“Heist” #1 is an engaging entry into a new cyberpunk world, with what’s shaping up to be a decent crime story on the horizon. Warning: spoilers ahead.
Written by Paul TobinCover by Arjuna Susini
Illustrated by Arjuna Susini
Colored by Vittorio Astone
Lettered by Saida Temofonte Welcome to planet Heist! It’s the cutthroat capital of the entire Nehring System, home to billions of the worst men and women in the galaxy. The Pan-Galactic government has no idea what to do with the planet, but conman Glane Breld and his band of thieves know exactly what to do with Heist-they’re going to steal it. It’s Ocean’s Eleven in space, brought to you by writer Paul Tobin (Colder and Bandette) and Arjuna Susini (The Replacer) – the only minds crazy enough to steal an entire world.
“Heist” #1 features Glane Breld, an ex-con who’s more than a little responsible for the current state of things on Heist, which was the last free planet in the Nehring system until, well. Glane happened. Now he’s back and ready to assemble a crew to commit the perfect crime.
Hooking an audience in a story that’s designed to be slick, fast-paced and cool means any deviation from that streamlined momentum, no matter how slight, can be punishing. Tobin and the team load this first issue with unique language, character quirks and a compelling plot, but there are a few problems along the way. “Heist” suffers from two main issues: perspective and repetitive dialogue.
Tobin begins the comic with a strong page featuring Glane’s narration. As a yet unseen narrator, Glane’s gritty tone immediately sets the stage for the kind of cool story we want, and expect. Tobin’s transition from narration to spoken dialogue is a perfect beat on the page turn, but when Brady runs us through the history of Heist, we shift back to narration from Glane’s perspective with a less effective transition in both time and perspective. With so much plot info loaded into this first issue, this choice feels a bit clunky. The intention here is to have Glane’s voice intrude in that classic, hard-boiled crime style – post-cigarette drag or meditative pause – but it’s not as smooth of a beat as it should be. In addition, later scenes feature both Glane’s internal monologue that’s designed to fill in gaps as well as dialogue between him, Brady and various assassins. One or the other would suit and keep the story ticking along nicely.
Classic cyberpunk relies on a visual punch over meaty dialogue, and while that’s changed over the decades it’s still an artful strategy – especially for a first issue of a comic. Tobin occasionally repeats dialogue with minor variations for emphasis, like when the bartender asks Glane if he thinks he’s smart twice over, or in Brady’s excessive use of “ya goob.” While these moments are clearly intended to add flavor, they feel instead like wasted space in a comic that’s filled to bursting with a vibrant cast and concepts. Susini’s backgrounds are incredibly detailed and Astone’s palette relies more on nuance and grit than high-contrast, and their work means we should focus on those details and not on the balloons. Spareness would go a long way to letting us soak in some of what makes “Heist” unique as both a planet in this comic’s universe, and as a unique story in a crowded comics landscape.
As stated, Susini’s backgrounds and architecture are incredibly detailed, as we’d expect from a genre story like “Heist.” There are moments where Glane’s angular, hunted frame slashes perfectly across the page and broadcasts his sinister and tortured past, and there are others where facial details are blurred, obscured or strangely abstract. Susini’s Dutch angles are occasionally too extreme and break mood, and there’s a muddiness in panel layout and progression that means some of the chaos on the page isn’t controlled. Additionally, there are more than a few anatomical anomalies that don’t feel intentional. Glane holds a cup very strangely in the opening pages, and Lena’s sprawled body is contorted in an extreme position that’s rendered a bit ridiculous given the angle in the panel.
When it comes to flavor, however, Susini does well. Each character features some distinct, memorable detail that’s a reflection of either their role as a supporting character or a personality trait, and Astone’s colors do a great deal of work in this regard. Astone’s palette relies heavily on background blues, pinks and purples to get at that balance of fuzzy neon and grim shadow. Brady’s cheerful red sweater is a nice consistent pop on the page as he flits to and fro, and Glane’s oily blue trenchcoat is a perfect focal point. There are very few simple backgrounds in this book, but Astone keeps them visually interesting with color gradients and good, subtle texturing.
Continued belowTemofonte’s lettering is good, but the minimal leading in the narrative boxes especially means the book’s occasionally hard to read. It’s necessary, unfortunately, because there’s more than a bit of text to wrangle, but the slashy white font against the muted lavender box is harsh on the eyes even if it’s in line with the book’s style. There’s also one box that breaks the gutter for no reason other than there’s simply nowhere else on the page for it to go, and a script edit there would have solved that issue. Sound effects are nice and scratchy when they do appear, though the red bullet impacts blend a little too well with Astone’s fuzzy blood bursts to stand out.
Minor issues are just that, but they can pile up when they occur in multiple craft areas of a book. “Heist” is poised to feature a very interesting story if it can balance narrative overload, dial back the dialogue and streamline its layouts. Even if the book doesn’t right the ship around the edges, it still has potential to be an entertaining read. In an era of crisp beauty and vapidity, that’s often more than enough for most.
Final Verdict: 6.5 – “Heist” #1 dazzles with its hard-boiled crime concept but lacks a few points of polish along the way.
