Saturday, March 22, 2008

The Vinyl Underground

The Vinyl Underground No. 1 (DC/Vertigo) - $2.99
Si Spencer - Writer; Simon Gane - Pencils; Cameron Stewart - Inks
Synopsis: In this fast-paced, ultra-cool ongoing crime-noir series, an unlikely quartet of occult detectives secretly solve crimes — from DJ crack bars in Camden to the elegant, high-society ballrooms that make up modern London. The Vinyl Underground is led by Morrison Shepherd, a D-list celebrity darling, soul DJ, and son of an ex-footballer. Fresh out of prison and off a nasty coke habit, Morrison is joined by a fellow ex-con named Perv, whose seizures give him clues to crimes long before the cops, and Leah, a gorgeous morgue assistant who leads a double life online and represents the brawn of the team.
I picked up this comic on a whim. I recall reading the solicitation for the first issue and not being impressed enough by the ‘pitch’ to add it to my pull list at my local comic shop. Subsequent solicitations enticed me a bit more however, and when I saw the first issue on the shelf several weeks back, I decided to give it a quick flip through and like enough of what I saw to make the purchase. Upon reading it a few days later, I was moved to add the series to my pull list. The series has a sort of quirky feel to it, in some small respects similar to another favorite title of mine - Casanova. The main characters are quite an odd lot, but they are also a very intriguing bunch. Morrison has a quiet kind of cool about him. Spencer only barely scratches the surface here with Perv, but he seems like a character with a good deal of promise. Leah is just an interesting case altogether - spoiled bitch forensic scientist porn icon (that about covers all the bases). We’ve really only seen the tip of the iceburg with these characters (but what more do you expect from a single issue), but it has certainly whetted my appetite such that I want to get to know more about them.

4 zombies (out of 5)

No comments: