Night Moves #1
IDW Publishing 2018
Written by V.J. & Justin Boyd
Illustrated by Clay McCormack
Coloured by Mike Spicer
Lettered by Shawn Deasquale
Noir meets horror as small-time Vegas hustler Chris Dundee finds himself tangled in a web of danger and the occult. He’s been on the wrong end of a pair of brass knuckles plenty of times, but this time he might be dealing with the devil himself.
Be prepared for Bob Seger lyrics to be strung throughout this review as the title alone makes me break out in song. I think what the brothers Boyd have written here is pretty effin spectacular! Chris is a character we can all find something in, of and about that we like and possibly relate to. He is this kind of loveable loser who has a modicum of skill in breaking the law though he pushes his luck too much. There is something inherently interesting about how the flow of this book reveals information, the plot/story development and characterisation. So much so that at some point I imagined it competing with True Detective for air time.
The way this is structured is fantastic and how the opening sets the stage for what we are going to see is extremely well done. What I see as a young man sussing about a house trying to peek into a forbidden room is kind of just that though the young man, Nolan, doesn’t live there but he does succeed in getting the reader interested in what is behind that door as well. The way this is done sets up the possibility that this could be a great franchise with six issue arcs telling different stories from Chris’ life as he relates them to Nolan.
Welcome to Las Vegas, Sin City in so many ways and the setting for this particular story. There is a mystique to the city that plays well into this story and in essence thanks to the mix of characters it kind of becomes that supporting character that you always see but never think of, like many a character actor, but she’s always there--Tight pants points hardly renown She was a black-haired beauty with big dark eyes And points all her own sitting way up high Way up firm and high. Also a pub called Alchemy has that mystique and allure for that which should make tourists nervous and the locals weary if they aren’t aware of the score. I found that the settings we see are rich with flavour and add that little something extra to the story and it’s almost easy to overlook that.
Clay continues to impress me with each new project he works on. What he brings to this story is fabulous and the attention to detail and how he uses the varying weights in the linework to his advantage with the finer details is splendid to see. With Mike colouring this the whole overall mood, tone and feel of the book is bloody impressive. This has such an incredibly unique look and it matches so perfectly like a well tailored suit. The utilisation of the page layouts and how we see the angles and perspective in the panels shows off a stellar eye for storytelling. I am a huge fan of how the backgrounds are utilised here to expand the moment and bring a great size and scope to the story.
There is some utterly spectacular dialogue going on here and page twenty alone felt almost like a book with the amount of word balloons that covered the page. The banter was delightful and the countering viewpoints kind of demonstrate the beginning of the connection the characters share. There are plenty of little gem moments throughout the book that showcase why this is an exciting new title that will or should take us by storm. Out in the back seat of my '60 Chevy Workin' on mysteries without any clues Workin' on our night moves Trying' to make some front page drive-in news
IDW Publishing 2018
Written by V.J. & Justin Boyd
Illustrated by Clay McCormack
Coloured by Mike Spicer
Lettered by Shawn Deasquale
Noir meets horror as small-time Vegas hustler Chris Dundee finds himself tangled in a web of danger and the occult. He’s been on the wrong end of a pair of brass knuckles plenty of times, but this time he might be dealing with the devil himself.
Be prepared for Bob Seger lyrics to be strung throughout this review as the title alone makes me break out in song. I think what the brothers Boyd have written here is pretty effin spectacular! Chris is a character we can all find something in, of and about that we like and possibly relate to. He is this kind of loveable loser who has a modicum of skill in breaking the law though he pushes his luck too much. There is something inherently interesting about how the flow of this book reveals information, the plot/story development and characterisation. So much so that at some point I imagined it competing with True Detective for air time.
The way this is structured is fantastic and how the opening sets the stage for what we are going to see is extremely well done. What I see as a young man sussing about a house trying to peek into a forbidden room is kind of just that though the young man, Nolan, doesn’t live there but he does succeed in getting the reader interested in what is behind that door as well. The way this is done sets up the possibility that this could be a great franchise with six issue arcs telling different stories from Chris’ life as he relates them to Nolan.
Welcome to Las Vegas, Sin City in so many ways and the setting for this particular story. There is a mystique to the city that plays well into this story and in essence thanks to the mix of characters it kind of becomes that supporting character that you always see but never think of, like many a character actor, but she’s always there--Tight pants points hardly renown She was a black-haired beauty with big dark eyes And points all her own sitting way up high Way up firm and high. Also a pub called Alchemy has that mystique and allure for that which should make tourists nervous and the locals weary if they aren’t aware of the score. I found that the settings we see are rich with flavour and add that little something extra to the story and it’s almost easy to overlook that.
Clay continues to impress me with each new project he works on. What he brings to this story is fabulous and the attention to detail and how he uses the varying weights in the linework to his advantage with the finer details is splendid to see. With Mike colouring this the whole overall mood, tone and feel of the book is bloody impressive. This has such an incredibly unique look and it matches so perfectly like a well tailored suit. The utilisation of the page layouts and how we see the angles and perspective in the panels shows off a stellar eye for storytelling. I am a huge fan of how the backgrounds are utilised here to expand the moment and bring a great size and scope to the story.
There is some utterly spectacular dialogue going on here and page twenty alone felt almost like a book with the amount of word balloons that covered the page. The banter was delightful and the countering viewpoints kind of demonstrate the beginning of the connection the characters share. There are plenty of little gem moments throughout the book that showcase why this is an exciting new title that will or should take us by storm. Out in the back seat of my '60 Chevy Workin' on mysteries without any clues Workin' on our night moves Trying' to make some front page drive-in news
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