Before I go any further, let me just say that I only read the last comic in this story arc; that being said, I don’t feel as though I have any questions about the plot leading up to this. The comic is set up very similar to the noir detectives of the 1930’s. Because of that, the author really does well in having the art reflect the setting of the piece. I enjoyed it enough that I honestly wished that I had read the prior comics leading up to this one (having the pleasure to only read the immediate prior #3 after the fact). Regardless, the final comic in this particular series does well to tie up all the loose ends and put a nice bow on it.
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| http://www.darkhorse.com/Comics/Previews/22-595 |
The opening begins exactly where the comic left off last issue with an abandoned house being guarded by the same incompetent mobsters that plague every comic series ever. However, the author chooses to use their characters to reveal key information, while using violence not as a means to add excitement, but to further the plot. The story isn’t violence driven, but instead uses it as a subtle tool to show the skill of the protagonist as the hardened and cultured detective to the city of sin. The characters have real depth, and by making it less about the fighting, the conflict becomes internal and moral instead of external and righteous (the difference being how zealous it is).
As I said, this is very noir style writing, so the art needed to reflect that. The darkened scenery draws focus to the important details: the hardened jaw line, the baggy eyes, and the look of skepticism that characterize our hero. The lighting and setting plays well into the disguise of the Black Beetle, and the directional lighting helps make out the emotions of the masked character Labyrinto. Often, minimalist art draws away from the story, but this style shows us that by ignoring the small, unnecessary details, we can notice the large ones that shows off the true nature of a character.
The character of the Black Beetle seems to be pretty well-developed by this point, but when the true identity of Laberinto is revealed, it answers all the questions of motive, how the clues connect, and even where the name comes from. I won’t go into too much detail, but I will say even without reading the prior comics, it’s a juicy reveal.
This one comic made me want to read the 3 comics leading up to it as well as follow in any possible future exploits of the Black Beetle. For $3.99, I think that this comic is worth it as part of the series, and as a tribute to the writer on its own. For those of you who enjoy mysteries, connecting clues, and busting bad guys (with a flair for the noir style), Black Beetle is a hero that you should definitely get into.
Brendan, known in just about every single username as bigmacd101, is a newer recruit of the Red Shirt Crew. He hopes that your review of his first review is up to par with those seen elsewhere. If you hope to hear more from him, he is trying to get reacquainted with his twitter under (you guessed it) @bigmacd101
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