The major comic companies get enough reviews and press, it’s time for the creator-owned and indie series to get some love and judgment. Indie review takes up-and-coming indie and creator-owned series and puts them through the review process so you can confidently support the best of the small press and passion driven projects in the comic industry.

 

The Info Bit
Title: Dancer #1
Genre/s: Spy/Thriller
Writer: Nathan Edmondson (Grifter, Olympus)
Artist: Nic Klein (Viking, New Warriors)
Colorist: Nic Klein
Letterer: Jeff Powell (The Activity, The Infinite Vacation)
Publisher: Image Comics
Number of Issues: 1
Page Count: 22
Price: $3.50

 

 

The Review Bit

 

Dancer is a rather exciting new Image title from the mind of Nathan Edmondson and the artistry of Nic Klein. It feels like a modern Alfred Hitchcock story with the action of a Bourne film. Yet despite the similar appearance in cover and interior art, this does not match the Black Widow, cold war/Soviet vibe so many people I spoke with were expecting. Instead, the story takes place in Italy, with a beautiful Irish redhead, ballet dancer and her American boyfriend.

Opening in Brazil, with a lovely musical number (not something you normally get to say about a comic book scene), the dialogue-free sequence begins the story with a violent assassination. The story then moves to Italy, where we are introduced to our main characters, with almost no explanation. There we meet our ballet dancer, Quinn, and her boyfriend, Alan Fisher. With a somewhat slow beginning, the pace of the story picks up fast when Mr. Fisher notices something out of the ordinary while out to dinner with his girlfriend. Fleeing the restaurant, the couple are chased by unknown government agents and fired upon by a mysterious sniper. The thrilling chase leads to several deaths and the fastest panel read I’ve probably ever head. The art work is brilliant here in bringing you on the edge of your seat and almost controlling the speed you read to create a fast paced series of panels that truly draw you in. It is then that we get a little background on the ex-American military member, Alan Fisher, and the naughty things he once did for his government. Knowing that he must protect the girl he loves and find out what is happening, Alan plans to return home and arm up. It is there that he meets the sniper once more. A few close shots get off before Alan can get an eye on the man trying to kill him. But when it is discovered just who is shooting at Fisher that we get the real twist of the book.

The dialogue of this issue is somewhat minimal, but that works with the strong action and suspense of the title. We know very little, in truth, about these characters, but we know just enough to want to come back for more. Klein does an amazing job with the art, creating a beautiful, yet dark atmosphere with backgrounds the are certainly Italian in setting. Handling all the art duties on his own, Klein is able to paint an impressive tale in his sequentials, and truly drive the flow and action of Edmondson’s script. While Dancer #1 is a very quick read, it is also a truly exciting one.

 

The Rating Bit

With good art and an engrossing story, Dancer #1 is definitely a comic that will lure you back for another round. The art is quite striking, and probably steals the show throughout the book. On the writing end, while Edmondson picks things up greatly in the end, the slow and unexplained start hinders the read slightly. The book earns a solid 7 out of 10, but if things pick up in the overall series, it might just rank an 8 or 9. A must read if you enjoy the spy stories of Brubaker or Rucka, and undeniably a comic you will have to follow into its second issue, Dancer #1 is well worth its $3.50.