A Review of Nottingham's FCBD Special
Nottingham Free Comic Book Day Special
David Hazan word
Andrea Mutti art
Justin Birch letters
From Mad Cave Studios
When you’re dealing with Nottingham, never trust a silent night. Now, put on your warmest coat and peep the solicit:
A very Merry Christmas. All eyes are on Everard Blackthorne, the Sheriff of Nottingham, when his predecessor is murdered in cold blood. It's business as usual for Ev, with Hood and the Merry Men pulling the strings and a terrible choice to make as the lives of Alan Dale's wife and son hang in the balance. This special issue of Nottingham takes place in between volumes 1 and 2 of the smash hit series.
Free Comic Book Day is an amazing day. Comics. Free. Those two words go so wonderfully together, don’t they? For fans of Mad Cave’s Nottingham, it’s going to be even better because this year, it’s Christmas in May.
Nerds: you’re going to be able to get one of the best issues David Hazan has written for free. Zero dollars. All you have to do is make your way to a comic shop on May 7th. I can think of no better way to spend a Saturday. However, though these wonderful offerings be free, I do advise you to buy something while you’re at the shop. These store owners do have to pay for these issues, so pay it forward. Grab a trade or a cool variant. If you’re new to Nottingham, grab volume one along with this free issue.
Trust me. It’s worth it.
Now, this is going to be a hard issue to review because I can’t talk about a lot of it. I mean, I could, but I’m not an asshole. I don’t want to spoil the second whodunit tale appearing in this darker, much grittier, Robin Hood world controlled, seemingly effortlessly, by David Hazan.
The FCBD special spins out of the 2nd and 3rd issues of Nottingham. There was a murder. A big one. Everard must interrogate the guards because the crime, it seems, has come from within. The culprit, Captain Alan Dale, is found and meets an untimely demise, and the Sheriff of Nottingham takes on a promise to care for the Dale family.
Now, it’s Christmas. Nottinghamshire is covered in snow, conspiracy, and blood. There is another murder. Lord Harrow, a close friend of Sir Guy of Gisbourne, is found dead and, once again, the sheriff is tasked with simultaneously solving the crime and saving the honor, and the life, of the widow Rose Dale.
There are higher stakes than last time. Emotional debts and crushing stress play a key role in this wonderful whodunit, and I won’t say anymore of the plot. You’re just going to have to get out there, pick up this issue, and experience its mastery yourself. I will say that Hazan plays his usual games of confusing his readers on who is, and who isn’t, the villain in these stories. I’ll also say that this is a beautiful way of showing the burdens that Everard Blackthorne carries. Duty and morality are never inline when traversing the world of Nottingham, and that tension weighs heavily on Everard’s shoulders.
Another great thing about this issue is the art. I won’t lie, for the briefest of moments, I was a bit saddened that Shane Connery Volk wasn’t on doodle duty, but that worry went away when I saw that Andrea Mutti was taking the helm.
Mutti’s palette and water-coloring proficiency work insanely well here. The grit is present in every panel. Nothing is clean. The world is dirty and maladjusted, and Mutti controls that with magical, ethereal-like shading. He’s able to meticulously control our moods with layers of soft colors, and everything is coated in white, gorgeous snow. You can hear its crunch under boots as the narrative progresses.
Mutti is no stranger to violence, so the action bits shine as well. The Sheriff of Nottingham is a beast, and that animosity shines as he hunts down the perps and weakens them into submission. That feral aspect is wonderfully juxtaposed by an intensely emotional conclusion. Mutti is able to show readers the defeat and depletion present in the sheriff’s eyes. These are heavy pages, but they’re easy to turn.
Justin Birch takes all these wonderful aspects and makes sure they play out in their intended ways. The letterwork is perfect. The sound effects are brutal and carry violence inside, and outside, the panels. Every page is perfect, and I just can’t believe this issue is free.
Free Comic Book Day is sick, folks. The Nottingham special is the cure. Get up early on Saturday and secure yourself a copy.
And now for some housekeeping:
Blake’s Buzz Episode #35 is out. We rushed this one to make sure everyone got eyes on Adam Barnhardt’s new Kickstarter campaign for Moonspawn. If you haven’t checked out Adam’s Sh*tshow comics, you should really change that. It’s a really solid cape universe with epic art and writing, and the new Kickstarter campaign looks awesome!
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Blake’s Buzz Live returned this week with Episode 8! If you missed the livestream, you can watch the video by clicking here. I had Manny Shape and Honor Vincent on to talk about their Kickstarter campaigns. Trust in the Buzz, folks, you should really check out El Krudo and New Rat City. They’re really great indie comics with a lot to say!
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As always, thanks for reading, watching and listening.