Comic Review: Dingo, Issues #1 and #2
Dingo is a four-part mini series from BOOM! Studios, which is written by Michael Alan Nelson with artwork by Francesco Biagini. This review encompasses the first two issues of the series, which are both currently on release. Issue one was released on December 2nd, 2009, and issue #2 was released on January 6th, 2010.
The series is billed as being a supernatural crime story in the vein of 100 Bullets, which tells the tale a man named Dingo who’s after only one thing: a box. And he’ll stop at nothing to obtain it, no matter how many bad men get in his way. But the real question is, what’s in the box? And why is Dingo willing to kill to get it back? A rough-and-tumble thriller with a hint of the unearthly and a pinch of something nasty.
The Story
The protagonist of the story is the titular character, ‘Dingo’. At the start of the story, we learn that Dingo’s brother has lost an important item referred to only as ‘The Box’. Dingo sets out to retrieve the box, and along the way adopts a gigantic stray dog he finds in the desert, with the ominous name of Cerberus. Dingo isn’t the only one after the box though, as his ex-wife Darcy is also after this mysterious item. Soon Dingo crosses paths with Darcy, and after a brutal beating from her hired thugs, only escapes with his life thanks to the intervention of his adopted hell hound. Darcy makes off with the box, leaving Dingo for dead.
Dingo then pursues her from Las Vagas to Indiana, a place that Dingo told himself he’d never visit again, because of something terrible that happened there many years ago. Along the way, he stops in to see his auntie, and we learn a bit more about our character’s past, and why Darcy wants the box. Then Dingo heads to a confrontation with his ex-wife, which sees him facing his untimely demise.
What is in the box? Well, no one refers to it by name, but Darcy refers to it as his family’s dirty little secret. Why does Darcy want the box? Well, Darcy is Graea (archaic goddesses in Greek mythology), and when she married Dingo, she agreed to give up her power as part of her dowry. Now she wants those powers back, and has made a deal with someone who return them to her, in exchange for what is in Dingo’s box.
The Rating
The description of Dingo in the solicitation refers to to the story as a supernatural crime story. I’d agree with this statement, but I really think it undersells the story a bit, because Dingo is also an action/adventure, and a thriller, with a great big dollop of humor! It’s pretty hard to categorize a story like this, because it doesn’t really fit any of the traditional genres. This actually took me by surprise, because Michael Alan Nelson is mostly known for his work on horror titles like Cthulu Tales, Fall of Cthulu, and 28 Days Later - something he’s excellent at doing, and has gained a great reputation for. Dingo though is a completely different beast, it’s a fun action oriented mystery with a supernatural slant. How does Nelson perform on something so different from what he’s know for? Well, I loved it! His writing on this story is some of the best stuff I’ve seen from him. The story is original, mysterious, exciting, and gripping; the characters are interesting and quirky; the dialogue is fresh, creative, and funny; and the mysteries keep you guessing, and constantly turning the pages to find the next clue.
The artwork on the title is by Francesco Biagini, whose work I’ve never seen before. I don’t want to say the artwork is cartoony, because that is seen as a slight these days, but it’s definitely got that big, bold, chunky feeling to it. This isn’t a bad thing, and it suits the story perfectly, adding to the fun, fast-paced personality of the narrative.
Dingo is a intriguing supernatural thriller, filled with pulse-pounding action, and enticing mysteries, which never takes itself too seriously, and has tons of great humorous moments. The series is a lot of fun, and is a real page turner. I’d really recommend checking this one out, because it’s quite different from everything else out there, which in my opinion, is always a good thing!
Rating:
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I picked up Dingo on a whim just to try it out and was pleasantly surprised at how good it really was. I’ve been recommending to our customers and I hope to see more from Francesco Biagini and Michael Alan Nelson.
Hey Seith!
I did the same thing, just tried it on a whim, not expecting too much, but yeah, it was a really good read. Isn’t great when that happens! Too often it happens the other way
That reminds me, I planned to walk down to the store today and pick up my order, but spent all day vegging out on the sofa with my wife. EPIC FAIL!
Ed