Review: Point of Impact

Point of Impact # 1 Image Comics - This is an intriguing crime noir piece, very suited to the black & white art. I found the characters to be well defined and their motivations, for the most part, clear. It is the murdered woman at the center of the story that is apparently much more than those who know her are aware of. That is where the mystery lies as the lives of three people who knew her - but not each other - collide at the “point of impact”.

The meaning of the title itself evolves with the story and recurs throughout the tale, both visually and thematically. The writing and the art meld in a way that makes you forget you’re reading words and looking at lines on paper, until it becomes almost cinematic. If this were to be made into a movie, the opening sequence, alone, would have the critics standing on their seats.

Author Jay Faerber is an established comic creator with an impressive collection of credits, too numerous to list. His most recent work is his currently running series, Near Death, another crime drama, also from Image - and one my personal favorites. He has a good feel and the right voice for this genre, and I hope he keeps at it.

Artist, Koray Kuranel, a newcomer to the field, displays a strong sense of composition and storytelling. His panels flow nicely and his line work is excellent. He uses negative space and lighting to convey motion and sound in a way that I found remarkable. If I had to find one flaw, it would be that his perspective is sometimes a little flat. Otherwise, this is a great effort from a young talent with a long career ahead of him.

Overall Point of Impact was so good I read it twice.

Story 9 cuts; Art 8 bruises.

Now, I’d like to say a few words about crime comics in general. In the early days of comics, genres other than superheroes, commanded a much wider audience, Westerns and crime dramas were two of the most prevalent. Over the years the “capes” audience grew until these and other types almost disappeared from the shelves. Thanks to some great writers and artists they are beginning to make a comeback. Crime comics especially are becoming popular with fans that have become jaded by constant crossovers, re-boots, re-launches and resurrections. I believe there are a number of other reasons as well for their rise in popularity. Too begin with; most are set in the real world, or a reasonable approximation. A good example would be Sin City, set in an imaginary town yet there are no fantastic or supernatural elements that come into play. Some currently popular crime comics are the above mentioned Near Death, Robert Kirkman’s Thief of Thieves, and IDW’s Steed and Mrs. Peel. Anyone of these is worth looking into if you need a break from capes and code-names. I’m sure your local comic book shop owner could suggest some others as well.

You can find Point of Impact and many other great crime comic books from Image Comics and other publishers at http://www.superherocomicbooks.com