Review - The Gun #1

"Irony has a funny way of showing itself sometimes. Unfortunately some don't see the humor in it."

It's true that there's humor in irony, but it's often only the case for people viewing the ironic situation. Those that are the subject of the irony often become so at the expense of their dignity perhaps or sometimes something greater. There's plenty of irony to be found in The Gun #1 from Creature Entertainment.

The issue is written by John Ulloa, with art by Jose Varese and lettered by Julio Alvarez.

John Davis is a down on his luck writer, struggling to sell his book. After his latest attempt falls on its face, he decides that maybe being a writer isn't the thing for him. He even goes a step further, thinking that maybe he shouldn't even live, which takes him into a pawn shop looking for a gun to end it all.

John definitely has a Willy Loman vibe that permeates the cautionary tale about luck and fortune. Granted, he doesn't have the same family to take care of, but he does face similar misfortunes in that he can't seem to catch a break. Ulloa puts John through the emotional ringer, taking him from a suicide attempt to an incredible sense of power and then back down again. It's a roller-coaster of a ride that the reader really gets to go along on, getting the full sense of just what he might be going through.

Varese's art is black and white but very detailed. John maintains a look of despair for most of the book, that is until things "turn around" for him and he gets a look of something darker. Varese focuses a lot on the face and does a great job conveying the emotion of the panel, whether it's by looking specifically at a facial expression or an object. It's not an action comic, but the panels drip with moments of heightened activity, moving the comic along well.

What The Gun #1 does really well is keep the reader on their toes, not tipping its hand about the ultimate fate of John Davis. The story is simplistic enough on its face that you may see the ending coming, but it's still done in a way that is meaningful. Bad luck has a way of affecting everyone and it's how you deal with it that defines any possible change in the future.

The Gun #1 is available from comiXology now.

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