Hotwire: Deep Cut #3 – Review

by Steve Pugh (writer, artist, and letterer)

The Story: Alice Hotwire races to save the city from an invasion of blue lights and the ignorance of the Bear Claw mercenaries.

Review:  As with any issue of Hotwire, it seems fitting to start with the art first.  If you’ve ever seen an issue of Hotwire, you’ll know exactly what you’re getting here.  That is, you’re getting what may very well be the best looking comic on the stands right now.  Steve Pugh’s artwork is so stunning that it defies description.  Hyper-realistic, immensely detailed, lushly painted, and with really cool high-tech, near-future designs, this comic is a feast for the eyes.  Pugh’s massive and ornate blue light ghosts are awe inspiring and I also rather enjoyed Alice’s combat outfit this month.  Pugh creates a very realized world with every issue of Hotwire, fusing science fiction with horror in the most epic manner possible.

But there are the little things as well.  Alice’s facial expressions are always a blast, making the character instantly likable.  Her little nuances of emotion are always conveyed perfectly.  I particularly enjoyed Pugh’s use of close-ups during moments of tension.  The bottom-line is that this comic looks like one of those books with a shit story but art so good that you end up recommending it anyway.

Of course, in this case, the story’s rocking too.  As a last issue, the action is explosive and there’s a constant sense of pandemonium, desperation, and chaos.  Pugh effectively manages to make the events of this issue truly feel city-wide, not just limited to our characters and what we actually see on the page.  It’s an exciting, gripping read that’ll have you flipping the pages unconsciously until you’ve reached the end.

Blue-light soldier Tom continues to shine this month, in a big way.  Regardless of his past, he comes across as a full-fledged hero this month.  It’s easy to sympathize with the guy, who manages to go from perpetual loser to hero in the span of a few pages.  Leave it to Pugh to have you ultimately rooting for the ghost of a murderer threatening the city with destruction.

Hotwire Deep Cut #2 – Review

by Steve Pugh (writer, artist, and letterer)

 

The Story: Alice has it out with her blue light ex while the hunted ghost soldier finds an unlikely comrade.

What’s Good: After Requiem for the Dead, Hotwire was quite easily Radical’s best property.  Deep Cut has only cemented that position, despite Radical’s larger roster of solid titles.

Let’s start with the artwork.  Deep Cut #2, like every other issue of Hotwire, goes beyond Radical’s trademark digitally painted style.  Quite simply, Hotwire is perhaps the best looking comic book coming out today.  On a technical level, this is outstanding, gorgeous stuff that defies description.  It’s incredibly realistic, vivid, and mind-blowingly detailed.  On a design level, Steve Pugh’s work is equally impressive; his blue lights are a perfect mix of horror and hard sci-fi, while Hotwire’s world in general is cyberpunk cool.

Pugh’s characters are similarly strong.  Alice Hotwire herself is more distinctive than ever this month in her facial expressions and body language, making her even more attractive than ever.  I also greatly enjoyed Pugh’s depiction of the blue lights’ perspective, which took on a dreamy, pastoral quality that greatly contrasted with the cold, polished futuristic world of reality.

Pugh’s script is fantastic as well.  In many ways, I think his writing of the series is stronger in Deep Cut than Requiem.  It’s clear that this arc is all about characterization.  This issue really let me feel like I was getting to know Alice, from her quirks to her demons, and it made her attractive, cool, vulnerable, and fully three dimensional as a character.  Pugh accomplishes this again through the use of Alice’s blue light ex-boyfriend.  Her struggle with him is a clear, but elegant and downright exciting, metaphor for her struggles with her own past.  At the conclusion of the fight, you end up feeling satisfied; Hotwire defeated a ghost, but also made a step forward in her life and as a character.

Given this, Alice is now fully established as an awesome lead character that could very well become Radical’s Hellboy.  She’s just incredibly likable.  Pugh’s writing of the dialogue only enhances this.  Alice’s voice is an incredibly unique one; she’s hilarious and snarky, but also socially awkward and abrasive.  Yet despite this, she absolutely adorable.  She’s basically the endlessly grumpy person that you can’t help wanting to hug.