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The Kirby Martin Inquest #1
Nite Lite Theatre
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Do you enjoy a highly stylized, film noir feel to your comic reading? Ever cracked the page of a vintage pulp novel, dug into the story and felt right at home? The Kirby Martin Inquest may have been written just for you.
The story owes much of those genera pieces of film and text history. I had that same classic vintage feel I particularly enjoyed in series like DC Vertigo's Sandman Mystery Theater and later, to a much lesser degree, Howard Chaykin's work on American Century. That said, this series is a fair bit grimmer and much meatier that either of those two. It holds to the noir conventions quite well while still grappling with some unique character introspection which movies it beyond that standard, stylized tone.
The Kirby Martin Inquest takes place in your average the big city. People dress well here and the costuming of the characters has a very classic feel. The city itself has a late 40's to early 50's feel and it's filled with mobsters, gumshoe detectives, an evolving back story and the White Ghost; Charles Scott (who is pictured on the cover).
Drawn by Pedro Cruz (who also inked and lettered the issue), the visuals here are spot on what this story needed and at points they border on photo realism. The scenery is detailed and adds much to the running tone of the story especially due in part to the ink work.
In this kickoff issue, Charles Scott appears to be wrestling with inner demons. Actually, in one particularly interesting dreamscape that wrestling match becomes quite literal though most of the time it proves metaphorical. You see, Charles Scott was first put on the cape and cowl in an effort to take on the villainous Black Ghost. In the process of that struggle, Scott became the White Ghost. He emerged as the yin to the yang that is the Black Ghost.
As the story unfolds, we learn Scott was successful in imprisoning the Black Ghost, but as he moved forward with his life he chose continue wearing the uniform. The story reads as if the identity itself allowed him to do things he couldn't normally do and enlist help he wouldn't normally be able to call upon. He sees himself as doing good for a world that needs that help.
What powers might he possess? What role does the mask play in his life? Those are answers left for another issue and may that's for the best here. It adds to the mystery present in the story.
Having vanquished the Black Ghost, Charles finds he doesn't want (or can't) give up his second life. He's developed ties to the police (enter The Detective), a solid archenemies (enter The Russian Man) and a case to pursue (what happened to Special Agent Kirby Martin), a mix of secondary characters (they enter at several points) and that, in a nutshell, is the basis for our story.
Mike Haseloff (who wrote and created the comic) shares a tale that is thick with atmosphere and maintains a nice subtext of tension. It can be a bit of a narrative read and steps away from some traditional comic conventions, but that certainly necessarily a negative if you accept that this story is a building toward a much broader story. There are a lot of elements, but the first person narrative of Charles Scott (as provided by Haseloff) helps to untangle those elements in an orderly fashion.
I was intrigued by this issue and found it a satisfying read. I will pick up the second issue and hope to learn more of both the history and the future of the White Ghost.
Learn more about the series by visiting Nite Lite Theatre at www.nitelitetheatre.com!
You can purchase the issue at comiXpress by following this link.
