Best Shots Extra: Greek Street #1

Greek Street #1
From: DC/Vertigo
Writer: Peter Milligan
Art: Davide Gianfelice
Cover: Kako
Review by Troy Brownfield

Greek Street roars out of the gate, asserting itself fairly quickly as something special. A kind of fierce hybrid of Fables and 100 Bullets, Greek Street envisions the replaying of the greatest Greek tragedies in the context of the London criminal underworld. The first issue moves fast, introducing a number of characters, concepts and conflicts that provide what’s sure to be a rich mythos.

Certainly, it’s going to help readers if they go in with some familiarity with either Greek mythology or Classical Greek literature. While some of the incarnations will be fairly obvious (Detective Daedelus, for example, named after the mythic genius that designed the maze of the minotaur), others are a little more circumspect. The well-read will probably pick up on the implications of Eddie and Jo right away, even before the more salacious aspects of their relationship appear.

Gianfelice’s art does recall Risso’s work on 100 Bullets, but he definitely has his own flair. He also has a huge cast to contend with right away, but each person has a distinct and fluid appearance. The script calls for drama, action, and Grand Guignol-style shocks all in the first issue, and Gianfelice carries it all off with style.

I can easily see Greek Street turning into one of those Vertigo titles with a long life and a healthy following. There’s a big well of story and character to draw from in terms of the Greek idiom, and Milligan already seems to have a dozen plots in motion. The introductory price of $1 is going to entice a lot of people to pick up the first issue; I’m pretty sure that the sheer quality will bring a lot of them back for the second.