Hard Case Crime/Titan Comics 2017
written by Megan Abbott & Alison Gaylin
Penciled by Steve Scott
Inked by Rodney Ramos
Coloured by Lovern Kindzierski
Lettered by Comicraft
After receiving an alarming call from her estranged sister, tough-as-nails Sheriff Normandy Gold headed to Washington DC in the hopes of tracking her down. Discovering a link to a high-class
prostitution ring, Normandy — with the help of local Detective Paul Sturges — must now dig deeper in
order to uncover the disturbing truth behind her sister’s disappearance.
This is a very interesting book. I mean last issue when Normandy learned her sister was a girl who sold pleasure the Sheriff had no problem throwing herself into that life to learn what happened to her. While I wasn’t expecting to see this it was powerfully explosive and somewhat graphic, not like porn but the nudity and familiarity with the female body was a wow factor. As is the research that went into this from the use of movies and stills to the fashions and vibe it’s all here.
The goal to make this feel like a 70’s cinematic event is certainly a successful one. From the composition in the panels , the way page layouts are used and the attention to detail that we see in not just the characters but the backgrounds as well. You feel like you know this, or at least have a familiarity with the characters, can you guess who was based off an actress because there’s one I see. From the linework to the colouring here this is so extremely well done that it really does take us back to this point in time.
So Normandy has fully immersed herself in this world of high-class call girls in order to find her sister but what she’s going to find will undoubtedly change her world forever. there’s no way it can’t I mean it’s one thing to be okay with the sex for money aspect that in my mind is easy it’s the lifestyle, the stigma and the men who use the service that you really need to watch out for. Those are the the ones that will change how you see others and possibly yourself.
Detective Sturges does seem to call Normandy at the most odd times. I kind of like it though because there could be multiple reasons behind this. Normandy’s a looker sure but maybe Paul is actually a good cop in a more than slightly corrupt city too. His use of alcohol would certainly suggest that he’s got a conscious and he’s trying to drown it’s voice and do his job at least that’s a possible opinion. I like that they’ve got me thinking about character motives here. This means they are extremely well thought and fleshed out to be seen as real people not just characters in a book.
Stylish, sleek and thrilling take a look behind the business of sex in this Hard Case Crime offering of the lengths a woman, sister and sheriff will go to discover the truth behind her sister’s disappearance.