Published by: Image Comics
Dark Corridor, by Rich Tommaso, is a delightfully pulp piece of story telling set against a classically American backdrop. The vibe is spot on from the start, the first few panels establishes the feeling that pervades the whole book. The first segment of the book is devoted to: The Red Circle. It begins with a bloodied dog and soon leads to murder! And so begins a thoroughly absorbing noir-ish pulp piece of sequential fiction.
The art of Dark Corridor, also by Rich Tommaso, is distinctive and very much in keeping with the vibe of the book. Which Rich’s style wouldn’t sit well with the spandex brigade, it is very effective in setting the mood of the book. The use of lighting is well worked and the framework of the panels is dynamic when required.
The story is nicely laid out, the pace doesn’t drop from one dark and dastardly moment to the next. The array of characters, from our anti-hero Pete to some crooked cops, are rendered nicely. You get a good feel for the characters, with their dubious pasts to their seedy present lives, it’s all good.
The style of the art works well with some of the darker aspects of the story – nothing too gory about the violence, and the blood is liberally painted in wholesome splashes of lovely red glory.
One aspect that could be improved upon is the lettering. It would benefit the book to enlist a professional letterer – while in many books you don’t notice the lettering, when you do it is because it could/should be better. In Dark Corridor, you do notice the lettering. It isn’t a massive problem for the book, the material is of a good enough quality to engage the reader. With a warm appreciation for pulp fiction, and a deft delivery of a suitably bloody story, the first issue of Dark Corridor leaves you with a tantalizing anticipation for the next issue. Quite an accomplished first issue for Rich Tommaso – here’s to the following issues building on this early promise.
