ComiXology Originals 2021
Created & Written by Stephanie Phillips
Created & Illustrated by Peter Krause
Coloured by Ellie Wright
Lettered by A Larger World’s Troy Peteri
The year is 1938. The threat of World War II looms over the United States, where Nazi sympathizers and fascists have taken root on American soil in alarming numbers. In New York City, resistance to the American Nazi movement grows amongst the ranks of Jewish-American gangsters. Enter Jonas Kaminsky, a rising small-time gangster who's embroiled in a turf war with Levi Solomon, an old-time mob boss with millions tied up in gambling and booze. When thrown together in an unexpected circumstance, it turns out that the one thing these gangsters hate more than each other is Nazis.
Okay colour me intrigued. I like what we see here and how we see the introduction of the characters and the narration to the story that really goes above and beyond presenting this reality in a way that’s harsh, real and true. It is a pretty powerful realisation and I have to give kudos for how this is portrayed and there are very few who have the chutzpah to put it in writing so it’s out there in the world. Also what a lot of folks don’t realise is how many Jews in New York City were mob related, my grandfather was connected back in the day and while we get a bad rap it really did happen a lot like w e see here.
I’m really very impressed with the way that this is being told. The story & plot development that we see through how the sequence of events unfold as well as how the reader learns information is presented exceptionally well. The character development that we see through the narration, the dialogue, the character interaction as well as how we see them act and react to the situations and circumstances which they encounter does a marvellous job in establishing their personalities.
I am enjoying how we see this being structured and how the layers within the story begin to emerge and grow. I also like how we see the layers opening up avenues to be explored and whether they will be or won’t be remains to be seen but they all add this great depth, dimension and complexity to the story. How we see everything working together to create the story’s ebb & flow as well as how it moves the story forward are impeccably handled.
I love Peter’s work and what we see here is exactly why. The linework is exceptional and how we see the varying weights and techniques being utilised to create this level & quality in the attention to detail is astounding. How we see backgrounds being utilised to enhance and expand the moments as well as how they work within the composition of the panels to bring about the depth perception, sense of scale and the overall sense of size and scope to the story is marvellous. The utilisation of the page layouts and how we see the angles and perspective in the panels show a masterful eye for storytelling. The various hues and tones within the colours being utilised to create the shading, highlights and shadow work shows a spectacular eye for how colour works. Just take a gander at the wallpaper in Levi’s house and you’ll see just how brilliant the colour work is.
Right before the war we see an increase in activity from different factions and what starts out as a conflict between two men will soon become something so much more epic than either of them ever could have imagined. I like how we see this start and how the foreshadowing that we see plans to take things, though never assume you know where it’s going because if you do then more than likely it won’t go that way at all. The writing is sensational and the characterisation is amazing to witness while the interiors here really bring it all to life with such aplomb.