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jekutree's review
4.0
The absolute strongest 7 out of 10 I have ever read lol.
There was so much about this I loved, the structure, the art style, the visual storytelling. I loved how Rich Tommaso weaved all of these characters together, fleshing them out with flashbacks while also forwarding a narrative. It felt very Love and Rockets or Stray Bullets in that aspect. It was a basic mob revenge story where orphaned daughters are taking revenge against the monsters and hit men who killed their parents. The constant flashbacks and switching points of view is what intrigued me the most when I was reading. I also really liked how balls to the wall and abrupt the ending was. I really liked that last page a ton.
My beef with the book though is in the brevity of certain segments. I think a few more pages could’ve fleshed some under developed parts out. I don’t know how this was serialized, I know it was in 7 issues, but I don’t know how it was broken up issue by issue. Some of the dialogue is a bit wonky too. At times it could be kind of lifeless, but I do think the art and the visual storytelling save it. The narration to at times is a bit much, but I’m always an anti narration guy unless it’s done super well.
I also ran into a few confusing page layouts. I’m reading through Building Stories by Chris Ware right now and he manages to do some wild layouts that are surprisingly not that difficult to read. I thought the simplicity of these layouts would give me an easy time, but there’s a good handful of pages that go across the spread instead of page by page. It had me skipping around the page not really understanding if I was supposed to read the page normally or read across the whole book. I would’ve preferred a more consistent layout of either fully across or singular pages.
I did love this book despite some glaring flaws. I thought the structure, connecting plot lines and art style were awesome. It’s definitely worth a read and it enticed me to pick up some more Rich Tommaso.
There was so much about this I loved, the structure, the art style, the visual storytelling. I loved how Rich Tommaso weaved all of these characters together, fleshing them out with flashbacks while also forwarding a narrative. It felt very Love and Rockets or Stray Bullets in that aspect. It was a basic mob revenge story where orphaned daughters are taking revenge against the monsters and hit men who killed their parents. The constant flashbacks and switching points of view is what intrigued me the most when I was reading. I also really liked how balls to the wall and abrupt the ending was. I really liked that last page a ton.
My beef with the book though is in the brevity of certain segments. I think a few more pages could’ve fleshed some under developed parts out. I don’t know how this was serialized, I know it was in 7 issues, but I don’t know how it was broken up issue by issue. Some of the dialogue is a bit wonky too. At times it could be kind of lifeless, but I do think the art and the visual storytelling save it. The narration to at times is a bit much, but I’m always an anti narration guy unless it’s done super well.
I also ran into a few confusing page layouts. I’m reading through Building Stories by Chris Ware right now and he manages to do some wild layouts that are surprisingly not that difficult to read. I thought the simplicity of these layouts would give me an easy time, but there’s a good handful of pages that go across the spread instead of page by page. It had me skipping around the page not really understanding if I was supposed to read the page normally or read across the whole book. I would’ve preferred a more consistent layout of either fully across or singular pages.
I did love this book despite some glaring flaws. I thought the structure, connecting plot lines and art style were awesome. It’s definitely worth a read and it enticed me to pick up some more Rich Tommaso.
daynpitseleh's review
3.0
I received this from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
I didn't care for this during the first few issues, but I kept with it, and I found myself more interested in it as it went along and introduced the Deadly Daughters, which were my favorite part of the story. There were moments in which it was hard to figure out what exactly was going on, but overall, this is an interesting story.
I didn't care for this during the first few issues, but I kept with it, and I found myself more interested in it as it went along and introduced the Deadly Daughters, which were my favorite part of the story. There were moments in which it was hard to figure out what exactly was going on, but overall, this is an interesting story.
fernandie's review
2.0
Note: I received a digital review copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley.
mattsitstill's review
4.0
A neo-noir with a retro punch, Rich Tommaso’s “Dark Corridor” blends elements like Darwyn Cooke, Daniel Clowes, and “Sin City” and remixes them into this unique and remarkable book. Now, complete and collected, here’s this odd little gem of a comic, presented by a confident and assured cartoonist.
“Dark Corridor” features a knotty storyline centered around a city run by gangsters called The Red Circle. Cartoonist Rich Tommaso juggles a wide cast of characters, who may not be entirely empathetic but are nevertheless interesting to follow and interesting to watch work. Over seven chapters and multiple perspectives, Tommaso builds up momentum and sustains tension with aplomb. The central mysteries and conflicts are involved and engaging.
There’s a lot to keep track of, but you never feel lost or in the dark or like you’re second-guessing a character’s motivation. He playfully takes elements of the crime drama and weaves them together to create this delightfully dirty, dangerous, and deadly setting.
In all honesty, “Dark Corridor” only looks weirder than it actually is. Tommaso’s style and aesthetic isn’t something you generally see out of a mainstream publisher like Image Comics. His character designs are stocky, he basically disregards physics, and doesn’t seem to care if a character goes off model if it fits the mood. But the actual story isn’t too far removed from a Donald Westlake caper or a Michael Mann film. Tommaso offers up the chases and shootouts and double-crossings you’d expect from a crime drama. He retains tight control over what we’re seeing and when we get to see it. For instance, he gets the idea to deliver the ‘7 Deadly Daughters’ stories in these double page spreads while keeping ‘The Red Circle’ stuff on a relatively consistent grid, keeping you aware of the tone and mood of the scene without having to constantly spell out what’s going on.Watching him bring all these different storylines together with tight control and an expertly guiding hand is just as enjoyable as seeing these characters deal with their consequences.
Read the rest of my review at Multiversity Comics!
“Dark Corridor” features a knotty storyline centered around a city run by gangsters called The Red Circle. Cartoonist Rich Tommaso juggles a wide cast of characters, who may not be entirely empathetic but are nevertheless interesting to follow and interesting to watch work. Over seven chapters and multiple perspectives, Tommaso builds up momentum and sustains tension with aplomb. The central mysteries and conflicts are involved and engaging.
There’s a lot to keep track of, but you never feel lost or in the dark or like you’re second-guessing a character’s motivation. He playfully takes elements of the crime drama and weaves them together to create this delightfully dirty, dangerous, and deadly setting.
In all honesty, “Dark Corridor” only looks weirder than it actually is. Tommaso’s style and aesthetic isn’t something you generally see out of a mainstream publisher like Image Comics. His character designs are stocky, he basically disregards physics, and doesn’t seem to care if a character goes off model if it fits the mood. But the actual story isn’t too far removed from a Donald Westlake caper or a Michael Mann film. Tommaso offers up the chases and shootouts and double-crossings you’d expect from a crime drama. He retains tight control over what we’re seeing and when we get to see it. For instance, he gets the idea to deliver the ‘7 Deadly Daughters’ stories in these double page spreads while keeping ‘The Red Circle’ stuff on a relatively consistent grid, keeping you aware of the tone and mood of the scene without having to constantly spell out what’s going on.Watching him bring all these different storylines together with tight control and an expertly guiding hand is just as enjoyable as seeing these characters deal with their consequences.
Read the rest of my review at Multiversity Comics!
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