Angel City #5
Writer: Janet Harvey
Artist: Megan Levens
Colors: Nick Filardi
Letters: Crank!
Publisher: Oni Press
Reviewed by David Hildebrand
A noir story that really stands out is hard to come by these days. Many are rehashes of older stories that have been done a million times over, with forgettable characters. Angel City has strong noir roots with a familiar background but has taken on an identity of its own and has been an incredible read so far. Janet Harvey has injected life into characters that we have seen before. She brings a style that has kept the story fresh and full of excitement.
Angel City #5 continues right where issue 4 left off. Delores is caught red handed holding Aggie’s gun with a dead body on the floor in front of her. She also has a nice sized knot on her head from being knocked out. Someone has set Delores up and now she is on the run from the law! After throttling some police officers and making an impressive escape, Delores crosses paths with Rita again, who helps her get back home. Delores catches up with Tom and they recruit some powerful allies as the police continue to hunt down Delores. Tom also has an interesting run in with Aggie, who appears to have double crossed him and Delores to better her own career. The end of the issue sets up for what is sure to be an explosive finale to end the series when the final issue is released next month.
Janet Harvey mixes it up in Angel City #5. There is plenty of action as Delores continues to show that she is one tough dame. But we are shown the softer side of Delores as her feelings for another character surfaces. Harvey has been true to her story from the start. There hasn’t been one time where I felt something in the story has felt forced. She has captured the essence of the noir detective narratives and it has been a delight to read. I am still a fan of Megan Levens’ art. She continues to capture the Hollywood look and keep the true grit of the story. I especially like the details of the characters faces. They don’t all look glamorous. Quite a few are aged and look like they have endured a lot in their life and makes it all feel genuine. Filardi’s colors do a wonderful job of piecing the visual story together. His colors have stood out every issue and brings the Hollywood backdrop to life.
Verdict:
Buy It! I am a huge fan of crime thrillers as well as period pieces and Angel City has satisfied my appetite as I always hunger for a good crime story! With one more issue to go, I am looking forward to see how it will all tie together. I will also be sad to see it end. I am hoping that Janet Harvey has more stories to tell with these characters. I would welcome another mini series! If you are big on crime stories, there is no reason why you haven’t picked up this up yet. I have the links for Angel City 1-4 below, but make sure you go out today and pick up Angel City #5!
Click here to purchase Angel City 1-4.
