I don't usually like foreign films. Even with the subtitles, I feel like I'm missing something if I can't understand the actors and what they're saying, and if they dub it, the whole thing loses something. That's kind of how I feel about Shot Callerz. Phillips writes in a style that emphasizes street authenticity, and while it may be completely authentic, to someone like me who has no idea what half the slang means, the characters might as well be speaking in a foreign language. It doesn't help that Weldele, though stylistically interesting, is not always a strong storyteller, which only adds to my confusion. Shot Callerz is a good street level crime book that I suspect is more authentic than some of my favorites like 100 Bullets, but that authenticity is a double edged sword, as it makes the book nearly impenetrable to me.
There are a lot of fun scenes in this book. The neighborhood social circle implied by the opening sequence introducing Smooth is an interesting one, and helps to show off the moral compromise that is at the heart of Shot Callerz. This issue is almost more about Smooth, a pimp who is softening in his old age, and I found most of his story to be pretty solid. The mixture of street smarts and toughness with the failings of a man who is aging made for a likable and intriguing character. In fact, I like most of Phillips's characters, although it did seem that Nea was falling into the one-dimensional "girl out for revenge" character this issue, a shame given the development she got in the first issue.
While I like the characters, however, that doesn't mean I can necessarily tell them apart or work out what they're doing in the story. Weldele is guilty of a lot of this confusion, as many of his characters have a physical similarity that makes them hard to separate out, but part of the blame also belongs with Phillips, who introduces a pretty wide cast of characters in this issue. It's almost to the point that I need an alliance chart to see who's after what and who betrayed who. I was particularly confused as to who Creedmore was and who he was working for, and why Wince and Poot were after him. This is the kind of thing that will be clear in trade format, but didn't work for me in serial issues.
I want to like Weldele's artwork, because it's definitely unusual, but I'm finding it too obscure to read a lot of the time. There are some important visual cues, such as the meat and the dogs, that could have been pretty horrifying if I hadn't been made to figure out what was going on without much help from the artwork. As is, the story is understandable, but it's usually a result of reading the dialogue that clears things up for me, rather than reading the artwork. Of course, the dialogue isn't always helpful either, as Phillips liberally spreads street slang throughout, and while it gives the book a feeling of authenticity, I'm sometimes unable to work out what the characters are saying without more context.
This is the kind of thing that's right up my alley, normally. Gritty street level crime, morally questionable players and a strong female protagonist all stand out as assets for this book. However, the artwork style doesn't quite work for me, and the dialogue is often as off-putting as it is convincing. I like a lot of the book when I can follow it, but a little more clarity in story and artwork would be much appreciated.
