Black/White
Written by Andrez Bergen
Illustrated by Drezz Rodriguez, Michael Grills, Nathan St. John, Andrew Chiu, Marcos Vergara, and Andrez Bergen
Cover by Matt Kyme
If? Commix
Release Date: March 2014
Cover Price: $1.00

A comic formed entirely of short stories can be hard to pull off. It would take a highly talented creative team to make it work. Black/White, thankfully, is one such anthology. Written solely by the prolific Andrez Bergen and featuring a new illustrator for each short, this is one compilation worth checking out. Read on to discover some of my particular favorites from this noir crime and dystopian/post-apocalyptic collection.

“Zig Zag” drops the reader right into the middle of a gun cleaner’s mind as he methodically takes care of an antique, precious piece to hand over to a special client. The vivid and descriptive narration combined with the solid whites on solid blacks that artist Drezz Rodriguez sets to “action to action” panel transitioning, makes for a movie-esque read.

“The Writing On The Wall” is a post-apocalyptic story that introduces an intrepid, female drifter who rights wrongs with words and guns. Only three pages of black and white sketches, this manages to become an enthralling and exciting story with a dark and gritty tone. I would love to see this one turned into a graphic novel or ongoing series.

“Waiting For Sod All” is told from the perspective of an ill, married woman. Her husband seems to be losing hope and she can’t take the pain — physically or emotionally — anymore, and will do anything to make it end. The illustrations are done by Bergen in this tale and are a perfect blend of dark shadows on white images that almost seem to give the feel of a stark pop art representation.

Black/White is a creative anthology excelling in both writing and art, as all of the illustrations blend perfectly with their respective stories. I sincerely hope that this is not the last we hear from Bergen in the world of comics. The decision of whether or not to pick up a copy for yourself is black and white: the answer is yes!