Review - Deceivers #1


"Something my boss taught me. People like hearing their own name, long as it's not from a lawyer, cop, or hangman."

If you're in the market for some spy action, chances are you wouldn't know if you were enjoying it because it could be undercover. It's hard to figure out who the spies are around you and that's what BOOM! Studios is counting on in Deceivers #1. The issue is written by Steven Grant, illustrated by Jose Holder, colored by Kelly Fitzpatrick and lettered by Ed Dukeshire.

Lincoln McCord and Prince Adony Zaruka are two American con men living abroad in Europe, posing as an oil magnate and the descendant of long-lost royalty to live the high life by leeching off the European elite. But when an international thief begins wreaking havoc on their marks, the deceivers are enlisted by a rogue CIA agent to help entrap him. There's all sorts of double-crossing and deception, making the story one of espionage and hopeful intrigue.

Grant doesn't really stray too far from the typical formula that he's very familiar with. It's a book where Lincoln McCord is an American cowboy that reeks of suaveness and that general air of superiority sort of hurts the overall enjoyment of the book. The reader never really feels that he's in any danger, mainly because he proves more than capable of getting out of any tough situation. Grant relies on a ton of dialogue to help lay out the expected double-crossing, but the reader gets bogged down in the details of all the conversations.

Holder does a pretty solid job with the art, offering characters with an emphasis on scratchiness and hashmarks. All of the characters are easily distinguishable and while their personalities may be somewhat formulaic, their appearances are unique. There's a lot of panel inset within other panels, with sort of keeps with the story theme of trying to keep up with all the character interactions. Action sequences all look similar and while there is a lot of action on display, none of it really stands out.

Grant also wrote 2 Guns and Deceivers #1 plays out in a fashion very similar to the story of 2 Guns. Readers are expected to follow the story and piece together the clues in an effort to uncover the character portrayals, but the story itself isn't too exciting. The too cool for school characters are always a tried and true standby for a story and if done right can be pretty thrilling. Unfortunately, Deceivers #1 doesn't quite come together to offer the total package. It's worth checking out if you're a big fan of 2 Guns as long as you go in knowing it's going to seem very familiar.

Deceivers #1 is available now with interiors below.






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