Hunter's Moon

Hunter’s Moon
Written by: James L White
Illustrated by: Dalibor Talajic & Sebastian Cardoso
Paperback: 128 pages
Publisher: Boom Studios
Language: English
April 2008, $14.99
Genre: Comic/Graphic Novel

Collecting all five issues from the comic book debut of James L. White - writer of the Academy Award-winning film, RAY. Stockbroker Lincoln "Linc" Greer, a divorced dad, is looking forward to a hot date at a remote cabin, but his date cancels and he gets stuck with his son instead. While hunting, his son is kidnapped and a voice at the other end of his cell phone tells Linc to do what he asks - if he ever wants to see his son alive again! Linc soon finds that he's the only African-American man in this small, mostly white, logging community. Isolated and alone, Linc has to face a contentious community and save his son! A blockbuster thriller with sensational art from Dalibor Talajic and Sebastian Cardoso.

+++++++++++++

While the local library doesn’t have a vast catalog of graphic novels, they do have a decent little niche of things I wouldn’t normally pick up off the B&N bookshelves (if said novels were even on the shelf and didn’t have to be ordered). I saw this and thought hey, interesting art and a story by the man who penned Ray, why not?

It begins as a father/son story where Linc is a successful businessman, but disconnected from his only son. He is a man who put his career above his family which may or may not explain why he is divorced. And his son, Wendell, could care less about spending time with dear old dad. What is supposed to be an impromptu hunting holiday turns into something more when Linc’s son is kidnapped and Lincoln is forced to rob a bank in order to get him back.

Things I loved: The story is decent and while bits and pieces seem cookie cutter stereotypes of small town ideology, I sadly know that such towns still exist. The dialogue is realistic and the artwork decent. Even the interactions between father and son work. There is a palpable tension between Linc and Wendell and yet this need to reconnect with family. It’s a nice drama with splashes of suspense and action with a clever twist of an ending.

Things I didn't love so much: As much as the story is engaging there was something that didn’t quite work. It was a bit too rushed for me, too neatly tied up…too clean if such a thing is possible. I think it would have been more interesting to have things turn out not quite so clean.

Buy or Borrow: Borrow.

Part of: Stand Alone

Also Recommended: If you like the crime caper sort of graphic novel/ father and son story you might enjoy Road to Perdition by Max Alan Collins.

Apparently the graphic novel is also being made into a film with Mekhi Phifer (ER) to star as Linc.

3 out of 4 happy bibliosnark bookmarks

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