Noir: A Collection of Crime Comics
Writer(s): Various
Artist(s): Various
Publisher: Dark Horse
Anthologies are easy to love or hate, and in this case with such a large amount of highly prolific talents lending their efforts to this collection, it’s easy to love Noir. But where to start, and what makes this collection in particular so special? Well, for one just take a look at the firepower they got together for this: Jeff Lemire, David Lapham, Brian Azzarello, and that’s just the tip of the iceberg. But right, what makes this collection work so well? Simple: these guys know what they’re doing.
Each author puts their own spin on what they deem to be “criminal,” and no caste, facet, or degree of human life is left out of the equation. Rich, poor, handsome, ugly, etc. The darkness of man’s soul knows no bounds, and that much is very apparent in Noir. Once again, it’s nice to see how each author handles the assigned topic, but what really drives it home is the artist pairings. Mind you that some such as Lapham and Lemire elected to write and draw for themselves (not that I would want it any other way), each artist further fuels the messages embedded in these writers’ narratives and the wide variety of each artists’ specific talents and style(s) further add to the energy and realism (or lack thereof) of the world’s being built – if even only for this issue.
As the title states, this anthology circles around crime, and further more human nature – elements which are sometimes best explored through pulp and noir genres and their offshoots. The monochromatic choice of aesthetic further stresses this, as it makes everything seem oh so much darker and bleaker. That in tandem with the selected talents for this undertaking, and their varying views and insights as to how deep criminal nature runs in humanity make for an interesting as well as multi-faceted read. Not to say that every story was on the mark, but that it was worthwhile to see what attempts each author/artist made to convey their points. In fact, some of these works are one-shots from preexisting serials, but still fit into the overarching themes of crime and human nature. Whether by love, greed, jealousy, or just sheer boredom, the collection of stories nicely and concisely stresses that humans are some evil little monsters, and it’s just a matter of time until that evil sees an outlet or a justification.
I want to breakdown and dissect each story as piece meals, but I think that I’d rather just let you do the reading (yeah, I’m pretty lazy). But I will declare my bias in having Lemire’s, Phillips’, and Lapham’s pieces as my favorites. Don’t get me wrong, I just about loved all but one of the one-shots, but I can’t deny my favoritism.
Artist(s): Various
Publisher: Dark Horse
Anthologies are easy to love or hate, and in this case with such a large amount of highly prolific talents lending their efforts to this collection, it’s easy to love Noir. But where to start, and what makes this collection in particular so special? Well, for one just take a look at the firepower they got together for this: Jeff Lemire, David Lapham, Brian Azzarello, and that’s just the tip of the iceberg. But right, what makes this collection work so well? Simple: these guys know what they’re doing.
Each author puts their own spin on what they deem to be “criminal,” and no caste, facet, or degree of human life is left out of the equation. Rich, poor, handsome, ugly, etc. The darkness of man’s soul knows no bounds, and that much is very apparent in Noir. Once again, it’s nice to see how each author handles the assigned topic, but what really drives it home is the artist pairings. Mind you that some such as Lapham and Lemire elected to write and draw for themselves (not that I would want it any other way), each artist further fuels the messages embedded in these writers’ narratives and the wide variety of each artists’ specific talents and style(s) further add to the energy and realism (or lack thereof) of the world’s being built – if even only for this issue.
As the title states, this anthology circles around crime, and further more human nature – elements which are sometimes best explored through pulp and noir genres and their offshoots. The monochromatic choice of aesthetic further stresses this, as it makes everything seem oh so much darker and bleaker. That in tandem with the selected talents for this undertaking, and their varying views and insights as to how deep criminal nature runs in humanity make for an interesting as well as multi-faceted read. Not to say that every story was on the mark, but that it was worthwhile to see what attempts each author/artist made to convey their points. In fact, some of these works are one-shots from preexisting serials, but still fit into the overarching themes of crime and human nature. Whether by love, greed, jealousy, or just sheer boredom, the collection of stories nicely and concisely stresses that humans are some evil little monsters, and it’s just a matter of time until that evil sees an outlet or a justification.
I want to breakdown and dissect each story as piece meals, but I think that I’d rather just let you do the reading (yeah, I’m pretty lazy). But I will declare my bias in having Lemire’s, Phillips’, and Lapham’s pieces as my favorites. Don’t get me wrong, I just about loved all but one of the one-shots, but I can’t deny my favoritism.
A Look Inside
