REVIEW: DAMNED
Review by Ed Mathews

Writer: Steven Grant
Artist: Mike Zeck
Inker: Denis Rodier
Colors: Kurt Goldzung
112 pages, Full color, Crime, $19.95 US
Cyberosia Publishing
Diamond Order Code: JUN03 2224

There are days when I look over at the pile of books in my review pile and wonder to myself if what we do is worth the effort. Then, I remember that we have developed a special trust with our audience to showcase the really excellent if at all possible. In this reprint of the 1997 mini-series DAMNED, writer Steven Grant and artist Mike Zeck deliver that and more. For those of you who missed DAMNED the first time, it was a four-part crime genre mini-series at WildStorm’s HOMAGE imprint for creator owned work. This reprint by Cyberosia Publishing actually adds six pages of story for a new ending to a tale that holds up very well after six years.

DAMNED is what a crime graphic novel should be, from the pulp fiction cover to the creator’s extra notes on the creation of the book. This is the comic book equivalent of a director’s cut DVD with alternate endings intact. The story centers on an ex-con with a sketchy past that just made parole named Mick Thorne and a promise he intends to keep. Who is the hero? Who is the villain? “Whoever’s left standing at the end of the story is, by default, the hero” notes Steven Grant in his essay about the series. Grant knows how to keep your interest; the pacing of the book is a staccato of action scenes with just enough action and plot twists to feel like a crime movie. The alternate ending adds a whole new level to the story, too. The art is top notch as Mike Zeck’s pencils actually get a better color treatment in the trade than the original printing of the comics, which were also done well. The bonus art includes character sketches and the original covers of the mini-series, too.

Many people say that they are “waiting for the trade” edition of a comic series before they decide to buy the book. Hopefully, the industry will cater more to these consumers. For crime fiction fans, Steven Grant and Mike Zeck deliver a story that should make these readers more than happy. For those other readers, they should pick up the book simply because it is a good story more worthy than any summer action flick of your entertainment dollars. There’s fighting, murder, romance, and plenty of vice. At the end of the day, what more can you ask of crime fiction?

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

Ed Mathews is Co-Editor in Chief of PopImage


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