Paul and Nick are the guys who shoot the news. Filming car chases, fires, and shootouts in their busted-up rig, they put their (uninsured, unsalaried) lives on the line every night so that the good citizens of Los Angeles can get their daily update. But when a firefight between the LAPD and the MS-13 goes wrong, Paul and Nick find themselves on the run.
The movie, Nightcrawler, was a brilliant movie that made me see Jake Gylenhaal, in a whole different light and gave me a new view of headline news. I still think of that movie, and think mostly to what lengths, a person would go, to gain fame. Broadcast news as a whole is an interesting medium and one that has been around since before television was created. We rarely think of or even care to understand how the people who work in this industry, go about doing their job.
Marc Guggenheim, of Arrow fame, has put together a story of how a pair of cameras for hire, gets on the wrong side of the news that they are covering. We are introduced to Nick and Paul, a team whose banter reminds you more of brothers than work partners. The story takes you into the logistics of working as a cameraman and into the lives each of the men has outside of their work. During a routine coverage of a shootout between the police and the notorious MS13 gang, they find themselves on the run.
One of the characters has a secret to tell the other, but has not found the right time to tell, which adds an air of tension to an already serious story. Things take a turn, when Nick and Paul start getting shot at which have our heroes on the run. Nick ends up finding a USB on one of the MS13 gang members, which has a both of them wondering what is so valuable that the both the police and MS13 is chasing them. The issue ends with them being pulled over by two detectives, which makes wonder happens next.
This story by Guggenheim is excellent so far and has echoes of Nightcrawler and End of Watch, both Gylenhaal movies. The art by Justin Greenwood and Ryan Hill is beautiful and speaks to Los Angeles better than I have seen in a while. The team behind this miniseries has done a fine job of creating at once, familiar and exceptional. Overall, a great story which I cannot wait to unfold.
Story: Marc Guggenheim Art: Justin Greenwood and Ryan Hill
Story: 10 Art: 9 Overall: 9.4 Recommendation: Buy
Oni Press provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review
