Even more irrational and dangerous is that the robber embarks on an affair with the beautiful Debbie Hollow. Under the name of Caprice, as a seductive burlesque dancer, she drives the men in Rex’ Club crazy by the dozen. However, the red-haired showgirl and the boss are dating, so it seems only a matter of time before Terry’s troubles get worse…
Enrico Marini, Swiss artist with Italian roots, was internationally influenced: by comic classics from Italy such as the crime series “Diabolik” and the western series “Tex”, but also “Mickey Mouse and “Donald Duck”, manga or the Works by Hermann, Bernet and Moebius.
Today, Marini, who was born in 1969, is known for top European titles, including “The Scorpion” and “The Eagles of Rome”. In 2017 he caused a sensation on both sides of the Atlantic as the author and illustrator of Batman: The Dark Prince. In the first album of his new two-parter “Noir Burlesque” Marini stages classic, in this respect almost perfect crime thriller pulp.
This also means that he follows the rules and patterns that go back to the American literary magazines of the 1920s and 1930s. Some things, above all the toxic masculinity and the ominously beautiful femme fatale, hardly correspond to today’s standards. The old-fashioned tropes, however, are part of this tradition-conscious take on crime noir, and Marini ticks all the boxes with visible enjoyment.
Visually too, of course, after the expressionist black-and-white films of bygone eras have shaped cinema and comics to this day. Marini consistently uses the archetypes of the entire genre and the imagery of several related media.
Whether violence or sensuality: His atmospheric grayscale pages look strong, seem almost cinematic. Red serves as a spot color in the panels and is used effectively on Caprice’s hair, her convertible, or blood in general.
Anyone who appreciates this sort of noir crime thriller between Dashiell Hammett, Donald E. Westlake, Frank Miller, Jordi Bernet and Darwyn Cooke should love Enrico Marini’s comic.
