Review: Loud OGN
Way back in the day, there were two types of music played in my house, depending on who got the record (yes, I am that old) player first. If my Dad won, it was Johnny Cash; if my Mom won it was Barry Manilow. Why is this important? As a kid, there is only one good Cash song; A Boy Named Sue and only one good Manilow song; Copacobanna (At the Copa). It’s this last whimsy of a song that pops into my head when reading Loud from Black Mask Studios.
This original graphic novel features an ensemble cast not too unlike movies like Crash. Like Crash, each character in the book briefly touches another, in more than ways than on in some cases, during one night at the local bar / strip club, Loud. Through theses interactions we get to see a number of different lifestyles and situations, be it dominatrix, lesbian junkie, divorcing mother, oh did I mention the vampires and a zombie? The lives, and sometimes deaths, of the cast ebb and flow along with the constant thumping of the music.
The book is created by Maria Llovet, of Faithless fame. Now, you may remember that I loved Fatihless. This time around, however, Lovet has dispensed with a writer and pulled double duty herself. Despite the lack of dialogue, there is story pacing and movement on every page; the setting of the club being a great way to draw the reader into the next little confrontation. There isn’t much of a continuing story line in play that connects everyone, though there does seem to be some focus added towards the end of the book. Was this Llovet getting a hold of her creativeness in order to bring the book to an end, I don’t know. What I will say, is that up to halfway through the final act, the book feels like a steady stream of consciousness, that without an enforce ending, may have continued for at least a few more pages.
Llovet also provides her own art, which a book with very little dialogue, so no verbal setups, is a great way to ensure that your story is told as you like it. Think is, quality “quiet” comics are few and far between. I own a couple; Star Wars #72 which features a great piece of Artoo and Chewie working together and the classic Batman #433, “The Many Deaths of Batman”, which only had two words in the book. I get that the environment itself doesn’t lend itself to conversation, but there has to be some level of direction. Llovet plans each mini arc well enough and if you have seen her work elsewhere, you will know what to expect. In fact, the art is probably an extension of the style seen in the aforementioned Faithless book. With such a diverse cast, characters are taken to their extremes; in some places it works and in others, it just look messy. Again, that is part of the club scene, but I would have hoped for a little more consistency.
With this particular cast, you will expect to see a ton of sex or sexual situations, though it is not glamorous. That is probably a great tagline for the book; Loud is the best and worst of life, in all it’s non-glamorous glory.
Writing – 4 Stars
Art – 3.5 Stars
Overall 3.5 Stars
Written & Art by Maria Llovet
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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