Review: Finger Guns #1

The other night I was flicking through YouTube.  We have an account linked to the TV that everyone uses.  Thanks to Mrs H’s love of everything Glee, the “Don’t Stop Believing” clips from the Losers popped up.  Now I love the Loser film and I love me some Chris Evans, especially in his non Captain America roles.  So I watched the clip, which ended with finger guns and much hilarity.

Now, I am not saying that this book is directly influenced by that film, but there is definitely some pretty emotive Finger Guns going on in this new book from Vault Comics.  Wes is a kid who is not having the best time of his life.  Annoyed at his always working father, he is sick of pizza for dinner and no support.  When he sees a father dismissing his kid’s desire for a ranger toy, Wes pulls out the double barrelled fingers and takes a shot.  By doing so, he sees a totally different reaction and through trials of his new found sharpshooter skills determines that it his fingers that hold the power.  He is not alone however, and what follows is an exploration of need, support and the realisation of a world governed by the premise of control /not control.

Writer Justin Richards has created a tale that kind of encapsulates every kids dream; the power to have control over something.  As we grew up, trying to find our place in the world, there was always someone having some sort of impact on us.  It’s strange, but looking back we seem to remember the negatives more than positives.  What would you do if you could change the emotions of people you interacted with in your “wonder years”?  Would it be stopping the bully from picking on you, knowing he will pick on someone else? Would it be getting your crush to say yes when you asked them out?  Changes can be transitory; Richards set the kids up in the book with a sense of no easy answers.  Sure the powers are fun, but if you want lasting change, you need to work for it.  Wes and his finger slinging friend have different lives, though both are filled with realistic problems.  Richards works on the nuances of these making them feel relevant to any number of kids; I can certainly relate to a couple of things in this book.

The art is supplied by Val Halvorson whose easy, almost Sunday cartoon strip feel  seems so popular in so many books.  Here the style is kind of like an oxymoron to the content of the story and dialogue.  This may sound like a bad thing, but in effect it is almost a stroke of genius as it effectively shows us that from a teenagers point of view, the world seems like a simple place.  Sure, Wes is unhappy that his father isn’t home, but doesn’t consider at all all how by doing so, his father is providing for Wes’ whole way of life.  Being a parent can be a thankless role.  Halvorson’s art promotes a high level of familiarity, utilises heavy inks to help the characters stand out from the backgrounds.  Its an easy style to enjoy and follow.  The colors from Rebecca Nalty paint a different picture, carrying a darker juxtaposition that marries well with the tone of the situations that the main pair find themselves in.  Taylor Esposito is at his fine wine best.  It still staggers me that Esposito doesn’t get more mainstream work.  Guess, if you can’t copy the X-font then Marvel ain’t going to come-a-calling!

Vault Comics, a relatively newer company, hit their stride early on.  Unlike other companies, who may have fallen off your radar, Vault have continued to make their mark, with fantastic story telling at their core.  Finger Guns, is by no means the exception as the darkness of trying to cope as a teen, flirts with the idea of a quick fix in place of a sustained improvement in the quality of their lives.

Writing – 5 Stars
Art – 5 Stars
Colors – 5 Stars

Overall – 5 Stars

Written and Co-created by; Justin Richards
Co-created by; Sabs Cooper
Art by; Val Halvorson
Colors by; Rebecca Nalty
Letters by; Taylor Esposito
Published by; Vault Comics

Author Profile

Johnny "The Machine" Hughes

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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