![]() In fact, the addition of color seems like it would merely hide the nuances of the line art. The shadows are so prominent that they color the scenes without the need of actual color. Many of the backgrounds are spliced in from actual photographs, but still complement the style of the character line art. Nick’s craggy face almost tells his entire backstory without a word””you can see the toll of hard years spent killing and fighting. Jorge Lucas draws his characters and weapons with stunning attention to detail. Several of the rants feel forced, especially a few from Gianelli. I nearly spit my Monster all over my iPad when he bitched about Vegas’ euphemisms for gambling and whores. Whenever an opportunity presents itself, Nick can’t help but rant about topics like rappers holding their guns sideways, cell phones, and Jersey Shore Italians. Nick’s diatribes on modern culture and technology are one of the Sunset’s highlights. Overall, this is one comic that you’ll read from cover-to-cover and lose all sense of time. Outside of being merely a violent mob story, Sunset is a story of a man recognizing his past mistakes and making an attempt at redemption. The plot has a few surprising twists and layers that are perhaps amplified because you expect this story to be rather straight-forward. Sunset is one of those unflinching stories that throw you straight into the action””the first panel is full splash page of Nick bayonetting a Korean soldier. He’s quick to add that everyone in Vegas deserves it. Nick’s a killer and damn good at his trade, but he never killed anyone who didn’t deserve it. Nick shares Walt’s amusingly bitter resentment of modern society, but Gage wisely shied away from any notable trace of the racism that seethed from Walt’s disposition. Sunset‘s premise isn’t quite “What if Walt Kowalski were a retired mob enforcer,” but the similarities between Nick and Walt are remarkable. ![]() Gran Torino heavily influenced Christos Gage‘s characterization of Nick Bellamy. Gianelli is out of prison and immediately seeks out revenge against Nick and his family. Gianelli out of a few million and set him up for an arrest. He decided to be proactive: he swindled Mr. Nick realized that he’s either going to die on the job or get killed for trying to leave the business. For a time, his life was comfortable until he got his girlfriend, Nancy, pregnant and ran to the nearest chapel in Vegas to tie the knot. Gianelli, and earned gainful employment as his enforcer. After an honorable discharge, Nick crossed paths with Vegas mob boss and casino owner, Mr. Nick’s father signed him up for the military before his 18th birthday, which led him into the Korean War. Nick Bellamy is a violent man killing people is his one marketable skill””think Dexter Morgan only better socially adjusted. Sunset weaves this characteristic into a mob-action comic that’s one of my favorite books this year. Even knowing this fact, I love tales that glorify our grandparents’ unyielding will and their outright refusal to let any hint of disrespect go unchecked. Our great-great-grandparents ragged on our pansy grandparents just as harshly””you know, the ones we’ve labeled the Greatest Generation. ![]() I hate to be a killjoy, but I’ll let you in on a little secret: Every generation in history has thought that the next generation is too soft. ![]() We practically beg for it by plunking down our hard-earned cash””yes, Granddad, hard-earned””for any story starring a curmudgeonly old Luddite who doesn’t take any crap. And, for some reason, we crave this abuse. These grizzled vets probably think that someone reading this review on their fancy computer, or even worse their iPhone, makes them a candy ass. It’s fashionable to romanticize the street-wise, toughness of old-timers who fought in WWII or the Korean War. ![]()
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