Greek Street #1 (Vertigo – Milligan/ Gianfelice)
Well, at least I’m not convinced not get the second issue. I don’t know yet how I feel about Greek Street, which is probably a good sign and a far sight better than wanting to poke my eyes out after reading some of the first issue I’ve read lately.
Peter Milligan? You’re never quite sure what you’re going to get. It could be another Enigma or another Shade the Changing Man or it could be awesome like Minx, Girl, Human Target and X-Static. At the very least with all his stuff you can expect the unexpected, and expect cliches to be avoided like bank robbers avoiding police barricades.
What is it with all the Greek revival stuff? Well, this one at least is better crafted than Olympus (Image). I wouldn’t go looking too hard at the actual mythology to figure out what is going on. But you can be certain after reading the first issue of the symmetry between this story and Greek Tragedies. Milligan handles the sort of whacked out mentality of the Greek Tragedies without debasing them. He doesn’t just use them for shock value. He’s definately working with them, and he didn’t pull any punches.
There was alot introduced in the first issue, and I can say I’m couldn’t begin to guess where it was headed, which is good. I could have done without the crime syndicate plot framework, it seemed kind of obvious, but I expect Milligan will do more with it than expected.
I grabbed the book on accounta David Gianfelice’s art. His work on the first story arc of Vertigo’s “Northlanders” was phenomenal, and this art is just as good. His grasp of anatomy is stunning, truly a pleasure. And he gets the opportunity to draw some fairly gratuitous female forms in this book, that just point up his grasp of anatomy. His story telling is clear, we know what’s going on, where they are and who they are without much effort. His facial expressions are telling. Overall he is an exceptional talent. You should pick this up for the art alone, then get down to your comic store and get the first trade of Northlanders.
The colors a your nice flat Vertigo colors. Like Dave Stewart, the palette is limited (as it should be) and the effects are 1000s times better than any gaudy over worked digital stuff. Limited color in the hands of some one who know how to use it is a beautiful thing to behold.
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