A monstrous serial killer has been sent to the electric chair, but what if that chair imbued him with unimaginable powers?! On top of that the local police are corrupt and stealing cash from innocent folk. With bad guys coming from each side, is there any chance for Victorie City? Is it good?
Victorie City #3 (IDW Publishing)
So far this series has set up an intriguing villain who eats his victims and a good guy cop who wants to stop the corruption rampant in the police force. These two sides came together briefly and the cop took down the serial killer. That killer was sentenced, but didn’t die when the electric chair was turned on. Instead he walked out of the building electrocuting everyone.
Why does this book matter?
Writer Keith Carmack has an intriguing idea on his hands, and we should know: he told us all about it back in November. Meanwhile he’s paired with one of the most unique artists working today. Nappi has an incredibly messy style that imbues the pages with a lot of chaos used in different ways. That’s an interesting aspect you won’t find anywhere else.
Time for some action!
Fine, you have my attention. What’s good about it?
The letters by Jessi Adrignola add a lot of oomph to many of the scenes in this book. Take for instance a scene where the cops have a thicker line that looks like marker giving them a confidence, but our electric killer is a thinner white line that’s a bit unhinged. In another scene a character shouts “Got it” in a thick red text. It’s a bit messy but striking. It certainly spruces up some of the scenes.
It’s possible many folks will dislike this art as it’s so unconventional, but in a lot of ways it adds to what could be boring or average scenes. Take for instance a scene where the bad guy cops are driving our protagonist to an undisclosed location. The dialogue isn’t bad, but how on earth do you imbue energy to a dialogue-heavy car scene? Why not create a sense of unease via very messy expressionistic art? This scene has a rubbed straight line look over one character that makes it hard not to see it was hand drawn. You get the impression pages were created rather quickly which infuses scenes with anxiety.
It can’t be perfect can it?
The motivations of our villain are completely lost on me. I guess he’s simply nuts, but that makes for a rather boring experience since everything he says is nonsense. The abilities he has are also unexplained which makes the events after acquiring his powers more confusing than interesting. The lack of depth with his character and the rest isn’t doing this story any favors either. Basically put most of these characters are stereotypes or so thin you couldn’t care less what they do or say. Ultimately it makes the read so damn simple you’ll be reading for the art and the desire for something more.
The art at times is way too messy as well. Sure, the raw nature is kind of its thing, but there are a few panels that were hard to decipher. That adds to some of the frustrations you might have with this book.
Sometimes this comic can be a bit boring.
Is It Good?
Overall this is a bit of a below average book with writing that makes you want more. More character, more answers, more depth and sometimes a cleaner, easier to understand art style. That said, it feels incredibly unique and it’s taking a damn big chance so it’s worth a look if you’re into alternative comics.
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