2 Guns #1

2 Guns #1, April 2007, Boom! Studios
writer: Steven Grant
artist: Mat Santolouco
colorist: Pop Art Studios
letterer/editor: Ed Dukeshire

2 Guns #1 is a dialogue-intensive crime drama full of predictable cliches and unexpected twists, and as far as first issues are concerned, I wouldn't have it any other way.

Bobby Trench is an undercover operative for a law firm that sets up established criminals, but the loopholes of our justice system makes it increasingly difficult to bring them down. Bobby laments the apparent futility of his work even in the face of accusations that he's become crooked, and by issue's end, we're led to believe that he is. As the nefarious "Bobby Beans," Trench teams up with an ambitious bank robber who turns on him after their heist, and, in a surprising move, is seemingly a secret agent himself for Naval Intelligence. This five issue miniseries promises to be an adventurous exploration of national security meets mob warfare, which may not be as vast a contrast as we think.

Rafael Albuquerque's cover is eye-catching, and Matt Santolouco's interior art is fluid and dramatic, despite the frequent clutter that results from writer Steven Grant's ill-paced dialogue. Don't get me wrong -- I liked that this issue took longer than usual to read (unlike yesterday's Teen Titans debacle), but some pages were void of any text, and others tight with wordy exchanges. I guess if my only complaint is that too much story was crammed into this first issue's twenty-two pages, this was a pretty good launch to a potentially dynamic plot.

Of course, I found 2 Guns #1 in a quarter back issue bin, so if I find the other four issues for just as much, I'll definitely pick them up. A good story for less than a few bucks . . . I call that killing two birds with, well, two guns.