Night #1

Posted: Wednesday, December 29, 2004
By: Darren Schroeder

Writer(s): Troy Hasbrouk
Artist(s): Buddy Prince
Publishers: Jester Press (Self Published)
From: USA
Price: $2.95(US)

New York is a rough and tumble place with street crime an ever present reality. Just recently the violence has hit a new level, with a room full of dismembered bodies give the police and the FBI cause for concern. The local police suspect it might be the work of street gangs, but the FBI agents who turns up are looking into a more 'out-there' explanation. Soon we get to see for ourselves that something far more deadly is prowling the moonlit streets.

FBI plus paranormal activities equals well trodden ground in recent years, so I was was looking for something original once I saw the set-up. Pretty quickly into the story we find ourselves in the middle of a gang war with a mysterious young man creating death and mayhem in both camps. Just what he is up-to isn't clear, and one of the FBI agents has a abrasive and direct style that suggests she knows more about her target than she is willing to pass on to the local boys in blue. There is a lot of dialogue in this book, and a fair bit of it sure is corny. The gang members are especially awkward in their cliche ridden 'bro-talk'.

Buddy's artwork is best when dealing with the more hairy cast member, giving him a raw savagery that makes him all the more scary. When working on the other characters things are less successful, with some rather awkward facial construction, so even though they all have great ab's the cast all seem to be cross-eyed. They probably got that way trying to follow some of the page layouts - arrows really are the last resort for a bad page.

There's not enough truly entertaining or ground-breaking content here to make up for the little flaws that run through the book.

In a Word: doggerel.



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