“Nice Work if You Can Get It”
creators: Kel Symons & Matt Reynolds
released: February 2013
publisher: Image
Image’s official summary sums it up nicely: Action and adventure set in 1938—The South Seas. Japan has invaded China. War in Europe is imminent. Ex-bootlegger Jack Harper captains The Venture, a refitted German U-Boat, with a crew of expats, mercenaries and treasure hunters. They do whatever it takes to stay afloat, often running up against pirates, headhunters, spies, and soldiers. They’re always one step away from the greatest score of their lives…or their certain demise.
I got this book on a whim, due to a combination of my fondness for Image Comic (I’ll take chances on #1 issues from them moreso than any other publisher), and flipping through the book intrigued me. But after I got to the last page a totally different reason set in: this felt, beyond a shadow of a doubt, exactly like Firefly. Except, the late 1930’s. In a boat. Jack Harper, the gruff stoic captain who we find beating up people at a bar, has a distinct Mel Reynolds vibe; Samantha, the lone lady on the boat (as far as we know), is not only a tomboy but also a whiz at engineering…Kaylee, anyone?
Perhaps due to these similarities I was completely intrigued by our mysterious crew, not to mention the offbeat and unexpected humor (particularly when it came to some seemingly bloodthirsty natives and popcorn) had a Joss Whedon feel about it. While there weren’t as many quippy one-liners, or immediately apparent clashes or dynamics between the characters, hints and great potential certainly lingers in these pages.
That being said, the exposition of each character at the end was crushingly disappointing. Crushingly. It’s a huge peeve of mine for first issues, because it’s a cheap way to introduce a character’s past and personality. Conversely, it is a sign of better writing and patience when those things are revealed gradually and surprisingly: subtle nuggets of information here and there, through conversations, flashbacks, and so on–and then build the knowledge of each character issue to issue. Between those surprises, we’re guessing and trying to figure them out, adding to not only the joy of the reader, but the complexity of the character themselves. And if there aren’t complex characters, what’s the point? To get it all at once through a contrived report-reading segment just felt so wasted and gives me pause when it comes to my excitement for this series.
This felt even more disappointing since the issue was rather slow and took its time–wasn’t sure if the point was to get to know the characters, get to a certain place, or both. It seemed to be doing both at once and never really focused on either as well as they could. However, perhaps the issue was slow so we could take our time enjoying Reynold’s art, which is absolutely slap-jaw gorgeous. The clean, outline-less lines, the use of silhouettes, clean and crisp colors…it feels like late 30’s propaganda posters, like nostalgia, like a minimalist indie video game you can’t stop playing. Spend $3 just for that, folks. That should be reason enough.
While the writing proved to be a bit shallow towards the end, I will certainly give this series one or two more issues before deciding whether it makes the upgrade to my pull list.
Reading Art 