Review - Winter City #1

There's vigilante justice and then there's VIGILANTE justice, the latter being the more severe of the two (in case you couldn't tell by the caps). It takes a special being to execute the more severe. Batman can do it. So can Spawn. Even Punisher. One being that probably trumps all of them however is Death itself, who just so happens to be meting it out in Winter City #1.

Winter City #1 is written by Carl and Patrick Purcell, with art by Pablo Verdugo Munoz, colors by David Aravena Riquelme, letters by P. Purcell and guest pin-up art by Danny Cruz.

The first arc is called "Murder of a Fat Man," and if you can't tell what the premise of the first issue is based on that you should probably just stop reading comics now. Alan Mclean is the fat man in question, a supermarket magnate (in both senses of the word) who has recently met an untimely end.

Detective Daniels and Harvey are on the case, with Daniels being more seasoned in gruesome homicides than he would like to be. A neighbor of Mclean's seems to think that the culprit was Death itself, as the ragged figure moved silently through Mclean's grounds, shutting off the lights and looking back at her with green eyes and a skull.

The two Purcell's have developed a very solid first issue. There's some great characterization for the most part, with Detective Daniels--again--weary and worn from the job, while Detective Harvey is a little more brash about it. The two share a good laugh over poor decisions by a past perpetrator, but their relationship is instantly presented as strong.

Mclean on the other hand isn't really alive long enough to get any characterization. The reason for his death at the hands of the being of the same proclivity is a little hazy. He's warned that he's sinned, but those sins haven't been presented. It's likely they're just the typical greed, sloth, etc. though and the next few issues will flesh that out a bit more.

Where Winter City #1 really shines though is the art. Munoz and Riquelme have really, really hit the art out of the park. The illustrations are so crisp and the coloring is so well done that the caliber of illustrations is on par with that of Marvel and DC. The two clearly love their craft and it shows, imbuing the work with the intricate detail of the killer's sweeping, ragged robes while also handling human emotion well.

There are a couple of facial close-ups in the book that really shine too. Munoz clearly knows a thing or two about illustrating and the pairing of his work with Riquelme's colors is beautiful. The sense of despair found in Winter City oozes from the pages.

Winter City #1 has a lot going for it. The premise by the Purcells is interesting and strong, with the first issue laying the groundwork for the series. The art is simply phenomenal and that alone should be why you check out the series. That's not meant as a slight against the writing though because it's definitely top-notch.

Winter City #1 is available now on Indy Planet.