Stumptown #1 by Greg Rucka and Matthew Southworth – review

Dex is the proprietor of Stumptown Investigations, and a fairly talented P.I. Unfortunately, she’s less adept at throwing dice than solving cases. Her recent streak has left her beyond broke—she’s into the Confederated Tribes of the Wind Coast for 18 large. But maybe Dex’s luck is about to change. Sue-Lynne, head of the Wind Coast’s casino operation, will clear Dex’ debt if she can locate Sue-Lynne’s missing granddaughter. But is this job Dex’s way out of the hole or a shove down one much much deeper?

At it’s simplest and most reductive, Stumptown is to the PI genre what Queen and Country is to the spy genre. Rucka is an ardent fan, student of the genre (he wrote a thesis paper in school on the American PI), and longtime creator of PI stories. Plus, he does wonderful things when he’s at Oni Press. The result here is that Stumptown is off to an auspicious start, and if it continues on the trajectory started here, then it could become one of the better crime comic books on the market. Lord knows we could certainly use a great PI title.

It’s been said before, and I’m sure it will be said again, that Greg Rucka writes great female characters. And not just secondary characters; he is prone to turn over the weight of the heavy lifting to female protags. They are wonderfully and fully formed, flawed and multi-faceted creations that rank as some of the best characters in the last few years. Dex is no exception. She takes care of her brother, loves her car, has a gambling problem, has sound instincts, and just can’t stay out of trouble. In this first issue we see multiple facets revealed, and as the series continues we will see further depths revealed.

The issue opens up with Dex being gut shot and left for dead before peeling back the layers of the day to tell the events that lead to that start. It’s during these moments that we are gradually shown more aspects of her character as this case takes on a life of its own. All of this is done very naturally and masterfully. The issue ends with a cool 70s font that announces the case file name and Dex asserting her identity in the face of authority.

Southworth’s art is new to me, but he nails the dusky atmosphere with a slightly rough, not fully polished sketchbook-like quality that adds some necessary grit and grime to the story.

Each case of the series will encompass four issues. Rucka has a track record; you already know he’s the shit. You know he knows his stuff (see all the names in the phone book up there?). So what are you waiting for?  Don’t miss this opportunity to get in on the ground level with what promises to be a great crime comic series.

Oh, by the way. Call the number below. Really. Go grab a phone and call the number.

About Brian

Brian loves both kinds of books -- fiction and non-fiction. He is an all around book john and reviewing roustabout. His semi-regular columns at BSC include BSC Radar Screen, The Electric Mayhem, Conversations with the Bookless and Short Thoughts on Short Fiction. He blogs at Observations From the Balcony.