Tag Archives: daniel gruitt

Weird Work #1 kicks off classic noir with an alien look

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Weird Work #1

Hard-boiled noir is mixed with the bright, alien-filled worlds in Weird Work #1. Following months of gang shootings, Detective Ovra Sawce is paired with a new partner on a triple homicide. But what were a billionaire’s assistant, a hood-turned-cult leader and Sawce’s former partner doing in that warehouse?

Written by Jordan Thomas, Weird Work #1 is an interesting start to the series. At its heart, the debut is a very typical crime/noir story. There’s a strange murder. There’s a likely corrupt cop. There’s the two detectives dragged in to solve the case, each with a troubled past. The DNA is there of so many stories we’ve seen before with little new or different. The story’s core sticks to the basics.

Where the comic attempts to do something different is with the visuals. With art by Shaky Kane, Weird Work #1 is definitely weird taking place in an alien world where beings with faces that look like buttholes are completely normal as three eyed beings. At times the comic feels like weird for weird sake. So far, beyond some joke comments, the strange world doesn’t add much to the story. It’s just your average noir story with sci-fi visuals. The plot, so far, doesn’t play with or to its alien setting and characters.

And that’s what’s a bit frustrating about Weird Work #1. The comic is entertaining and the art is cool, but it doesn’t deliver anything different. It doesn’t use its alien setting enough, or really much at all, in the narrative. It’s a typical story with atypical visuals for the genre.

Weird Work #1 isn’t a bad debut and those who enjoy the genre should check it out. But, we’ve seen this genre with an alien setting before. It isn’t new and it isn’t different. Hopefully the rest of the series might deliver something a little bit different but for a debut it’s good, but doesn’t stand out.

Story: Jordan Thomas Art: Shaky Kane
Letterer: Letter Squids Design: Daniel Gruitt
Story: 7.5 Art: 7.75 Overall: 7.5 Recommendation: Read

Image Comics provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review

Purchase: Zeus Comics – Kindle

Review: Frank At Home On The Farm #1

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Frank At Home On The Farm #1

Frank At Home On The Farm #1 is a creepy start of a series that’ll leave you questioning what’s going on and what’s real and what’s not. Frank returns from the trenches of World War I expecting to be greeted by his loving family on their farm. What he finds instead is a dark mystery, his family missing, and only the animals there waiting for him. From there, it’s a frantic search to find his family and a questioning as to what’s going on.

Written by Jordan Thomas, Frank At Home On The Farm #1 is the start to a horror story that’s described as part The Shining and part Twin Peaks. For me, it’s a straight-up psychological horror as I’m not even convinced Frank’s family is even real or should have been at the farm to begin with. Thomas nails the unnerving build of the comic. By the end, you’re questioning Frank completely.

There’s also a desperation to it that Thomas brings as Frank attempts to find his family. While he falls a little short of a complete meltdown, the build of the search makes sense. There’s logical reasons given his family isn’t there. There’s also no sign he should be panicking at this point. But, there’s something off with Frank that Thomas keeps hinting at or is Frank fine and some other forces at work? The end had me wanting to read more and find out the truth of it all.

The art by Clark Bint is a bit mixed for me. There are times I really enjoyed it but others where the style doesn’t quite fit the horror genre. There’s a cartoonish aspect to some of the panels in both pencils and coloring. It’s an inconsistent look for the tone of the series which should bounce between ominous and peaceful. The designs of the characters and town though are solid and a nightmare sequence in the latter half of the comic is fantastic.

Frank At Home On The Farm #1 is a solid start to the mystery that’ll leave you wondering what exactly is going on. It teases enough and throws enough out there to leave readers unsure as to what exactly is going on. Is there some dark forces at work? Is this something as simple as a trip? I think Frank has done something to his family myself. No matter, I want to find out the answer and see where this mystery is going. With a unique setting and a solid setup, Frank At Home On The Farm #1 is well worth checking out for those interested in mysteries and horror.

Story: Jordan Thomas Art: Clark Bint
Letterer: LetterSquids Graphics: Daniel Gruitt
Story: 7.5 Art: 7.0 Overall: 7.45 Recommendation: Read

Purchase: Scout Comics – Zeus Comics