Some comics fans are art guys, some are story guys, some are a bit of both. I tend to focus more on the stories, but it is books like Pigtale that win me over to the art first camp to some extent. The story of Pigtale is best described as quirky, and maybe a little on the unfocused side, but the artwork is gorgeous, stylish and very distinctive. Nedelcu offers up a love letter to his hometown of Portland with the lovingly-rendered backdrops, and introduces a cast of unusual and intriguing characters, from the down-on-his-luck would-be P.I. lead to the talking pig escapee from a genetic lab, but he hasn't put them in a story that instantly grabbed me, even if the art did.
Pigtale has a lot of story elements to it, and it almost feels like Nedelcu put all of his eggs into one basket in terms of feeding too many ideas into the book. Is it the story of a genetic lab ala Dr. Moreau getting out of control? About a young man trying to win the heart of a girl he thinks is out of his league? About a young man trying to live up to the legacy of his heroic father? About the mystery of what happened to that same father? All of these stories are introduced in the pages of Pigtale #1, and while they might eventually dovetail together, at this point, two issues in, it looks like Nedelcu is unspooling stories faster than he could ever hope to solve them. Any one (or maybe two) of these stories could make for a strong first arc, but all of them together just makes sort of a hodge-podge of interesting but ultimately disconnected moments.
For all that the plot doesn't grab me, though, the storytelling really does. There are some really good moments in each of the aforementioned stories that lead me to believe that focus, not talent, is all that's lacking here. Boston Booth, the lead, has a sweet innocence to him, a likable Midwestern appeal that is unusual in your average detective story protagonist. His interaction with the girl of his dreams is so true to life, so genuine and funny, that it is easily the highlight of the first issue, although seeing that there's steel beneath that humble exterior toward the end of that first issue is also a really great moment.
My favorite moments of Pigtale actually come from this more down-to-Earth, believable aspect of the story, leading me to wish that the genetic experimentation and talking pig sidekick had been left for another project. Which isn't to say there's nothing to recommend that story, however. Though there's not really enough to judge Clyde, the talking pig, yet, but Taxx, the wolf who is his nemesis, gets a fascinating and very fun monologue in the second issue. Taxx is a great villain, delusional and funny and megalomaniacal, and he sort of steals the show out from under the lead character in the second issue.
While Nedelcu's writing skills seem a bit shaky off the bat, his artwork is fantastic and polished and perfect. This is the kind of book that would work better in color, but because of Nedelcu's design sensibilities and stunning use of gray tones, you almost don't notice the lack of color when you're reading it. His larger-than-life characters recall the work of great animators like Darwyn Cooke, Ronnie del Carmen and Bruce Timm, while his unusual use of jagged lines and exaggerated characters recall the work of Genddy Tarakovsky, Jim Mahfood and Scott Morse. It's a terrific style, and Nedelcu uses it to perfection, whether it's in freeze frame moments like the first appearance of Carmen on stage or thrilling action sequences like the scooter chase through Portland or Taxx's rampage through the lab. If only the plotting were as perfect and polished as the art, Pigtale would be a triumph, instead of a mild disappointment with a lot of potential. 6/10
