For a few months now, I’ve been on a serious kick for books under the Hard Case Crime banner. They’re consistently solid. That applies to their prose offerings as well as comics from Titan. At the same time, I’ve been working my way through a stack of comics I picked up from creator Dave Dwonch, whose latest book The Automaton is on my list to review (positively).
So The Loose End announcement feels like a Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup of comics for me. Dwonch handles characterization extremely well, and so far I’ve found him excellent in different genres. Crime? I’m pretty sure it’s a piece of cake for him. This 4-issue miniseries carries strong Tarantino vibes, and while that’s obviously not for everyone, it’s a win for me.
From Titan Comics:
Tied up, tortured and thrown into a world of chaos, get ready for the wildest ride of your life!
With crushing debt, an aimless career, and a thirst for the high life punching down on him, failing screenwriter Steven Hollis is handed a ticket out of his dead-end lifestyle…an offer he can’t refuse from the mob! Now all he has to do is kill the biggest exec in Hollywood.
COVER A: ANDY BELANGER
COVER B: ROBERT HACK RESERVOIR DOGS HOMAGE (RUNNING ACROSS #1-4)
COVER C: TRAVIS HYMEL
COVER D: KIT WALLIS
THE LOOSE END ISSUE #1 (of 4) Writer: Dave Dwonch
Artist: Travis Hymel
Publisher: Hard Case Crime, Titan Comics imprint
FC, 32pp, $3.99, On Sale: February 19, 2025
In addition to running Fanboy Planet, Derek has contributed stories to Arcana Comics (The Greatest American Hero) and Monsterverse Comics (Bela Lugosi's Tales from the Grave). He has performed with ComedySportz, City Lights Theater Company and Silicon Valley Shakespeare, though relocated to Hollywood to... work in an office? If you ever played Eric's Ultimate Solitaire on the Macintosh, it was Derek's voice as The Weasel that urged you to play longer. You can buy his book "I Was Flesh Gordon" on the Amazon link at the right. Email him at [email protected].
