Canary #1 - Dark Horse

First (issue) Impressions

Writer: Scott Snyder

Artist: Dan Panosian

Letters: Richard Starkings

When a horrific shooting disturbs the peace of a sleepy town in the Old West, Marshal Holt is called upon to investigate. But as Holt digs deeper, he discovers that evil may just run to the core, and it all seems to stem from a place called CANARY.

Thoughts….

Issue 1 sees us meet the main characters and introduces the setting, it also starts to build up the unsettling atmosphere that goes throughout the issue. As the story evolves from what seems like a senseless and unexplained murder to being something much more sinister there are a number of times that the illustrations will make you feel uneasy, especially when introduced to Johnny Apple, the unlikely murder suspect with his wide staring eyes and persistent smile (see the page attached to this post). There is much more going on here than meets the eye and links to  Marshall Holt's past.

The Illustration style here definitely matches the story and the main character, there is a lot of dark colour and shadow to the issue and that only helps to heighten the feeling of dread. There is a flashback section to the book and the colours seem brighter and more clear as if to show that the character has gone through something that has marked him with darkness that he now carries with him. 

I stopped reading at the first issue to write this review so this would be my first impression before reading further, I have a feeling this story will get a lot darker as it continues on. I have high hopes for this series given the creative team behind it. Issue 1 gets an 8 out of 10, will it maintain this score by the end of the series?