Dead Eyes #1 – Image Comics
Written by Gerry Duggan
Art by John McRae
Colors by Michael Spicer
Letters by Joe Sabino
Why do criminals do what they do? I’m not talking about entering the mind of a serial killer or anything, just in general. Motive is an intriguing premise for any story. For me, that happened to be a big part of the first issue of Dead Eyes from Image Comics.
The story is about a serial robber from the 1990s who was just as notorious for his targets as we was for his trademark look. He was so notorious in fact, that he is still talked about in the present day. Fast forward to now and Martin Dobbs (AKA Dead Eyes) has a much different life now. He is still in Boston, but keeping a low profile. We also see that there may have been a good reason that he was doing what he was doing. No spoilers, but it was a very interesting reveal. Minor spoiler, we see something that ends up dragging him out of retirement. Things are a bit different this time, but his reemergence might have stirred up some trouble that had been dormant. The final reveal of this first issue shows just how big this trouble could be.
Right off the bat, I love the premise of this story. The way that the dual persona of Martin and Dead Eyes is presented really sets the tone well. That way, when you get to that pivotal moment when he puts the mask on again, it actually matters. There is also the debate of his intentions from the start, and whether they were noble or not, despite ultimately being criminal. There are other factors to play with as well, so I’m curious to see where Duggan takes things. The art, while not spectacular, definitely has it’s moments. There is one particular page that I’ll never be able to unsee now, but I won’t rob you of discovering that for yourself. All in all, I feel like this was a solid debut with a good hook. It felt authentic, which is important when you’re talking about a masked criminal persona. I hope we get to see the city of Boston itself play a bigger role going forward and that Martin’s home life continues to be a focal point. I’m confident enough in the story to stay for at least the first arc
RATING: PULL / BUY
Photo Credit: Image Comics