DEAL BREAKER #1, from Evoluzione Publishing on January 2022, weaves a supernatural tale about a man who sees all his dreams come true, unaware that a heavy price must be paid.
The Details
- Written By: Marcel Dupree, Joshua Metzger
- Art By: Jonas Scharf
- Colors By: Marco Pagnotta
- Letters By: Brant Fowler
- Cover Art By: Jonas Scharf
- Cover Price: $5 (digital version via Kickstarter)
- Release Date: January 2022 (estimated)
Wait! Don’t Forget To Sign Up For The Comical Opinions Newsletter.
It’s 100% FREE. Sign up NOW!
Was It Good?
Evoluzione is one of the best indie-to-small comics publishers with good reason. They always seem to find a compatible team of writers and artists that turn out top-quality comics that rival anything put out by the big-name publishers. Deal Breaker #1 is yet another example of a surprising level of quality from an indie publisher.
The story is a crime thriller with a supernatural twist. Admittedly, the plot sounds familiar and would fit right in with any anthology series such as The Twilight Zone or Tales From The Crypt because it immediately forces the reader to empathize with the main character in a moral conundrum – Do as you’re told or lose everything? The way Dupree and Metzger lay out the story, it’s easy to understand the character’s motivations, which immediately switch to a high state of anxiety when the “truth” of his situation is made clear.
Stories of this sort always work best when they don’t tell the reader the right answer but push the reader to ask him- or herself “What would you do?” Deal Breaker #1 isn’t a one-shot and issue #2 is already on the horizon, but the issue ends exactly in the right spot to hook the reader into wanting to know what happens next.
Again, Evoluzione excels at finding artists that rise to the level of writing. Scharf, Pagnotta, and Fowler turn in excellent work. Every panel is heavily laden with long shadows and deep lines to foreshadow the impending doom of the characters. The hatch lines on every surface and contour play up the drama of the situation. And, the somber mood comes across loud and clear.
This is a neat story with familiar elements told freshly, and the art team nails the tragic, desperate mood perfectly.
Keep scrolling for a closer look at the covers, or Click Here to jump right to the story description with some spoilers.
What’s It About?
[SPOILERS AHEAD – Click here if you just want the score without spoilers]
The premise is simple yet effective. Jerry is a college dropout stuck in a dead-end job wishing for anything that he could have a good life. One day, Jerry makes a fateful wish and promises he’ll do anything to get the life of his dreams.
Years later, Jerry is everything he dreamed he would be – wealthy, married, father to two good kids, and loving every minute of it. One day, Jerry starts receiving disturbing texts and voicemails telling him it’s time to pay his due. He ignores the messages but they continue to come with greater frequency.
Suddenly, Jerry’s wife and children disappear and the police suspect it’s a kidnapping. We conclude the issue with a shadowy figure from Jerry’s dream making an appearance, an explanation, and an ultimatum.
Final Thoughts
DEAL BREAKER #1 is a super-strong example of an ordinary man suddenly trapped in a moral dilemma from a supernatural bargain. The writing is tense, organic, and realistic, and the art team pulls every trick in the book to infuse the story with doom and gloom to emphasize the main character’s desperation.
As an Amazon Associate, we earn revenue from qualifying purchases to help fund this site. Links to Blu-Rays, DVDs, Books, Movies, and more contained in this article are affiliate links. Please consider purchasing if you find something interesting, and thank you for your support.
We hope you found this article interesting. Come back for more reviews, previews, and opinions on comics, and don’t forget to follow us on social media:
If you’re interested in this creator’s works, remember to let your Local Comic Shop know to find more of their work for you. They would appreciate the call, and so would we.
Click here to find your Local Comic Shop: www.ComicShopLocator.com