Stumptown is a brand new ongoing crime series from Oni Press. The series is written and created by Greg Rucka, and marks his first creator-owned comic series since the Eisner award-winning Queen & Country. The artwork on the series is by Mattew Southworth, and is coloured by Lee Loughridge.

Stumptown follows the misadventures of a Dexedrine C. Parios, or Dex to her friends, who is a private investigator and the proprietor of Stumptown investigations.

Stumptown #1 opens with a classic storytelling technique, that is, we start at the end. In the opening scene our protagonist is taken out of the trunk of a car by two men, walked down to the riverside, and shot at point blank range. The two men drive off, leaving Dex’s body floating in the river…

The story then shifts to a scene 27 hours earlier, and we find Dex playing Craps at the Whispering Winds Casino. It seems that Dex is on a bit of a loosing streak, and finds herself in debt $17,600,16 to the Confederated Tribes of the Wind Coast. Dex is taken to the office of Sue-Lynne, head of the Wind Coast’s casino operation, who decides to cut her a deal. Sue-Lynne’s granddaughter, Charlotte, has run away from home, and she tells Dex that if she can bring her in, she will completely wipe out her debt to the tribe.

However, what sounds like a simple job soon becomes much more complicated, as Dex runs afoul of vicious thugs who are looking for Charlotte and tell her to stay out of their business, and meets Hector Marenco, one of Portland’s Richest businessmen, who is looking for Charlotte, and is willing to double Dex’s wages if she comes to him first! Then Dex gets a call from Charlotte herself, who knows Dex is on the case, and she doesn’t want to be found.

It soon becomes apparent that there is much more to this case, as everyone seems to be after this girl. Things then go from bad to worse for Dex, and she ends staring down the wrong end of a gun barrel…

I have been looking forward to Stumptown since I first got wind of the project, as I’m a huge fan of Greg Rucka’s writing, particularly his creator owned work like Whiteout and Queen & Country, and I’m glad to say that Rucka does not disappoint on this fantastic new title!

Stumptown is a crime story, and has some elements of the hardboiled/Noir sub genre. It’s not an out-and-out Noir story, which is a good thing, because I think the comic world is becoming over saturated with Crime Noir stories as of late, and the revival of the genre is beginning to outlive it’s welcome a bit. A crime story that happens to have some aspects of aspects of Noir is a very different beast than one that sets out out to be stylistically Noir. I think it’s a case of the organic verses the artificial.

Dex is incredibly compelling as the female lead, and is one of Greg Rucka’s stronger creations. Greg Rucka is well know for casting a strong, independent female character as the protagonist in many of his stories, and that tradition continues in Stumptown. The plot of the story is exceptionally gripping, with brilliant pacing, and filled with intense drama and thrilling suspense. The dialogue in the issue felt really natural, and you could forget at moments that these are not real people!

The inked artwork on the issue is by Matthew Southworth, and is coloured by Lee Loughridge. Southworth’s artwork is inked really beautifully, with thick, confident brushstrokes that give the book a very dark and moody atmosphere. Louridge’s colour work is equally impressive, and adds a serene, almost dreamlike quality to the art.

My favourite artwork in the book is in the opening sequence with Dex being shot at the riverside. It’s a really intense scene, and Southworth does this fantastic trick where he shows a Canada Goose watching the whole scene, and when the gun goes off we get treated to a double-page spread of Dex’s body falling back into the water. The scene is set against a gorgeous solid aquamarine background, and the two gun men are highlighted by a bright orange glow emanating from the the gun. We then see the Goose from earlier on, flying away from its perch as the shot rings out in the night sky, all depicted as a series of action shots within tiny panels highlighted against the main scene. It’s a absolutely stunning display!

Stumptown #1 is a fantastic debut issue for what looks like it is going to be an incredible new series. Greg Rucka has created another classic comic here that is sure to please fans both old and new. This comic just blew me away, and words fail to convey just how much I enjoyed it. If you are a fan of Rucka’s work on Whiteout, Queen & Country, or even Detective Comics, you’re going to love this new unmissable crime thriller!

I can’t wait to read the further adventures of Dex and Stumptown Investigations!

Rating:

Stumptown #1 will be released on Wednesday November 4th 2009, costing $3.99.

Click here to see a five-page preview of this title

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