Advance Review: Snap Flash Hustle #1
There is a saying that states that “sex sells”. There is also a train of thought that suggests that the sex industry is perhaps the first industry to make the best of new technology. Throw these two ideas together, sprinkle in some social media and add in a little crime drama centered around drug trafficking and you get the idea of what writer Pat Shand and artist Emily Pearson have created with the start os this new series from Black Mask Studios.
Haley Mori is trying to make a living as an alternative model. Yes, that means that she gets naked and poses in lingerie. As a struggling artiste, Haley has trouble making ends meets whilst putting up with a stalker for a housemate. Thanks to the wonder of social media, Haley gets the job of her dreams; that is until the cash goes missing and Haley’s caught by the proverbial and actual ankles in a bit of a shakedown!
Pat Shand is probably best know for his long-standing career with Zenescope. For fans of his work there, this book will be a total turnabout. Throughout his run on Grimm, Shand was able to add a lot of emotive elements into his mystical characters. Here, with more of a real world setting, Shand exchanges those aspect for relatable situations, where all that Haley is trying to do is make a living and her stalker is causing levels of insecurities. True the crime element may not be humdrum, but this is comics after all. Shand’s pacing works throughout the book, though I was a little confused in certain mid tier scenes, where more clarification of the action is probably required.
Emily Pearson supplies the art with a style that takes the popular Babs Tarr vibe to a less cartoony destination, with simpler lines in play. For those expecting graphic nudity, due to the topic of the book, may well be disappointed as the nudity and sexual scenes that do exist are there to push the story forward and are completed in a tasteful way that requires a mature audience rather than catering to the T & A crowd. The colors accentuate these feelings with a pastel scheme that shows the not quite bright, almost shady world the Haley inhabits. A special mention must go to the details that Pearson manages to incorporate in the majority of panels, especially those of a New York city far removed from that inhabited by a certain wall crawler. Jim Campbell rounds off the excellent creative jam with lettering fonts that mimics social media accurately enough to generate recognition and elaborates on the major part it plays in this first issue.
Snap, Flash, Hustle is a great little story, that I think will cater to an audience that enjoys their stories down and dirty with a slice of genuine characters thrown in for good measure.
Snap, Flash, Hustle #1 hits comic stores on November 28th. If you are interested in the book, please head over to the Outside the Panels podcast, by clicking here for and interview with Pat Shand and Emily Pearson.
Writing – 5 Stars
Art – 5 Stars
Colors – 5 Stars
[yasr_overall_rating size=”large”]
Written by; Pat Shand
Art by; Emily Pearson
Letters by; Jim Capmbell
Published by; Black Mask Studios
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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