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SPRECKEN: THE DESTINY DANCE #1
Review by Alan Rankin
(Rorschach Entertainment,
www.rorschachentertainment.com)
Indy inker James Taylor (who has worked on
Kameelman, among many other small-press and web comics) inaugurates his new publishing venture, Rorschach, with this decent detective story. Brian Meredith's character Sprecken, a former superhero turned private eye, has previously appeared in a half-dozen online adventures at
modernpulp.com. His first print adventure is a tale in the classic hardboiled tradition, including all the elements: a deadly "McGuffin" that everybody wants; a femme fatale with the proportions of Jessica Rabbit; gun-toting thugs bursting through the door on page four. (Raymond Chandler used to say that whenever things got slow, he'd have a gun-toting thug burst through the door.)
There's a lot to like about
Sprecken: Rick Forgus' art style compares favorably with Bruce Timm of
Batman Adventures, and even looks to be drawn on black paper. Forgus articulates action scenes well, and Joe D'Adamo's grayscale work complements the dark style nicely. (I don't often see the grayscale folks given credit in a b&w comic. This talent, obviously an offshoot of the comic colorist's art, gives depth and texture to the line art, and D'Adamo does it well.) There are a few missteps – minor printing errors and the like – but overall, Meredith, Taylor and company have created a premiere effort they can be proud of.
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