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JACK STAFF #7
Highly Recommended (9/10)
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Dancing Elephant Press
Writer/Artist: Paul Grist
Price: $2.95 US |
Despite occasional work at Marvel and DC, Paul Grist mostly remains one of comics' best-kept secrets, and that's a damn shame, because he's one of the most innovative storytellers working in the medium right now. Jack Staff is a strange amalgamation of anthology, super-hero, British adventure and EC horror comics, and though I usually can't stand books where the featured character changes every few pages, the weaving narrative and gripping artwork keep me enthralled where Jack Staff is concerned. Of course, it doesn't hurt that
Grist's characters, a mixture of familiar archetypes and very unusual twists,
are always entertaining.
To give an example of the
dense and ever-shifting story, this issue features Jack Staff and his old
nemesis teaming up to face a new and more deadly brand of thief, a vampiric girl
reporter being tracked by hellhounds and their mysterious master, a cop with a
grudge against super-heroes and a vampire hunter who is love-stricken with a
vampire. What is most impressive about all of this is that it ties together, or
at least shows signs of doing so in the future.
At first I was a bit confused by the opening sequence, trying to determine if it was a dream sequence or some flashback to something we'd seen, but by the end it's revealed to be a clever bit of reverse storytelling in the vein of Memento or Pulp Fiction, showing the consequences of an action
before we ever see the action itself. These types of storytelling tricks, which
also include shifting point-of-view and narration that fades in and out, are
only part of what makes Jack Staff so innovative and entertaining.
I'm quite impressed with how
Grist manages to make the book feel familiar and welcoming without making it
feel stale or composed of nothing but references to other characters. The
relationship between Jack and the older Spider is not unlike any great hero and
his archnemesis, and the notion of older enemies teaming up to defeat a younger
threat isn't brand new either. However, the dialogue and the relationship
between the two men is fascinating to read.
Of course, I'm also a big fan of Grist's artwork. It seems simple and clear on the surface, but there's a lot of complexity in his character designs and backgrounds, and he's an expert at the use of shadows and light. He's one of those artists with a look you can recognize immediately, and that distinctive look is a big part of what makes Jack Staff such a great comic.
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