Written by: Doug Wagner
Art by: Nic Rummel & Charlie Kirchoff
Published by: Image Comics
“Not every story has to be original.”
I often have to repeat that phrase to myself. Ideally, stories should be evaluated in a bubble, on their own merits; however, every story exists within a framework and context of previous works. Ultimately, while I can recognize a good story when I read one, I would prefer to read a comic breaking new ground or experimenting over a more traditional story any day.
Unfortunately, this makes evaluating a book like The Hard Place difficult. On the one hand, Doug Wagner, Nic Rummel, et al are clearly competent storytellers. On the other, the story they tell feels a little too familiar for my liking.
That story follows AJ Gurney, a recently released convict attempting to piece his life back together. Predictably, everything seems to be going fine until Gurney is thrust into a situation where he’s stuck between a rock… and a hard place. I understand that judging the trajectory of an entire miniseries based on the first issue is flawed, but if a book is going to have some twist, it usually comes within the first issue.
Aside from its predictability, The Hard Place is far from a bad debut issue. Much of the page space is spent on introductions–be it the characters, or the relationships they have with one another. AJ is a compelling enough lead, and Wagner casts him in a sympathetic light. AJ’s best friend and father play key supporting roles, and the duo are equally compelling. They provide solid foils to AJ, although there is not much room left open for conflict on that front.
Wagner’s dialogue is incredibly effective. He deftly explains the backstory, without needing to rely on dense exposition that serves no other purpose. Early on, AJ shares a moment with his friend in a diner, and the dialogue serves as both characterization and exposition, all while retaining the natural flow of conversation.
The art team of Nic Rummel and colorist Charlie Kirchoff truly steals the show here. Pages of stylized art shine in a book that is otherwise fairly plain. Kirchoff frames sequences in a variety of pallets–washed out grays, faint blues and purples, warm yellows and oranges. While this is a common device, Kirchoff’s use of color to establish tone and emotion is breathtaking.
Rummel’s sense of visual storytelling is equally important. His style–especially the inking–offers a nice break from the more traditional, neat styles that are conventionally “good.” His mis-en-scene is so effective in certain scenes that I wish it was more pronounced in others. The scenery, and individuals visible in the background, are an essential component of the characterization.
Furthermore, Rummel excels when it comes to character models. The proportions and features are distorted, but it contributes to the rough style that defines The Hard Place. Despite off-kilter models and features, Rummel is still able to effectively convey characters’ emotions via their body language and facial expressions.
Considering the importance of sound effects in the storytelling, I would be remiss to not at the very least mentioning Frank Cvetkovic’s lettering. The best lettering is often unobtrusive, and therefore goes unnoticed. For the most part, that is true of the lettering in The Hard Place. That being said, the placement and use of sound effects here is fantastic. They dominate the pages on which they appear, while offering a really cool transition.
After all that, I would forgive you for thinking I really enjoyed The Hard Place, and am excited for the next issue. That’s only partially true. I enjoyed the time I spent with the book, but it’s not something I’m excited about. Were this quality of art and writing applied to a more original, interesting concept? I would be stoked. Ultimately, The Hard Place is another one of a particular type of story. But it’s a good one of those, and for some, that’s likely enough.
