Stillman #1 opens with a rather intense scene. A man in a mask strangles a prisoner. It is a shocking but effective way to attract readers’ attention, and even more surprising, the next page reveals that this cold and effective killer is a man from a family named Peter Stillman. During the day, Peter spends time with his wife and children, but by night he runs a hit for organized crime.
It’s a story that hooks comic book readers looking for something fresh, and perhaps makes aspiring creators think, “I wish I had thought of it.” It also shows Cartopia’s genius at work. He manages to take away the “protagonist who lives a double life” and makes him feel fresh. The way Peter navigates his life at home is very different from how he walks through the world of paid assassins. It all relates to all the dialogue, as Peter is warmly joking with his wife, but when speaking on the phone with his employer, it is direct.
There are moments when both sides of Peter’s personality clash, and come to the prison guards that he has to be bribed so he can pull off the latest hit. He can persuade one security guard based on appealing to their better nature. Another thing is that he has to use his strength. This is the difference that shows that PARES is worth writing these scenes, as it shows that Peter has more layers than expected.
Visually, Sunando C brings a simple but impressive art style to the Stillman #1 page. Peter himself is immediately recognised thanks to his grey temple and a neatly trimmed mustache. And when it comes to action, C, in short, delivers it in a brutal burst. He also has the talent to close the characters’ faces, making most of the stories in their eyes. In Peter’s case, his eyes don’t betray him much. But one of the elements that stood out to me was the slow, ending pages being pulled out and pushed into Peter’s face, each slowly. In the latter case, C’s art assumes a blurred side, representing the blur between Peter’s two lives.
Sunando’s art style deserves a simple yet striking color scheme. Please enter Markdale. His colour is bold and pointy. Lightly in the daytime scene, it rounds out the black in case Peter descends into prison. In fact, only light features, ironically, he is there to kill from a cell with a man there. There is also a shade of red during the battle scenes, and a golden shade that represents a flashback. Finally, Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou brings signature lettering to the page, adjusting it to C and Dale’s Spartan Art style.
Stillman #1 takes pages from the main character’s book and provides contrasting research. The creative team offers a Spartan approach to their work, but it’s packed with lots of layers. The only question is how long it will take for the two of Peter to inevitably clash with each other.
“Stillman” #1 is a contrasting study
Stillman #1
Stillman #1 takes pages from the main character’s book and provides contrasting research. The creative team offers a Spartan approach to their work, but it’s packed with lots of layers. The only question is how long it will take for the two of Peter to inevitably clash with each other.
Pires packs simple premises full of layers.
C and Dale’s art and colour are Spartan, but impressive.
The idea of a hitman with a family life is not just a genius, it is often carried out.
It feels a little bit shorter. A few more pages could have been used to explore Peter’s family life.
