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The Hard Place #1-5
Hard Place
After five years in prison, AJ GURNEY - one of Detroit's legendary wheelman and the ladies' favorite bad boy - is free, and he's decided it's time to go straight. He wants nothing more than to be left alone and disappear into anonymity, working at the family garage and drinking beers with his Pops on the porch.
But during a simple visit to the bank, AJ is recognized by two violent bank robbers, and they demand AJ be their driver. To ensure his compliance, they take a young female hostage. Unfortunately, she just happens to be the daughter of a Russian crime lord.
AJ now finds himself pursued by the police and hunted by every asset of the Russian mob. Without a doubt, he's in a very hard place.
Writer Doug Wagner joins forces with artists Nic Rummel and Charlie Kirchoff for the heart-pumping anarchy of THE HARD PLACE.
"This book is crazy. If you're into high-octane car chases, badass Russian mobsters, and nonstop chaos, THE HARD PLACE delivers all that in spades."
Collects issues 1-5.
But during a simple visit to the bank, AJ is recognized by two violent bank robbers, and they demand AJ be their driver. To ensure his compliance, they take a young female hostage. Unfortunately, she just happens to be the daughter of a Russian crime lord.
AJ now finds himself pursued by the police and hunted by every asset of the Russian mob. Without a doubt, he's in a very hard place.
Writer Doug Wagner joins forces with artists Nic Rummel and Charlie Kirchoff for the heart-pumping anarchy of THE HARD PLACE.
"This book is crazy. If you're into high-octane car chases, badass Russian mobsters, and nonstop chaos, THE HARD PLACE delivers all that in spades."
Collects issues 1-5.
136 pages, Paperback
First published March 6, 2018
1 person is currently reading
40 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews
August 21, 2018
The Hard Place is a hamfisted crime drama where an ex-con trying to go straight gets roped into being an unwilling wheelman to a pair of dopes who’ve kidnapped a Russian gangster’s daughter after a botched bank robbery.
Doug Wagner’s story is way too contrived. Our guy just happens to be at the bank when it’s being held up, he just happens to be recognised by the robbers who just happen to know who he is, they just happen to need a getaway driver (seriously, who plans a heist without an exit strategy?!), the hostage just happens to be a Russian gangster’s daughter, who just happens to be acquainted with our guy. On and on the coincidences rack up before Wagner gives up and starts writing schlock like the main character getting shot in the head at point blank range, SURVIVING, and just needing some minor stitches!!
Our guy is the clichéd ex-con-going-straight archetype while the robbers and the gangster’s daughter are less characters than they are plot devices. The Russian gangster wasn’t nearly as ruthless enough – I’ve never heard of anyone in thrall to that mob getting to walk away unscathed, especially given what our guy did – and the plot plays out predictably. I mean, if the main character can walk off a headshot and get back into the game immediately, nothing’s gonna stop him!
Nic Rummel’s blocky art is ugly as hell. There are repetitive flashbacks to our dumbass main character doing a dangerous jump in a car that was completely pointless – guess if he makes the jump he couldn’t make before at the end? And to what purpose anyway – he does a dumb jump in his car, so what?!
I guess it’s readable and coherent – it’s not an incompetent comic – but The Hard Place is just plain bad and too stupid to take remotely seriously.
Doug Wagner’s story is way too contrived. Our guy just happens to be at the bank when it’s being held up, he just happens to be recognised by the robbers who just happen to know who he is, they just happen to need a getaway driver (seriously, who plans a heist without an exit strategy?!), the hostage just happens to be a Russian gangster’s daughter, who just happens to be acquainted with our guy. On and on the coincidences rack up before Wagner gives up and starts writing schlock like the main character getting shot in the head at point blank range, SURVIVING, and just needing some minor stitches!!
Our guy is the clichéd ex-con-going-straight archetype while the robbers and the gangster’s daughter are less characters than they are plot devices. The Russian gangster wasn’t nearly as ruthless enough – I’ve never heard of anyone in thrall to that mob getting to walk away unscathed, especially given what our guy did – and the plot plays out predictably. I mean, if the main character can walk off a headshot and get back into the game immediately, nothing’s gonna stop him!
Nic Rummel’s blocky art is ugly as hell. There are repetitive flashbacks to our dumbass main character doing a dangerous jump in a car that was completely pointless – guess if he makes the jump he couldn’t make before at the end? And to what purpose anyway – he does a dumb jump in his car, so what?!
I guess it’s readable and coherent – it’s not an incompetent comic – but The Hard Place is just plain bad and too stupid to take remotely seriously.
June 2, 2018
The Hard Place pairs terrific artwork with a classic pulp storyline about a tough guy who gets released from prison,swears he's gonna go straight, but through the grand art of coincidence finds himself neck-deep in trouble with psychopathic bank robbers, a mob boss, and half the town's police force on his heels. If it wasn't for bad luck, I wouldn't have no luck at all, is what great blues man Albert King told us. When it comes to gritty graphic novels, The Hard Place Is a touch of the good stuff.
August 12, 2018
I wasn’t sure if this was gonna be really good or really bad. I would say good though there were a few things I didn’t care for.
What’s it about?
There’s a guy who just got out of jail but ended up being at the bank while a robbery was happening. The robbers heard this guy is a good driver so they force him to be their driver. They also take another person with them as a hostage, one that they think is such a pretty girl... unfortunately for them that pretty girl is the daughter of a big time Russian mob guy... yeah, safe to say these guys messed up.
Pros:
The story is pretty interesting. It’s not very deep or anything but it kept me interested for a quick action book.
The art is hit and miss, I’ll give this book a point for the art that I liked.
The action scenes are pretty exciting and well done.
The ending wraps everything up nicely.
Cons:
So I said that the art is hit or miss, I really don’t like the panels that are miss ones.
The characters are pretty generic. They’re just typical, sorta bland action movie type characters.
This book is fairly predictable.
Overall:
This is a good book that I think fans of action-packed crime books would probably enjoy. Is it a masterpiece? No but I don’t think it’s meant to be, I’m pretty sure that it’s just meant to be a fun action comic and it definitely succeeds there.
What’s it about?
There’s a guy who just got out of jail but ended up being at the bank while a robbery was happening. The robbers heard this guy is a good driver so they force him to be their driver. They also take another person with them as a hostage, one that they think is such a pretty girl... unfortunately for them that pretty girl is the daughter of a big time Russian mob guy... yeah, safe to say these guys messed up.
Pros:
The story is pretty interesting. It’s not very deep or anything but it kept me interested for a quick action book.
The art is hit and miss, I’ll give this book a point for the art that I liked.
The action scenes are pretty exciting and well done.
The ending wraps everything up nicely.
Cons:
So I said that the art is hit or miss, I really don’t like the panels that are miss ones.
The characters are pretty generic. They’re just typical, sorta bland action movie type characters.
This book is fairly predictable.
Overall:
This is a good book that I think fans of action-packed crime books would probably enjoy. Is it a masterpiece? No but I don’t think it’s meant to be, I’m pretty sure that it’s just meant to be a fun action comic and it definitely succeeds there.
July 9, 2018
Doug must have watched Baby Driver and Drive before making this.
So we have AJ, main guy who just got out of prison. He's trying to fix up his life and try to live a by the books type of life after a crash put him in jail and his friend dead. In doing so he tries to get a loan from the bank but you know what's going to happen. A bank robbery! Not only do that take AJ and kidnap him to drive for them but somehow the mob boss of the city has his daughter in the bank at the same time so she comes with them too.
Good: It's a pretty unique and interesting art design. Like a cartoony noir adventure. I also thought AJ was a pretty interesting character and I like his relationship with his father and best friend. The story is also pretty solid pacing because it's never boring.
Bad: SUPER predictable. You can tell every twist. I thought showing the flashback of what happen to him in the crash was annoying. It was shown around 7-8 times and it didn't become impactful any of those times. The side characters and villains are one dimensional.
Overall this was a quick run read. For the art alone it's worth checking out. Like Plastic though, Doug doesn't seem to have a lot of emotional impact on his stories. Still, for a entertaining crime stories this could be a lot worse. A 3 out of 5.
So we have AJ, main guy who just got out of prison. He's trying to fix up his life and try to live a by the books type of life after a crash put him in jail and his friend dead. In doing so he tries to get a loan from the bank but you know what's going to happen. A bank robbery! Not only do that take AJ and kidnap him to drive for them but somehow the mob boss of the city has his daughter in the bank at the same time so she comes with them too.
Good: It's a pretty unique and interesting art design. Like a cartoony noir adventure. I also thought AJ was a pretty interesting character and I like his relationship with his father and best friend. The story is also pretty solid pacing because it's never boring.
Bad: SUPER predictable. You can tell every twist. I thought showing the flashback of what happen to him in the crash was annoying. It was shown around 7-8 times and it didn't become impactful any of those times. The side characters and villains are one dimensional.
Overall this was a quick run read. For the art alone it's worth checking out. Like Plastic though, Doug doesn't seem to have a lot of emotional impact on his stories. Still, for a entertaining crime stories this could be a lot worse. A 3 out of 5.
Read
June 23, 2018Initially I thought this was going to be another instance of my seldom clicking with crime comics unless they're on a comedy heist vibe. Yeah, the art had a certain Philip Bond pop charm, but the story seemed to hit too many familiar beats, with the ace getaway driver out of gaol, then unwillingly drawn into another job by gung-ho idiots - basically Baby Driver 2, which would be an iffy enough prospect on screen, and nobody needs on the page. But then things started getting tangled in interesting ways, and some of the cast started acting like people instead of stereotypes, and this made the way that others were continuing to be stereotypes feel more deliberate and plausible.
(Edelweiss ARC)
(Edelweiss ARC)
September 6, 2018
Quite conventional tale about an ex-con finding himself in trouble - enjoyable stuff
AJ Gurney comes out of prison ready to start a new life but finds himself embroiled unwillingly in criminal ventures. There’s plenty of action, bloodshed and excitement in this story and it moves along at quite a pace.
The artwork is simple but detailed enough although it’s too colourful for my liking. As noir comics go, this one is worth reading and an excellent example of the genre. Recommended.
December 13, 2018
I loved this. A driver gets out of jail to wind up asking for a loan at a bank that just so happens to get robbed. And they pull him into the mix. The animal masked wannabe robbers. The Russian hitmen talking about animal videos while their chasing them down. And a kidnapped Russian mob boss’ daughter thrown into the mix.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 18, 2018
Former heist driver, AJ Gurney is released from prison with the singular intention of getting his life back on the straight-and-narrow, unfortunately, two bank robbers force him to be their wheelman throwing him right back into a life of crime. Doug Wagner's high-octane concept sounds rather cliche with a typical premise, and the story's format does ever match with the high-speed thrills it attempts to show. Nic Rummel's art is blocky with bold outlines and hard-to-read panels that suffer from Charlie Kirchoff's simplistic coloring. The car chases are the only well-executed pages, but they are sadly few and far between. Wagner also repeats the same flashback every issue with very little development or proper context, so this defining emotional scene is repeated ad nauseam with no meaningful payoff (Even when the payoff occurs, the illustrations never depict why this ultimate stunt is such a remarkable thing or even possible in the space it occurs). The amount of repetition and unnecessary dialogue makes these five issues feel exhausting as the characters keep stating their goals and simply vocalizing their thoughts rather than showing these ideas through story-telling and actions. This concept is exciting and has loads of potential, but this work never meets that potential or exceeds beyond a by-the-numbers action serial with no reason to re-read.
December 22, 2017
Read as single issues!
Está chingoncillo este comic. Al principio estaba excéptico por lo cliché de los elementos en la historia, la clásica de el vato que era delincuente, entra en la carcel, sale por buen comportamiento y después cae en un complot como chivo expiatorio. PERO! la historia está muy bien escrita, en unos cuantos puntos de la serie si te quedas sacado de onda por la falta de desarrollo de las relaciones en los personajes, pero creo que eso se debe a la limitación de terminarlo en 5 números.
Los elementos de acción estan muy bien dibujados, sientes el movimiento de las escenas y los acercamientos. La lectura tiene el ritmo de esos comics domingueros de Mark Millar (Los que son buenos :P). Lo recomiendo para alguien que busca un comic de acción, cualquiera que está buscando algo más... aléjense!!!
Está chingoncillo este comic. Al principio estaba excéptico por lo cliché de los elementos en la historia, la clásica de el vato que era delincuente, entra en la carcel, sale por buen comportamiento y después cae en un complot como chivo expiatorio. PERO! la historia está muy bien escrita, en unos cuantos puntos de la serie si te quedas sacado de onda por la falta de desarrollo de las relaciones en los personajes, pero creo que eso se debe a la limitación de terminarlo en 5 números.
Los elementos de acción estan muy bien dibujados, sientes el movimiento de las escenas y los acercamientos. La lectura tiene el ritmo de esos comics domingueros de Mark Millar (Los que son buenos :P). Lo recomiendo para alguien que busca un comic de acción, cualquiera que está buscando algo más... aléjense!!!
June 17, 2018
An enjoyable action comic. A gangster's driver comes out of jail with all intentions of going straight, but of course life can't be so kind. You have to work a little too much to take the art style, but its distinctive look is quite in keeping with the mood of the piece in the end. What I found the biggest fault was that so much of the back-story relates to some car stunt that went wrong, and we never actually find out what that was supposed to be – I guess it cuts down on copycat lawsuits. You could also say the story relies on just one coincidence too many, but I didn't mind that – the kinetic drama over-powered the cheesy construct, and allowed for a fun, escapist read.
April 25, 2021
Gave me Hotline Miami vibes from what little preview I saw from it.
The story is your typical ex-con fresh out of jail that got roped into an illegal operation unwillingly. Antagonists that are dumb as a box of rocks and your protagonist that will always be one step ahead.
The story isn't bad, but it's predictable. It has feel good moments that bring you back into the fold and see both sides of the story.
I enjoyed the artwork and the story alike, couldn't put it down and didn't want to.
The story is your typical ex-con fresh out of jail that got roped into an illegal operation unwillingly. Antagonists that are dumb as a box of rocks and your protagonist that will always be one step ahead.
The story isn't bad, but it's predictable. It has feel good moments that bring you back into the fold and see both sides of the story.
I enjoyed the artwork and the story alike, couldn't put it down and didn't want to.
January 7, 2026
Like watching a movie
This tale really moved along. It was a nice surprise. I started reading, intrigued by the description of the storyline, but began to have doubts almost right away. The art, while objectively good, was not my cup of tea. The tone, supported by the art, was dark and the narrative was a puzzle from the get-go. Before I knew it, I was sucked in and couldn't stop until the end of the volume. Very fun!!
This tale really moved along. It was a nice surprise. I started reading, intrigued by the description of the storyline, but began to have doubts almost right away. The art, while objectively good, was not my cup of tea. The tone, supported by the art, was dark and the narrative was a puzzle from the get-go. Before I knew it, I was sucked in and couldn't stop until the end of the volume. Very fun!!
July 2, 2021
This is a straight-up, no-nonsense story about an ex-con wheelman who gets out of the pen and into a heap of trouble waiting for him. It’s not exactly a groundbreaking story, but for what it is, it’s very well done and a lot of fun, with some terrific, if heavily stylized, artwork. Would love to see this team do more hard-boiled crime stories.
September 21, 2021
In what could have been just a stale replay of trying to go straight after prison, the wheel man story was worth while and even accepting of the distinctive art, which i tried hard at times to dislike, but carried the story.
April 14, 2019
I liked this book. The story was engaging. The characters were multi-dimensional. It had a lot of action and an interesting plot. It was a lot of fun.
July 3, 2018
Darned fine ride!
July 14, 2018
Fast and Furious would be left in the dust if this was a movie.
July 30, 2018
Was ok
September 15, 2019
Same old story. Nothing new.
August 16, 2020
Didn’t work for me.
March 6, 2021
Quite fun, lovely pop artwork. I actually enjoyed the fathead bank robbers. A bit of heart to it, too.
October 21, 2022
Solid, straightforward story of a getaway car driver who does 5 years' time, gets out, and finds himself in the middle of a bank heist so afterwards, and gets forcibly recruited to help them escape.
December 23, 2023
One thing I did like about this was Nic Rummel's gritty street style-esque art. It fit well with the story and honestly this could have been a Vertigo title
June 4, 2024
Quite a fun read, likeable tough guy protagonist. Not anything groundbreaking but overall enjoyable.
Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews