Advance Review: Brooklyn Blood
Regardless of our experiences; like one of Newton’s Law, people and the world keep turning, that is until an outside force is applied. This book is a story of such impacts of a number of outside forces be they PTSD, a murderer, the supernatural coming to life or something else entirely, all of which affect the life of Detective Billy O’Connor, back from the wars and treading his old stomping ground.
O’Connor walks a fine line between his past as a war veteran, the present all with the constant voice of his PTSD whispering in his ear. Adding to his strain, there is a murderer on the loose, and in the coincidences that seemingly exists in comic books, he is saddled with a Muslim partner. With a trail of bodies to follow, the pair must learn how to work with each other, to trust each other. With all the distractions in play, the pair faces a battle to solve their personal problems and catch the criminal!
The book is a collection of the serial that ran in Dark Horse Presents, written by DC stalwart Paul Levitz, who in his 40 years plus at the Distinguished Competition has worked with every character under the sun, before creating his own characters that have gone on to become massive icons in their own right. Here, Levitz’s writing is a lot darker in intent and context than you may well expect. There is a gumshoe element to the monologue, which at times feels at odds with supernatural elements that pop up. The script itself, carries a level of realism, at least, that’s what I believe the aim to be. At times however, it does feel a little staged, almost like Levitz is trying too hard. Part of the problem may well be the original format, with the constant references to O’Connor’s past, which you may not have had to re-read if the book was an original piece. Still, the characters are engaging enough, helping the reader to buy-in to their situations.
The art, including the colors are provided by Tim Hamilton, the Rabbit Who Fights self-creator and self publisher, with a style that shows Brooklyn under a range of different views and perspectives. The work is kind of caricature driven with heavy lines that distort things, which with the number of flashbacks that O’Connor suffers, helps the book. As the story progresses things do get wonky, giving Hamilton the opportunity to flesh out the ideas and produce some striking art work, even if by wonky I mean that the lines between realities are blurred beyond almost Watchmen belief. The colors of the book works well, with the PTSD and the supernatural mixing across the palette of murder.
Brooklyn Blood is a strong outing for Levitz and Hamilton, especially for Levitz as it goes to show what a great creator he is, showing the strengths that maybe his New 52 DC work had perceptually diminished.
Brooklyn Blood will be hitting your local comic book store on 18th July.
Writing -Â 4 Stars
Art – 4 Stars
[yasr_overall_rating size=”large”]
Written by; Paul Levitz
Art by; Tim Hamilton
Published by; Dark Horse Comics
Author Profile
- I am a long time comic book fan, being first introduced to Batman in the mid to late 70's. This led to a appreciation of classic artists like Neal Adams and Jim Aparo. Moving through the decades that followed, I have a working knowledge of a huge raft of characters with a fondness for old school characters like JSA and The Shadow
Currently reading a slew of Bat Books, enjoying a mini Marvel revival, and the host of The Definative Crusade and Outside the Panels whilst also appearing on No-Prize Podcast on the Undercover Capes Podcast Network
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