Angel City #2
Writer: Janet Harvey
Artist: Megan Levens
Colors: Nick Filardi
Letters: Crank
Publisher: Oni Press
Review by David Hildebrand
If you’re familiar with most noir stories, then the premise of Angel City will not sound like anything new to you. Frances Faye and Dolores Dare were best friends. They packed their suitcases and headed out to Hollywood, chasing their dreams of becoming rich and famous. Frances was murdered and the shifty cops have no interest in solving the crime. This is where the twist comes into the plot. Instead of your cliché hard boiled detective investigating the murder, it is Dolores that takes it upon herself to search the seedier parts of Hollywood to find out who murdered her friend. In Angel City #2, Dolores starts to get in deeper with her investigation.
In this issue, we travel down memory lane with Dolores. Dolores’ family were touring with a circus and when the circus shuts down, her father says the future is in mini golf. Even though her father said business would get better, his vision never materialized and shortly after that, he disappeared. The rest of the family moved to a boarding house and this is where Dolores first met Frances. The pair became best friends and movies were their escape. Then came the decision to pack up and head out to Hollywood to follow their dreams. The rest of the issue focuses on Dolores’ investigation. She stumbles across someone from her old circus days who helps land her an unexpected acting gig that contributes to her finding a lead to help progress her investigation to who murdered Frances.
Angel City #2 backs off a bit from the first issue. I thought the first issue had a nice pace to it, but this one slows things down considerably. I think Harvey does well with Dolores and Frances’ past, but I feel like Dolores takes a step back here. She doesn’t come across as the tough gal from issue #1. She seems more timid for some reason. I like the style of Levens and Filardi’s art. The pair do a brilliant job of breathing life into the 1930’s noir backdrop. The characters look spot on and I love the scenery.
The Verdict
Buy It. Although this issue doesn’t capture the same feel as the premiere issue, it is worth picking up to read. I am still liking the characters, although I do hope that the stronger side of Dolores reappears in the third issue. Things are starting to heat up and the plot starts to thicken at the end of the issue. If you like noir stories, then go ahead and pick this up. I am still a fan of seeing a lady take over as the lead character in a noir title. Dolores is a likeable character and I look forward to seeing what Harvey has in store for her next!
