Femme Noir: The Dark City Diaries #1-2 Ape Entertainment Review by Chuck Moore |
Femme Noir, as the name would imply, is solid gumshoe-goodness filled genre entertainment. The book and style clearly pay homage to Will Eisner, but it doesn't get lost in that feel. Writer Christopher Mills has clearly found his own back beat as the characters rampage through witty dialogue, fun action and the occasional elements of suspense. Here, there are loads of atmosphere and I found myself enjoying the hard boiled storytelling panel after panel.
Who is Femme Noir? Two issues into the series, I as the reader had no idea. It quickly became evident that this would actually become a solid angle to play out within this story. The opening page asks a simple three word question, "Who is she?" and that question carries the reader through the first issue story arc, Blonde Justice.
The story is set in the Port Nocturne, a rain filled setting flooded up with gangsters, gamblers, tommy guns, whisky, detective work, fist fights and a host of interesting characters. It would be easy for the story to become lost in the noir feel of it all, but Mills paces the story nicely alternating between action and character exploration all the while maintaining a beat of dry humor. As for Port Nocturne itself, the story says it best, "This is Port Nocturne... the dark city where the acrid scent of gunpowder lingers in the air like cheap perfume... where every black alley comes to a dead end... where enemy and ally are but temporary distractions and justice is blonde." Nicely put.
In the first issue, through the eyes of a simple writer, we are presented with three women who may or may not be the heroine of the story. We are given their back stories and a few supporting characters are thrown in to flesh out the world in which they live. As this presentation is taking place, we get to see Femme Noir in action through a secondary mystery leading to, well... a giant ray gun. In truth though, that secondary story simply frames the broader mystery of the lead character.
Imagine a Batman story where you had no idea that Bruce Wayne was his alter ego, but were simply presented with the eligible bachelor as one possible secret identity and were left to puzzle out who was behind the cape and cowl from the start. That, in a nutshell, is some of the fun and feel of the initial issue of the series as each woman carries facets of the blonde justice... Femme Noir... within her personality.
In these three woman, you have a somewhat innocent mob daughter who lost her father to a violent death, the well connected nightclub singer and the intrepid newspaper reporter. One understands crime and privilege, one understands the rules of the game and the beat of the street, and one has the detective skills and resources to root out crime at its most hidden level. Compelling arguments could be made for each individual within the story and numerous hints tease you in many directions as the story advances.
Where the first issue is given over to setting up the story of Femme Noir and the mix of characters who could be her alter ego, the second issue gets right down to business with a ticking timer, several sticks of dynamite and, moments later, an exploding cruise ship. Here we start the issue with Femme Noir afloat, unconscious on the water and that's just the first two pages. Dead Man's Hand, the story of the second issue continues to play with who could be Femme Noir, but the crime at the heart of this story feels more fully realized than the first issue. It's a nicely laid out one-and-done issue and tale.
Veteran artist Joe Staton seems a natural fit to these stories. His city and background imagery here fits the tone and is lush with dark back-alley detail. There is a unique creativity to the panel layout and a lot of the feel of the story comes from the visuals provided by Staton. Mills may set a solid story, but Staton has brought home the noir of Femme Noir.
Having met the characters in the first story and seen a solid mystery presented in issue #2, I am looking forward to checking out the final two issues of this series.
Page last updated on October 12, 2008