Case Files: Sam and Twitch #1-4

Story: Marc Andreyko
Art: Scott Morse

Published by Image Comics
http://www.imagescomics.com / http://www.spawn.com

Who would have thought that when two detectives in the pages of Spawn appeared for the first time that they would be the focus of not only their own book but also one that was hard edged? I wasn't one of them that's for sure. Sam and Twitch have gone from supporting characters to leads in not one but two of their own titles. Case Files is the second of these two books and in its first four issues make for a very interesting read.

The story opens with a single splash page of Detective Twitch. For those who don't read the book he's the tall, skinny one with glasses. The page shows him in a somber mood. From there we move on to the meat of the story told in a very non-traditional style. For the rest of the issue, for the rest of the story through issue #4 (and I assume #5, which is the last chapter) each page has three panels which divide the page into thirds. Each panel then tells the story from a different point in time. Top panel is the beginning of the story, the middle panel is the middle of the story, and the bottom panel is the ending of the story. To be honest I'm not sure what to make of it. Coming from the independent side of the industry myself I'm all about doing different things to make a story work and advance the medium beyond the typical "CRASH" "POW" "BLAM" stereotype most have of comics. Despite the format the story is well written and works as presented. Once the story is complete it can be read either in a traditional way as issue #1-#5 or by panel sections throughout all five issues going back and forth in all five issues three times.

Layout and style aside, Marc Andreyko has done a very able job of writing a truly hard boiled crime story featuring characters considered more along the lines of comic relief for those who aren't followers of the Spawn line. Despite doing work for Marvel and DC in the past, I was not aware of Marc's credentials before reading these issues. Saying that I have nothing to compare this body of work too and that can be a good thing. This is not one of those superheroes in tights story, nor is it even a traditional Spawn style story. It's crime and it's good.

Joining him is artist Scott Morse. I knew the name from his own book Magic Pickle but had never really delved into his art. I never would have guessed he could be capable of something along these lines with a book out called Magic Pickle but I was wrong…. very wrong. His style evokes thoughts of Dave Mazzucchelli and Bill Sienkiewicz and is very well suited for a dark crime story such as this. I look forward to seeing more of his work in future issues as well as the back issue bins.

Case Files: Sam and Twitch #1-4 are out on the racks at your favorite comic shop right now and #5 should be there soon. If you like crime style comics go out and get these issues. Support the monthly comic and don't wait for a trade paperback either.

Reviewer: Ian Ascher

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Ian Ascher is a freelance Writer/Creator

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