The Good
LOST VEGAS is the newest book from the dynamic duo of writer Jim McCann and artist Janet Lee. Their newest book takes place on a space station that is actually a gigantic casino. If you go broke at the tables, you end up working it off, as a slave, like our main character Roland. Jim McCann went into a bit more depth, recently, on the Super Massive Comic Book Podcast, which actually sold me on the book as a whole.
This issue is one part familiarity and one part "huh?" It's a science fiction world that's pretty easy to understand, for the most part. Everyone understands what all the concepts behind this project are, but it's when you smash them all together that you get this insanely engaging book that you can not turn away from.
The character Ink is by far the weirdest and most sci-fi element in the issue, but as I reread this issue, I find myself really liking the character. To dumb is down, he's a space blob that can link people telepathically, but at the same time, he's a lot more than that as well. I really enjoyed the weird design and the fact the character seems to be lurking in the corner or on the ceiling in many panels.
The world McCann and Lee have created is simple and complex all at the same time. It's incredibly brilliant. Within the design of this world and locations we get to see, it still feels like an out there casino. The large rooms with the gambling tables are there in a room with architecture that we would not see on Earth.
Janet Lee's art is breathtaking here. I love her art style. It comforting and reminds of the works from children's stories in my past. In no way mean that as a jab. Her art is easy on the eyes and does a wonderful job of telling the story. More than anything, her color work is beautiful. The colors all flow and work together very well, and she does wonders with shading, all while keeping this book bright and friendly, in what is not a very friendly world.
The splash page featuring Ink melding with Roland and other slaves is brilliant. I love the background art here and the psychedelic color scheme. It's my favorite page in the issue, by far. A few pages in, we also get a two page spread of the corridor of the slave cells. Again, it's another scene that has great elements of the foreign and the familiar, which this book does extremely well.
The Bad
It's science fiction, so it can be a little hard to take in everything this book presents to the reader. And just when I got on board with the space station casino, we get something like Ink thrown at you, which I'm still having a bit of trouble grasping. I feel a tad overwhelmed with everything in the issue. It's a lot to take in for a first issue.
My other problem is a few panels of the art. Overall, Janet Lee does an amazing job on this issue, but I had a few problems with specific panels where the faces looked like they were was too big for the head or it was placed awkwardly on the head, like way too high or off to the side.
The Verdict
Issue one of LOST VEGAS is a very solid start. It's an interesting concept that is executed extremely well. The story may be a little much to handle, but overall, it's very intriguing. McCann and Lee have what seems like to be a top notch book on the shelves here. I love the story and the concept, and the art is brilliant, even if I had a few problems with it here and there.
Overall, I highly recommend this book.
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