- Writers: Russell Hillman
- Artist: David Baf Gallart
- Letterer: Sergio Calvet
Thanks to Russell Hillman for the review copy!
My .22 Always Works is a clever throwback noir story. As can be expected in the genre, it’s filled with rough and tumble characters, intrigue, violence, and yes, sex. From the introduction of the tough talking narrator to the snappy dialogue, this story feels both vintage and fresh.
The title is a clever homage to Wally Wood’s 22 Panels That Always Work, which is essentially a list of interesting ways to depict character talking to keep a dialogue heavy story from being boring. The story uses that technique as the framework for the story, using the panels 22 panels to tell the story, from extreme closeups on a character to silhouettes (I was so intrigued by the approach I did some research into Woods’ panels). The creative team packs a lot of story into 22 visually arresting splash pages.
The writing, panel art, and black and white style seamlessly mesh together to create an interesting story that feels authentic to the genre. If you like series like Sin City or Criminal, you will enjoy My .22 Always Works. If you aren’t familiar with Wally Wood’s 22 panels, it’s worth looking them up to appreciate the technical accomplishment of the book.
My .22 Always Works is currently being funded via Kickstarter with the campaign set to end on February 22nd.
Are you going to help fund the campaign? Have you already? Let me know in the comments or on Twitter.
