Stumptown #1
Oni Press
Greg Rucka
(A) Matthew Southworth
FC 32 pgs w/ ads $3.99 US / Higher in Canada
If there’s one thing that Greg Rucka excels at, its gritty crime stories. I usual follow Rucka to whatever project he’s working on with a few exceptions. I’m not currently following his run on Action Comics and Superman: The World of New Krypton. I hear they are good but I just don’t have the money to follow everything and I’d rather read Rucka on Detective or even better – something like this series.
The story is familiar, a private detective, in this case a woman named Dex, who is a bit down on her luck is forced to take a missing persons case to pay an outstanding debt. The second she starts snooping there’s the familiar threats from some mysterious toughs and then there is the rich, respectable business man who also is involved.
This is a story that I’ve read before in a dozen or so dime detective novels and seen in similar films. I don’t know why but I never get tired of it though. And Rucka has me hooked into the story with his strong characterizations as always. Matthew Southworth is meticulous in his rendering of Portland, Oregon which grounds the series in reality and his dark pencils are reminiscent of Michael Lark’s work. It adds the right look for this book.
This first issue has hooked me and while I’d like to see more Queen & Country from Rucka, this feels like a series that I’m going to really enjoy. (Shane Hnetka)
ComicReaders 