Stumptown: The Case of the King of Clubs

Rucka, Greg. "Stumptown." Stumptown. 1st ed. Vol. 3. Portland: Oni, 2014. Page 1. Print. The Case of the King of Clubs.

Stumptown Volume 3 #1 is a mystery/crime theme comic by Greg Rucka, Justin Greenwood, and Ryan Hill. Its story centers on private investigator Dex Parios and her life solving crime. This is the third volume in a series of five, and based on the few reviews I read it is not necessary for readers to have knowledge of other volumes prior to this one. Because this is my first time ever purchasing a comic, I did some research. While looking up this title I also learned that Dex’s brother, Ansel, has Downs Syndrome, not solely a stutter like I initially thought he did. I thought this based on the way his text is shown in the comic. I also noticed that this comic is probably for a more adult audience because of the sexual innuendos that appear on the first few pages between Tracy and CK.

Rucka, Greg. "Stumptown." Stumptown. 1st ed. Vol. 3. Portland: Oni, 2014. Page 9. Print. The Case of the King of Clubs.

Rucka, Greg. "Stumptown." Stumptown. 1st ed. Vol. 3. Portland: Oni, 2014. Page 4. Print. The Case of the King of Clubs.

In terms of the story, it is simple enough for a first time reader to pick up. Characters Tracy, Dex, CK, Mercury and Ansel are introduced and memorable. Not much of their past is mentioned, but it is easy enough to realize that there is a rivalry between Portland and Seattle and this will carry through to the next issue.

The colour palate chosen for this series is dark, consisting mostly of deep greens, purples, and blacks. The final panels of the comic are the darkest, using dark blues and teal to not only emphasize that night is drawing near, but to add effect to the murder in the story. These panels also use a bright red to really highlight the blood on Dex’s hands. In terms of panels, a regular grid is used. There are instances in which the panels are overlapped which causes the reader to focus; it almost gives a film-like effect because it forces the reader to look closer, like a camera would zoom in.

Rucka, Greg. "Stumptown." Stumptown. 1st ed. Vol. 3. Portland: Oni, 2014. Page 26. Print. The Case of the King of Clubs.

Text and speech bubbles are very easy to follow. The writer and artist seem to be in sync in terms of portrayal and the conveying of ideas, especially in the panels that have the crowd cheering in the background. What I mean by this is that the cheering is symbolized by jagged and capitalized white text that is placed behind the speech bubbles that are clearly outlined and contain text in a font that looks handwritten. I think that this effect is very cool, especially if the reader has been to a sports arena before. It makes the reader feel as if they are there.

Rucka, Greg. "Stumptown." Stumptown. 1st ed. Vol. 3. Portland: Oni, 2014. Page 18. Print. The Case of the King of Clubs.

This comic is made in serial form therefore the cliffhanger the reader is left with in this issue will be picked up next month. The cliffhanger effect is very effective, like in a TV series, because it gets readers and viewers coming back for more. Because so much was left out in terms of why there is a rivalry between Portland and Seattle, why Mercury would murdered, and who exactly Tracy and CK are, I want to read the next issue and fill in the missing spaces.

This is overall a great first comic experience because I cannot wait to see what the next issue holds.

If you want to read this issue yourself, here is a link to find it via comiXology.com

- Daniela Palombo