This is the first of several highly-anticipated (at least by me) new books from Oni Press, and it starts out strong. Phillips and Weldele create a story of a career criminal who is betrayed by her lover and partner, left for dead, but who then comes back to seek out revenge and the money she's owed. If that sounds a little familiar, it's because the premise has similarities to Felon and, from there, to the Richard Stark "Parker" novels. However, Shot Callerz features a look at this plot from a decidedly street-level point-of-view, combining the "blaxploitation" genre with pulp-style crime to create something that any crime comics fan is going to want to take a look at.
Nea, our protagonist, is a fully believable and tough-as-nails character. Throughout this issue, she uses cons, violence, intimidation and a few other tricks to get what she wants. She's easy to believe as a career criminal, as the extent of her skills and the ability she has to handle just about anything make her seem a formidable protagonist. Phillips also manages to make her sympathetic, despite a whole lot of disreputable actions, by using Nea as the narrator, letting us see what's going on in her head. Nea isn't really very nice, but she's human enough to identify with.
I haven't read any of Phillips's novels yet, but his writing on Shot Callerz reminds me somewhat of Brian Azzarello. He has that same ability to convey a sense of a world that I know nothing about. Mind you, there were times when the street slang got a little thick and sometimes seemed to be trying to hard; for example, I kept wishing Nea would refer to money as anything else but "ducats." Overall, however, I found the different speech patterns and behaviors to be a convincing glimpse into another world.
Which brings me to Brett Weldele, and how much better his work was on this series than on Couscous Express, where I first saw his work. His work here reminds me of David Lapham's work on Stray Bullets, but with heavier gray shading, which allows for a lot of different tones and a sort of "half-colored" look to it. The work brings the ugliness and violence home to the reader, but just as importantly, it shows off the thoughts and feelings of the characters in their expressions, particularly when Nea lets down her poor mark in a hotel room or the shock and surprise in her eyes when she is betrayed by Phillip.
Oni were the ones who first brought Greg Rucka to the attention of the comics world, and they may have done a similar favor in introducing us all to Gary Phillips. Shot Callerz is a promising freshman effort, similar to other crime books on the stands but different enough to stand on its own.
