Stiletto #1 - Lion Forge Comics
Written & Illustrated by Palle Schmidt
Letters by Sean Konot
I'll admit it, I'm a sucker for a good crime story. I'm the guy that used to binge watch those Law & Order and NYPD Blue reruns before the DVR and streaming days. We don't see a ton of that in comics, so when I saw an old fashioned cop story pop up this week, I couldn't resist. Let's check out Stiletto from Lion Forge.
The story follows a couple of detectives, Alphonse and Maynard, working on a very classified case involving two dead cops and a protected witness that has gone missing. To make matters worse, they have a mole inside their who they only know at "Stiletto". Maynard is the older cop with a family, Alphonse is the younger cop who seems to be coasting his way through the job. Maynard is very stressed out as a result. As the investigation goes on, they are both constantly trying to figure out who they can trust and what information they should be sharing. It also doesn't help that every time they have a bit of a break in the case, it comes with something shocking. The most shocking thing happens right at the end of the book, with a shocking twist that may just change things between these two partners.
One thing I can definitely say about this book is that it includes A LOT of detail. In a way it was almost a like a "day in the life" kind of experience as you follow these detectives in their investigation. It almost had a The First 48 kind of vibe, but with a lot more twists and turns along the way. The downside is, if you're a fan of cop dramas and similar stories, you'll notice a lot of familiar tropes here. Personally, it got a bit old for me as the story went on, but if you love those tropes then this will be right up your alley. The twist at the end was definitely interesting, and I loved how they used the art to make that reveal. The only thing I asked myself is, did this book reveal their "Stilleto" too early? I don't think that's something that can really be answered without reading Issue 2. The art style was appealing to me, as it almost had a charcoal sketch type of feel with a very simple color pallet. I kind of went back and forth on this book as I was reading it. There were parts of the story that I enjoyed, and times where I felt it really dragged on. The Maynard character interests me, and based on the twist, might be the thing that brings me back for more. How that next issue adds to the depth of the overall story will play a big role on if I'll make it past Issue 2.
RATING: PULL / BUY