Crime Does Not Pay Presents City of Roses #1

Drawn entirely by Patric Reynolds, this Dark Horse crime thriller sets its tone immediately: a tense man shields a frightened young woman with one arm while raising a revolver into the night air, a looming steel bridge and shadowy figures in the smoky background making clear that Portland's underworld is no place for the faint of heart. Based on journalist Phil Stanford's real-world reporting on organized crime in the City of Roses, this 2014 series carries the Crime Does Not Pay banner with gritty conviction. Reynolds's moody, ink-drenched artwork gives the whole package the feel of a pulp noir paperback you'd smuggle past a disapproving librarian.