Written by Dan Houser and Lazlow
Illustrated by David Lapham
Published by Dark Horse Comics
My reason for reading this book is artist David Lapham.
Over the years, I have absolutely loved everything that has done in comics, whether he is drawing or writing. He is one of my favorite comic book creators for sure and he rarely misses a beat.
I loved when he was at Valiant, Defiant;I loved him on Stray Bullets and I loved everything that he has worked on in the many years since his beginnings. So I am a sucker for anything that he does.
This book plays to his strengths for sure and it is a crime book that has very good characters and action. What more can I really ask for? Well, I definitely got a whole lot more besides that.
This book collects the first six issues of the American Caper story or really the first half of the story.
The book starts out by introducing us to two completely different families. We follow the both of these families and see what their lives are like. At first, they seem totally and completely normal. As the book goes on, we get to see that they are anything but that. It is pretty wild how deep and crazy the creative team makes this family. It only gets nuttier as the book goes on.
One of the families is led by a Mormon hit man. The other is led by a gambling addicted lawyer. They are both involved with a real estate deal that is going very wrong. Watching the both of them engaged in this conflict is one of the highlights of the early chapters of the book. What is even more wild is all of the various characters that we get to meet along the way.
Lapham specializes in these characters: the oddballs, the kooks, the ones who are out of step with society. He has a heck of a time with all of these side characters, and makes each one as distinct and as compelling as can be. It really the little details that matter here and this book has it in spades.
Orson, the Mormon hitman, finds himself up to his neck in trouble as the story goes on. He goes to Mexico and violates his Mormon oath. This sets him on a self destructive path that he increasingly has a tough time digging out of.
William, the lawyer, starts to give in a bit to his own predilections as the story goes on for him. It is a lot of fun and almost joyous watching the pair of them fall apart and rise again in so many ways. It is almost hilarious at a point.
But a lot of the dark comedy has an even darker underbelly and we start to see that come to the surface slowly. Once it reaches a boiling point though, things really start to cook and the craziness just never lets up. The characters find themselves in wilder situations and the fun never seems to end.
By the end of this first book, a lot happens to the characters. And I mean a real lot. They are literally put through the wringer and it is a bit exasperating to say the least. Orson is sent by a wacky character named Aaron Olds to an insane ranch. What happens at that ranch is really wild. It also sets up a lot of the upcoming plot.
In the meantime, William goes to visit his angry daughter who lives in Brooklyn. Their relationship has taken a turn for the worse. This leads him to going to a woke opera and the results are both scary and hilarious. I have never seen anything quite like it. This leads to s a much bigger crime or caper we the book’s title suggests. It really does go into some dark places as the crime’s scope starts to come into focus.
And as the book goes along, the FBI starts to put things together. It is really cool to see and it all makes logistical sense. That is a testament to the writing and the artwork. We are left with a cliffhanger by the end of the book and I can’t wait to see how this all ends. It is compelling and smart and I can’t wait to see the full picture.
RATING: A
