The Black Beetle: Night Shift #0
Written by Francesco Francavilla
Art by Francesco Francavilla
Cover by Francesco Fracavilla
Dark Horse Comics
Release Date: December 19, 2012
Cover Price: $2.99

The Black Beetle: Night Shift #0 is all set up and all AWESOME! Let’s be honest, there’s plenty of pulp heroes running around these days, but The Black Beetle is all sorts of fun. No downbeat, depressing, down on humanity story here, just some fantastic action and adventure!

Writer Francesco Francavilla really surprises me by turning out a really good comic book. NO, not the art, that’s a given, what I was impressed so much by was the story. This seems like a story that Francavilla’s had cooking for a while and one that he was desperate to tell, because you, the reader, can plainly feel the love and hard work that he put into every single page, panel, and line of dialogue. Everything is well thought out and it combines the 1940’s spirit of high adventure with the mystery man/superhero genre. There’s also a FEW running mysteries throughout the issue, which makes it that much more enjoyable to read. This issue is definitely a page-turner and by the end you won’t be able to wait for the next issue!

With ARTIST Francesco Francavilla you get exactly what you want, an Eisner Award-winning artist doing a story that HE wants to do. What could be better than that? This book is fantastic looking. It turns out Francavilla excels at MORE than just covers! He’s got a great knack for storytelling, not just pin-ups and splash pages, but given the chance, he really knows how to show some emotion and sequential storytelling onto the page. Without a doubt, this is one the highlights of his career.

When you get to the comic store, make sure you head straight to the rack and pick yourself up a copy of this excellent book. You’re not going to be disappointed, not in the least. This is one amazing comic, and I’m totally hooked!