I'm never been one for mobster stories. I remember watching Goodfellas with my dad and being unimpressed. I bought into the hype around the second season of The Sopranos... until I watched the season premiere and immediately lost interest. So Bruce Jones had something of an uphill battle on his hands with this new series about the Marvel Universe's ultimate crimelord. Fortunately, some gritty artwork and the title character's intellect piqued my interest. Kingpin is shaping up to be an entertaining, dark and accessible story about the underworld.
Years ago, Wilson Fisk was the leader of a gang known as the Kings, the mortal enemies of the Blades. The Blades' connection to New York's largest crime family made its acquisition a requisite for Fisk, who has his eyes on much larger prizes and underworld endeavors. A new lieutenant, Leonard, questions Fisk's plotting of his underlings and his enemies, but Fisk assures him that he sees more than the immediate consequences to his actions, and that in the big picture, he's making exactly the right moves.
Phillips has been highly visible in the industry lately, provided artwork on Wildcats 3.0, Sleeper and Uncanny X-Men. His work here is much different than what is to be found in those other efforts, though, and that's due to Klaus Janson's heavy inking style. It works well, though, bringing an even grittier tone to Phillips's already gritty style. Janson's inks do make Fisk look a bit too cartoon at times, but it's offset by the dark atmosphere that looms over the whole book. Some of the credit for that atmosphere goes to Lee Loughridge, whose dark, muted colors reinforce the grave tone of the plot.
What sets the Kingpin apart from the typical crime figure is a sense of refinement. He's physically powerful, yes, and ruthless, but his greatest quality is his keen mind. His brutality is balanced by his education and intellect. He is more than the ugliness that surrounds him, and therein lies the tragedy of the story. Wilson Fisk is capable of anything, but he's dedicated his life to violence, crime and manipulation.
The most interesting aspect of this story is one that may prove to be a liability if it goes unadressed for too long. Jones captures the title character's cold, calculating nature with his casual execution of his allies, but it begs the question: how long can he instill loyalty in those beneath him when such loyalty is rewarded only with blood? It's an interesting conflict, and I hope Jones doesn't leave that idea hanging for too long without an explanation.
