- Love Town – The Long Take
- 1First Comics
- The Yuan Twins
- John Yuan – writer, artist
- Matt Yuan – writer, colors, digital shading
- Edited by Ken F. Levin
- In stores October 16, 2024
A while back, I put up a review for Love Town, the supernatural detective noir from 1First Comics & the Yuan Twins (John & Matt). It stands as one of my favorite books & sits in its hardcover glory on my shelf (only partly because I’ve got a blurb on the front & back covers, right alongside Ann Nocenti and Mark Waid). A much shorter while back, maybe a month or two, I heard the Yuans were putting together a one-shot set in Love Town’s twisted, vampire-infested world of murder and lies. The last reveal, featured on thePullbox just last week, was that the Yuans and 1First were stepping it up with a very bold move… The Long Take would be the first comic done in a single, ongoing panel, packaged in a 27 page fold out format, the comic book equivalent of a cinematic “oner” (a scene, episode, or movie done in a single take with no break aways).
I was looking forward to checking the book out and was pleased as pie to hear from the Brothers Yuan, asking if I’d like an early look at The Long Take. I tried to play it cool, but my answer was some gibberish with an emphatic ‘yes’ dropped in somewhere. Within a week, I had the physical book in my hands and settled in for a read. And another read. And then some deep thought as I tried to figure out how I was gonna add sample pages of this thing to do it some justice. The answer is that I couldn’t, but I did my best.
The Long Take is a classic crime story featuring a clandestine conversation in a dark room, between Captain Hiram Moore & one of his detectives as they investigate a crime scene. Or are they? Or is it? Suspicions are raised, plots are twisted, and secrets are dragged into the open. Without a doubt, the Yuans have put out some of the coolest stories, ranging from hilarious superheroes (Serving Supes) to exorcists of ancient China (Inspector Oh)… and of course, Love Town. Their spin in this outing takes a different angle as it largely avoids the supernatural aspects of Los Amores and focuses on the grim and gritty elements of true detective noir.
The Yuans’ art relies on heavy contrast and deep, impenetrable shadows. The setting for The Long Take is a single room, featuring a cast of only two characters. The mood is dingy, as sparse and gray as their palette, with no real action to speak of. If this were a Hollywood oner, the only sound apart from a dialogue of growls and whispers would be a quiet piano playing in the background. The only thing that could possibly add to the Casablanca of it all would be a scratch ‘n’ sniff feature emitting the odor of old cigarettes and bootleg whiskey.
October isn’t very far away, so if you’re looking for a new take on an old story, you should be jumping at this chance. The Long Take is a comic book first, fitting as it’s published by 1First Comics, and is a big creative swing for Matt & John Yuan. An easy mark I may be, but this one earned every point in my Final Score.
Final Score: 13/13
