REVIEW: Stillwater #1

Rating if the Book Were a Movie: R

Creator/Writer: Chip Zdarsky
Creator/Artist: Ramon K Perez
Colors: Mike Spicer
Letters: Rus Wooton
Cover: Alessandro Micelli
Editor: Jon Moison
Logo/Series Design: Andres Juarez
Production: Carina Taylor
Publisher: Image and Skybound

Daniel West isn’t having a good day. He’s been fired from his job. At the bar that night he has too much liquid libation which leads to him getting 86’ed by the bouncer. All of that alcohol plus the inability to shut his mouth and keep his hands to himself earns Dan a black eye and nasty hangover at two in the afternoon the next day.

That’s when everything changes for Dan. He receives a telegram requesting his presence in Stillwater to discuss an inheritance from his great grand aunt. Stillwater is a very small town that is not easy to find. Truth be told, the people of Stillwater don’t want the town to be found. Like so many other small towns, Stillwater has its secrets and wants to keep it that way. What lengths are the people of Stillwater willing to go to to keep their secrets?

Artwork: .75 Stars

I really didn’t plan on starting yet ANOTHER new title. This cover beckoned to me like a siren’s call though. I really liked the green tinting from the water and how it changed the tones of everything around it.

The artwork on the interior pages is not as detailed as some of its contemporaries. It doesn’t keep it from being as powerful. 

Story: .75 Stars

I’m giving a little bit of wiggle room on this one because it is the first issue in the series. There is a lot of potential here. We’ve also had a fair number of stories over the years about small towns in the middle of nowhere. I want to see Stillwater separate itself from the field and show us what makes it so special.

Dialogue: .75 Stars

I found the dialogue to have some useful information in it but it was not as helpful as I would have liked. It would have been nice to get some more character development. Who is Daniel West? This was a great opportunity to tell us more about the star character.

Editing: .75 Stars

The lettering in Stillwater #1 was great. I would have liked a few more editor’s notes to help give the reader a better idea of the setting. 

Mechanics: .75 Stars

Because it was the first issue in the run the pace was a bit slower in the beginning. Even with that and some characters needing more definition, this book was easy to fall into. The concept of the story meshes nicely with the artwork. We’ve been given a solid foundation. I’m curious to see how big this project will get.