Comic Book Review: Smart Bullets #1

Smart Bullets #1
Written by Justin Fox & John C. Narcomey Jr.
Illustrated by Jacob Crippen
Published by High Tower Comics
Reviewed by Richard Caldwell

I am thoroughly impressed.
The first issue of Smart Bullets presents an assuredly hard boiled start to a violent mystery, sparking enough fires to keep an interest towards the next installment.
In three acts, we meet a scientist under the protection of one bad mother, the two on a high speed run to parts unknown. We meet a tough lady who survives an assault only to suffer a case of self-protection gone screwy. Then we meet the illustrious Johnny Rose, retired thief of impeccable style, as his home is raided by a gang of powerful thugs looking to play some ransom and probably not on their way to bible study.
The plot is fast, the dialogue is very well handled. We are given a strong, bitter taste of the characters, while saving as many details as possible for further down the road. We know what we need to know. Narcomey is listed as creator, co-writer and editor, so I blame him for the coolness of what I will call “modern pulp cowboy noir”. Guns and knives and exploding vehicles are a great introduction to show what degrees of action a series will be aiming for.
The art by Crippen is just fantastic. Well measured and refined, his characters look gritty and expressive. The comic is in black and white, so my only complaint would be for a bit more fleshed backgrounds to fill the void. This is a small gripe, mind you, as this guy draws better than a few of the artists cashing checks from the big two, in my opinion. His women and vehicles look like he took the time for some serious photo reference. There are, however, just enough nipples in the story so as to maybe not let your kids read this one. This does not, of course, detract from one’s reading pleasure. The grittier ink effects in the opening pages were the standout for me, visually. Please explore this.
Very promising stuff. Lots of characters, lots of action, some great lines of dialogue. Read it or miss out on a damn good thing.