Everybody’s favourite DRM-free pay-what-you-like comic is back! And while it might not have the energy of the first issue, there’s still quite a bit to enjoy as this unusual story moves forward.
Written by Brian K. Vaughan
Illustrated by Marcos Martin
The first issue of “The Private Eye” seemed to pop out of nowhere – this name-your-own price comic book from some excellent creators, released without any real marketing. Interestingly enough, the story within, which centered on a future where technology has regressed back to pre-Internet days for the sake of privacy, seemed to both work against and highlight the choice of format. And since this is BKV we’re talking about, it was also just a damn good story, both subversive and surprising. Combine that with some really slick and noirish art from Marcos Martin, and you’ve got one noteworthy first issue, right?
But with all the surprise and interest revolving around the choice of format and theme, it’s easy to forget about the overall arc of the series, which is supposed to be around 10 issues long. That’s a good amount of growing space for a high-concept comic, and a lot of time in which to grab hold – or let go of – our interest. And this issue, in adopting a bit more a slow-burn approach than the rapid-fire first issue, feels like a move toward a slightly more conventional story that we first embarked on. That’s not a flaw, per se, but the vast promise of the first issue does seem somewhat diminished here.
The main wrench in the works is a matter of pacing. A big thing happened at the end of last issue, but we don’t really return to it until seven pages in to this issue. And while that wouldn’t be a big deal under most circumstances, what pushes the event to a later spot in the issue doesn’t exactly feel like the sort of scene you open the second chapter of a comic with. As a touch of character development done in true BKV style, it’s of course interesting and grounded and funny, but it would have worked better had it been placed at a more relaxed moment.
The rest of the issue carries the same tune, keeping mostly to conversations that move the issue along but don’t carry a lot of punch on their own. The story advances sufficiently to stay interesting, spinning out the consequences of that Big Event and teasing out some hints as to why it was that Taj approached our P.I. in the first place. Otherwise, the main purpose of this issue seems to be a certain gathering of momentum before shit really starts getting real, and as such, it works well without really adding much to the overall intrigue.
What we don’t get are further details as to how this universe works, and while the first issue offered a lot of interesting clues in that direction, a little more in the way of exposition would not have gone amiss here. A continued bit of mystery surrounding the exact details is a selling point unto itself, but it’s hard to really get into the P.I. aspect of the story without a few more details as to how this society really functions – particularly when it comes to law and order. I imagine these will get teased out in future issues, but for the moment, the assumption seems to be that matters operate in much the same way as your favourite Dashiell Hammett novel, which seems like a mild letdown in such a high-concept story.
Marcos Martin’s art continues on being energetic and expressive in this issue, excelling, as before, at casual street-level scenes populated with all kinds of unusual characters. There’s significantly less action in this issue than the first, but Martin keeps the conversations engaging and dynamic. Martin also know exactly when to eliminate background details, and the result is a streamlined comic that’s very easy on the eyes. Finally – and most gratifyingly, for those of us reading on laptop screens – the wider-than-it-is tall format is used to its fullest, emphasizing the horizontal vectors and giving an epic Cinemascope feel to the book as a whole.
Continued belowMuntsa Vincente’s colours were one of the delightful surprises that distinguished the first issue, all kinds of bright and about as far away from typical neo-noir moodiness as possible. The fresh palette does wonders in this issue too, lending a lot of funhouse mystery to an encounter on the wrong side of the tracks and about as much verve to the opening scene. What’s more, Vincente’s colours do a lot to make this book iconic, and again, as a book that was released into the wild with almost no preamble, the instantly recognizable colour scheme is one of the many things that make this book memorable.
Overall, “The Private Eye” is definitely heading in the right direction, and while it doesn’t (yet?) have the world-building heft of a book like “Saga”, the intriguing themes and magnetic visuals keep this oddball story lurking around in the back of your head. In other words, there’s plenty to keep us interested in this comic while we wait for just a little bit more of the plot to show up.
Final Verdict: 8.8 – Buy.
