-Theories & Thought Bubbles-
Welcome to Stumptown Investigations, please have a seat, Dexedrine Parios will be right with you, she is currently recovering from her last case – a few broken ribs and a swollen face, nothing too serious. When she comes downstairs, please don’t use her full name – Dex will do just fine. Don’t be alarmed, I imagine it looks worse than it feels, and it should at least tell you something about Dex’s commitment to her cases. You might have heard how Dex is kind of a clutz, and you’ve heard correct, but Dex always finishes what she’s started and the Case of the Baby in The Velvet Case is no different.
With the release of Stumptown Vol. II, we are brought back to the mean streets of Portland, writer Greg Rucka and artist Matthew Southworth revisit Dex and her family, picking up where the first volume left off. Rucka gives the reader an excellent dialog and his humor is smart, and dripping with sarcasm. One thing that stands out in the comic, are the panels where there is no dialog – not even a caption, which would represent a more noir way of writing. But Rucka uses none of that. Instead the reader is shown Dex’s eye-line, effectively making the reader discover clues in the same way Dex has to, a supremely ingenious way of storytelling.
Rucka relies heavily on the artwork of Matthew Southworth. There are very little primary colors and defined lines in the comic. The pencils and inks give the whole story this kind of gritty, realistic crime story. Very similar to Edward Risso’s work in 100 Bullets, Southworth knows how to avoid the sharp blues and pure yellows in order to further Rucka’s storytelling. The panel layout in the comic is all over the place, much like Ethan Van Sciver, Southworth has the panels adding to the action by skewing there lines or overlapping with other panels. There are also times where a scene is so immense that the top half of two pages is taken up by a single panel, but there may only be one word within that frame. The collaboration between art and writing in this comic is just as brilliant as any other crime drama.
I would recommend this comic to anyone over 16. It isn’t overly-vulgar, but there are mature themes and scenes addressed within the panels that may not be appropriate for younger readers. That being said, this comic gives us a different look at how a detective story can be told and I think anyone who particularly enjoys the idea of following a private investigator, who is sexually ambiguous and also a woman would also enjoy Stumptown Vol. I and II. It is important to note that this comic comes from Oni Press, and is a staple for their readers – almost as important to them as Scott Pilgrim.
Josh Nelson
A man as old as his tongue and a little older than his teeth
-Events This Week-
Tuesday – 230pm – 6pm – Pathfinder
Wednesday – 5pm & 6pm – D&D Encounters
Thursday – 530pm – 8pm - Magic the Gathering – Casual
Friday – 530pm – 9pm – Friday Night Magic – Standard Constructed – $5
Saturday – Noon – Dominion
Saturday – 4pm – 7pm – Draw Club
Sunday – Noon – Heroclix
Sunday – 3pm – Kaijudo League Play
Sunday – 330pm – Board Game Open Play
-Upcoming Events-
Located at the Seattle Center Exhibition Hall, the Jet City Comic show will feature Steampunk & Superhero Costume Contests, Live Painting from the Infusion Project, Creator Workshops, Comics, Collectibles and more. Special guests include Brom, Chris Roberson, Gabriel Hardman, and Dave Roman. It will be from 10am to 6pm. Tickets are $8 and are available here at the shop or at the door.
We are now taking sign-ups for the Magic the Gathering Return to Ravnica Pre-Release. We will be hosting 2 events on both Saturday and Sunday. The first event starts at 10am and the second event starts at 4pm. Entry is $25 with $5 extra if you want pizza. You will be asked to pick your Guild when you sign up. We are limiting it to 5 representatives per guild per game, so have a 2nd and 3rd choice in mind. We also ask that you sign up in person, please.
We are also accepting pre-orders for the Return to Ravnica booster boxes. We are offereing a special price of $110 per box if you pre-pay before the Pre-Release and you get the Buy-It-By-The-Box promo.
