Black/White - Andrez Bergen

Up until now I've known Andrez Bergen primarily as a novelist with a distinctive, entertaining voice, as is evident in TOBACCO-STAINED MOUNTAIN GOAT, WHO IS KILLING THE GREAT CAPES OF HEROPA?, and DEPTH CHARGING ICE PLANET GOTH, among others. But he also writes comics, and BLACK/WHITE, a new anthology title he's produced with several different artists, is just out.

Most of the stories in this book are noir, starting with "Zig Zag", which opens with a man cleaning an antique gun. You know that gun's going to go off sooner or later. Very spare, effective art by Drezz Rodriguez on this one. "Get Busy", with art by Marcos Vergara, is about the odd goings-on in a busy bar. "Linoleum Actress" is probably my favorite story in the book, a nasty slice of domestic noir with great art by Michael Grills. "The Writing on the Wall" is a dystopian story with art by Nathan St. John. Bergen provides both story and art in "Waiting for Sod All", a tale of desperation. The anthology closes with "Come Out Swinging" by Bergen and artist Andrew Chiu, a short, action-packed private eye tale.

All these stories are well written and enjoyable, and the art is good in all of them. If you're a fan of noir comics, BLACK/WHITE is well worth reading. It's available in both print and digital editions, and it can be ordered directly from the publisher here.