Advance Review: Dead End Kids #1
People of a certain age are fond of saying that “your school days were the best of your life.” For some, I am sure that this particular axiom is bang on right; for others the wonder years are a trial of survival that challenges and dares those to try and make it out alive. For many, there is the combination of difficult living situations coupled with a school life that doesn’t feel much like a respite in the offerings of alternative education. Still, every cloud has a silver lining. In this case it’s the gang of friends that somehow find and support each other as best they can. But what happens when the proverbial rain cloud continues to pour down rain.
In 1999, a less than fantastic four have found each other. Each has a situation; Tank has a heart problem, Amanda’s Mom is in the middle of a Y2K meltdown and Murphy has problems with his foster parents. The one kid who has their back is Ben. Ben is the guy who keeps them level, who sticks up for them and who pretty much is the glue that holds the group together. When is Ben is murdered, Murphy and the gang set out to find out who did it.
The book is written by Frank Gogol, the writer of the acclaimed comic book Grief. Here Gogol takes a look at various issues, some that may seem familiar. As this is set as a slice of life, there is a constant risk that theses “real” elements fall into the realm of tropes; the book is a fine line between the two. Therefore, a lot of the enjoyment of this book will be based on your perception of the events. Gogol does well in producing an almost alternative Recess. The dialogue works; each kid has a separate voice. Thrown in for good measure is a cranky old man and a bully both of which are in the frame for the murder. The coming of age feel certainly has a darkness to it.
The art is provided by Nenad Cviticanin, who was one of the artists who had worked with Gogol on Grief. The art has a simple look to it; it is after all a serious book, not one of those superhero books.  That said, there is still a requirement to help the reader move through the pages. Whilst the framework of the characters works well, familiar poses creating instant recognition, there is a slight problem with the faces that do not quite convey the requisite emotion. The similarities between Ben and Murphy is also a little confusing at the start, easily remedied now that Ben is doing a fantastic Captain America impression. Overall, the art matches the pace of the story, giving the reader time to get to know the characters and reflect on their situations. Cviticanin also provides the colors, which appropriately enough has an almost always dusk kind of feel. Finally, Sean Rinehart provides the letters, ever mindful of the differences between the monologue, dialogue and set up pages, the latter featuring quotations.
This first issue does what it needs to do. We get brief introductions that will lead further into play as the story progresses. Gogol, who received some fantastic coverage for his previous book, is taking his story-telling up a notch with a longer story rather than snippets. It is challenge that I am sure that he is more than up to.
Writing – 4.5 Stars
Art – 3.5 Stars
Colors – 3.5 Stars
[yasr_overall_rating size=”large”]
Written by; Frank Gogol
Art & Colors by; Nenad Cviticanin
Letters by; Sean Rineheart
Published by; Source Point Press
Author Profile
- I am a long time comic book fan, being first introduced to Batman in the mid to late 70's. This led to a appreciation of classic artists like Neal Adams and Jim Aparo. Moving through the decades that followed, I have a working knowledge of a huge raft of characters with a fondness for old school characters like JSA and The Shadow
Currently reading a slew of Bat Books, enjoying a mini Marvel revival, and the host of The Definative Crusade and Outside the Panels whilst also appearing on No-Prize Podcast on the Undercover Capes Podcast Network
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