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JACK STAFF: YESTERDAY'S HEROES trade paperback
Recommended (8/10)
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Dancing Elephant Press
Writer/Artist: Paul Grist
Price: $15.95 US |
Quite a while back, Larry Young wrote an online column (I think it was as part of "Loose Cannon" for Comic Book Resources) telling would-be comics creators out there that if their dream was to write and/or draw one of their favorite mainstream comics heroes, they should go ahead and do it. No need to worry about the folks at Marvel or DC Comics... just slap a new name on your character, tweak him a bit, and suddenly, greater possibilities are open to the creators in question. No editors, publishers or corporate types will interfere, trying to control their property.
Jack Staff put in mind of that column. Anyone who's read any of Marvel's Invaders comics will recognize similarities, but they'll also instantly see how Grist has made these World War II heroes his own. Jack Staff crosses genres, and it boasts an innocence and sense of fun that one can't help but enjoy. But there's also an intelligence and maturity to this offbeat story (or collection of linked stories, as it were) that's just as satisfying as well.
Women are being murdered in Castletown, drained of their blood with their necks broken. Girl reporter Becky Burdock isn't interested in that story, though; her attention is focused on Britain's premier super-hero, Jack Staff, and just why he disappeared 20 years ago. The murders bring him out of retirement, though, as they mirror a case he and his colorful colleagues encountered 60 years before.
There's a lot more to the story than that, of course. There's the return of Sgt. States. There's Tom Tom the Robot Man. There's Q, a trio of paranormal investigators. There's the vampire hunter and his smitten son. It's as though Grist's mind is overflowing with ideas, characters and stories, and his inclusion of so many here makes for a varied and thoroughly entertaining read. Any one of these concepts could carry a title in and of itself, but Grist gives his reader the sense of a larger world within the small city of Castletown.
On the surface, Grist has employs a simple, even crude, visual style to tell his story, but there's more to it than that. His basic designs are striking and memorable, but there's a complexity in the art as well. The panel layouts are inventive, and there's a detail of movement to be found in the characters. The artist has something of a less-is-more approach that's a lot of fun.
I've heard the buzz about Paul Grist among fans of independent comics, and I've sampled his work on mainstream titles as well. I've been meaning to get around to reading Kane, but I need to read it. Grist is a talented, unique creator who demonstrates the range, flexibility and quality that can be found among small-press comics.
Email Don MacPherson comments about this review, or discuss it on the Fourth Rail message board.
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