The issues #1 and #2 of The Black Ghost (comiXology Originals) share a creative blend of film noir, superhero, and action that readers will absolutely devour. Right from the first page, The Black Ghost series is compellingly cool to read.
Burnt out cops reporter Lara Dominguez finds herself on the defensive, battling back thugs attacking one of her GED-prep students after class. There’s a new player on the Creighton crime scene, she’s told. Lara moved to Creighton to escape her past in Miami, and found a new obsession – the city’s debonair vigilante, The Black Ghost. Unable to focus on anything else – and goaded on by her cyber-connection, LONE – Lara faces a crossroads: continue on a mad crusade to unmask the Ghost in search of a scoop, or find herself in the line of fire?
Here are 5 reasons why you should read The Black Ghost:
5) Noir!
The storytelling techniques, such as the bleak narration, evokes literary noir classics, such The Maltese Falcon and The Big Sleep. Usually in these noir tales, the protagonist takes a vicious beating before the story leads to an actual murder. In a fresh spin, I love that we have a female protagonist in a noir tale that isn’t a sexual fantasy of a femme fatale. Not that there’s anything wrong with that; it’s just been played out.
4) The Writing!
Right off the bat, writers Alex Segura and Monica Gallagher introduce readers to Lara Dominguez as she dives right into gritty action. Dominguez stands out as a reporter because her beat focuses on urban crime and strays away from the glossy cityscape. Letterer Taylor Esposito explores Lara’s mindset through black and white thought captions.
3) The Action!
The character design of Dominguez by artist George Kambadais keeps her clothing fashionable and grounded. Lara wears a jacket over her hoodie, like most people these days. She wears sunglasses to hide her bruises. The layouts by Marco Finnegan do a great job choreographing the action in detail.
2) The Colors!
The colors by Ellie Wright follow the traditional look of film noir, using the black tones to spotlight the shadows. The lower-class sections of the city have a grimy look and grayish tone. Wright adds a bit of color to accentuate the bruises and cuts on Lara’s skin.
1) Compelling & Cool!
With a well-developed female lead, The Black Ghost is a an incredibly cool read that takes a fresh spin on noir books. Looking forward to the next issue of The Black Ghost!
With the first two issues available now, The Black Ghost #3 arrives on November 1st, 2019.