Fogtown [Paperback]

The first review - comfort food for crime junkies - has it about right; but that's not all of it. Everything you want in a story like this is here - but then it starts going places that Sam Spade never did. The op is tough and smart, but it just may be that his opponents - and there are more than it seems - are tougher and smarter. The girl is sexy and alluring, but they may never be able to connect. The secretary is loyal and put upon, but even she doesn't know how much. And the villains come in all shapes and sizes. Only San Francisco is everything you thought it was, rendered by men who appear to know it well.

The period details are right on, but the art itself evokes the period wonderfully, like a 1950s comic. It's straightforward and workmanlike, all blacks and grays - perfect for the op and the way he works the case. You're never jerked out of the mood or his head as things unfold and unfold and unfold around him. In the end, that's the part that seals the deal for me. A lot of people want to do film noir, and if they haven't got film, they're in trouble from the get-go; they can't get the ambiance right. But this is a film noir that happens to be on paper, a true comic noir. The art and writing are all of a piece - comfortable and unique at the same time. Start reading after a comfortable dinner and you won't stop till you're deep in the night.

The story felt a bit rushed, feeling as if it needed at least fifty more pages with which to better pace itself, had a small plot hole or two, and an ending that went a little too saccharine. You will probably find it to be a very decent example of the genre, but I didn't find it to be the next great graphic novel, unfortunately.

I went into this book expecting one thing, and was pleasantly surprised when it gave me something better. Right off the bat, I noticed that while my experience of the noir genre was (and still is) pretty superficial, they still played a lot of the trademark tropes to the hilt. The aging private detective with put-upon secretary, dark past, poor hygiene. Hookers walk the streets. Corrupt businessmen control the city's finances. Words like "booze" and "dames" fly around. You know the drill. Girl goes missing and a mystery woman hires said detective to find her, I was ready to write the book off as a study in cliche. Good for a laugh or distraction.

I was wrong. There was a lot more depth to the story than the first few pages would let on. True, Gabrych could've eased up on the cliches a little towards the beginning, but he also put them there for a reason. Sometimes Fogtown twists your expectations by switching traditional roles around, other times just takes a more honest look at something the audience takes for granted.

On the whole, this is a good bit of light reading. Well-envisioned, well-realized, and has a movie-like feel and structure. No, it's not the kind of story where everything's deeply symbolic of the human scenario, nor do the characters delve into long monologues about the nature of the universe, man's place in it, etc. (And bless Gabrych for that!) But it does have depth and a very human angle. So if you're looking for an unconventional read that has a lot of story in a fairly small number of pages, then give Fogtown a try.