Noir #0 is a comic written by Devin Arscott and illustrated by Ben Worrell and colored by Avery Bacon. A masked vigilante named Noir attempts to put an end to the Director’s plans. This is a superheroine story taking place in modern times with some slight Golden Age of Comic Books vibes. The leading lady for this story is known as Noir, a classically-themed heroine with a decent array of gadgets. The villain for this story is the Director, a man with film and stage-themed cohorts and goals. The plot begins right after Noir has gone through a gauntlet and we jump in right as she reaches the theater where the Director is holed up. This takes place in Emerald City which looks like a reasonably-sized place. The action here isn’t bloody or gory but it does get explosive. The pacing is somewhat fast though a few thick text bubbles slow thing down for a bit. Though there are some intense moments here the tone isn’t dark but it isn’t light either. The dialogue has mid-battle quips and the familiar banter between the good and bad guys. No wordy pages here. This is an exciting debut comic that gives us a nice rounded look at the lead character and the kind of world they live in. There is also a bonus comic here called Granite that is about a woman entering Hades to save some people.

            The art here is drawn with some thickness and a slightly stylized realistic look. The coloring here is well done especially when light gets involved. This takes place inside a city so the scenery is other buildings and the street. The main location is the Hawley Theater which has the basic trappings you’d expect like a wide stage and fold-out seats. The backgrounds usually have parts of the scene in them like parked cars on the street or the lights above the stage. The expression level is average as the other characters let some emotions loose but the main character is masked up. The range is restricted to primarily angry and fearful looks as this is a combative tale. The faces are very detailed and malleable so the expressions are easy to decipher. The violence here is physical and hard-hitting but not bloody or gory; it does get explosive though. The action scenes are of decent length with a few lulls in the action. Noir wears an armored combat suit. Granite is drawn in an art style that focuses on light and shadows with realistic-looking characters and eye-catching backgrounds.

“Is this worth reading?”

Yes.

“Would I like this?”

If you like superheroine stories with combat, light noir, and a bit of that Golden Age of Comic Books influence then this is for you.

“What would this comic’s film rating be?”

PG-13. Violence.

“Could I get a quote from the comic?”

“You’ll have to be quicker than that.”

 

Physical Link: https://epic-fantasy-studios.square.site/product/noir-0-one-shot-/16

Digital Link: https://epic-fantasy-studios.square.site/product/noir-0-one-shot-digital/15

Kickstarter Link: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/devinarscottcomics/epic-fantasy-noir-endless-hunt-and-granite/description

***IN-DEPTH COMIC STATS BELOW***

Probably Contains Spoilers

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Actual Pages(not counting covers and credits): 22

Violent Pages: 12, for 55% of the comic

Sexy Pages: 0, for 0% of the comic

 

**The levels below aren’t necessarily maintained throughout the whole comic, but they were definitely reached**

 

Violence Level – 3

“Wasn’t no tussling at all.”

“Sometimes you gotta hit somebody.”

“I’m getting charged with how many counts of assault?”

“This was a tournament arc.”

“All my life I had to fight.”

 

Gore Level – 1

“The only thing leaking out your face is tears.”

“Looks like somebody spilled some ketchup.”

“Might need to soak that up with a bath towel.”

“That isn’t supposed to be outside the body.”

“This is a slaughterhouse.”

 

Death Level – 1

“And everybody lived happily ever after.”

“We might have gone to a couple funerals.”

“It just LOOKS like a serial killer was here.”

“Yeah this was a tragedy.”

“Think Gettysburg.”

 

Porn Level – 1

“Everybody kept their clothes on.”

“I guess it was too hot for a bra.”

“Sometimes you got to let everything air out.”

“This is like late night Cinemax in the early 2000’s.”

“Oh. This is porn.”