I received this DRC from NetGalley.

The artwork was the strongest part of this. Each panel was done in black and white plus 1 accent color, and I really liked the style of it. The story was fine. It was interesting enough, but the conclusion just felt a bit anticlimactic and was just over with quickly. I also would have liked it to feel a bit more believable. But it was nice that it wasn't just straightforward and had a bit of a twist to it.

1 / 5 Stars

Thank you to Mad Cave Comics and NetGalley for the ebook ARC.

Mugshots is about a detective (or spy) named John Bannam trying to track down his missing niece through sleuthing and kicking some behind. Family drama and A LOT of violent and brutal actions.

As much as I want to give positive comments to this piece, as every work of art has effort put forth, there is very little I enjoyed about this in particular. I DNF’D 40% into the story.

My biggest criticism of this comic is the pacing. This can be subjective for other readers reviewing this piece, but it’s blatant when we go from one scene to another in the same chapter with NO written or explained transition. I noticed this in the beginning when John was walking away from a scene without being noticed and his former criminal colleague getting punished, but didn’t think much of it because it was small. Maybe they didn’t see him? But it became more obvious in the scene where John talks to his friend on the pier then a whole other person in the next panel. Not the next page or something with a transition…but the next PANEL? And nothing indicating it. It made reading it confusing when there was little indication of what was happening.

One piece of dialogue that stuck with me was a character referencing seeing Taken, as this story takes place in the late 2000s when Taken was released in theaters. This is important to note because my brief description at the beginning is literally taken. Both spies, or beat-em-up secret good guys (idk), find their missing girl and track them down using serious sleuthing while beating up others. I know it’s a far stretch but that comment made this story feel like it had less of an identity than it already had.

The only positive I have is the art. That’s why I picked it up. It reminded me of early Boomerang cartoons mixed with early DC Animated Shows like Superman. The main character, John, has a Superman chin (for better or for worse). Even then, some of the characters look more or less the same sometimes. There was one scene where the father of Grace, the missing girl, confronts the boss and I had a hard time keeping track because they both looked alike.

I feel I could go on with the mundane dialogue or plot but I just really did not enjoy this book. It’s a shame because I really wanted to like it but I couldn’t get into it.

I guess that’s one mystery solved: my star rating for this book.

Mugshots combines several things I love into one neat, vicious package: noir narrative with a smart as lead, generational trauma, the suffocating suspense of the inevitable, and spare, sleek art that elevates the story without pulling punches.

Matthews’s spare, sleek art evokes 1950s advertising sketches while still showing the grit and grimness of 2008 Brighton.  The limited color palette is striking and effective - sharp black and white lines with either a cool blue or alarming orange to highlight the mood.

I am a sucker for noir. There’s something about the grimness, about hoping everyone comes out alright and the good guys win, even though you know it’s going to end in tragedy and even a victory won’t save you.  This is a great, knowledgeable addition to the genre.

I think this was a fun read. I like the art style and how it was reliant on a few colors. I like that style when it comes to comics/manga/graphic novels etc. the story moves fast and I think the characters work well together.

After an introduction that was a little too uncomfortably eager to sell the book, I wasn't optimistic. Then I got a story that feels like Darwyn Cooke illustrating a Darwyn Cooke crime saga written after Richard Stark (with plenty of nods snuck in). If that isn't reason enough to run out and buy this book, and eagerly await the next one, I don't know what to tell you. Terrific top to bottom.

Mad Cave does it again! Mugshots is an excellent Taken/Guy Ritchie crime story. The art tries for Darwyn Cooke and maybe doesn’t live up to the standard, but still enjoyable.