Written by Greg Pak
Illustrayed by Tony ParkerFrom acclaimed “Hulk” writer Greg Pak, legendary “Walking Dead” producer Gale Anne Hurd, and Tony Parker, artist of the Eisner-nominated “Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep”, comes the biggest blockbuster series of the new year – DEAD MAN’S RUN!
Hell is a prison from which none escape. That’s not a metaphor. It’s a concrete reality surrounded by razor wire and gun towers in the middle of the California desert. But today, a young cartographer named Sam Tinker begins an epic battle against the mysterious Warden and all the horrors of her domain, in a desperate attempt to rescue his sister Juniper–the only innocent in Hell!
Get ready for an insane supernatural action-packed thriller, as Aspen Comics proudly presents its newest hit series, DEAD MAN’S RUN!
While at New York Comic Con, we talked to Greg Pak about – among other things – his latest project, Dead Man’s Run. Centered on an attempted jailbreak from hell, the original idea was created by Vice President of Aspen Comics, Ben Roberts, before being handed over to Greg Pak and artist Tony Parker. I’ve been waiting for this excitedly since I talked to Greg about it. Now that it’s here, has my bated breath been relieved, or was I just setting myself up for disappointment? Follow the cut and see.
If you’ll excuse me for a moment, I have a little bit of editorializing to do. After we finished our NYCC interview with Greg Pak, he gave us a copy of Dead Man’s Run #0. As you may have seen, Josh reviewed it shortly after returning, and gave it high marks. I didn’t have a chance to read it while in New York myself, but between what Pak had told us about it and Josh’s review, I was already sold – especially after reading Vision Machine for the first time on the plane ride back. I couldn’t locate #0 at any nearby comic shops, but I figured it was no big deal. A #0 is normally just a bit of a teaser. Surely it wouldn’t matter if I picked up #1 without having read #0, would it?
I think I may have been wrong.
At least, that’s what I want to think. I had to reread this first issue after finishing it, because as soon as I was done all I could think was “…wait, what?” I was thoroughly and completely confused by what I had just read. Even though I knew the premise of the story and a little bit about the categories, I felt like I was jumping into something without being fully informed. Maybe it was just my poor reading comprehension, but I felt like there was so much that was left unexplained. No, I don’t mean in the sense of Pak leaving room for speculation, mystery, and intrigue, but in the simple sense of not having enough information for each scene to be understood. I can think of three explanations for this: First, I need to reread this a third or fourth time, and realize that I just wasn’t paying enough attention the first two times; second, this issue would be a lot easier to understand if I read issue #0; third, this is just a very poorly-paced issue.
I don’t want it to be a case of #3, because of my admitted personal bias as a big fan of Pak’s work, but I have sinking suspicion that even if I had a bit more information about the characters involved, their motivations, and what exactly was going on, this issue would still be a bit of a mess. The comic moves incredibly fast, which can be a useful technique in getting the reader interested when used correctly. Of course, when done right, the reader is temporarily imbalanced, at worst, by the pace, and given the occasional opportunity to get their bearings. In this case, though, Pak has completely bowled the reader over, resulting in a read that is more frustrating than enticing.
It’s a shame, too, because there’s the core of something great in here. The idea at the heart of the story is pretty neat. Hell is an actual prison, and ever prison can be broken out of, even if it’s almost impossibly difficult. The main character has an interesting hook as a cartographer, which will certainly play into the jailbreak angle in an interesting way. Like most of Pak’s work, the dialogue is smooth and natural, and each character has their own unique voice. And I don’t want to discount Tony Parker’s art in the slightest. His faces are highly expressive, and when he really needs to he can add some great dynamics to the page. Most of all, his pages are easy to follow. It’s a mean compliment, but any confusion here is due to Pak. There might be a few sloppy moments in his line work, but you can’t really slam Parker’s panel-to-panel motion at all. My only real artistic complaint is the color, if only because it’s really solid when it comes to backgrounds and objects, but a bit lazy looking when it comes to people – particularly their skin.
Let’s say I find myself a copy of Dead Man’s Run #0, read it, and later find myself fully balanced when rereading #1. I still wouldn’t be able to praise this comic as a #1. The current numbering conventions of comics frustrates me. Is this the first issue of meaningful story content, which is essential for understanding what’s to come? Then it’s #1, not #0 or some kind of #.1 (whatever the hell that’s even supposed to mean). Does it require prior reading to fully understand? Then it isn’t #1. Then again, this could just be a matter of poor writing, but I guess I just don’t want to admit that, considering how excited I was for this book.
Final Verdict: 4.5 – Maybe it’s just me.
