By Josh Crooks
I love Brian K. Vaughn. I love his work. I love the relationship he has with his readers. I even love how he signs his name. It takes a brilliant man to write and create the worlds and the characters that he has, and because of this, he has adorned my: ‘Would love to meet’ list for some time now.
I love Brian K. Vaughn. I love his work. I love the relationship he has with his readers. I even love how he signs his name. It takes a brilliant man to write and create the worlds and the characters that he has, and because of this, he has adorned my: ‘Would love to meet’ list for some time now.
This would usually make someone like me untrustworthy in terms of giving an unbiased review, but (for the time being) I have much more confidence in the potential of The Private Eye, as opposed to the single issue revealed over the last week, as BKV (Y: The Last Man, Saga) and Marcos Martin (Daredevil, Doctor Strange: The Oath) have created a dystopian world that might be a little bit too familiar for some, but has enough ingenuity and pops at current pop culture iconography to be interesting: seeing the atypical iPhone user struggling to keep up with the past 60 years of development is a particular treat, especially as a Blackberry user.
Set in 2076, we are introduced to the character of ‘Partrick Immelmann’ (or P.I. as he is often referred to); a suspicious and over cautious individual in a society where identity is everything as we are told that after our generation uploaded everything to the ‘cloud’, the ‘cloud’ eventually broke, leaking the world’s information to the general public. For me, the character of P.I is the main reason as to why I didn’t immediately warm to the book: as it is a departure from BKV’s repertoire of leads, a character that isn’t particularly charismatic or extrovert like that of Yorick or Alana and Marko. P.I comes across as an unlikable character with a peculiar list of traits, however the opening chapter presents him in an attractive fashion, fleeing a totalitarian police force with a cheeky ‘fuck it’ attitude that would normally have drawn me in completely, but at this early stage seems at odds with the rest of his personality.
Set in 2076, we are introduced to the character of ‘Partrick Immelmann’ (or P.I. as he is often referred to); a suspicious and over cautious individual in a society where identity is everything as we are told that after our generation uploaded everything to the ‘cloud’, the ‘cloud’ eventually broke, leaking the world’s information to the general public. For me, the character of P.I is the main reason as to why I didn’t immediately warm to the book: as it is a departure from BKV’s repertoire of leads, a character that isn’t particularly charismatic or extrovert like that of Yorick or Alana and Marko. P.I comes across as an unlikable character with a peculiar list of traits, however the opening chapter presents him in an attractive fashion, fleeing a totalitarian police force with a cheeky ‘fuck it’ attitude that would normally have drawn me in completely, but at this early stage seems at odds with the rest of his personality.
The opening sequence in particular highlights one of the main strengths of the story so far: Marcos Martin's evocative artwork, as we see our futuristic sleuth navigate a world that will strike a cord with both Blade Runner and Andy Warhol fans, as the colour palate is considerably brighter than the world of the former reference; a bold choice. A choice that was slightly less so was that of the cinematic/film noir style that encapsulates the series; acting as a stark contrast to the pop art vibe. It’s interesting, don't get me wrong, but personally something I've seen a little too much of in recent years, to the point where its put me off as a story teller from fully embracing a genre that I've grown up on: i.e. its not a genre I'd ever attempt unless I had a unique story to tell. My hope, is that BKV has had the same thought and crafted a story worth telling, but like I've said, he hasn't led me astray before.
If you're interested, you can download the issue for a price that you yourself can suggest. One of the many hopeful bullet points as far as issue #1 is concerned is the medium in which its being developed: the creators have set up an In Rainbows style website where you can download the latest issue as soon as its complete; cutting out the middle man and bringing creators and their audience closer. Its an interesting business model that has proven sucessful before (see: In Rainbows...), but I do admit, whilst I'm happy to see how the story plays out, I would LOVE to see the book in print.
Much like the aforementioned album, hopefully it won't be too long before a physical release; art this good deserves as much.
If you're interested, you can download the issue for a price that you yourself can suggest. One of the many hopeful bullet points as far as issue #1 is concerned is the medium in which its being developed: the creators have set up an In Rainbows style website where you can download the latest issue as soon as its complete; cutting out the middle man and bringing creators and their audience closer. Its an interesting business model that has proven sucessful before (see: In Rainbows...), but I do admit, whilst I'm happy to see how the story plays out, I would LOVE to see the book in print.
Much like the aforementioned album, hopefully it won't be too long before a physical release; art this good deserves as much.
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