Comics have had a long history of having pyromaniacs, pyromancers and any other character who uses and or has some kind of infatuation with fire. One of the latest fire lovers in comics comes from “Bad Luck Chuck†by Lela Gwenn with art by Matthew Dow Smith. The first issue offers more of a flicker than a flame.
Charlene “Chuck†Manchester, an arsonist with awful luck, is hired by a mob boss to set fire to a cult gathering that her daughter is gathering. What was meant to be a normal job turns into something much bigger than what she’s being paid to do.
It’s a decent plot with an OK execution. Chuck is a fine character, but so far, her entire character boils down to an eccentric who sets things on fire for money. The story seems to just plod along at a snail’s pace where every character seems to not care about what’s going on. Chuck caring even less so than any other character. There is still room for improvement and the next few issues should bring about something a bit more interesting than what’s presented here.
Dow Smith’s art gives this comic a gritty feel by making everything dark and gloomy. The only time there is anything that’s bright is whenever there’s a firewhich actually works well. A comic about a fire starter should have pretty fire. The character designs are OK. They’re competently drawn but in all, they’re nothing special.
The first issue of “Bad Luck Chuck†has a solid plot but the execution needs a bit more meat on it in order for it to be palatable. With OK characters, color scheme and art, this first issue may only create a small spark in the reader. That’s not to say it’s a dude, there is some hope that this story can turn into a huge, beautiful, raging forest fire.
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