Old City Blues is as beautiful as it is confusing. Part of this is due to the setting and genre (cyberpunk), which demands gritty, cartoonish realism. Old City Blues is set in Athens, 2049. Cyborgs are common and hold high positions of authority. The old city was washed away by flooding and the new one is falling apart. Appleseed is the most obvious influence and can be seen in every aspect of the book, but Old City Blues is quite original without being so self-involved that it shuts readers out.
Apparently done completely in ink and toner sans pencils, artist Giannis Milonogiannis' major problem is a lack of solids. The toner use is great, but there are literally no solid blacks or negative space, leaving a jumbled mess of lines, dots, and sound effects the reader is forced to wade through. Only the cars are clean and clean-lined, and they are often marred by action lines.
Milonogiannis is best with non-living objects and plants. He needs work in the anatomy department, though his cartooning is great. Every character's personality is evidenced by one or more physical features - just the way it ought to be - however I was left wondering if Giannis can go deeper. He also likes to use hands to relay story, but his hands are not well-rendered. He does overcome this though, as he uses this technique several times and I followed what he was imparting each time.
The fight scenes are sometimes easy to follow, sometimes a mess. Obviously manga-inspired, the clearest ones are action lines and open spaces; the rest are action lines, scrawl, and sound effects.
Speaking of which, Giannis relies far too heavily on sound effects. They are shakily-rendered and often unnecessary. They should be cleaner and clearer, and incorporated into the scene instead of serving in its stead. Not only do they overwhelm, the sound effects sometimes replace the action they are imparting.
The lettering is also an issue. The only way I can describe it is "frenetic." Although I'm one of the most vocal supporters of hand-lettering, Old City Blues would have benefited from straightforward computer text. Even the balloons look shaky and sketchy. All of this is done to affect the mood, tone, and atmosphere Milonogiannis is going for, but it's overwrought.
All that said, Giannis' work is impressive. The story is great and uses no blurbs; Old City Blues is told entirely through art and dialogue (and sound effects), the way a good comic should be. That isn't easy. Milonogiannis' pacing is his best quality. The story flows well, and keeps the reader's attention all the way through. In fact, I read the entire thing in one sitting.
Do not mistake me, I love Milonogiannis' work, it's just too busy, and the subject matter leaves him little room for much else. Giannis needs more solids and negative space, and fewer lines and hatches. I realize what he is going for here, but it needs to be scaled back a bit; you can do "gritty" without scribbling.
As always, Archaia's presentation is rivaled by none. This is one of the few hardcovers I've seen from them without a dustjacket and it doesn't need one. The choice of yellow for the cover sets the tone of the story before you open the book, and the depressioned art is a stroke of pure genius.
Old City Blues is a collection of the webcomic, which can still be found online and actually looks better there. However, the hardbound is an absolute must-have, and I'm proud to have it in my collection. It's prominently displayed on my bookshelf, where it will be read and re-read by myself and others, probably as we play Cyberpunk. I can't wait to see more of Giannis Milonogiannis' work.
Highly recommended!
© C Harris Lynn, 2011
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