Comic Reviews: Snapshot #1 (of 4)

Snapshot #1 (of 4)
Story by: Andy Diggle
Art By: Jock
Price:$2.99
Diamond ID:DEC120505
On Sale:February 06, 2013
Series:Snapshot
Image Comics

Jake Dobson is your typical nerd; works at the Near-Mint Rhino comic-book store in San Francisco. But when he finds a lost cell phone, he's horrified to discover it's full of snapshots of a murder victim. Suddenly he finds himself hunted by a vengeful hitman who wants his phone back... and Jake in a body bag! And then things start to get *really* complicated...
Don't miss the first ever creator-owned thriller from the team behind THE LOSERS and GREEN ARROW: YEAR ONE!

I read The Losers a couple years ago, which I found so much more enjoyable than the film it inspired, and figured I should keep an eye out for more work from Andy Diggle and Jock. Well, Snapshot is just what I was waiting for, apparently. 

Centered on a young man named Jake who works at a comic book store, his world is turned on its ear when he finds a discarded smart phone in Golden Gate Park on his way to work. While hanging out with Steve, chubby comic nerd and Nearmint Rhino's best customer, Jake decides to have a peak at what's on the phone before he tries to sell it for a quick buck. What he finds scares the hell out of him, as he's not used to seeing dead guys--dead guys with bullet holes in their forehead. 

Things get scarier when the phone rings and Jakes answers it. A man claiming to be a detective tells him the phone is part of an investigation and needs it, but when the man shows up, Jake winds up running for his life. And when he finds a real detective, things get even crazier. 

There is a quick-witted techno-thriller feel to the story, with a bit of the man-who-knew-too-much vibe. Jake and Steve have a great back-and-forth, short-lived though it might be once Jake is on the run. And the mystery surrounding the phone and the photos of the dead man on it are a real headscratcher, especially when the issue gets to the final page.

Andy Diggle's sharp dialogue and crisp pacing are just as good, if not better, than I remember. And Jock's artwork draws you hip-deep into each scene. I'm intrigued, that's for sure, but the story right now is a bit too convoluted. One too many twists to really get my footing. It's a four-part series, so I'm guessing things become much clearer in the second issue, which I will greedily devour as soon as I can.

4 Sheep

Guest reviewer: Gef Fox

Wag The Fox: a den for dark fiction