Jack Staff, Vol. 1: Everything Used To Be Black And White
Paul Grist
Image
352 pages

On the surface, Jack Staff is just another superhero comic, and can be enjoyed as such. But to the informed reader thereā€™s much more to it than that. Paul Grist combines the intertextual referencing of Alan Mooreā€™s work (particularly Watchmen) with the inspired visual techniques of Will Eisnerā€™s The Spirit to produce an invigorating work that stands as a perfect example of the unique potential of the medium. The plot (long-forgotten British superhero Jack Staff comes out of retirement and soon finds himself involved with vampires, criminal masterminds and time-displaced escapologists) is populated by thinly-veiled versions of countless classic British comic characters such as the Steel Claw and Janus Stark (not to mention writer Neil Gaiman), and each page is breathtaking in its imaginative approach to visual storytelling. Gristā€™s black and white art is clear and elegantly simple, his layouts outstanding, and his stories both gripping and amusing. This volume compiles the twelve issues of the Jack Staff comic book originally published by Dancing Elephant Press before the title moved to Image and represents excellent value for money. Jack Staff comes highly recommended.

Owen Heitmann