Review: Quarry’s War #1
Writer: Max Allan Collins
Art: Szymon Kudranski
Colours: Guy Major
Letters: Comicraft
Publisher: Titan Comics
Hard Case have gained a reputation for some pretty tasty crime and action titles over the past few years. With Quarry’s War, they’ve presented a book that has it’s roots firmly in the traditional ‘soldier with a history, turned gun for hire’ mould, as well as incorporating a fresher, slightly more modern feel through Quarry’s time as a civilian. The result is a dual narrative book but one that doesn’t suffer from split personality disorder. One layer compliments the next, ties up loose ends, and delivers a satisfying and easy read. But is it just a little too sweet and easy?
The tale opens with Quarry and his partner Boyd staking out the mark for their next hit. We are fed a steady drip feed of facts and background detail to fill in the necessary gaps for now. The writing, being in first person, automatically create the sense that we’re invited into an inner sanctum where ordinary, straight guys and ladies don’t ever get to see; the world of the hired killer, albeit a glamorised, comic book version. Armed with silenced weapons, as well as more than a few tricks of the trade, our protagonists plan and carry out the job over the course of the issue, with one or two minor obstacles in the way. This does come across a little too easy and straightforward but makes for a fairly easy to read narrative. The plot is, interestingly, twinned with Quarry’s tales from ‘nam which are spliced every few pages or so. Here, the narrative is swamped in fear and uncertainty, as a younger, though confident, Quarry puts his almost unbelievable sniping skills to use. These panels are bookended with narration boxes which I couldn’t help but read with the voice of Kurtz from Apocalypse Now. This whole split narrative does widen the appeal of the book and makes for a more dynamic read. All good there!
Artwise, the foreground detail is strong with crisp pencil lines. Lots of definition means some great facial expressions and up-close detail. The thing that caught my eye the most had to be a watercolour-esque backdrops that lay lucidly behind the action, especially in the ‘nam sequences. These backdrops added an air of ominous foreboding when the VC were in the vicinity but also allowed for a sense of dream-like uncertainty as to how accurate the memories may have been. Yes, the crisp imaging made us believe Quarry’s versions of events, but the sky suggested otherwise with a heat-filled haziness to the whole affair. This is coupled with the shadowy VC figures that were probably only boys, possibly not. The narrator’s viewpoint becomes skewed at times and this was a scar worth picking at, in my view. Subtle stuff!
All-in-all, the book deserves to be picked up. Like I’ve said, the read is quick and doesn’t leave a bad taste in your mouth. Yes, there is a sequence where Quarry seduces his target’s daughter a little to easily and too Bond-like to land on the believable side. This aside, there are sparks of potential for a darker edge and I will be keen to see if Collins takes that route in the future. A sound read well worth a try.
Skully’s Corner: Why buy this book? I was in ‘nham once. Dagenham outside East London. Cold, miserable place; a concrete jungle with terrible eel pies. Nothing like the ‘nam at the center of Quarry’s War. The similarity is that people leave both locations with PTSD. Quarry doesn’t though. He had a pretty glamorous war on the face of it. It’s a sweet backdrop to his new contract-killing job. Some comic book tough guys get all the luck.
Thank you for reading our review of Quarry’s War #1. We here at the Chico Comics Page appreciate your viewership. We invite you to check back with us soon as we post often. Or, you can follow us on Facebook (The Chico Comics Page), Google+ (The Chico Comics Page) and Twitter (@ChicoComicsPage) for regular updates on all of our posts.
Review written by Arun Sharma.
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