Review - The Guys #1

"I always keep the weight close."

Selling drugs starts off with intrigue and typically ends in something worse. Having a group you can trust to help you in your dealings definitely makes the experience easier, but no less dangerous. All in a day's work though in The Guys #1 from Tryptic Press.

The Guys #1 is written by Lawrence Rosales and illustrated by Monsta.

The premise behind The Guys #1 takes the familiar territory of characters in something like Stand By Me and drops them smackdab into the middle of the drug game. Six young kids grow up in the safest city in America (Plano, TX), only to slowly slide into the darker side of things, getting into the drug trade and getting really good at it. Every year, the kids return to the same bar to reminisce. Thirty eight years later one of them returns to the town with something different on his mind, revenge.

Suburban kids playing gangsta isn't exactly brave new territory and Rosales doesn't really treat it as such. His story brings together a pretty typical group of friends, all with wild ambition and the realization that selling drugs can be a relatively easy and lucrative business...if you don't get caught. Their blind commitment to routine is endemic of their tunnel vision when it comes to selling drugs as well, but it's a nice touch to have them show up at the same place every year to look back on their youths.

Monsta's art can probably best be described as frenetic. There are extremely harsh lines slicing the panels, with thick outlines comprising the characters and settings. It's all black and white, which doesn't really afford the setting to shine through very much at all. The art style does make some of the panels a little difficult to figure out what's going on, but thankfully, the premise is pretty straightforward enough that you don't have to spend time deciphering panels. Some of the lettering is a little tough to read, primarily because the font is so small.

The Guys #1 deals in the brotherhood that comes with long time friends and makes it a business. The characters in the first issue all fill their places as members of the group and the ending of the first issue definitely establishes that the series could be more than just a bunch of friends selling drugs. The art is detached enough that it works well with the narrative.

The Guys #1 is available now with interiors below.