This comic book is pretty much unlike anything else we've seen from Marvel before. Mind you, it's a lot like what we've come to expect and enjoy from DC Comics' mature-readers imprint, Vertigo. This is a hard-boiled crime story, with a villain in the role of the antagonist. There's not a whole lot of plot to be found in this first issue, as the writer is more focused on introducing the characters, but more importantly, he establishes a cold and tense atmosphere that serves as the book's greatest strength.
In ugly little corners of the world we don't think about, there are people who are hired to kill other people. They don't know why they kill them; they just decide on the "how." This is one such killer's story. His life is one aimed at a specific goal. No, not murder, but a sort of everyday invisibility. Given his work, he wants to be ignored and forgotten. On the surface, he is completely average, and underneath, cautious and purposeful. Everytyhing he's worked for and everything he's learned goes right out the window, though, thanks to a chance meeting at a laundromat.
Proctor's artwork is unconventional, but his distorted forms and gritty approach suit the tone of the story quite well. There's an ugliness in the main character that's reflected in his twisted visage. Proctor also captures the breathtaking quality of the killer's new friend. She's a vision of sexuality and beauty, but not a Barbie-like, supermodel waif. She's voluptuous, a plausible form rather than some impossible ideal. Lee Loughridge's colors add a surreal quality to the artwork as well. Unsettling greens, oranges and yellows bring further tension to the story.
What really stands out in this issue is the narration. Way takes us inside this unusual man's head and into a world most of us cannot imagine, a world of violence and greed. More interesting though is learning the tricks of this man's trade, how he tailors everything he does not to be noticed. It's a logical and convincing train of thought. I also enjoyed how Way humanizes the character with the mesmerizing effect that the right woman has on him.
Way has written some good super-hero stories for Marvel, but this project points to darker and more challenging material to come. Mind you, the first issue of Gun Theory isn't perfect. There's a scene that's far too reminiscent of one from Pulp Fiction, and contributes little to the story or character. This introduction is also rather slow-paced and light on plot. But the atmosphere here has me looking forward to the next issue.
