The world of illegal moonshine in Depression era Americana just got a new twist. In the dark woods, under the bright moonlight, an unseen monster ravages three men with guns, leaving their mutilated corpses as evidence for other trespassers to beware. This scene comes across as a hybrid of Eliot Ness's agents meeting their doom at the hands of Lon Chaney's Wolf-Man, kind of.
Welcome to writer Brian Azzarello and artist Eduardo Risso's Moonshinre, brand new gangsters-vs-monsters comic. At its center is Lou Pirlo, a business negotiator for a powerful NYC boss sent to the backwoods of West Virginia to inquire about a new quality moonshine. Its maker, a scarred, scary looking man named Hiram Holt, first evaluates Pirlo before introducing himself to him. It would seem Holt's family is harboring a secret of terryfing proportions: one of his children likely moonlights as a monster or werewolf or what not, and keeps his daddy's liquor protected from federal agents or other gangsters looking to steal his recipe.
Moonshine #1 begins fast and never wavers from keeping our interest. Its world of gangsters, backwoods diners and broken Southern accents is a welcome sight in today's world of high-tech and sci-fi themed comics. Azzarello captures the dialect of his characters nicely, and immediately introduces us to a handful of unique people who will likely turn out to be essential later on. Risso's illustrations, reminiscent of his work on 100 Bullets, is stylishly supercool. The expressions of his characters are convincing and authentic, and few people are good at drawing shadows as he evidently is. The cover, also by Risso, is atmospheric, and instantly captures the intended mood.
This is a welcome return for these two artists who've already accomplished so much in the comic book world, but are looking to elevate their status even higher with the intriguing and engaging Moonshine.
A-
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