Repossessed #1 (of 4)
Art & Story by Jim Ringuet
Review by Joey Braccino
Repossessed is one crazy comic book. Think equal parts Ghostbusters II, Moore’s Constantine, Mignola’s Hellboy, Fraction’s Casanova, Morrison’s Invisibles, and the legendary Hunter S. Thompson’s Fear And Loathing In Las Vegas, but 100% attitude. Writer and Artist (i.e. – Creator) Jim Ringuet starts the book with a one-page “What It’s All About” prologue into the world of Repossessed and then drops us right into the action with Clay, Joe, and Martha, “a trio of highly trained pros [who] will repossess any body in 24 hours or less! (Conditions may apply).”
If anything, the Repossessed is a quirky bit of demonic, street-horror fun. Ringuet doesn’t bother us with too much exposition aside from the aforementioned prologue, which allows for an action-packed opening issue. Clay, Martha, and Joe confront their first giant, winged, spirit-dog monster within the first few pages, and the hilarity and demon-fighting escalates from that point on. When Dee Agency (the metaphorically-heavy name of the Repossession Agency) receives a high-profile (i.e. – high-paying) case, our highly trained pros hit the road for Las Vegas. And, as always, hilarity ensues.
The comparisons to Fraction’s Casanova and Morrison’s Invisibles are reflected in both the high-concept theatrics of the book as well as the pop-art inspired visual style. Ringuet’s characters speak archaic, pseudo-Latin incantations with a certain street-colloquiallistic flair and his artwork is washed in vibrant reds, pinks, and blues. The design work is gorgeous and deftly juggles the naturalistic human figures and the surreal demon monsters, akin to the hyper-real stylings of Invisibles. Ringuet’s artwork and script come together in perfect synergy, and Repossessed becomes yet another example of the powerful creator-owned comics storytelling coming out of Image right now.
Verdict
Buy it. Repossessedis fun, surreal, and absolutely gorgeous. Ringuet’s firing on all cylinders as he takes on writing and art duties, and the final product is an uber-hip, genre-bending horror/on-the-road/outlaw movie in four-colors. Check it!
