Stumping for Stumptown

Sometimes I really hate Greg Rucka.

I just read STUMPTOWN #1, and this is definitely one of those times.

I hate him because this book is just so damned good. It's note-perfect, and he's working with Matthew Southworth, who did a fantastic job.

STUMPTOWN is about Dex, a private eye working in Portland, OR. That's it. No high concept, no mixing of genres. Dex doesn't see ghosts, she's not from the future, and her partner's not a cyborg. It's a straight private eye story told by a pair of creators with absolute confidence in their abilities and an obvious love of the genre.

I've known Greg for years, and while aren't good pals, it's always a pleasure to run into him at cons, and our brief conversations are always fun. He and I share a love of private eye stuff -- both novels and old 80s TV shows, and he's (proudly) wearing his influences on his sleeve with this book. I've been waiting for its release ever since it was announced quite awhile ago, and it actually lives up to my expectations (which is kind of rare, these days).

If you're a fan of Ed Brubaker's CRIMINAL, or the mystery/crime genre in general, do yourself a favor and buy STUMPTOWN. After all, the more successful crime books we have out there, the more likely I am to do one myself!