One Coin Reads 9: Bad Girls, by Alex de Campi and Victor Santos

Bad Girls, by Alex de Campi and Victor Santos

2018

I try to get out of my comfort zone with comics these days, just because sometimes I'm really surprised with what I enjoy. It's a reason to throw down some cash on cheap book, just to see what it's about. Sometimes I really like it, and sometimes it's Bad Girls by Alex de Campi and Victor Santos.

It was only ¥438, so it cost me more in time spent reading it than in hours worked to pay for it. Up front, this isn't egregiously bad or anything. I'm not angry about it. My take away from it was likely influenced by its presentation. This is a nice hardcover book with beautiful paper and the support of an international publisher. It is being sold as a "good" comic, not one of those disposable leaflets on the rack. So I just expected something better. I've read comics of equal quality in poor packages which I enjoyed more simply because they embrace their low class roots. What this book reminded me of was when HBO and other cable outlets were making great serious dramas in the 00's, and networks tried to copy them by making more mature works. But the network shows were always weak, and felt like they were trying to be something special rather than just being something special. This is like a network drama trying to be a cable drama.

I like the colors, but somehow I don't like the coloring

With this book, you have a dramatic setting, Cuba on the eve of the revolution; interesting characters, three women of different social statuses and ethnicities linked by their workplace at a mafia nightclub; and strong motives for all to take the money they have access to and get out. It's all competently written, but it's not surprising. There's an affair, a mafia boss who's got a bad temper, feisty burlesque dancers. I know something could be done with this set up, but de Campi seems content to let it play out as expected. 

I thought the characters were pretty simple. They had their goals, and didn't stray from them. I wonder if it were drawn by another artist whether or not it would get more out of the characterization.

The book veers into noir, a page like this would read better without the lyrics. It makes sense as a concept, but in execution it's awkward

The artist, Santos, is competent, and is coloring his own work, but I found it to be sterile. I love the work of Bruce Timm and Darwyn Cooke, and Santos seems to be a fan as well. But Timm and Cooke have a lot of life in their lines. Santos has controlled lines that lack their spark. It could be the digital panel work, or the song lyrics digitally imposed through a lot of the book. The polish on the pages took away from the feeling. I would have enjoyed the book more if it were more stripped down graphically.

Whatever the reason, I just didn't get into this book. It was very competent, but not memorable. Some people might really get a kick out of it. If you like the setting of Havana in 1959, it might be worth a read just for that. But there are already too many good crime comics not getting the deluxe book treatment for me to spend more time on this book.

<Edit> I just checked Amazon to see the page count on this, 224 pages, and saw that this was nominated for three Eisner Awards. Ugh. The more a book like this is put on a pedestal, the less interesting it gets.