Smuggling Spirits

Comic Book Reviews: Smuggling Spirits

posted on January 26th, 2009 in Reviews

Smuggling Spirits
Written by Ben Fisher
Illustrated by Mike Henderson
Published by Studio 407
Reviewed by Richard Caldwell

Set in the scary enough prohibition days, Smuggling Spirits is a nice attempt at some original horror, with a world filled mysteriously by clans of demonic “Darklings” and their ongoing battles with humanity.
The human twist is in the relationship between the main characters- Al, a grim everyman forced by circumstance to take on any odd job he can dig up no matter how tough; and Nathan, the boy forced by circumstance to grow up fast in a life without normalcy. Whereas Al is blinded by emotional blockers that limit his actual perceptions (causing at times some humorous scenarios), Nathan is the one elected by the fates to keep things in check. The two watch each other’s back in a manner more realistic than the more noteworthy Dynamic Duo, creating for a rapport full of both action and heart that really works well.

As the two accept a moonshining run in hostile rustic territory, the story and backgrounds of the characters unfold at a solid enough pace, although the distinctiveness of the creators’ collective voice does not really take full affect until halfway through the work. Early on, some of the captioning and dialogue seems painfully over-dramatic, which I feel safe to call as I myself am oft guilty of the very same. Quips towards the end completely make up for the weak points, however, and then some.
Visually, this is black and white and even very sharp in presentation. Though at times void of scenic detail, and at times a little more research into stylistic aspects of the historical settings would have been wholly welcomed; all in all the rhythm and mood were absolutely visceral, and I would be very eager to see Henderson’s next work.

Some of the final pages were just beautifully executed.

The closing chapter especially, with resolution et al- is a well conceived finish for some fully-formed characters.

A well-constructed self-contained story, my biggest complaint here would be in the characteristics of many of the Darklings. Silence can often be far scarier than revealed personas or agendas. Less talking would have contributed more to the unearthly feel of the unnatural conflicts. In the same vein, might matching form would have made more sense as well. Still, a very solid read.
Find a copy and enjoy.