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3.82 AVERAGE
3.82 AVERAGE
Very classic crime noir graphic novel. The story itself isn't unique by any stretch, but it offers enough plot twists to keep readers on their toes. It is extremely well paced and all the pieces fall into place neatly. It's got a lot of that signature Ed Brubaker introspection that I have grown to love. Only downside for me was how much narration there is. Brubaker always uses a lot of narration in his crime stories, but he was a little too verbose here, much to the chagrin of letterer John Constanza. In the back of the book, he even jokes about how much he cringes looking at those huge balloons now. I personally love the narration, because that's where we see just how much thought Brubaker has given to the way his characters think.
As for the art, Michael Lark's pencils achieve a good balance of clean and gritty. It's good, but not nearly in the same ballpark as his later work on Lazarus 10 years later. He apparently requested that Sean Phillips ink the project, because he was not satisfied with his own; and it was a great decision because Phillips' inks are on another level and bring the book a more classic noir feel. The coloring by James Sinclair is pretty good, nothing special. He uses a lot of muted colors, as is standard in these kinds of stories, but it works well and it synergizes wonderfully with Phillips' inks.
Overall a good book. I'm sure a lot of people would rate it 3 stars instead of 4 for the lack of originality and the heavy narration, and I don't disagree; but for me, Brubaker's writing just clicks. He simply gets people, at least certain types of people. People that I can relate to, empathize with, and understand.
As for the art, Michael Lark's pencils achieve a good balance of clean and gritty. It's good, but not nearly in the same ballpark as his later work on Lazarus 10 years later. He apparently requested that Sean Phillips ink the project, because he was not satisfied with his own; and it was a great decision because Phillips' inks are on another level and bring the book a more classic noir feel. The coloring by James Sinclair is pretty good, nothing special. He uses a lot of muted colors, as is standard in these kinds of stories, but it works well and it synergizes wonderfully with Phillips' inks.
Overall a good book. I'm sure a lot of people would rate it 3 stars instead of 4 for the lack of originality and the heavy narration, and I don't disagree; but for me, Brubaker's writing just clicks. He simply gets people, at least certain types of people. People that I can relate to, empathize with, and understand.
Stu recommended I give this a try given my out-of-character propensity for enjoying police procedurals in comics form. It was good, but coming right after Fell wasn't going to do it any favours. The ins and outs of plot felt a little too loose, and I didn't really click with Herriman as a character. I was engaged throughout, but I felt like I was being led through a muddle of erroneous scenarios by the nose, through false confrontation after false confrontation, only to arrive at the disturbing conclusion that purposefully withheld any kind of catharsis. And that's fine -- it's an artistic choice that I respect -- but I just kept wanting to experience the storytelling differently.
Meh plot if you're a fan of classic hardboilers, meh artwork no matter how you look at it. Issues 3 and 4 were the weakest - a bunch of cliches collaged together. It read like it was trying to be sensational for sensationalism's sake, like something you'd find on some edgelord's personal blog. I did like the character's musings towards the end of the last issue, but it felt a bit rushed.