Black Mask Studios 2015
Written by Curt Piers
Illustrated by Chris Peterson
Coloured by Pete Toms
I’ve become such a huge fan of the books Black Mask puts out and with stories like this one it’s no wonder why. Terrance Gattica won one of those big white people arts awards, the Oscar, for best director and his star power rose. So did his cocaine use and the myriad of women he slept with, by the way plenty of boobs here so not a kid friendly book oh and butt shot of Terry as well. What happens to some people who gain this kind of fame notoriety is something we’ve all wondered about and Terry yeah he doesn’t handle it well in my humble opinion.
So at the Viper Lounge on the John snorting coke off his phone Terry sees two masked men, literally in Halloween style masks, come in and gun down the guy in the next stall. Of course someone comes in and thinks he did it such is the way luck works. This quickly moves to something extremely weird and I mean that because it focuses on a reporter talking to a former actor turned cult leader ala Manson. You need to read it to understand it but suffice it to say so far there’s nothing about this story that’s usual but it’s certainly attention grabbing!
Terry gets out of jail and is speeding through town in a convertible with a ton of liquor bottles on the passenger seat. A close call where this girl flips the double bird is funny and keep your eye out because we get her story now. From Texas to L.A. to make it big but ends up with an apt full of girls in the same situation and it’s all one big party of hangovers and disappointment. She works at a diner as a waitress where Terry’s eating. This is again where weirdness takes over as the two men in Halloween masks are also there still in the masks. Things get out of hand and Terry and Kleio end up well killing them in one hell of a great fight.
Seriously you want messed up fun writing then you should read this because it’s kind of like doing drugs that mess with your perception and take you on a journey that you keep going back to take because it’s that fun. It’s also the story of how Terry and Kleio meet and from here I have no idea what’s going to happen but you know they are partners in crime and the men they killed with have those that want revenge. So these two unlikely allies will have to work together to clean up L.A. whether they like it or not. Personally I think the whole idea of it is absurd enough to make it that much more fabulous.
You do see plenty of boobs, hint boys too various nudie shots thanks it’s time, and they smoke cigarettes like fiends all of which make it seem seedier than it really is but the visuals really do help make this book what it is. They manage to really express the mood of what’s happening and how the characters personalities shine through past the writing.
Get to your store get a copy and if they aren’t carrying it ask them to get you a copy because this is intelligent humor and action that we just don’t see anymore!