A Dead Good Friend
By: James Mulholland and Henry Simon
Reviewer: Derrick Crow
Summary: In 6 pages this writer/artist duo (in assuming Mulholland is the writer and Simon is the artist) tell the story of two old friends who are members of the mob, and recount how the new way the mob works, which helps bring an end to their friendship.
Review: Mulholland gives us just enough information we need to feel like the two main characters, Jimmy and the unnamed narrator, are good friends and have been for a long time. The narrator has to kill Jimmy, and gives plenty of reason as to why. So when the deed is done, I understand why he's doing it. And that's great, but I never get the feeling that the narrator regrets what he is about to do. I understand his motives behind it, but even with their past revealed I still don't feel like I understand his feelings by the end of the day.
And when it's finally revealed to Jimmy what is going on, due to a facial feature it almost looks as if the narrator is enjoying what he is about to do. I don't know if that was on purpose, or it was a mistake, and if the narrator is supposed to come across as enjoying being a part of the mob.
I did like the little touches that these characters are just prisoners of circumstance though. How one man's death, and the reworking of how the mobs conduct their business, can have further reaching repercussions on a very personal level to the underlings of the various families. And in the end, it can cost someone their life.
The art isn't great, but it's not too bad. Some of the panels look muddled, and out of place. And where the characters are even supposed to be placed in relevance to one another can be hard to decipher, but it gets the atmosphere right and in a noir crime story, getting the atmosphere is half the battle. The cover is pretty good though, giving us a sneak peak of what is to come without actually giving away what lies in store.
This never was going to be a long review, but overall I did enjoy A Dead Good Friend, it's a nice little 6-pager to read when you need something to chew on. Go check it out, small indie stories are a treat to discover when you need a break from the Big 2 and maybe some of the other, bigger indie publishers.
Editor's Note: To check out A Dead Good Friend, along with other works of James Mulholland. Head here!
By: James Mulholland and Henry Simon
Reviewer: Derrick Crow
Summary: In 6 pages this writer/artist duo (in assuming Mulholland is the writer and Simon is the artist) tell the story of two old friends who are members of the mob, and recount how the new way the mob works, which helps bring an end to their friendship.
Review: Mulholland gives us just enough information we need to feel like the two main characters, Jimmy and the unnamed narrator, are good friends and have been for a long time. The narrator has to kill Jimmy, and gives plenty of reason as to why. So when the deed is done, I understand why he's doing it. And that's great, but I never get the feeling that the narrator regrets what he is about to do. I understand his motives behind it, but even with their past revealed I still don't feel like I understand his feelings by the end of the day.
And when it's finally revealed to Jimmy what is going on, due to a facial feature it almost looks as if the narrator is enjoying what he is about to do. I don't know if that was on purpose, or it was a mistake, and if the narrator is supposed to come across as enjoying being a part of the mob.
I did like the little touches that these characters are just prisoners of circumstance though. How one man's death, and the reworking of how the mobs conduct their business, can have further reaching repercussions on a very personal level to the underlings of the various families. And in the end, it can cost someone their life.
The art isn't great, but it's not too bad. Some of the panels look muddled, and out of place. And where the characters are even supposed to be placed in relevance to one another can be hard to decipher, but it gets the atmosphere right and in a noir crime story, getting the atmosphere is half the battle. The cover is pretty good though, giving us a sneak peak of what is to come without actually giving away what lies in store.
This never was going to be a long review, but overall I did enjoy A Dead Good Friend, it's a nice little 6-pager to read when you need something to chew on. Go check it out, small indie stories are a treat to discover when you need a break from the Big 2 and maybe some of the other, bigger indie publishers.
Editor's Note: To check out A Dead Good Friend, along with other works of James Mulholland. Head here!