Stumptown Volume One

I remember hearing about Stumptown a long time ago on an episode of Around Comics, back when I was a comics podcast junkie. Greg Rucka himself was on the line talking the book up, and it really seemed like he was excited about starting this new project.

Well, I'm not sure exactly how much time has passed since then, but I know that it was awhile. After a lot of waiting, I finally have a copy of the first volume of Stumptown in my collection.

This is a book of pure Greg Rucka greatness. The introduction, written by Matt Fraction, really praises the writer for the latest iteration of "the Ruckan Woman" in main character Dexedrine Parios. I think that must have to do a lot with why I've always liked Rucka so much...we have Tara Chace from Queen & Country, Renee Montoya from Gotham Central, Kathy Kane from Batwoman...all from Rucka. A lot of really good female characters who stand apart from the rest. 

And now there's one more. Dex is really great. She's a thirty-two year old private investigator who's having a tough time making ends meet in the city of Portland, Oregon. She drives a beat-up ’64 Mustang. She lives with her mentally handicapped brother Ansel. Bad luck follows her everywhere, whether she spills coffee all over herself or gets punched in the gut right after getting up from being pummeled in the face. She's really tough, and she has to be.

I think there is a tad bit more humor in Stumptown than the usually is in a Greg Rucka book, and I'm very much okay with that. But I guess people should be warned about that kind of thing. There's still plenty of violence and good detective work though.

There is a girl missing and her grandmother wants to know where she is. Said grandmother owns a casino, and Dex just lost a lot of money that she can't hope to repay anytime soon there. So a deal is made..."you're a P.I., right? You can pay me back this way."

And so she's off. Dex gets into a whole lot of trouble looking for this girl. Her bulletproof vest comes in really handy, her left eye gets a little beaten up, and yet she still has the time to get home and help Ansel get ready for his next day at work. She also has time to reflect on how her handicapped brother pulls in a steadier income than she does, but this is what happens when you're a one person private investigation team.

Now so far I have said absolutely nothing about artist Matthew Southworth, and here is where that changes. He was the perfect artist for this book. At some times it really did seem like I had cracked open an old issue of Gotham Central...he has a very similar style to Michael Lark. And again going from the book's introduction, Southworth has perfectly captured the fine details of Portland, Oregon. I'm not sure if I'll ever make it out there to see if it's true or not, but I like the idea of a comic that is so "true to life."

I just have to say a few words about the physical book itself. Oni Press makes nice books. This is a really sturdy hardcover with dust jacket, and the paper is really heavy duty. If I was going to make any kind of complaint about anything, it would be that colors looked a little murky, but maybe this was all part of the plan. Before I cracked it open, I had actually assumed that Stumptown was a black and white book.

There is some interesting back matter after the first four chapters of Stumptown. The best is the short story that was mailed out to people as a promotional gimmick before any of the comics came out. It was printed up at the size of a business card and came with a magnifying glass so you could actually read it. Here in the hardcover it was printed at normal size. It's a more lighthearted story than what the Stumptown story eventually became, but it really is entertaining. Dex is having car problems and doesn't have the money to make repairs. But the mechanic has another way she can repay him: find a guy who took off with a $90,000 Mustang from him. Well, Dex sure does succeed in making this guy's life hell for the next few days. It's interesting to see this story because it makes you wonder what Stumptown would be like if Rucka had stayed with the almost over the top humor he presents in this short.

Bottom line: there's another great Greg Rucka comic out there and it's time to read about the adventures and misadventures of Dex.