Snapshot #1

Jake Dobson’s on his way to work one morning and stumbles on a cell phone in the middle of the park. Curious, he shifts through the pictures on the phone only to find pics of a dead body with a bullet in the head, when suddenly the cell phone rings. A man claiming to be a detective tells Jake that the phone is part of a very important investigation. With the intention of doing the right thing, Jake’s comic book life is thrust into a world of murder & mystery.
 

The Team

Written by Andy Diggle (Shadowland, Rat Catcher, The Losers Vol. 1 : Ante Up) & illustrated by Jock (The Losers Vol. 1 : Ante Up, Batman : The Black Mirror). Published by Image Comics.
 

The Pros & Cons

I love a good mystery yarn about an average joe thrown into a crazy situation he can’t control and where nothing is what it seems. From the creative team of The Losers comes a fast paced story full of thrills & chills and doesn’t look back. Diggle has written a smart script that pulls no punches as he puts the protagonist through a series of confusing & terrifying hoops. Jock’s illustrations reminds us what a terrific penciller he is, in beautiful black & white no doubt. Obviously, black & white is best suited for rendering shadows and this issue has an abundance of them. I love his use of panels, crooked and misshapen and even using close-ups of the cell phone & a firing gun as panels themselves.
 

The Outcome

There’s something special about a black & white comic, it has a certain charm to it. It gives the reader a real sense of mystery and beauty unlike anything I’ve ever read. The Walking Dead has it, Punk Rock Jesus had it and now Snapshot has it too. An awesome first issue.