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Living in Infamy #1 (of 4)
Book Released: 5 Oct 05
Review posted: 10 Nov 05
Writer: Ben Raab, Deric Hughes
Artist: Greg Kirkpatrick
Publisher: Ludovico Technique
4.00 out of 5 Stars
Reviewed by Adam White
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I picked up Living in Infamy mainly because I thought the cover looked interesting — a super villain in his bathrobe in suburbia. I read what little I could find about the series and decided I'd take a risk and order it. It turned out to be a good move because Living in Infamy is one of the best new series I've come across lately. The premise is simple: super villains who have turned state's evidence against others criminals get put into the witness protection program and moved to the town of Infamy, Arizona, to lead normal lives. Raab, Hughes, and Kirkpatrick's execution of that idea is what really makes this book solid and interesting.
Raab and Hughes have constructed a believable town filled with believable characters, all with believable problems. They toss in some mystery, some action, and some humor, and mix it into a unique blend of graphic literature that is different from anything I've read lately.
It spoke to me, and said “you will want to tell others to buy this entire series because they will thoroughly enjoy it.”
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The most interesting part to me is that, while most comics examine what happens when normal people get extraordinary powers, Living in Infamy explores what happens when people with extraordinary powers must live ordinary lives. And that's the main success of the book
— these characters actually want to live ordinary lives now, and Raab and Hughes accurately portray the “ordinary” problems with which they must live and cope. Raab and Hughes treat their characters as real human beings instead of megalomaniacal cut-outs, and it quickly draws you in to the story and leaves you wanting more.
Greg Kirkpatrick's art compliments the story perfectly, as he captures what could have been mundane and makes it visually interesting. Kirkpatrick's style reminds me a bit of M. D. “Doc” Bright's (co-creator of my all-time favorite series, Quantum & Woody), which is also interesting because two of the characters in the book bear a physical resemblance to that dynamic duo (if that was intentional, bravo to Kirkpatrick). Kirkpatrick draws real people complete with emotions and expressions, something missing from many current comics that are drawn in the action “pin-up” style. Kirkpatrick bears watching, and I envision him only improving with time.
Considering this was the first ever comic produced by Ludovico Technique (a DVD production company), I was extremely impressed with the magnificent quality of the book. Ludovico selected an excellent story and got it right where so many veteran publishers fail these days — they made sure the story and art were of a high quality and let the work speak for itself. It spoke to me, and said “you will want to tell others to buy this entire series because they will thoroughly enjoy it.” So there you go, straight from the comic's mouth; go out and buy Living in Infamy today, and keep a vigilant watch for future issues. If your dealer didn't order it then chastise him or her (likely a him) and get it on your pull list right away, also advising them to get copies for others to try out.
Why are you still sitting here, reading this? Go.
—CCdC— Cover image used without explicit permission in accordance with the "Fair Use" provision of US copyright law.
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