Comic Review: Black Cotton #3 (Scout Comics)

With issue 3 of Black Cotton, from Scout Comics, writer Brian Hawkins gets further into the ‘what if’ concept: What if Black Americans were the dominant majority of the population, and White people were the downtrodden minority?

It’s a fascination concept, and Hawkins does much more than simply turn the status quo on its ear when he composes this storyline. Black officer Zion Cotton (from the powerful Cotton family) has accidentally shot a white girl, Elizabeth Nightingale, who is currently recovering in hospital. His deep-seated guilt is not going away, so he tries to visit her, to apologize. Maybe if he can just explain what happened?? Oh oh. Bad idea.

Everything is exploding. The dialogue has rhythm, cadence. The scenes are stripped down to their essence. Just the drama, just the information, just the plot points. The ultimate in economy, of string tight tension.

Meanwhile, criminal elements are gathering, THAT tension is gathering, and everything is picking up steam.

Artist Marco Perugini has a deft hand on his rendering. Again, as I have seen in previous issues, the subtleties of the shapes, the minimal touches to faces to conjure emotion and expression. Artists can work a lifetime to achieve this level of understanding of the medium. And to do this in high contrast black and white, with only a bit of grey tone, simply amazing. Letters by Francisco Zamora.

Enough chat. Pick up the issue. Or if you are new to Black Cotton, be sure to start with issue 1.

Scout Comics, Black Cotton #3, $3.99 for 26 pages of content. Teen