4 out of 5

It’s hard to qualify exactly what it is that makes a small press book look like a small press book.  If I knew more about production quality, I could probably speak to why the art and lettering always looks a little off, but I think there’s also a sense of commodity that might apply when you have a larger crew putting a title through more levels of approval before it goes to print.  Doesn’t make it better or worse, just gives things a different feel.

IDW’s Comics Experience imprint definitely slots into the small press look, even though it’s backed by a (nowadays) big name publisher.  It’s a great experiment though, giving the online CE community a chance to get their works in print; that there’s also a digital outlet suggests that someone is cherry picking titles for the physical format that they think will have broader appeal.  And ‘Gutter Magic’ is a great choice: a smart and focused fantasy tale with a confident art style that shows off plenty of promise from its creator, writer Rich Douek, as well as its artist Brett Barkley.  Its detractions are really only those inexperienced elements that fall under my commodity comment, but otherwise this is exactly what you want an indie spotlight to do: to cast the beam on truly fresh faces and get you amped up for whatever they’ll do next.

The title refers to an in-story derogatory term for street-level magic, as opposed to the more flashy and “natural” kind employed by the borne wizards and wizard-esses that live in the skies above the wrecked city of New York.  History has been rewritten for this tale: world wars were won by spells, and goblins and their ilk seem to have no issues bopping about on the city streets.  We’re introduced to human Cinder and goblin Blacktooth (ah, the mark of fantasy: “common” names that are ridiculous); Cinder is forever envious of his whole family’s magicy abilities, leaving him to rut about and steal pieces of gutter magic he hopes will one day grant him natural powers, and Blacktooth is just one of those great hanger-ons, assisting with escapes in a pinch and/or throwing out advice, caution, or jokes whenever appropriate.  He, of course, smokes a cigar, which in one great panel hangs free from his mouth like a slapstick cartoon.  And so for four issues we chase these two about as they get further embroiled in more deviousness the closer they get to Cinder’s goal.

Douek has a great sense of scope: his world-building is pretty spot-on for a four issue series, offering enough to make the world feel lived in – not just strung together bits and pieces to support a plot – while not making the opposite mistake of going too big and distracting from his story.  Similarly, Barkley breathes life into his characters and the steam-punkish setting but keeps most of his panels tight and character focused, letting his expressive linework and framing and colors do the trick to fill the gaps instead of reaching beyond his current capabilities via excessive details or huge layouts.  And like any great story, ‘Gutter’ ends satisfyingly, but also leaving you wanting just a bit more…

Now I’m not exactly knocking the colors and letters, but they are part of what gives the book that indie feel, attributing a general flatness to the look, along with some looseness in editorial – maybe a good thing for new creators – that allows for some bloat and stiffness in the dialogue and flow.  There are some story elements that could’ve been punched up by dialing down others, for example; the middle two issues of Gutter, while interesting, feel like an incredible runaround  to get us to the finish line of book four.  But it’s not like these problems don’t exist in the majors, either, they just have glossier print to hide the flaws.