Newburn #2
Newburn gives Emily a tryout in Newburn #2, by writer Chip Zdarsky and artist Jacob Phillips. In the back-up, by writer Nadia Shammas, artist Ziyed Yusuf Ayoub, and letterer Frank Cvetkovic, Amir visits his brother in the hospital. Crime comics don't really get much better than this issue.
The main story sees Newburn and Emily investigating a fire at a Triad warehouse. Interspersed throughout is Emily's own investigation into Newburn, trying to find out what's going on. Working together, the two of them figure out who burned down the warehouse and hand them over to the gang. In the back-up, Amir visits his brother at the hospital. Jacob won't even speak to him and demands he leave, not willing to let go of their grudge. Later at the backgammon parlor, he learns that his brother is getting a big insurance payout and that everything about the robbery is rather convenient.
There's just something about the way this comic is done that makes it so great. The main narrative is rather simple; it's just a whodunit. What makes it work so well is the way Zdarsky tells the story. He lays out nice little story hooks throughout, both about what happened to Newburn to make him want Emily as a partner and a conflict with the editor in chief of the newspaper that has implications for the future. It's so well done, and it adds so much to the story.
At the end of the issue, Zdarksy opens up the moral quandary of what Newburn does, especially when it's revealed who set the fire. It'll be interesting to see how Zdarksy plays with this. Newburn seems to be inured to this sort of thing, as he's been in this world for a long time. Emily is a con artist, but she's about to play in a much bigger world than she's used to. Throwing this kind of story out in the second issue is a great choice because it gets to something that's going to make this book work even better for the future- the human costs to innocents of what Newburn does. In the back-up, Shammas adds a lot to the story. Whatever happened between Amir and Jacob is enough to make Jacob hate his brother. Later, the way the crime is laid out for readers takes the story to the next phase.
Phillips's art is so good. The linework is great but what really makes it sing is the coloring. Phillips gives the burnt-out warehouse scenes a grainy feel, exactly what one would expect from an arson. Phillips's art makes Zdarsky's script look amazing, and it's great that he does his own coloring. Yusuf Ayoub's cartoony art does a better job than one would imagine at capturing the anger of Jacob and Amir's pain over his brother's treatment.
Newburn #2 is the epitome of a crime comic. Each team does a remarkable job with their story, showing two very different types of crime stories. This book is such a treat, and that's all there is to it.
