Cholly and Flytrap #1

Arthur Suydam wears both the writer and artist hats for this opening chapter of a four-part noir saga set in "Center City," and the painted cover makes an immediate case for why the book bills itself as about as noir as it gets. A masked, battle-worn figure stands atop a blood-soaked mound, shotgun in hand, while a hulking companion crouches at his side — rendered in Suydam's rich, oil-painting style that's equal parts pulp paperback and dark fantasy. If you've been looking for something genuinely gritty from Image's 2004 lineup, this first issue announces itself with considerable confidence.