Rating: 4/5 – Noir in 1923 Paris
by ComicSpectrum EiC Bob Bretall
Carver is the first comic I’ve gotten from new Publisher Z2 Comics and they’re off to a good start with me. Writer/artist Chris Hunt’s story is set in 1923 Paris and is of the hard-boiled variety. Carver is a man of mystery, with the standard traits of the trope: a womanizer, tough-as-nails, good with his fists, etc. We just get a taste of Carver in this issue, but it’s enough to see what he’s all about.
Our sinister bad guy Stacker Lee (who is wearing a hood to conceal his identity) gets almost as much focus as Carver, and definitely more dialogue. Even without seeing facial expressions, Hunt conveys Stacker’s personality via a lengthy monologue that I enjoyed immensely. I’m looking forward to seeing the direct conflict that will be coming in future issues between Stacker and Carver. Hunt’s art is very economical of line, not a lot of extraneous shading and hatching on the characters, what is there needs to be there to get the point across. Hunt skips backgrounds altogether on a decent number of panels, but has some really nice backgrounds in others using a nuanced shading/wash technique to good effect.
If your a fan of tough leading men who don’t take guff from anyone, you should be checking out Carver. An added bonus is a 3-page backup story by Paul Pope featuring Josephine Baker that was off the hook cool. Pope fans may be compelled to buy this comic just for the backup, and will get the main story as the added bonus! For my part, I thought this was a nicely handled debut for the title character and I’ll definitely be back for more.
Reviewed by: Bob Bretall
(bob@comicspectrum.com)
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