Dynamite Entertainment 2015
Written by Jim Butcher & Mark Powers
Illustrated by Carlos Gomez
Coloured by Mohan
Unfortunately, "Gentleman" Johnny Marcone, de facto ruler of the Chicago underworld, has grown more powerful. The first mortal signatory to the Unseelie Accords -- the governing laws of the supernatural world -- he is now the Baron of Chicago, and is determined to "protect" its citizens in his own ruthless manner.
Neither Harry, nor his friends, nor enemies such as Marcone realize that a threat to them all has come to the Windy City, and is about to make his presence known…
This is the kind of story I’ve been waiting for, while the translation from novel to comic book have been nice getting original material in-between novels is fantastic! Since these stories can take place between any of the books from the first to the last there’s an unlimited timeframe to choose from to continue to flesh out the characters and put them through their paces, strengthening their bonds and showing us how they’ve managed to evolve. Jim and Mark work wonders here integrating this into the home of the novels.
Carlos and Mohan’s work here is in my eyes just about perfect. Harry isn’t as tall and lanky as described but he’s handsome, inspirational and then there’s Molly with her hair being coloured with great fading and Mouse the scope of his size and presence really shines in this medium by them. Oh and there’s one impressive shot of Mister too that is utterly fantastic! Then there’s the use of pages and panels that are filled with background stuff really giving you a great sense of who and where things are happening.
This is the issue we learn what exactly it is they are facing. I’ve got to say being a Jewish person we never see enough of what I refer to as old world Jewish mythology. There were plenty of Jewish mystics and practitioners of the magical arts and the legend of the Golem is inherently one of protection for the Jewish people. Jewish mysticism is old magic and when I say old I mean thousands of years B.C. old so it’s nice to see it get it’s nod here. It doesn’t get enough credit and it’s forgotten lore so thanks guys for showcasing some of that here.
I also am enjoying seeing more of Marcone. I think we should get at least a four issue mini-series delving into him, his actions and what he thinks he can get out of Chicago’s other underworld.
While yes this a Dresden Files story it’s nice to see it retains that feeling of both mystery solving and bumbling into success. Harry’s much smarter than people give him credit for but he hides that well with his no real plans but fly by the seat of his pants stuff which usually ends up working to his advantage since it makes him unpredictable and more formidable.
I’ll be interested to see where this goes next after the final two-page spread. With Molly’s psychic connection to what’s happening and someone else’s misguided belief he can handle the situation alone I think the best is yet to come.
This is why we love Dynamite they know what’s good and who can make the most of it and let them go at it.