It’s fall, and I’ve fallen for Ruby Falls. It’s everything I like in a comic book. You see, Ruby Falls #2 from Dark Horse is just so entertaining!
Lana is trying to solve a mystery in a town called Ruby Falls. A woman disappeared years ago, and now Clara, Lana’s grandmother has wandered off too. Is this all related? Lana’s mom and dad are sort of in the picture too, but they’re estranged in multiple senses of the word.
If you like carefully crafted stories that harken back to Film Noir, you’ll like Ruby Falls. It’s a twist on the ‘twisted old town secret’. Its power comes from its concept, yes, but also a flawless execution of Ann Nocenti’s script by Flavia Biondi, artist. And by Lee Loughridge colourist and Sal Cipriano, letterer. The drawings make sense, but add a clean, elegant hand to the story. The visuals, clean and tastefully coloured, are aided by Cipriano’s placement of word balloons. There is no fluff here, just pure reading enjoyment.
As rare as it is to see a comic story put together so well, this is the real deal. One of editor Karen Berger’s strongest entries yet in her Berger Books imprint.
Dark Horse, Ruby Falls #2, $3.99 for 27 pages of content. Mature readers
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