Writer: Jeff McComsey / Penciller: Felipe Cuhna / Colour Artist: Marco Lesko / Letterer: Steve Wands / Original Series Covers Artist: Franco Francavilla / Collection Cover Artist: Dave Johnson / Collects: Little Black Book #1-#4 / TP / AWA
Review by Paul Dunne
19th March 2025 (Released:18th September 2024)
The Pitch: In this explosive new hard-boiled neo-Western thriller by writer Jeff McComsey (GRENDEL, KY) and artist Felipe Cunha (GATSBY), Cole, a straight-arrow handyman, finds himself in the crosshairs of a ruthless crime syndicate-along with his pregnant wife. But what is the meaning of the "little black book" of underworld contacts Cole's deceased father had hidden in his home? Cole's deceased father believed the best thing he could do for his son was to stay out of his life, but does the apple fall far from the tree...?
In both real life and in drama, it's amazing how much trouble family can get you into. Sometimes it's a brother with a bad reputation, a cousin with a surefire way to make money if only you'd lend him a few quid, or a sister with destructive habits, nothing will screw you up faster than family. They don't even have to be around to mess things up for you...
Cole's Dad has been out of his life for a while when a lawyer shows up to bequeath his last will and testament. This comes in the form of a nice house, something Cole and his wife desperately need with a baby on the way. One could write this off as a deal with the devil, especially as the story progresses and we learn more about Cole's dad. But as I said, he and his wife have a baby on the way. I mean, what would you do? Once ensconced in the house, Cole discovers his dad's 'Little Black Book', a list of underworld contacts that all offer very exclusive services: cleaning, plumbing, and decorating. Get the picture? Cole does. When his wife accidentally runs someone down on the road, Cole uses those numbers to clean up the mess and hide his and his wife's involvement. But this cleanup attracts the attention of the Texas mob, which ultimately must foot the bill.
Little Black Book could easily slide into a mechanical manual of how to do crime, something that often takes shape in other crime fiction. This is not a moral stance from me. Nothing is more useful to the oppressed middle and lower classes than knowing how to commit acts of thievery and violence! That's a joke, by the way. But seriously crime prevails as financial oppression tightens its grip. Here though, we're reminded that criminal organisations can be as useless and full of idiots as any governmental organisation and political party. Cole's dad leaves the criminal life largely because he can't stand the needless viciousness and incompetence of the Texas Mafia he's working for. Cole himself is a simple man who just wants a live a simple life, but finds himself in a spiralling situation, that crime gets him out of. It's the shortcut, the useful adjunct... but shortcuts can often lead us down mean streets and that certainly becomes the case for Cole and his wife.
Little Black Book is also a perfect example of a particular type of crime fiction, where one mistake can begin to unpick your life and sense of order, driving you to do bad things, then worse things, just to keep your head above the rising water. Strangely, I also felt like it was a comment on a generation of young people who have outsourced aspects of their lives to apps, services and service workers rather than risking getting their hands dirty. And that's fine. Society should have the goal of making life easier for people. But despite all the advances we have at our fingertips, making life easier still means that somebody, somewhere is getting trodden on, or has to clean up our mess.
McComsey writes well, bringing out the laid-back music in the voices in this particular corner of America. There's a natural, sceptical humour in the dialogue that he really sells. I confess that I haven't done my research and checked if he's from the part of the States he's writing about, but it sure feels accurate to me! Cunha's art shows a naturalistic, unexaggerated feel for expression in characters' faces, regardless of how weird their situation gets. He also creates nicely textured backgrounds which, in a book set in as much desert as this is, does have some importance! Lesko's colours bake everything in a warm sun, bright and sometimes blinding. And when there's no sun, there's fire, cleansing the evidence. Wands letters are excellent as always, putting the accents in your ear and making them stick. One must also tip the hat to both Francavilla and Johnson, whose covers set the mood nicely. This promises to be the first volume in a series and that is both enticing and frightening... after all, what could Cole and his wife have to go through next?
Little Black Book is available at your local comic book shop now!
