Hotwire: Deep Cut #3

by Steve Pugh

This is a good week for comics that are incredibly late (it's been 3 and a half months since we last saw Alice) and that I enjoy a lot.  This issue wraps up the Deep Cut story, and is, once again, very well written and stunningly painted.

Deep Cut has had Alice find herself in a lot of conflict with Bear Claw, an independent contractor that has been put in charge of managing bluelight (electro-magnetic ghostly manifestations).  Both groups have been chasing an experimental exo-skeleton housing the soul, or bluelight energy, of a deceased soldier, who has been trying to prove his heroism, and save a recently killed pregnant woman.

Pugh really gets the character of Alice (the cover credits Warren Ellis, but he only came up with the original concept), and makes her a very compelling character.  Matching this with his fantastic art, this is one of the best comics on the stands.  I hope that we'll see a third Hotwire story at some point.  If you haven't checked out this series, you owe it to yourself to find a copy.

Hotwire: Deep Cut #2

by Steve Pugh

I think Hotwire might be just about the most original and interesting science fiction comic being published these days.  The concept, which has to do with 'blue lights', returned spirits or souls taking an electro-magnetic form, is endlessly fascinating, as Pugh continues to explore it in novel ways.

One key factor of this issue has to do with the US military's approach to the Blue Lights, which involves their recognition of them as immortal souls, and not the electric phenomenon that Alice, the hero of the book, has so strenuously maintained.  Of course, with this second volume of Alice's adventures, we are learning that we don't know the cantankerous Detective of Exorcisms all that well, especially since she is living with a former blue light boyfriend.

It's the moral ambiguity, police politics, and paramilitary turf wars that make this comic so interesting, as a militarized blue light makes off with the ghost of a woman who died in last issue's car accident.  This book is stuffed full with story and characterization, helping to demonstrate what a great writer Pugh is.

And then we get to the absolute best part of this comic - the art.  Pugh is incredible, and one of the few artists who paints comics that I find endlessly readable.  I usually get bored with painted comics (which is why I read so few of Radical's other titles), but I love what Pugh is doing here.

Hotwire: Deep Cut #1

by Steve Pugh

I loved the first Hotwire mini-series, Requiem for the Dead, and am very happy to see that the title has returned for another three issues.

Alice Hotwire is your typical smart-ass recalcitrant anti-social Warren Ellis female lead character (Ellis wrote the original treatment for the story).  In this case, she's a Detective Exorcist in a world where the dead have been returning in the form of 'blue light' electro-magnetic ghosts.  There are a number of scientific ways in which these blue lights can be dealt with, and Hotwire is the best at taking care of them.

When the book opens, she's been off the job for six months, recovering for the events of the first arc.  She is finally pulled back to work after her replacements bungle a blue light capture, causing a massive accident.  Her first day back on the job doesn't go well for her.  Also, she's been seeing an old boyfriend again, despite the fact that he died a few years ago.

The writing on this title is sharp and smart, although it pales in comparison to the incredible painted artwork provided by Pugh.  He's an artist I've respected since his run on Animal Man in the nineties, but his more recent work here and on Shark-Man has been very impressive.  I can not recommend this title enough.

Hotwire: Requiem for the Dead #4

Story by Warren Ellis
Written and art by Steve Pugh
It's been a while since the third issue of this title, but it was well worth the wait. This book is quite different from the titles Ellis has been writing for Avatar - it's much denser, and benefits a great deal from Steve Pugh's beautiful artwork. While I enjoy the stuff from Avatar, this has really caught my imagination and is a superior piece of work in every way.

The character of Hotwire is a stock Ellis character, but I like the revelation in this issue that she has had music playing in her head since we first saw her. It's those little twists that make these comics more memorable.

People should definitely pick this up when it comes out in trade if they haven't been reading this all along. It's the best work Pugh has perhaps ever done.

Hotwire: Requiem for the Dead #3

Story by Warren Ellis
Adapted by Steve Pugh

This is a brilliant title. Every page drips with new concepts and ideas, and Pugh's art is absolutely fantastic. This issue is suspenseful from the first page, and never quite lets up.

The ghosts (sorry, blue lights) featured in this issue are creepy as hell - I'm not sure which is worse, the one with hundreds of razors suspended in his electric field, or the former child soldier.

Most importantly, while all of this action is going on, Pugh is still taking the time to develop these characters into plausible people, leaving plenty of space, I hope, for a sequel series.

Highly recommended.

Hotwire: Requiem for the Dead #2

Story by Warren Ellis
Written and art by Steve Pugh

This title is amazing! Pugh, working from a story or story idea of Warren Ellis's, is putting out one of the best books on the stand. There are a ton of interesting ideas at play here - the 'blue lights' and a world where the dead don't really die, the rioting that is taking over the city, the fear police have of Homeland Enforcement, the 'ghost bomb'; all of which take second stage to the incredible characterization of Detective Exorcist Hotwire herself.

While the character is of a familiar type in Ellis's body of work, Pugh has managed to flesh her out very nicely, both in terms of her character and her appearance (she really is cute). Her prickly relationship with all other police is what makes this book so readable.

The best thing of all though is the art. I was uncertain of Pugh's new style when I read Shark-Man, but now I'm a fully-converted fan. This book is incredibly gorgeous, with both realistic-looking characters and impressive blue-light forms, especially the Chinese dragon ghost.

I hope that Radical intends to return to the world of Hotwire when this series wraps up.

Hotwire: Requiem for the Dead #1

Story by Warren Ellis
Adapted by Steve Pugh
Steve Pugh's run, with Jamie Delano, on Animal Man back in the 90s is still one of my favourite runs on any Vertigo comic ever, and so I've always kept an eye on his career. Although I haven't, up to now, been interested in any of the books being put out by Radical Comics, the news that Pugh was pairing up with Warren Ellis caught my attention.

Their book, Hotwire, is an interesting title. It's about a police exorcist, for some reason named Hotwire, in a world where the dead are returning in the form of ghosts that follow the laws of physics. It all has something to do with wireless technology. It's a very Warren Ellis concept, and Hotwire is a very Warren Ellis type of character - all the other cops hate her, and even though she claims a strict adherence to 'the rules', she pretty much does whatever she wants.

Pugh's art in this book is fantastic. The look is very similar to the work he did on the recent Shark-Man for Image - it's a photo-realistic painted look, with lots of oddly shaped panels and strange desing elements (like Hotwire's bike helmet).

The book has an interesting idea behind it, and I'll be around to see how it plays out for the next three issues.