The Peril of the Brutal Dark #1 reads like a prologue and first chapter of a series thriller starring a protagonist with a three syllable name like Jack Reacher, Alex Cross, or in this case, Ezra Cain. Chris Condon and Jacob Phillips show Cain in action, set up a tantalizing MacGuffin, and probably the best part of this comic is its setting during the early days of World War II as Americans scramble to join the European war effort against Hitler, Mussolini, and Imperial Japan. On a micro-level, some of the scenes in The Peril of the Brutal Dark don’t really flow well, but by the time, Cain is meeting with a museum curator connected to his past as an anthropology student and especially when you reach the final page cliffhanger, the book remembers it’s a damn good crime yarn.
I’ll lead with the shortcomings. The cold open The Peril of the Brutal Dark takes place on the Greek isle of Lemnos where a mysterious group of men discover the anvil of Hephaestus featuring Indiana Jones style traps and a heavy red veil of mystery. I like the purposeful vagueness, and that Condon uses actual Greek words in his script, but the fight with the automatons is anticlimactic as the men flash some flame and the statues stand stiff. There’s no peril or suspense, and it just ends up being a fetch quest that connects to the book’s present day plot. Or I could be wrong, and these automatons’ activities could be vital to the overarching story. Let’s just say that I have a feeling that The Peril of the Brutal Dark will read better in trade paperback.
My other issue with The Peril of the Brutal Dark #1 is how one-dimensional its protagonist seems in the action scene where he tries to retrieve a briefcase and get paid. Later, through conversations with police officers, other citizens, and some press clippings on the last few pages, we learn that Ezra Cain is a community man, who is willing to go the extra mile that the police won’t even if that means using his gun. But this scene is just a basic shoot ’em up like something out of Grand Theft Auto. (Hell, I felt like I had a better handle on the characters in L.A. Noire before the shooting started so that’s why I didn’t use that reference.) Phillips is also better at drawing static and establishing scenes than fast moving action as he and Condon introduce new characters and figures will nilly before ending up with a bloodstained suitcase. Jacob Phillips’ color palettes are vibrant and emotion evoking from the reds of the discovery of Hephaestus’ anvil to the yellow lowlights of Cain’s office when something suspicious about to happen.
That being said, I would say that I liked The Peril of the Brutal Dark as a comic although it isn’t one of the best crime comics I’ve read recently. It combines noir elements with pulp adventure fiction, and Chris Condon has a good handle on the class, race, and political dynamics of the time period. There are elements of codeswitching in Ezra Cain’s behavior from playfulness with cops to wary intelligence with the museum creator and finally open love and protection with a character that appears towards the end of the book. Early on, he looks like a generic white guy, but once we get to see him in action and especially conversation, he seems like an interesting enough fellow to follow down a Greek mythology conspiracy rabbit hole.
Although, it features whispers of a labyrinth of conflict and violence and one and is centered around a genuinely cool artifact, The Peril of the Brutal Dark isn’t a knock it out of the park first issue, both storywise and visually. However, it finds its sea legs in the third act, and the cliffhanger and supplemental material are what make it a “Read” and not a “Pass” for me. I personally am giving issue two a shot, but if you’re not a big crime comic person, it might be worth sitting this one out or waiting for the trade.
Story: Chris Condon Art: Jacob Phillips Letters: Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou
Story: 6.0 Art: 7.5 Overall: 6.8 Recommendation: Read
DC Comics provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review
Purchase: Zeus Comics – Kindle
