On the surface, Ferro City is the sort of thing Warren (Desolation Jones) Ellis would write. A grizzled lead character, a mix of noir and sci-fi. I suspect the creator of this book was inspired by some of Ellis's work, but Ferro City isn't quite as harsh a landscape and property as Ellis would craft. There's a greater sense of camp and fun at play here. Armstrong doesn't take things too seriously, and he even seems to try and make this book accessible to a younger audience -- not little tykes, but it's soft enough in terms of language that parents of 'tweens shouldn't be uncomfortable with it. The writing is a little awkward at times, but overall, this is a solid debut issue.
There are eight million stories in the naked city, and that just covers the robot citizens, let alone the humans eking out a meagre living in the dingy, crime-filled streets and corners of Ferro City. Cyrus Smithe is one of the flesh-and-bone types calling Ferro home, and his life has just taken a turn for the worse. The private-eye's partner got himself killed in the middle of a case for a mystery client, as they were after a legendary piece of technology known as the Medusa Key. And if that weren't enough to ruin Smithe's day, the early release from prison of a Russian mobster whom Smithe and his partner locked up definitely will.
Armstrong's art style here is clearly influence by the work of Darwyn (DC: The New Frontier) Cooke, but it actually comes off as a cross between Cooke and Paul (Kane) Grist. The black-and-white art reinforces the enjoyably cheesy noir atmosphere, while the sci-fi elements are purposely clunky so as to bring them down to earth and to allow them to incoporate themselves into the dark, 1950s sensibility of the setting.
In some ways, this first issue moves along too slowly and quickly at the same time. The slow buildup to the Medusa Key mystery is a bit pointless, as promotional blurbs for this book give away what it's all about. Furthermore, the confrontation between Smithe and the recently released brute with a grudge comes far too soon, and far too conveniently, thanks to a plot device that's a bit hard to swallow.
Armstrong's script is a little repetitive at times, and the pacing seems awkward, yes. But the mood and kitsch of the property are more than enough to compensate for those flaws in the writing. Armstrong wisely doesn't play things too straight. The characters are cliches, really, but this comes off as more of a celebration of those noir stereotypes. The names of two of the main characters alone -- Smithe and Weston -- is clearly a goofy wink at the violent qualities of the private-eye genre. Sure, there's murder, there's introgue and even a little bit of politics (which seems certain to evolve as a pivotal plot point as the series progresses), but ultimately, this is about having fun with genres, design and action. 7/10
