Concrete, Volume 4: Killer Smile

Concrete #4

by Paul Chadwick

All Larry Munro wanted was a tank of gas. What he got was a gun pointed at his head. Now he's being forced to play chauffeur to a pyromaniac looking to burn L.A. to the ground! Can Concrete race fast enough to stop the bullet aimed at his best friend?

Genres: Comics, Graphic Novels, Comic Book, Graphic Novels Comics, Fiction, Science Fiction, Fantasy

202 pages, Paperback

First published October 15, 1995

About the author

Paul Chadwick (b.1957) has worked widely as an artist and writer for comic books, with collaborators like Ron Randall, Doug Wheatley, Alan Moore, John Bolton, Harlan Ellison, Jan Strnad, Randy Stradley, Archie Goodwin, Brian K. Vaughan, and others.

He's most noted for his award-winning series Concrete, about a thoughtful man stuck in a brutish, rock-coated body. Born in Seattle, he grew up in its lakeside suburb Medina, then a haven for Boeing engineers and their families, now the site of palaces for Bill Gates and his ilk. His father Stephen F. Chadwick was City Attorney for the small hamlet.

As a teen, he joined Apa-5, the amateur press alliance of comics fans which also provided a creative outlet for future comics luminaries like Frank Miller, Mike Richardson, Randy Stradley, Chris Warner, Randy Emberlin, and others.

He attended Art Center College of Design, majoring in illustration. Around this time Chadwick lived in a courtyard apartment building, The Golden Palm, which teemed with talent. Bryn Barnard, Ron Harris, David Mattingly, James Gurney, Thomas Kinkade, Kurt Cyrus, Mark Verheiden, Andy Su, Terry Robinson all lived there, five of them as Chadwick's roommate (at different times).

Chadwick graduated in 1979, and began storyboarding movies for Disney, Warner Brothers, Lucasfilm and others. Credits include Pee Wee's Big Adventure, Strange Brew, The Big Easy and Ewoks: The Battle for Endor. Chadwick says the auteurs behind two small films he worked on, Lies (Jim & Ken Wheat) and Miracle Mile (Steve DeJarnatt) were the greatest personal influences on his writing.

Chadwick also freelanced illustration, mainly for movie advertising (Streamers and Galaxy of Terror were the only finished posters among the dozens of preliminary paintings he did) and for SF and Fantasy paperbacks.

Chadwick decided to devote himself to comics, but Concrete didn't sell at first. Chadwick's first comic in print was The Life of St. Norbert, published by an order of Norbertine monks. Going from the sacred to the (mildly) profane, he next drew Steve Perry's strange and silly Salimba, about a jungle girl fighting "wormboys" and a giant three-headed were-dog.

A year on Marvel's Dazzler completed Chadwick's apprentice years, and he sold Concrete in 1985 to Dark Horse comics. It has appeared intermittently ever since.

A Concrete movie has been in development for years. Chadwick has written several screenplays for it, first in collaboration with Larry Wilson, then solo. Peter Jackson and Fran Walsh wrote one, as well, which briefly won a green light for the film.

The decision was reversed upon the release of the surprise hit The Blair Witch Project, which caused the sudden mass delusion that Hollywood could dispense with costly visual effects and stars. The fever passed, but Concrete's window had closed, at least until somebody with the clout or energy decides to brave the thousand demons that lay waiting to kill every movie.

Chadwick wrote and drew (inks by Ron Randall) eight issues of The World Below, about a network of vast, mysteriously lit caverns beneath northern Washington State, and the strange beings and technology to be found there. Dark Horse plans to reissue the series as a collection.

The Human Dilemma, the newest Concrete series, won an Eisner Award (best cartoonist) and a Reuben Award (best in comic books division) from the National Cartoonist Society.

Chadwick is currently drawing a miniseries for DC, Seven Against Chaos, written by Harlan Ellison.

He's also working on a (non-Concrete, TBA) graphic novel for Dark Horse, as well as a new Concrete miniseries.

Biography updated 2010

Reviews

[Nicolo · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’ve never tried Paul Chadwick’s Concrete before, although I’ve read excellent reviews on it. So it was an easy choice to sample one when a random volume came out on top of a pile of manga in a bargain bookstore. It was easy why at first glance it could be mistaken for a manga title. It was a smaller than a regular comics trade paperback and flipping the pages would only yield black and white art. It is as different from manga as freshly squeezed orange juice is from the sugary flavored water packed in ready to drink foil packs.

Concrete was once a regular human being, before his consciousness was transferred into a mobile concrete shell imitation of a human form. He’s lost his sense of smell and touch, but gained enhanced vision. He has now an almost indestructible body that replenishes that wear and tear caused by the movement of his body with the consumption of rocks. It was once mentioned in passing in one of the short stories in this volume that he once went into a coma when he suffered a grievous injury and while in that state regenerated his lost limbs. His new body has all these wonderful features, but he has truly lost his human appearance.

Concrete is the bull with the whole world as his china shop. He has to be careful, lest his super strong body crush the more delicate human around him. He can’t even sit in a regular chair; only a chair made out of concrete blocks can carry his bulk. He moves slowly, carefully and deliberately and that gives him time to think and ponder what ordinary people would think on what he’s about to do. It helps develop his insight on humans and society and general, as normal interaction is no longer possible with his strange appearance and celebrity.

I find myself enjoying this book, even though it is the fourth volume, I’ve completely missed out on those that were released before, The main story, from where this collection took its title is a riveting read; but I’ve enjoy the short stories more.

[Clay · Rating 3 out of 5]

The main story (Killer Smile) seemed rather pedestrian. It likely didn't help matters that I was unfamiliar with the characters, their history, or their personalities. Except for some of the derring-do and the bits with Concrete falling on top of things, there wasn't any reason that almost any other human could have been put into the "hero" role. I guess what I'm trying to say is that the chestnut of a plot with criminals on the run and being chased by police and the hostage's friends didn't really break any new ground by having a 1200 lump of animate stone being part of the chase.

The short stories with Concrete were even less enthralling.

The savior of this volume (and bumping my rating up from 2 stars), besides the great art, were the "100 Horrors" mini-stories that were collected. Many of these were clever and unexpected. Some of the dread, from even the on-pagers, was palpable.

[Kirk · Rating 4 out of 5]

When I took Comic Books as Lit-a course I later inherited and now teach-this was the Concrete book I had to read. This one was alright. Larry is a bit of a douche in this one. I always found him to serve little purpose in most stories. Here he plays a more integral role in the story, but then his annoying idiosyncrasies are highlighted.

As with all Concrete stories, this one is a bit anti-climactic, but I appreciated the back story of the guy in the couple. He always reminded me of one of my friends, and I would have been the friend in the book who died in the car accident, leaving the villain in this book disillusioned.

[Michael · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good, tense work. Larry is kidnapped at gun point - the story is less about Concrete than it is about his top aide and his inability to act in a personal crisis, although Chadwick does give plenty of room to Concrete's fretting. In the end, Chadwick asks the reader to consider how each of us would react to a dangerous situation.

The short stories were mostly terrific, moody and well illustrated. I think I prefer Chadwick's short stories to the longer narratives. Concrete's melancholy and contemplative mood works best in short, concentrated bursts.

[Sean · Rating 4 out of 5]

Concrete is real, he's strong, and he's my best friend. I liked the short stories a little better than the main narrative. Unfortunately I'm reading these out of order so I had to pick up some facts about Concrete from context (I knew the very basics only), but that wasn't too bad. I really enjoy the feel of this series and I'm sad my library only has one other volume for me to read. But I'll be on the lookout for more!

[Sylvester Olson · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the second time that I read this volume. Paul Chadwick is a master artist and storyteller, but the main story in this one isn't as strong as his others. Not bad, and certainly worth a read. "Concrete" is simply better in shorter stories, I feel. Chadwick includes his "100 Horrors" series here, deserves to be completed at some point.

[Martin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another terrific entry in the collection. Chadwick's control of the page, combined with his imagination and wit, makes him a superior visual storyteller. I don't agree with some of his politics, but that's OK. His work is still terrific.

[Jason · Rating 2 out of 5]

Maybe it's because I jumped in during volume 4, but I just never connected with the material.

[Patrick Book · Rating 4 out of 5]

Main story great, supplementary materials hit or miss.

[Elias · Rating 5 out of 5]

What will Larry get up to next?

[Annie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this one for many reasons: (1) Mitchell (albeit briefly) loses his special abilities, (2) the visit of the alternate-Earth Zeller deepens the mystery as to Mitchell's destiny and leaves more questions than it answers (if any), and (3) we get some flashbacks of the Great Machine in action, be it in a fight simulation or grounding the second airplane on September 11, 2001.

[Mike · Rating 3 out of 5]

This trade collects Concrete: Killer Smile issues #1-4 and numerous shorter stories from various anthology comics.

The first three volumes add depth and context to what's here but aren't really prerequisites.

Ron's assistant and friend Larry takes center stage in the titular four issues story that comprises the first half of the collection. A small act of kindness and intended flirting at a gas station result in Larry becoming hostage/driver for a psychotic couple with a gun. This is even darker than normal for Concrete, with the author's stated goal in the prologue to "kick dear Larry out of Eden and into the knife-edged world of Good and Evil." It's another lesson on the harsh reality of the adult world and who we really are deep inside. It also spotlights Concrete's devotion to his friends and how it shapes his view of the world and his actions.

The catch is that for a suspense story, I didn't find it very suspenseful. The progression is pretty cliched in parts and while I know the point is to convey Larry's "everyman" status he's becoming too much of a cipher. He doesn't have much character at this point, which hurts in a story like this.

The short stories fare a bit better, and are the usual snippets of their travels, Concrete's inability to avoid trouble, and deep introspection of everyday occurrences and troubles.

The trade ends with thirteen very short (one to seven pages each) horror stories. As someone who already wishes the series was lighter in tone this wasn't to my personal tastes at all.

While I found this to be the weakest of the Concrete collections thus far it still has some high points and is constructed and presented in the usual careful, thoughtful manner.

[Sarah Beaudoin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Concrete:Killer Smile was enjoyable but I felt like it was much more a sketch than Fragile Creatures. The narration centers around Larry, who is abducted by a pair of criminals while at a gas station. I'm not particularly attracted to Larry as a character, but this did provide Chadwick with an opportunity to create two surprisingly sympathetic criminal characters. I loved the glimpses of their backgrounds that Chadwick intersperses in the story. Furthermore, this does serve to highlight the loyalty and kindness of Concrete, who seems to bear a burden of helping humanity. The gas station is set on fire as Larry is abducted and Concrete feels obligated to go to it and try to help. This feels like such a burden on Concrete; it is a duty that he must meet, and he does, but at no point is there any hint of joy in his ability to help. This burden seems true as well when Concrete sets out to rescue Larry. Larry is his best friend and Concrete is determined to save him, yet there is always a feeling of inevitable obligation felt by Concrete. I think this is part of what humanizes him so much.

[Summer · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is probably my least favorite of the Concrete collected works. While Paul Chadwick does write a good story, and his artwork is top-notch as usual, the main narrative in this one just didn't interest me very much, and the climax is just kind of bizarre. This is not to say that it's bad, just that Chadwick can do so much better.

[matt · Rating 5 out of 5]

A straight up action/crime drama from an excellent storyteller. Because it is Paul Chadwick -- it is more than just an adventure - it also offers insights into the human condition, and thought provoking situations that will stay with you long after you have finished reading this.

[Michael · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an intense volume that the characters never really recover from. Even Frank Miller sings its praises (although I seriously doubt he would enjoy the entirety of Concrete).

[Tim · Rating 4 out of 5]

My favorite of the series so far. Chadwick is in complete control here, great stuff.

[Matt Piechocinski · Rating 3 out of 5]

Solid story telling ... I really like Chadwick's horror anthology at the end of this volume.

[Molly · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was darker than I anticipated. Not neccessarily a bad thing, but not what I was expecting. Also, this was my introduction to the series- I don't know if it's the comic for me.

[Mike Collins · Rating 5 out of 5]

My favorite of the Concrete series. Also one of the first comics I ever read.