Salutations, traveler of The Internets! Welcome to William's Bloody Hell, so named after our founder, Sir Bloody William.
He is seen in the likeness above in a rare, 19th century woodcut. This
image was rumoured to have been
commissioned after a bout of unpleasantness
in the White Chapel district of London. Do enjoy your stay and peruse our many, varied offerings, much of which cannot be found elsewhere!
:: Koni Waves #1 by Mark Poulton & Stephen Sistilli ::
by William the Bloody
Koni Waves is the stage name of Koni Kanawai. Sure she's left the stage behind her, but it just won't go away. Koni used the stage as a means to make money to put herself through college and the Police Academy. She didn't last long on the force as a drinking problem cut her crime fighting days short. So now Koni is a private detective working out of her native Honolulu solving cases that have bizarre, super natural twists.
The Good: The art is old school and hot! It's got this simplistic style that's a complete 60s throwback, and I love it! The inks are strong and bold and it really suits the black and white book. Koni really looks great, too. She completely looks like native Hawaiian and not like Japanese or anything. The guys behind the book also seems to be infatuated with her because it's page after page of curvy Koni goodness.
The Bad: Sadly, almost everything else. They seem to average three to four panels per page and about the same amount of dialogue, so there is very little by way of character development, plot details/intrigue, or even general information. For a comic about a PI, I expected more by way of mystery, but there wasn't even ANY. The plot outline was basically: Koni goes to a bar, one of Koni's old friends tells her their mutual friend has been kidnapped by the local hotel mogul, Koni scopes out the mogul, she gets drugged and almost sacrificed to a Tiki monster, she saves herself. The End. Insert the occasional attempted witty quip by Koni and that's about it. No following leads or interviewing people; nothing.
Overall, this book looks (and nearly is) like a showcase for the gorgeous artwork due to the large panels and montages featuring the beautiful Koni in various poses at various angles. The art would be the only reason you should even THINK about this comic, but then, this IS issue one, so I'll be lenient in the plot and dialogue department. It could be that they just haven't found their proper voice yet, or wanted to be the first book more action packed.
C+
