s Paranoia, that carry cloudier, more-modern production and harsher lyrical topics without missing a step. On this project, Hookz shows himself to be a musical shape-shifter (or something of a mixtape Mystique), captivating listeners with varied lyrical topics and production, yet consistent quality. The Adventures of… is an engaging listen from top-to-bottom that marks Hookz as being well-deserving of a place in the Hip-Hop Hall of Justice.