DARK TIDINGS: Crime Comics to Consider
By Alex Ness
June 12, 2022
THANK YOU
Interview Week ended and I want to say thanks to Brett Hansen, Bryan JL Glass, Jennifer Crow, Russell Jones & Hollis Porter. I'll do another in late Fall or Winter. If you are a creative person with published works, please consider joining the next version as a subject. I am always interested in musical, literary, comic book, and fine artists of many varieties.
NOTICE
This was written a month before the date shown. The terrible event of shooting children and teachers in Uvalde Texas happened after it being written. I'm deeply sorry for their tragedy, and this work is not written in relationship to that event.
GENERAL INTEREST
With most comics, prose, film, games and other forms of media, conflict or event act as a motivator for the dynamics at play within. Humans pursue resolution. They desire happy endings, of course, but in many cases, what makes a person happy is not what makes another person happy. Over time we humans have developed and codified rules and punishments regarding aberrant behavior, in the hope that that makes for an ordered society. Some forms of crime are without a direct victim (speeding, parking, tax evasion), others have a very specific victim (murder, rape, assault), and there are a wide variety of crimes that have different levels of victims. The United States goes through periodic waves of crime, and more recently, the tragedy of mass shootings.
Currently, it is dealing with a number of consequences of developing an archetype for the criminal, regarding gender, race, and level of income. A capitalist system like that in US will also incentivize the placing of non violent offenders within private prison systems, and economic crimes being treated with incarceration rather than financial penalties. The reasons for these are many and I'm not bringing it up to suggest I have any answers. I have nothing. The advancement of legalization of formerly illegal drugs might change prison populations, as well as change the typical criminal serving sentences, and why we do it.
Darkness, whether we fear or it, or desire it, whether it gives us the scares and spooky feelings or a pathway to understanding why humans act in evil ways, has an appeal. In various times over the course of history, humans have committed atrocities, crime, war, and should we ignore those actions, can we learn from it, or if ignorance might seem like bliss, lack of knowledge is deadly, our behavior will repeat those actions.
TRUE CRIME COMICS
Each of these books is really really good, but, they are limited in a way in that they are written about and feature dark, evil events that are based upon True Crime actual events. The stories of Ed Gein, the Kidnapping of the Lindbergh Baby, Jack the Ripper, the Cleveland Torso Slayings, the Green River serial killer, and The Butcher of Paris Marcel André Henri Félix Petiot are done well in these stories, and more, they are born from reality, not the imagination. Each one is great and well worth reading.
MAX ALLAN COLLINS Crime Writer
Max Allan Collins has written crime and mystery prose books for a long time, it would seem to an outside observer. My favorite work of his was the writing of Dick Tracy, giving the long running series a feel that was just as engaging as ever, but with a new voice, and new ideas. Over the years I've not mentioned, much, the series others have pointed out as Collins' best work, that being Ms. Tree, featuring stories of a woman private investigator after the murder of her husband. The title itself is a play on the word mystery, and I think that is maybe why I never dug into it much, as I am many things, but puns and whimsy aren't among those. It is good yes, the art by Terry Beatty REALLY good, and it tells dark and well told stories. Compared to his prose novels, and Dick Tracy, it isn't my favorite. However it might be yours, so what the hell do I know anyway?
Some writers seem more able to write crime stories than others. Steven Grant gained early fame with his comic book limited series The Punisher (with the ever able Mike Zeck), an anti-hero who rose to the ranks of being seen as a hero. In his various works since then he has covered JFK's assassination, Ex-Cons trying to live in the darkness but escape the light, and bad boys who are dangerous, but have a good heart, or mostly good heart. Grant is really able to tell a story, and his characters, with all of their flawed morals and ideas, make for an entertaining ride. Whatever his genre or subject, I do like his work.
I was given a gift of the first tpb of Sin City by my comic fanatic brother in law Phil. While he and I don't share a lot of taste, this was among the best scores by him in sharing, because I found Sin City to be a wonderful dark ride. It is a tale of noir, where the drama is played out with stunning action, drama in the shadows and dark, as well as presenting broadly drawn characters, who might not be an everyman or girl next door, but it is entirely accurate for the genre. I enjoy Mickey Spillane novels, and this feels like those realized in comic book form, in dialogue that is powerful and emotive. The movies made from the stories are good, but the comics are more powerful, feel more direct, and can be considered classics of the crime comic genre, with few comics rising higher in my esteem of them.
KANE by Paul Grist
Kane is a generational saga featuring police and organized crime families. Detective Kane tracks and attempts to end the career of Oscar Darke. Kane is an imperfect man trying to achieve justice and order in the city of New Eden. His opponent Oscar Darke is a man who is quite difficult to catch, a dangerous predator, and a worthy opponent of Kane. The 6 volumes of Kane that I've read are absolutely brilliant, and rank, in my experience, as the best of crime comics. I have in fact read many.
About Getting Reviews from Me
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