If you’ve ever wondered what a fever dream / crime / tale of revenge looked like, you definitely have to read The White Suits: Dressed to Kill. I cannot believe how utterly original and blood-soaked this collection is with only three colors. If you miss the great conspiracy / crime sagas like 100 Bullets, this book is a worthy successor to that illustrious mantle.
WRITTEN BY: Frank J. Barbiere
ART BY: Toby Cypress
PUBLISHER: Dark Horse Comics
PRICE: $17.99 US / $19.99 CAN
RELEASE: 26 November 2014
Reviewed by: Your Friendly Neighborhood Brady
Twitter: @mrbradysteele
I know my reviews tend to point out similarities between current books and books from days gone by. Like music fans, comic book fans can talk to someone and get a feel for books they would like based on their likes and dislikes. If you like this, then you should try this, and so on. With all due respect to Brian Azzarello and Eduardo Risso’s epic crime book, this feels like this is the next step for crime comics. Seeing writer Frank J. Barbiere’s influences confessed in his afterword, this tale feels like something wholly new and original.
Not only is the story of a mysterious group of Russian killers in white suits simple in its premise, the details that unfold only add to the mix of a great read. The art by Toby Cypress just makes this an entirely unique visual experience. His style is so unpredictable and yet utterly hypnotic. Nothing looks like quite you expect it to but it still looks incredible. I could see these pages take over an art gallery easily. Cypress’ style is so fluid, so detailed and so visceral that it makes the story feel like it’s moving at light speed. The action is so tangible you can almost feel the bullets and blood fly all over the place when violence gloriously ensues.
Story, lettering, art and coloring are all covered by Frank J. Barbiere and Toby Cypress. That, in itself, is an impressive feat. Are these men selfish or passionate? I think you can answer that yourself when you start absorbing the visuals and the storyline of this tale. I know previous reviews have raved about the initial debut and I can categorically say all the praise this book received is well deserved. I definitely want to see what happens next and whatever these creators do next, I will be there and you should too.