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Gutsville #1


By Jason Mott
October 25, 2007 - 00:18

Gutsville__1_1.jpg

With a name like “Gutsville” it’s a little hard to tell what to expect from this series. However, in this case, “Gutsville” doesn’t have anything to do with the amount of courage some action movie hero might have (though “Gutsville” would make a fun, fun title for an action flick). No. This story, this Gutsville is an anachronistic story that takes place in the stomach of some unseen creature or person. The “people” of Gutsville seem to have been imported from seventeenth or eighteenth century England and have ties to the classic fire and brimstone days of yore. Knocking about the darkened alleyways of Gutsville is a vicious killer, a long-fingered carving of evil simply named “The NoSunMan.” So whose belly are we in with Gutsville? What dark, digestion-induced mystery adventure waits in the wings? Sadly, issue one gives us no solid clues just yet.

Simon Spurrier’s imaginative location aside, Gutsville seems to be taking its time getting going. So much of the writing of this issue is dedicated to establishing the extended cast of characters that, perhaps, not enough time was spent really getting a bead on exactly what and where Gutsville is. By the end of issue one I was no closer to understanding the rules and regulations of this stomach-dwelling, historical Europe-based narrative. As always, the plus side of imaginative writing is the ability to flesh out old ideas in a new way. The drawback to such creativity is that a lot of time is usually required to “world building” or establishing a sense of normalcy in an unusual situation. With issue one of Gutsville, the exotic location feels superficial, but it’s got potential to get better. Another small weakness of Spurrier’s writing is an overuse of dialogue and dialect. The basic task of understanding what form of English is being spoken here can be incredibly distracting at times.

On pencils, Frazer Irving has a good feel for color and, at times, layout. Irving is willing to establish mood and tone through well-directed color and tonal implication in a very unique way. The weakness of Irving’s style comes with his layout. The visual narrative can get a bit cold and choppy in the quiet moments of the story and the overall effect can be somewhere between annoyance and boredom. But perhaps Irving will have more opportunity to stretch his legs as the series continues...hopefully.

Overall: 3 out of 5. Awkward opening, but a decent premise.


Last Updated: August 31, 2023 - 08:12

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