GRIFTER #1
Issue Title: 17 Minutes
Written by Nathan Edmonoson
Pencils by Cafu
Inked by Jason Gorder
Cole Argent is a con man who is suddenly hearing dark and sinister voices inside of his head. Confused and frightened by this interior chatter, Cole must piece together a mysterious, crucial 17 minutes of his life he can’t seem to recall. Relying entirely on his instincts, he searches for clues in all the wrong places. Grifter came off as a bit of a snooze read. I’m not sure if it was the lack of personality from our hero or the fact that he spent more than half the book ranting and raving into thin air, frightening those around him indefinitely.
It’s difficult to put too harsh of a judgment on where this story may end up, seeing as it’s only the first issue and things are only just getting started. I would have liked a little more intrigue, enough to wet my palate and leave me with a thirst for more. I just found the setup to be a little too typical, and not really getting to see our main character show off anything much more than lunacy and a penchant for jamming sharp objects (that somehow made it through today’s fierce airline security) into a victim’s eye sockets. I’m sure that there is much more to the character and I’d be curious to see at least where the writers take things from here. It just wasn’t the best way to get myself (a reader completely new to the character) into the relaunch.
WHAT DO YOU NEED TO KNOW?
This is yet another “memory loss” scenario that features a somewhat shaky hero inside of the spotlight. I’m positive that you could read #1 and not have to worry about having missed much. Of course, I could always be wrong.
VERDICT
Check it out first – Thumb through it a bit in your local comic shop and see if the character and setting appeals to you before purchasing this one. If quizzical plots and identity searching are your bag then you really might enjoy this.
