Good Boy #1

Good Boy #1

Source Point Press 2021

Written by Garrett Gunn & Christina Blanch

Illustrated by Kit Wallis

Lettered & Design by Dave Lentz

Set in a world where humans and dogs are equals, Good Boy is a thrill-packed treat for anyone who loves action, dogs, and good stories.

Flint Sparks and his human Jon, both former mercenaries, have settled down in quiet retirement from an industry where the job is supposed to be forever. But, unlike anyone before, they found a way out. However, this new life, filled with peace and joy, is not to be. In the dead of night, some of their former "colleagues", who disagree with their decision to retire, break into their home and murder Jon, leaving Flint alive in the bloody aftermath.

That was their FIRST mistake.

But don't worry - they haven't seen anything yet…

Alright, colour me intrigued. I like a good old fashioned revenge story and this has all the makings for something that is definitely a unique take on the genre that will have everyone talking. I like the idea of anthropomorphic characters living alongside humans as it takes just the right amount of the absurd and mixes it with such a serious premise and really lets the reader concentrate on just how well the story is being written and told. This is a very strong introduction to the series and it sets the stage for what’s to come beautifully.

I am a fan of the way that this is being told. The story & plot development that we see through how the sequence of events unfold as well as how the reader learns information are presented extremely well. The character development that we see through the dialogue, the character interaction as well as how we see them act and react to the situations and circumstances which they encounter does a marvellous job in establishing their personalities. The pacing is superb and as it takes us through the pages introducing us to the characters, their world and the story we are definitely intrigued and want to see, know and learn more.

I am very much enjoying the way that we see this being structured and how the layers within the story begin to emerge and grow. I am also liking the way we see these layers opening up new avenues to be explored. Not to mention that we see things happen that almost feel like they drop us into this world and we cannot wait to see the backstory. This adds depth, dimension and complexity to the story extremely well. How we see everything working together to create the story’s ebb & flow as well as how it moves the story forward are impeccably handled.

The linework we see is strong and creates such a very distinctive style and it has this delightful blend of indie and mainstream feel. I am absolutely loving the fact that Flint’s face can be so expressive and you read the emotions right off the face on the page. I wish we’d see more backgrounds being utilised, however, how we see the composition within the panels as it brings out the depth perception, sense of scale and the overall sense of size and scope of the story really shines. The utilisation of the page layouts and how we see the angles and perspective in the panels shows a very talented eye for storytelling. The various hues and tones within the colours being utilised to create the shading, highlights and shadow work demonstrates a great understanding of how colour works.

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I think the story is off to an amazingly strong start. Based on the strength of the writing alone I am excited to see what is going to happen and where it’s going next. Also I have to say that the way we are meeting new characters alongside Flint should definitely be the way that the story continues it adds that certain something to the way we learn things. This has some exceptional writing and intense characterisation with some utterly delightful interiors definitely makes this a conversational book.