Action/Espionage books have become quite a common genre in the world of comic books lately, thanks in no small part to Image Comics. Nathan Edmondson and Nic Klein both decided to throw another take on the genre with the cryptically titled “Dancer.” Let’s see how they fared.
Written by Nathan Edmondson
Illustrated by Nic KleinRetired assassin Alan Fisher and his ballerina companion must escape a ruthless sniper who stalks them through the streets of Milan. To survive and protect the love of his life, Alan will unravel the tapestry of the past he’s kept hidden and discover the killer’s impossible identity. From the writer of WHO IS JAKE ELLIS? and the artist of VIKING comes a spy thriller with a 21st Century twist.
I wasn’t kidding when I said that the comic industry loves their action/espionage books as of late. When you look in the indie section, books like “Dancer,” “Who Is Jake Ellis,” “Pigs,” and “Mind MGMT” cover the shelves. How does one differentiate itself from the norm and find a way to stand out among the rest?
You can start by being this book.
Nathan Edmondson, who is no stranger to espionage books himself, crafts a fast paced, action packed story that never lets up. In concept, there are a few similarities to a series like The Jason Bourne franchise, which features a burned spy on the run from his former benefactors while protecting a female companion from those same attackers. However, while it may recall that series a bit, it doesn’t detract from “Dancer” itself. In fact, it gives Edmondson a chance to add to it, an undertaking at which he succeeds.
This book is extremely fast-paced, that’s for sure, but while it moves at a break neck pace, it never feels like there are plot points missing from the issue, either deliberately or mistakenly. While you’re just as confused and lost as his companion, Quinn, the eponymous dancer, it never felt lacking or confusing for all the wrong reasons.
While I did love the plotting all around, there was one bit I felt was either unnecessary or belonged in the next book. The second to last page was a killer twist that brings creative twist to the spy/assassin genre; one that will have dire consequences for our hero and possibly Quinn, his companion. But my small complaint came from the very last page, which, in its present form, felt like an after thought. It didn’t weaken twist at all, but it rather came off as forgettable, especially when the printing of the book put the last page behind the twist. Something about the presentation left a little to be desired, but that is still a small complaint that doesn’t really factor heavily into the score, even though it’s worth mentioning.
However, one of the strengths of the book, in addition to the plot, is the stellar character work from Edmondson. Sometimes, a complaint I have with books like this is the fact the companions never feel as three dimensional as the lead, and sometimes, DO feel like cardboard cut-outs. However, while I would not call her the next Katniss Everdeen with regards to depth of a female character, she’s established as having interests outside of our male lead, which makes her a thousand times more interesting. I can only hope there’s more from her bsck story as we move forward, especially how she met Alan, our mysterious hitman.
Interestingly enough, Alan Fisher is more of a mystery at this point than Quinn. His back story, while presented in the beginning of the book as a big time gun for hire (or at least, gun for hire from the US Govt.), he’s portrayed mostly as the Man With No Name Archetype, a mysterious loner whose forced into his role as the hero, despite his desires to not be involved at all. He’d like nothing more than to blend in, but that’s no longer something he can control. His mystique is likely the reason we know more about Quinn, as it provides an interesting dynamic for the two to play off of each other with. It also serves to give us the same take on the character as Quinn, who is the de facto POV character.
Continued belowNic Klein’s pencils, while dark at times, perfectly capture the mood of the characters in the story, along with the action being told. The first scene, which recounts a grisly assassination as just the prologue to our “Dancer” storyline, captures the violent act of a bullet merely moving through the air, and, if you pardon the pun, barreling through everything in it’s path until it reaches its destination. There’s even an impressive scene that shows the bullet hitting a stream of wine as it left the bottle into a glass, completely breaking the flow of the wine for a moment. It was a creative way to not show the bullet actually hitting its victim. The usage of the bullet in the path it took rather than just showing the bullet at its origin and destination elevated it and made the scene meatier and more dynamic.
That’s just the action as well, his use of shadows even further illustrates the mystery of Alan Fisher, as you can never get a clear look at his face. The shadows very nearly obscure his face totally, perhaps as a visual metaphor for the character himself. It’s further contrasted by the fact that Quinn’s face is never obscured and you can see her entire face, as if to say we know her entirely. At least, we think we do.
I would also be remiss if I didn’t point out the fantastic cover of the book, also provided by Nic Klein. The bloodstain that just so happens to overla her face and his heart gives a dark foreboding that might cause someone to feel dread as it could quite possibly be some serious foreshadowing into what might happen later on in the series. chilling.
This book is clearly a lot of fun, and given the chance, you should definitely pick it up. It’s a lot of fun on the surface, and once you dig in to the meat of it, it holds up. Good show.
Final Verdict: 8.8 – Buy
