I have long been a fan of the crime noir genre, there is just something so alluring and mysterious, much like the genre’s inhabitants, it is what pulls audiences to Dashiell Hammett’s books up to this day, why LA Confidential was such a big hit when it came out and why Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips work from Criminal to The Fade Out, has caused their comics to go into 2^nd and 3^rd printings, it not only harkens nostalgia but provides a beautiful palette for excellent storytelling.

Before reading Partners, I had not heard of Glenn Moane and Elias Martins, but after reading Partners, I am definitely a fan now. The novel opens up with two introductions, by Ed Gorman and Ricky Sprague, giving their “co-sign”, which gave me hope that this book actually had enough cred to actually live up to the genre’s best. Partners is about two Homicide detectives, Joe Vaveli and Steve Lombardo, who much like most cops in this genre, are crooked, they work for the local crime boss, Paulie, who they seem to take more orders from than their actual Lieutenant. Their actual jobs bring them to a case of a missing boy, while they find themselves in some interesting predicaments from carrying out a robbery of a private casino, to looking for suspects in an adult video store to their everyday lives, where they have anger management problems. Eventually, their double lives collide, as their jobs as cops and their chosen life as mob lackeys; provide an interesting twist to the story.

Moane has written a pulp story that palpitates with enough unease, tension and excitement, to wish that this story was longer than it was. Martins’ art is definitely homage to pulp novel art at its best. Overall, a great story with excellent art, which should really be an ongoing series.

Story: Glenn Moane Art: Elias Martins
Story: 9 Art: 9 Overall: 9 Recommendation: Buy

SST Publications provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review