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The Black Beetle #1
The Black Beetle, Vol. 1: No Way Out
After witnessing an explosion that decimates the city’s organized crime community, killing dozens, the Black Beetle—Colt City’s sleuthing sentinel—is on the hunt for answers and justice! Follow Francesco Francavilla’s critically acclaimed pulp hero as he searches island prisons, dank sewers, and swanky nightclubs for the mysterious man known as Labyrinto.
152 pages, Hardcover
First published August 27, 2013
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 97 reviews
April 11, 2016
Evildoers in Colt City beware! The city is under the protection of... The Black Beetle!
I got this from Netgalley. Thank you, Netgalley!
Without giving too much away, The Black Beetle is a throwback to the pulps of the 1930's and 40's. While visually he looks like a mix of Batman and Blue Beetle, The Black Beetle most resembles Norvell Page's The Spider in my mind. Or early Batman stories where he gunned people down fairly regularly. He goes out of the frying pan and into the fire so many times his flesh should be a charred mess.
The plot was actually my least favorite part of the book but it was still engaging, an action-packed detective tale. When The Black Beetle finally catches up with Labyrinto, it does not disappoint. The zero issue, the tale of a bunch of Nazi agents looking for a lizard amulet, did a great job of introducing the Black Beetle while not revealing too much.
The art was the star of the show for me. It reminded me of 1990's Mike Mignola, Guy Davis' Sandman Mystery Theatre run, and also Tim Sale's art on Batman: The Long Halloween. Francavilla used shadows very well and his art and panel arrangement gave The Black Beetle kind of a timeless quality, like it was something great I was remembering from years ago rather than something I was reading for the first time. You can see the love Francavilla has for the comic medium and for his Black Beetle character in every panel.
The Black Beetle himself has a very simple but iconic look, like some member of the Justice Society introduced in the 1940's that you forgot about. If a two-gun gadget-driven Batman type hero is your thing, give The Black Beetle a try. He's influenced by Batman, The Spider, and other masked mystery men without being a generic homage. 4.5 stars. I'm ready for more Black Beetle!
I got this from Netgalley. Thank you, Netgalley!
Without giving too much away, The Black Beetle is a throwback to the pulps of the 1930's and 40's. While visually he looks like a mix of Batman and Blue Beetle, The Black Beetle most resembles Norvell Page's The Spider in my mind. Or early Batman stories where he gunned people down fairly regularly. He goes out of the frying pan and into the fire so many times his flesh should be a charred mess.
The plot was actually my least favorite part of the book but it was still engaging, an action-packed detective tale. When The Black Beetle finally catches up with Labyrinto, it does not disappoint. The zero issue, the tale of a bunch of Nazi agents looking for a lizard amulet, did a great job of introducing the Black Beetle while not revealing too much.
The art was the star of the show for me. It reminded me of 1990's Mike Mignola, Guy Davis' Sandman Mystery Theatre run, and also Tim Sale's art on Batman: The Long Halloween. Francavilla used shadows very well and his art and panel arrangement gave The Black Beetle kind of a timeless quality, like it was something great I was remembering from years ago rather than something I was reading for the first time. You can see the love Francavilla has for the comic medium and for his Black Beetle character in every panel.
The Black Beetle himself has a very simple but iconic look, like some member of the Justice Society introduced in the 1940's that you forgot about. If a two-gun gadget-driven Batman type hero is your thing, give The Black Beetle a try. He's influenced by Batman, The Spider, and other masked mystery men without being a generic homage. 4.5 stars. I'm ready for more Black Beetle!
August 13, 2016
A vigilante hero wearing a beetle-helmet, vicious Nazis, organized crime, night clubs, a damsel in distress, an ancient amulet, black magic, explosions, backpack helicopters... Another homage to the pulps of the 1930's, you get the picture, and Francesco Francavilla ensures that the picture you get is a pretty one indeed. There are many beautiful panel compositions and inventive page layouts to be admired, and if that is all you are looking for in a comic book you will likely be very satisfied with this one.
If you stubbornly insist that the plot and its characters should be somewhat intriguing as well, however, I suggest you look elsewhere. The plot of The Black Beetle in No Way Out is generic to the point that you already know everything you need to know just from reading the key words listed above, and all the characters are so two-dimensional that we learn almost nothing about them apart from labels such as "hero" or "Nazi" or "gangster." In fact, The Black Beetle probably would have worked better as a wordless picture book--its narration and dialogue are completely predictable and superfluous.
If you stubbornly insist that the plot and its characters should be somewhat intriguing as well, however, I suggest you look elsewhere. The plot of The Black Beetle in No Way Out is generic to the point that you already know everything you need to know just from reading the key words listed above, and all the characters are so two-dimensional that we learn almost nothing about them apart from labels such as "hero" or "Nazi" or "gangster." In fact, The Black Beetle probably would have worked better as a wordless picture book--its narration and dialogue are completely predictable and superfluous.
January 23, 2015
Harken back to the days of radio serials, when real men tangled with Nazis bent on world destruction, smacked around mobsters, and rescued good looking dames with nice gams. This is an atmospheric throwback to pulp stories of the thirties and forties, without most of the redundancy and camp.
The Black Beetle is Colt City’s strong armed sleuth/vigilante; quick on his feet and adept at getting out of the most precarious situations.
The artwork is a stylized mixture of expressionism, shadows and primary colors.
This is a fun, quick, painless read.
The Black Beetle is Colt City’s strong armed sleuth/vigilante; quick on his feet and adept at getting out of the most precarious situations.
The artwork is a stylized mixture of expressionism, shadows and primary colors.
This is a fun, quick, painless read.
November 22, 2023
A fast-paced mystery that harkens back to the old pulp stories and heroes, accompanied by Francesco Francavilla's wonderful artwork.
Would recommend.
Would recommend.
October 14, 2013
Set in the 1940s, a vigilante wearing an insect-like helmet and calling himself the Black Beetle is taking on organised crime and Nazis.
That’s pretty much it, and if I don’t seem that interested in the plot, it’s because I’m not. I feel like I’ve read this story at least half a dozen times in the last year or so. Black Beetle is superhero-ish (as in dresses the part but doesn’t have superpowers) noir in the vein of Mike Mignola’s last Lobster Johnson book, the Marvel Noir line, Green Hornet, Masks, The Shadow, and Darwyn Cooke’s DC New Frontier. It’s a look at the early half of the 20th century and a loving homage to the pulp stories of this era.
The brilliant Francesco Francavilla, the artist best known for the James Gordon Jr. story in Batman: The Black Mirror, writes and draws the book, and his art is as amazing as ever. He captures the look and feel of the time and flavour of the kind of stories he fell in love with perfectly. I also really liked the way he laid out the explanation scene at the end of the mystery. As Black Beetle is explaining the whole mystery, the panels are displayed as interlocking jigsaw pieces.
But the character designs are somewhat unoriginal. Black Beetle looks like he could’ve been a character from Watchmen, his costume is too derivative, and his demeanour is too much like Lobster Johnson’s, ie. competent but cold. Colt City is like every other New York City comic book facsimile with nothing particularly different to set it apart. I liked the bad guy Labyrinto’s design but felt his origin story to be completely hackneyed – though maybe that’s the idea, given the kind of story this is supposed to be?
I like that we never find out Black Beetle’s true identity but the lack of background to the character makes him that much harder to care about. At the end of the book I couldn’t tell you his characteristics, just that he’s the hero who has a beetle helmet, a gun and knows how to handle himself in a fight. Like the story, he’s all too forgettable.
All of which is to say it’s not a bad book. The art is really beautiful and many pages are elegantly stylised and wonderfully laid out. Francavilla is a hugely talented artist and one of those names I keep an eye out for when looking at comics credits. He’s also a decent writer and Black Beetle is easy to follow and told in an understandable way; it’s just not a very interesting story. That’s maybe because I’m not that crazy about noir superhero stories because they’re all kind of similar, and crime fiction in general is very hit-or-miss with me, but Black Beetle, both as a character and a story, didn’t grab me.
That’s pretty much it, and if I don’t seem that interested in the plot, it’s because I’m not. I feel like I’ve read this story at least half a dozen times in the last year or so. Black Beetle is superhero-ish (as in dresses the part but doesn’t have superpowers) noir in the vein of Mike Mignola’s last Lobster Johnson book, the Marvel Noir line, Green Hornet, Masks, The Shadow, and Darwyn Cooke’s DC New Frontier. It’s a look at the early half of the 20th century and a loving homage to the pulp stories of this era.
The brilliant Francesco Francavilla, the artist best known for the James Gordon Jr. story in Batman: The Black Mirror, writes and draws the book, and his art is as amazing as ever. He captures the look and feel of the time and flavour of the kind of stories he fell in love with perfectly. I also really liked the way he laid out the explanation scene at the end of the mystery. As Black Beetle is explaining the whole mystery, the panels are displayed as interlocking jigsaw pieces.
But the character designs are somewhat unoriginal. Black Beetle looks like he could’ve been a character from Watchmen, his costume is too derivative, and his demeanour is too much like Lobster Johnson’s, ie. competent but cold. Colt City is like every other New York City comic book facsimile with nothing particularly different to set it apart. I liked the bad guy Labyrinto’s design but felt his origin story to be completely hackneyed – though maybe that’s the idea, given the kind of story this is supposed to be?
I like that we never find out Black Beetle’s true identity but the lack of background to the character makes him that much harder to care about. At the end of the book I couldn’t tell you his characteristics, just that he’s the hero who has a beetle helmet, a gun and knows how to handle himself in a fight. Like the story, he’s all too forgettable.
All of which is to say it’s not a bad book. The art is really beautiful and many pages are elegantly stylised and wonderfully laid out. Francavilla is a hugely talented artist and one of those names I keep an eye out for when looking at comics credits. He’s also a decent writer and Black Beetle is easy to follow and told in an understandable way; it’s just not a very interesting story. That’s maybe because I’m not that crazy about noir superhero stories because they’re all kind of similar, and crime fiction in general is very hit-or-miss with me, but Black Beetle, both as a character and a story, didn’t grab me.
July 9, 2015
The point of this book is nostalgia, to reclaim the Golden Age of comics, to in a sense have you imagine what it might have been like in the forties to invent a superhero to save the day. The Black Beetle is set in 1941, the war years, in the U.S., and further imagined by a wannabe Stan Lee Italian comics guy. The writing isn't good. The dialogue is stilted, nothing is surprising about it at all, it's all canned Golden Age plot and resolution. The art is, however, both homage to the era and energizingly ambitious, trying to capture the times for art and history and place and yet also making every page unique, splashy, and both dark and mysterious.
One thing I noticed is that it does not make the mistake of just remaking women into the typical image of women in comics you would have seen then. No pinups, in other words. Though this is still a boy comic, male-centric, and essentially action only. Adventure! Mystery! Bad guys! Black Beetle saves the day, o' course. Two stars, then an extra star for the art, for the kitsch and homage of it.
One thing I noticed is that it does not make the mistake of just remaking women into the typical image of women in comics you would have seen then. No pinups, in other words. Though this is still a boy comic, male-centric, and essentially action only. Adventure! Mystery! Bad guys! Black Beetle saves the day, o' course. Two stars, then an extra star for the art, for the kitsch and homage of it.
December 17, 2013
Stylish and fun, Black Beetle is a pulpy, 40s superhero mystery comic. The title character reads as a tribute to really old Batman stories, when Bruce still carried a gun around. It's a hugely entertaining read, though I felt like the main storyline might have been too short. It was only four issues, and one or two more wouldn't have hurt. That said, I love the art, which reminds me a big of Mignola, and I admire the care that was put into the title. The covers, for example, look perfectly vintage.
March 3, 2016
Yes, Yes and Yes!
Pulpy goodness with FF art! While the story doesn't really break any new ground(yet) the art is just fantastic.
In case you hadn't noticed, I'm kind of over the moon with Francavilla and his artwork. I became aware of him several years ago when his name started popping up and loved the work he did on Comic Twart and his gorgeous vintage movie posters. In other words, I'm probably a little biased but if you like artwork with lots of blacks and heavy color contrast (think Frank Miller or Mike Mignola) I think you will enjoy this collection.
BTW Francavilla is doing some Olympic stuff over on his Tumblr account right now, I especially love his Silver Surfer snowboarding off the frozen head of Galactus.
Pulpy goodness with FF art! While the story doesn't really break any new ground(yet) the art is just fantastic.
In case you hadn't noticed, I'm kind of over the moon with Francavilla and his artwork. I became aware of him several years ago when his name started popping up and loved the work he did on Comic Twart and his gorgeous vintage movie posters. In other words, I'm probably a little biased but if you like artwork with lots of blacks and heavy color contrast (think Frank Miller or Mike Mignola) I think you will enjoy this collection.
BTW Francavilla is doing some Olympic stuff over on his Tumblr account right now, I especially love his Silver Surfer snowboarding off the frozen head of Galactus.
August 30, 2016
Set in the 1940s, a vigilante wearing an insect-like helmet and calling himself the Black Beetle is taking on organised crime and Nazis.
That’s pretty much it, and if I don’t seem that interested in the plot, it’s because I’m not. I feel like I’ve read this story at least half a dozen times in the last year or so. Black Beetle is superhero-ish (as in dresses the part but doesn’t have superpowers) noir in the vein of Mike Mignola’s last Lobster Johnson book, the Marvel Noir line, Green Hornet, Masks, The Shadow, and Darwyn Cooke’s DC New Frontier. It’s a look at the early half of the 20th century and a loving homage to the pulp stories of this era.
The brilliant Francesco Francavilla, the artist best known for the James Gordon Jr. story in Batman: The Black Mirror, writes and draws the book, and his art is as amazing as ever. He captures the look and feel of the time and flavour of the kind of stories he fell in love with perfectly. I also really liked the way he laid out the explanation scene at the end of the mystery. As Black Beetle is explaining the whole mystery, the panels are displayed as interlocking jigsaw pieces.
But the character designs are somewhat unoriginal. Black Beetle looks like he could’ve been a character from Watchmen, his costume is too derivative, and his demeanour is too much like Lobster Johnson’s, ie. competent but cold. Colt City is like every other New York City comic book facsimile with nothing particularly different to set it apart. I liked the bad guy Labyrinto’s design but felt his origin story to be completely hackneyed – though maybe that’s the idea, given the kind of story this is supposed to be?
I like that we never find out Black Beetle’s true identity but the lack of background to the character makes him that much harder to care about. At the end of the book I couldn’t tell you his characteristics, just that he’s the hero who has a beetle helmet, a gun and knows how to handle himself in a fight. Like the story, he’s all too forgettable.
All of which is to say it’s not a bad book. The art is really beautiful and many pages are elegantly stylised and wonderfully laid out. Francavilla is a hugely talented artist and one of those names I keep an eye out for when looking at comics credits. He’s also a decent writer and Black Beetle is easy to follow and told in an understandable way; it’s just not a very interesting story. That’s maybe because I’m not that crazy about noir superhero stories because they’re all kind of similar, and crime fiction in general is very hit-or-miss with me, but Black Beetle, both as a character and a story, didn’t grab me.
That’s pretty much it, and if I don’t seem that interested in the plot, it’s because I’m not. I feel like I’ve read this story at least half a dozen times in the last year or so. Black Beetle is superhero-ish (as in dresses the part but doesn’t have superpowers) noir in the vein of Mike Mignola’s last Lobster Johnson book, the Marvel Noir line, Green Hornet, Masks, The Shadow, and Darwyn Cooke’s DC New Frontier. It’s a look at the early half of the 20th century and a loving homage to the pulp stories of this era.
The brilliant Francesco Francavilla, the artist best known for the James Gordon Jr. story in Batman: The Black Mirror, writes and draws the book, and his art is as amazing as ever. He captures the look and feel of the time and flavour of the kind of stories he fell in love with perfectly. I also really liked the way he laid out the explanation scene at the end of the mystery. As Black Beetle is explaining the whole mystery, the panels are displayed as interlocking jigsaw pieces.
But the character designs are somewhat unoriginal. Black Beetle looks like he could’ve been a character from Watchmen, his costume is too derivative, and his demeanour is too much like Lobster Johnson’s, ie. competent but cold. Colt City is like every other New York City comic book facsimile with nothing particularly different to set it apart. I liked the bad guy Labyrinto’s design but felt his origin story to be completely hackneyed – though maybe that’s the idea, given the kind of story this is supposed to be?
I like that we never find out Black Beetle’s true identity but the lack of background to the character makes him that much harder to care about. At the end of the book I couldn’t tell you his characteristics, just that he’s the hero who has a beetle helmet, a gun and knows how to handle himself in a fight. Like the story, he’s all too forgettable.
All of which is to say it’s not a bad book. The art is really beautiful and many pages are elegantly stylised and wonderfully laid out. Francavilla is a hugely talented artist and one of those names I keep an eye out for when looking at comics credits. He’s also a decent writer and Black Beetle is easy to follow and told in an understandable way; it’s just not a very interesting story. That’s maybe because I’m not that crazy about noir superhero stories because they’re all kind of similar, and crime fiction in general is very hit-or-miss with me, but Black Beetle, both as a character and a story, didn’t grab me.
December 1, 2013
As the comic moves on to the main story we see that this guy has no luck; he gets blown up, breaks a few ribs, gets saved by uncleared up trash in an alley, tries to break into the predecessor of Alcatraz and gets caught by the guards while the real criminal escapes. I have left out the really good parts from that brief description because I do not want to spoil the story, but I can say that there is a really fun passage of pages where he is searching for someone, and the comic shows only brief snippets of his journey as he hops from place to place beating up criminals until he finds out where the man he is looking for his hiding.
As much as it pains me to be ‘that guy’ it really annoys me when any form of storytelling messes up basic physics. At one point He dives into the water, only for the guards to start shooting at him. Now I know we all saw the beginning of Saving Private Ryan and all those poor soldiers being shot to death in the sea, with bullets ploughing through the water into the distance, but this simply does not happen. All you need to be is more than five feet underwater and you are perfectly safe from gun fire. I do not think I want to test this on myself, but I have seen it demonstrated and the bigger more powerful the gun, the less it penetrates the water. It is a little quibble, but it irked me.
This is a ‘fun’ book. I struggled with that word because my brain kept wanting to use the word ‘nice’. It is a horrible description for anything that someone has worked hard on but I cannot think of any other way of describing it. So I am sticking with ‘fun’. I enjoyed reading the book, but I would not want to read the next one. Everything about the story and the art feel derivative, which is often a worry when you have a comic that looks back like this as it generally has all been done before. I am sure if you are a fan of pulp, or golden age Batman comics you will love this book, but I prefer my comics looking forwards, not back.
http://cmro.travis-starnes.com/blog/2013/10/the-black-beetle-volume-1-no-way-out-review/
As much as it pains me to be ‘that guy’ it really annoys me when any form of storytelling messes up basic physics. At one point He dives into the water, only for the guards to start shooting at him. Now I know we all saw the beginning of Saving Private Ryan and all those poor soldiers being shot to death in the sea, with bullets ploughing through the water into the distance, but this simply does not happen. All you need to be is more than five feet underwater and you are perfectly safe from gun fire. I do not think I want to test this on myself, but I have seen it demonstrated and the bigger more powerful the gun, the less it penetrates the water. It is a little quibble, but it irked me.
This is a ‘fun’ book. I struggled with that word because my brain kept wanting to use the word ‘nice’. It is a horrible description for anything that someone has worked hard on but I cannot think of any other way of describing it. So I am sticking with ‘fun’. I enjoyed reading the book, but I would not want to read the next one. Everything about the story and the art feel derivative, which is often a worry when you have a comic that looks back like this as it generally has all been done before. I am sure if you are a fan of pulp, or golden age Batman comics you will love this book, but I prefer my comics looking forwards, not back.
http://cmro.travis-starnes.com/blog/2013/10/the-black-beetle-volume-1-no-way-out-review/
October 13, 2013
The Black Beetle (not to be confused with the DC Comics villain) is a pulp noir modern graphic novel by Francesco Francavilla. This volume collects comics 1-4 of the No Way out arc. The story continues in the next arc: Necrologue.
The Black Beetle is a 1940s masked superhero somewhat reminiscent of hard boiled superheroes like the Punisher. Although we aren't told much of his background or history (true to the genre), we know he has martial arts training and that he is very good with inventions. The story is set in the 1940s in Colt City - a cross between NYC and Gotham City, though feeling much more like Chicago.
The plot starts with a mysterious magical artifact that the Beetle saves from being stolen by a crime lord. The arc follows the Beetle as he tracks down the boss(es) responsible and ends up in the middle of politics, double crosses, gun battles and fights, explosions and secret underground tunnels. A lot of the pulp conventions are here and used well - magic, adventure, mystery, and of course murder.
The story is well written and the artwork complements the hard hitting noir story. I have to compliment the artist for creating a character in a black outfit and then drawing him in dark nighttime scenes - he doesn't get lost in the shadows. The color scheme is 3 color: primary reds, yellows, and blues.
The idea for the character originated from the artist's blog - a poll suggested readers wanted to see a masked character rather than a Marlow private dick. Hence, the Black Beetle was born.
In all, I enjoyed The Black Beetle and I am pleased to see pulp regain popularity. Although this book ends with a clear arch (more about the crime families), it continues in the next 4 comics, Necrologue, which is more about the artifact.
Received as an ARC from the publisher.
The Black Beetle is a 1940s masked superhero somewhat reminiscent of hard boiled superheroes like the Punisher. Although we aren't told much of his background or history (true to the genre), we know he has martial arts training and that he is very good with inventions. The story is set in the 1940s in Colt City - a cross between NYC and Gotham City, though feeling much more like Chicago.
The plot starts with a mysterious magical artifact that the Beetle saves from being stolen by a crime lord. The arc follows the Beetle as he tracks down the boss(es) responsible and ends up in the middle of politics, double crosses, gun battles and fights, explosions and secret underground tunnels. A lot of the pulp conventions are here and used well - magic, adventure, mystery, and of course murder.
The story is well written and the artwork complements the hard hitting noir story. I have to compliment the artist for creating a character in a black outfit and then drawing him in dark nighttime scenes - he doesn't get lost in the shadows. The color scheme is 3 color: primary reds, yellows, and blues.
The idea for the character originated from the artist's blog - a poll suggested readers wanted to see a masked character rather than a Marlow private dick. Hence, the Black Beetle was born.
In all, I enjoyed The Black Beetle and I am pleased to see pulp regain popularity. Although this book ends with a clear arch (more about the crime families), it continues in the next 4 comics, Necrologue, which is more about the artifact.
Received as an ARC from the publisher.
December 8, 2013
In a great homage to pulp heroes, Francesco Francavilla's Black Beetle is a cinematic hero in a graphic novel filled with eye popping art. Panels careen around the page. Action swirls amongst sheet music. You can almost envision it as animated.
Sometime in the 1940s in Colt City, a masked hero with bulging red goggles and an array of cool gadgets fights crime. His real identity remains a secret, even from the reader. His true face is never seen.
As I mentioned, the art is the real star here. Colors are minimal, but used to maximum contrasting effect. Panel layouts and full pages are phenomenal. In notes at the end of the book, you find out that one of the key fight scenes was actually choreographed by a Hollywood fight choreographer. The whole book feels like it's in motion and would make an incredible animated feature. Recommended for the art alone.
I was given a copy of this graphic novel by Diamond Book Distributors and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this graphic novel.
Sometime in the 1940s in Colt City, a masked hero with bulging red goggles and an array of cool gadgets fights crime. His real identity remains a secret, even from the reader. His true face is never seen.
As I mentioned, the art is the real star here. Colors are minimal, but used to maximum contrasting effect. Panel layouts and full pages are phenomenal. In notes at the end of the book, you find out that one of the key fight scenes was actually choreographed by a Hollywood fight choreographer. The whole book feels like it's in motion and would make an incredible animated feature. Recommended for the art alone.
I was given a copy of this graphic novel by Diamond Book Distributors and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this graphic novel.
July 3, 2013
The artwork is phenomenal, and there is a great mix or standard story telling and unique full page spreads. The story is a bit simplistic, but that is standard for a pulp, and also with the limited size of the story (only 4 issues). That being said, there is good suspense elements, gadgetry, sex appeal, and action sequences. there really isn't much that this story misses out on. Definitely a story worth reading, and if you can't wait for the collected edition to come out, the single issues are still available online and are worth the money.
January 7, 2022
Superhero, ale stylizowane na retro-kryminał. Francavilla unika tego, co sprawia, że wiele ramotek jest dziś niestrawnych, więc rezygnuje z nadmiaru tekstu, zbytniej ingerencji narratora i nie przegina z infantylnością. Intryga jest całkiem fajna, olschoolowy sztafaż tworzy odpowiedni nastrój, a dynamika całości sprawia, że trudno się oderwać.
August 7, 2021
So much pulp, if it was orange juice it would not be considered a liquid anymore. Love it.
December 26, 2022
Ależ klimat!👏
March 28, 2021
Pulp noir superhero action of the highest caliber. Stunning art, the moods, colors, linework - all are beautifully executed. Highly recommend
July 31, 2014
Da sitze ich also breit grinsend auf dem Sofa, in der festen Überzeugung, 14,- Euro noch nie besser angelegt zu haben. Familie und Freunde meiden mich momentan, da jeder, der ins Zimmer kommt, aufgefordert wird, zumindest ein Panel oder eine der fantastischen Splash-Pages zu bestaunen. Begeisterung will geteilt sein, kann offenbar unbeteiligte "Opfer" aber auch nerven.
Francavilla ist eine Ausnahmeerscheinung, ein Comic-Genie. Den BLACK BEETLE hat er selbst erfunden und entwickelt, ebenso die Story. Auch für die Artwork zeichnet Francavilla komplett alleine verantwortlich.
An diesem Band stimmt für mich einfach alles: ein Held, der Batman nicht ganz unähnlich ist, aber ganz dem Pulp Noir verhaftet; eine Abenteuergeschichte im Stile der 40er Jahre, stilecht und kompromisslos erzählt; und die Artwork, die die Handlung perfekt in Szene setzt.
Jedes Panel reinster Kult, scheinbar mühelos aufs Papier gebrachte aufregende Seitengestaltung, massig Coverseiten und Splash-Pages, die man eigentlich unverzichtbar als Poster an der Wand bräuchte.
Kein Panel ist überflüssig und ich bewundere die unglaubliche Ökonomie, mit der Francavilla erzählt und auf einer einzigen Seite die perfekte Überleitung zwischen zwei Actionszenen schafft. Rhythmus und Dramaturgie sind perfekt, einerseits fliege ich beim Lesen über die Seiten, dann wieder verweile ich auf einer der Splashpages und kann mich nicht satt sehen daran.
Habe ich schon erwähnt, dass Francavilla ein Genie ist?
OK, es folgen ein paar Bilder, damit sich jeder selbst sein Urteil bilden kann.
Zunächst eine Preview, die in Stimmung und Ausführung exakt dem Comic entspricht:
Zwei der doppelseitigen Splash-Pages:
Zwei einseitige Splash-Pages:
Francavilla hat mich dieses Jahr schon einmal über alle Maßen begeistert mit AFTERLIFE WITH ARCHIE, und ich werde mir als nächstes wohl seinen Batman-Run zulegen.
Einen vergleichbar wichtigen Platz auf dem Olymp der Pulp und Noir Comics haben Dave Stevens mit seinem ROCKETEER und Darwyn Cookes mit PARKER, und wer sie mochte, wird auch den BLACK BEETLE lieben.
Francavilla ist eine Ausnahmeerscheinung, ein Comic-Genie. Den BLACK BEETLE hat er selbst erfunden und entwickelt, ebenso die Story. Auch für die Artwork zeichnet Francavilla komplett alleine verantwortlich.
An diesem Band stimmt für mich einfach alles: ein Held, der Batman nicht ganz unähnlich ist, aber ganz dem Pulp Noir verhaftet; eine Abenteuergeschichte im Stile der 40er Jahre, stilecht und kompromisslos erzählt; und die Artwork, die die Handlung perfekt in Szene setzt.
Jedes Panel reinster Kult, scheinbar mühelos aufs Papier gebrachte aufregende Seitengestaltung, massig Coverseiten und Splash-Pages, die man eigentlich unverzichtbar als Poster an der Wand bräuchte.
Kein Panel ist überflüssig und ich bewundere die unglaubliche Ökonomie, mit der Francavilla erzählt und auf einer einzigen Seite die perfekte Überleitung zwischen zwei Actionszenen schafft. Rhythmus und Dramaturgie sind perfekt, einerseits fliege ich beim Lesen über die Seiten, dann wieder verweile ich auf einer der Splashpages und kann mich nicht satt sehen daran.
Habe ich schon erwähnt, dass Francavilla ein Genie ist?
OK, es folgen ein paar Bilder, damit sich jeder selbst sein Urteil bilden kann.
Zunächst eine Preview, die in Stimmung und Ausführung exakt dem Comic entspricht:
Zwei der doppelseitigen Splash-Pages:
Zwei einseitige Splash-Pages:
Francavilla hat mich dieses Jahr schon einmal über alle Maßen begeistert mit AFTERLIFE WITH ARCHIE, und ich werde mir als nächstes wohl seinen Batman-Run zulegen.
Einen vergleichbar wichtigen Platz auf dem Olymp der Pulp und Noir Comics haben Dave Stevens mit seinem ROCKETEER und Darwyn Cookes mit PARKER, und wer sie mochte, wird auch den BLACK BEETLE lieben.
December 23, 2013
I'm really getting into these "masked" hero tales and this one interested me from Dark Horse, a publisher I always seem to be pleased with. This time we are in the time period of the Nazi's but pre-WWII so sometime in the 1930s. The art is absolutely gorgeous. Using techniques of the old 30s/40s movie posters & lobby cards (in fact these have even been added as extras!) the book has a real old-timey pulp look to it and is a visual feast for the eyes. I wasn't, however, as taken with the story. The book opens with a one-shot which I enjoyed quite well. Then the rest of the book brings about the "No Way Out" story-line which is a story complete within itself, however, elements from the one-shot are brought into play tying them together and popping up again at the end to tie in with the next volume. This leads me to seeing how the Black Beetle could have separate cases in each volume that are solved with the one main storyline running throughout the series. Anyway, the story was too "talky" for me, too much talking about the evil plot; BB is by himself most of the time so we get lots of narrative of him talking to himself and at the end we get the old egotistical villain taking several pages to explain exactly why and how he did everything he did. Plus Labyrinto, a guy in a bodysuit with a maze pattern on it is pretty lame. The Black Beetle's costume is cool though, but I don't think I'll bother reading another volume unless I came across it at the library perhaps.
June 14, 2013
My first introduction to pulp style comics, and I'm VERY impressed by it. The story is a well told classic tale of mystery that introduces the character of Black Beetle like a hero in a black cape wielding a couple of colt .45's, an archetype that feels very familiar (since this is my first pulp, that's just fine by me). But what really puts it way up in my comic list, is the art of Francesco Francavilla wich is just fantastic. If every artist would invest as much talent and work in their books as Francesco puts in just the layout of the panels in Black Beetle I wouldn't have stopped reading comics for almost 10 years. Looking at this pages is just a pleasure.
I just can't go back to super hero comics, so books like this are the reason I took up the hobby again. Recommended to anyone with, well, eyes.
I just can't go back to super hero comics, so books like this are the reason I took up the hobby again. Recommended to anyone with, well, eyes.
October 31, 2013
The Black Beetle Volume 1: No Way Out (Dark Horse) collects Francesco Francavilla's brilliant neo-pulp. Clad all in black save for red eyepieces and a red chest insignia, the mysterious Black Beetle battles Nazis, super villains, and even the police on the streets of Colt City, an obvious paean to Will Eisner's Spirit. Drawing inspiration from The Shadow, The Spider, and their ilk plus artists such as Eisner, Alex Toth, and Darwyn Cooke, Francavilla produces a dazzling new addition for the long heroic legacy of the pulp.
January 19, 2016
I am not familiar with pulps, but I love everything about this title. I read the entire thing in one sitting (a rarity these days), but it wasn't for lack of content. The story moves along quickly without feeling rushed, and at the end I felt excited for future installments, without feeling like I didn't get a complete story. As wonderful as the writing is, I think the art is even better. I rarely noticed panel structure/layout, but here I get the feeling that Francavilla spent just as much time on this as anything else. But the real highlight is the coloring. Relying heavily on reds, oranges and yellows adds a stylistic flair that takes the book to a whole other level of greatness.
June 17, 2013
Wonderful stuff!
Francavilla has been an artist I've been very interested in for a few years now and The Black Beetle pays off in a big way. A beautiful blend of noir, hard-boiled, pulp adventure and action. Fans of The Shadow, The Spider, The Avenger, The Whisperer, The Phantom Detective and Doc Savage can rejoice as there's a new crime-fighter/adventurer here to fight the forces of crime. I hope for a long and exciting career for Francavilla's Black Beetle.
Francavilla has been an artist I've been very interested in for a few years now and The Black Beetle pays off in a big way. A beautiful blend of noir, hard-boiled, pulp adventure and action. Fans of The Shadow, The Spider, The Avenger, The Whisperer, The Phantom Detective and Doc Savage can rejoice as there's a new crime-fighter/adventurer here to fight the forces of crime. I hope for a long and exciting career for Francavilla's Black Beetle.
December 1, 2014
Excellent and evocative recreation of pulp-era storytelling! This is brand new, but feels classic. Francavilla's artwork evokes Alex Toth and Dan Spiegel among others. We don't learn the Black Beetle's secret identity or anything. He's a masked man with a gun, in the tradition of The Shadow or The Spider or other such heroes of the era. This is only volume one, so there are hints of great things to come. I really like what I've seen of this series so far.
June 16, 2013
Read in single issues. I heart Francavilla's art and layouts, but the story is a bit humdrum. I like noir, and I liked the way this drew on those familiar hard-boiled tropes, but I really wanted more characterization of the lead. The mystery would have had to be a lot more clever to carry the story on its own.
October 10, 2013
A pulp noir comic. The Black Beetle is outstanding, crawling with action and mystery.
A cross between Barman and The Green Hornet comes Francavilla's masterpiece The Black Beetle. Dark Horse comics presents the new mysteries of The Black Beetle coming soon. I'm on stand by.
Mission Out!
A cross between Barman and The Green Hornet comes Francavilla's masterpiece The Black Beetle. Dark Horse comics presents the new mysteries of The Black Beetle coming soon. I'm on stand by.
Mission Out!
October 16, 2013
Fantastic book, 100% Francavillian gold. You can check out my review on my site here: http://all-comic.com/2013/picks-trade...
February 23, 2014
A great pulp comic.
December 2, 2019
El Pulp ha vuelto. O más bien, nunca se fue. Las temáticas y personajes que se presentaron en estas publicaciones tan baratas y populares de principios del siglo pasado, siguen siendo referentes y se han reinventado a lo largo de las décadas.
Pero de un tiempo a esta parte, han proliferado las publicaciones que quieren emular al Pulp más clásico (con mayor o menor acierto). Y The Black Beetle, es sin duda uno de los mejores ejemplos.
Francesco Francavilla es un artista italiano que ha trabajado con compañías de la talla de Marvel y DC cómics, y al que el Pulp dejó bastante huella. No hay más que echar un vistazo a sus fantásticas ilustraciones retro y a la mayor parte de sus trabajos, para comprobar que Francesco es uno de los mejores herederos del Pulp de nuestro tiempo.
Hace unos años, Francesco mostró en su blog dos bocetos de personajes puramente pulp. Uno era un detective privado de nombre Max Malone, y el otro era un justiciero enmascarado de enormes ojos de insecto. Y dejó que sus fans decidiesen cual de los dos merecía contar sus aventuras. Y Black Beetle fue el gran vencedor. Dando origen a una miniserie que Planeta DeAgostini ha compilado y editado en nuestro país con el título de "Sin Salida".
Estamos en Colt City. Es 1941, y el jazz y la victoria contra el pérfido Hitler, mantienen a la población en una disfrutable calma que sigue ocultando terribles males como gangsteres que se disputan el control de la ciudad, espías nazis en busca de mágicas y peligrosas reliquias, villanos enmascarados... y en medio de todo esto, un vigilante nocturno lucha contra todos ellos envuelto en un aura de misterio y respondiendo al nombre de Black Beetle.
Tan solo hace falta leer esa mini historia introductoria titulada Turno de Noche, para confirmar que estamos ante una obra que a pesar de jugar con los clichés de este movimiento, expira un espíritu propio inconfundible. Y esto no hace más que realzarse en los siguientes números que componen Sin Salida.
Black Beetle es un héroe pulp PERFECTO. Tanto, que podría haber compartido aventuras con The Shadow, Doc Savage o Green Lama sin desentonar ni un ápice. Además, se agradece que el autor mantenga el misterio en torno a este personaje. No pierde el tiempo en dar explicaciones de su origen, su identidad o sus motivaciones. Y esto permite que desde la primera página, The Black Beetle sea un cómic entregado a la acción y la aventura.
El apartado gráfico es de diez. El estilo de dibujo, los colores y el sombreado utilizado, los imaginativos encuadres... Francesco mantiene la esencia del Pulp y la amolda a su estilo. Siendo una verdadera gozada en las escenas de acción, que son puramente cinematográficas.
El argumento es en lo que más cojea The Black Beetle. Y no, no me refiero por ser poco sesudo, que a fin de cuentas no deja de ser una lectura de evasión. El problema está en que Francavilla no se queda en el simple misterio del protagonista y deja bastantes cliffhangers a lo largo de los capítulos. Y esto es un punto negativo al descubrir que la anunciada segunda entrega, titulada Necrologue, sigue sin tener fecha de salida (Sin Salida se publicó en 2013). Dejando esta historia bastante en el aire. Por otra parte, tenemos la trama del villano de Sin Salida, Labyrinto, que va desinflándose a medida que la historia llega a su desenlace.
De todos modos, hay que dejar claro que Francavilla ejerce más de dibujante que de guionista. Y que ya evita el meterse en diálogos innecesarios, para hacer todo más dinámico y entretenido. Además de compensar todas las carencias argumentales con un potente y vistoso apartado gráfico.
Con sus menos y, sobre todo, sus más. The Black Beetle: Sin Salida, es una compra obligada para todo aquel amante del Pulp o cualquiera que quiera disfrutar de una emocionante aventura de justicieros enmascarados como las de antaño.
Pero de un tiempo a esta parte, han proliferado las publicaciones que quieren emular al Pulp más clásico (con mayor o menor acierto). Y The Black Beetle, es sin duda uno de los mejores ejemplos.
Francesco Francavilla es un artista italiano que ha trabajado con compañías de la talla de Marvel y DC cómics, y al que el Pulp dejó bastante huella. No hay más que echar un vistazo a sus fantásticas ilustraciones retro y a la mayor parte de sus trabajos, para comprobar que Francesco es uno de los mejores herederos del Pulp de nuestro tiempo.
Hace unos años, Francesco mostró en su blog dos bocetos de personajes puramente pulp. Uno era un detective privado de nombre Max Malone, y el otro era un justiciero enmascarado de enormes ojos de insecto. Y dejó que sus fans decidiesen cual de los dos merecía contar sus aventuras. Y Black Beetle fue el gran vencedor. Dando origen a una miniserie que Planeta DeAgostini ha compilado y editado en nuestro país con el título de "Sin Salida".
Estamos en Colt City. Es 1941, y el jazz y la victoria contra el pérfido Hitler, mantienen a la población en una disfrutable calma que sigue ocultando terribles males como gangsteres que se disputan el control de la ciudad, espías nazis en busca de mágicas y peligrosas reliquias, villanos enmascarados... y en medio de todo esto, un vigilante nocturno lucha contra todos ellos envuelto en un aura de misterio y respondiendo al nombre de Black Beetle.
Tan solo hace falta leer esa mini historia introductoria titulada Turno de Noche, para confirmar que estamos ante una obra que a pesar de jugar con los clichés de este movimiento, expira un espíritu propio inconfundible. Y esto no hace más que realzarse en los siguientes números que componen Sin Salida.
Black Beetle es un héroe pulp PERFECTO. Tanto, que podría haber compartido aventuras con The Shadow, Doc Savage o Green Lama sin desentonar ni un ápice. Además, se agradece que el autor mantenga el misterio en torno a este personaje. No pierde el tiempo en dar explicaciones de su origen, su identidad o sus motivaciones. Y esto permite que desde la primera página, The Black Beetle sea un cómic entregado a la acción y la aventura.
El apartado gráfico es de diez. El estilo de dibujo, los colores y el sombreado utilizado, los imaginativos encuadres... Francesco mantiene la esencia del Pulp y la amolda a su estilo. Siendo una verdadera gozada en las escenas de acción, que son puramente cinematográficas.
El argumento es en lo que más cojea The Black Beetle. Y no, no me refiero por ser poco sesudo, que a fin de cuentas no deja de ser una lectura de evasión. El problema está en que Francavilla no se queda en el simple misterio del protagonista y deja bastantes cliffhangers a lo largo de los capítulos. Y esto es un punto negativo al descubrir que la anunciada segunda entrega, titulada Necrologue, sigue sin tener fecha de salida (Sin Salida se publicó en 2013). Dejando esta historia bastante en el aire. Por otra parte, tenemos la trama del villano de Sin Salida, Labyrinto, que va desinflándose a medida que la historia llega a su desenlace.
De todos modos, hay que dejar claro que Francavilla ejerce más de dibujante que de guionista. Y que ya evita el meterse en diálogos innecesarios, para hacer todo más dinámico y entretenido. Además de compensar todas las carencias argumentales con un potente y vistoso apartado gráfico.
Con sus menos y, sobre todo, sus más. The Black Beetle: Sin Salida, es una compra obligada para todo aquel amante del Pulp o cualquiera que quiera disfrutar de una emocionante aventura de justicieros enmascarados como las de antaño.
August 27, 2021
Akcja komiksu przenosi czytelnika do początku lat 40. do miasta Colt City. Niegdyś spokojna i urokliwa metropolia, zaczyna się coraz mocniej pogrążać w odmętach mroku i niebezpieczeństwa. Kraj stoi bowiem na granicy nieuchronnej wojny, a Hitler i jego armia tylko czekają, aby podbić nowe tereny. Jedynym obrońcą uciśnionych jest tytułowy „Czarny Chrząszcz”. Zamaskowany heros przemierzający mroczne uliczki, będący ostatnią ostoją sprawiedliwości. Walczy on nie tylko z nazistami wyspecjalizowanymi w czarnej magii, ale również z włoską mafią, która wykorzystuje nieszczęście innych. Wszystko zmienia się w momencie, kiedy kilku ważnych gangsterów ginie w tajemniczym ataku. Black Beetle będzie musiał szybko wyjaśnić całą tajemnicę. Rozpoczyna więc on skomplikowane śledztwo, od którego będzie zależeć nie tylko przyszłość herosa, ale również całego miasta.
Fabuła od samego początku stawia na sprawdzone rozwiązania, oferując czytelnikowi dość prostą, momentami mocno zwariowaną, ale również bardzo wciągającą opowieść detektywistyczną, w której nie zabraknie mocniejszej akcji. Zamaskowany bohater nieposiadający żadnych specjalnych mocy mierzy się tu z próbą rozwiązania zagadki przeprowadzonego zamachu, pragnie odkryć tożsamość tajemniczego Labirynto, jednocześnie stara się przeciwdziałać nazistowskim agentom pragnącym zdobyć potężny artefakt. Na kolejnych stronach albumu dzieje się więc naprawdę sporo i całość jest przygotowana w taki sposób, że odbiorca na pewno nie będzie tutaj odczuwał nudy. Biorąc jednak pod uwagę specyfikę historii, nie należy od niej oczekiwać nadmiernie porywających i głębokich treści. Twórca z rozmysłem stawia na prostą popkulturową rozrywkę, wypełniając album masą akcji, dobrego humoru i wyraźnym wielkim zamiłowaniem do pulpowych opowieści z tego epoki (w której dzieje się akcja komiksu).
Tym, co najbardziej wyróżnia album na tle konkurencji, jest jego wyśmienita oprawa graficzna. Francavill w naprawdę mistrzowski sposób połączył tutaj historię i rysunki, tworząc nierozerwalną całość, która dosłownie na każdej stronie się idealnie uzupełnia. Pod względem ogólnego stylu, jego prace przypominają momentami rysunki Mignoli. Włoch potrafi jednak zachować wyrazistą odrębność i stworzyć coś, z czym mógł poradzić sobie tylko on.
https://gameplay.pl/news.asp?ID=132487
Fabuła od samego początku stawia na sprawdzone rozwiązania, oferując czytelnikowi dość prostą, momentami mocno zwariowaną, ale również bardzo wciągającą opowieść detektywistyczną, w której nie zabraknie mocniejszej akcji. Zamaskowany bohater nieposiadający żadnych specjalnych mocy mierzy się tu z próbą rozwiązania zagadki przeprowadzonego zamachu, pragnie odkryć tożsamość tajemniczego Labirynto, jednocześnie stara się przeciwdziałać nazistowskim agentom pragnącym zdobyć potężny artefakt. Na kolejnych stronach albumu dzieje się więc naprawdę sporo i całość jest przygotowana w taki sposób, że odbiorca na pewno nie będzie tutaj odczuwał nudy. Biorąc jednak pod uwagę specyfikę historii, nie należy od niej oczekiwać nadmiernie porywających i głębokich treści. Twórca z rozmysłem stawia na prostą popkulturową rozrywkę, wypełniając album masą akcji, dobrego humoru i wyraźnym wielkim zamiłowaniem do pulpowych opowieści z tego epoki (w której dzieje się akcja komiksu).
Tym, co najbardziej wyróżnia album na tle konkurencji, jest jego wyśmienita oprawa graficzna. Francavill w naprawdę mistrzowski sposób połączył tutaj historię i rysunki, tworząc nierozerwalną całość, która dosłownie na każdej stronie się idealnie uzupełnia. Pod względem ogólnego stylu, jego prace przypominają momentami rysunki Mignoli. Włoch potrafi jednak zachować wyrazistą odrębność i stworzyć coś, z czym mógł poradzić sobie tylko on.
https://gameplay.pl/news.asp?ID=132487
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