Buzzkill

Writer - Donny Cates, Mark Reznicek

Art - Geoff Shaw, Lauren Affe

I don't mean to speak ill of The Big 2, but how great is they indie scene these days?  Buzzkill comes to us from Dark Horse, and presents us with a complex universe, despite only having four issues to its story.  Francis is a hero with a problem.  His powers result from imbibing drugs and alcohol.  The story shows his attempts to get those various problems off his back, and find his sober place in the world.  

Francis' life has a lot of interesting characters.  We meet the villains, of course, but where Cates and Reznicek shine are the heroes.  From his best friend to his AA sponsor, we are introduced to some great, realistic interpretations of what a super hero might be like in real life.  You can't help but root for the guy.  He's an everyman with the ability to do good in the world at the cost of his own health.  As you find out more off his backstory, you see how he's dealt with the cards that have been attacked against him.

Where the writing succeeds the most is on the balancing of the heavy main plot of sobriety with the humor and tongue-in-cheek play on super heros.  The shift between the first three issues of build-up to the darkness of the conclusion was jarring, but fit well with overall tone.  Cates nails how to write a tight, fast paced story.  The mixture of exposition with action is great and makes the story enjoyable.  

Shaw and Affe's art is perfect for the tone of the story.  Francis lives in a world of shades of gray.  The rough appearance of the characters molds well to these tenants.  The color palette brings the characters to life in their drab soundings and gives us a lot if dynamic panels.  The characters transfer well from intimate settings and conversations to city-leveling brawls.  The transition between those two visual aspects of storytelling helps tie together a very multi-faceted story.

The Verdict...

Buy this book when the trade comes out.  I can't recommend it enough.  It's sure to be on a lot of 2013 Best Of lists.  It's a  superhero story without the pomp and circumstance; gritty, funny and moving.  There are more stories to be told in this world, so I hope we get to revisit these characters.