Website for Pinstriped Bloodbath
Pinstriped Bloodbath (edited by Jeff)
What a great idea for an anthology. Take various artists, let them use gangsters from Chicago in the 20’s-30’s (or some modern day take on it) and put the whole thing together. That suit on the cover folds out as you open the comic, and that little flower in the lapel is apparently different for the different stores stocking it. So fine, the packaging is gorgeous, what about the comic? There’s a fine collection of talent assembled, and they all have their unique takes on the stories. Bernie McGovern has a heartbreaking and gory take on the last moments of Baby Face Nelson, Neil Brideau has a quiet conversation between gangsters as one of them tries to crack a safe, Nate Beaty has a silent take on the constant violence and the practice of soaking of blood from the murder scenes as a macabre souvenir, Rickey Gonzalez shows the last moments of Dillinger (or is it?), Neil Fitzpatrick proves that he can’t draw regular human eyeballs and tells the tale of the gangster killed by a horse (and the gangster’s revenge on said horse), Sam Sharpe retells a conversation he had with his at least mildly demented mother about keeping his “gangster” name, Jeff Zwirek has what appears to be a soundly researched piece about the Thompson submachine gun, and Jeremy Tinder closes with instructions on how to make bathtub gin. Throw in a couple of illustrations by Ivan Brunetti and Joshua Cotter and voila! You have one ridiculously entertaining anthology. You could practically make a series out of all the gangster stories from that time period, but Jeff probably already rounded up most of the high points. If you’re at all a fan of this sort of thing it’s essential that you pick this up. If you’re at all squeamish, however, things do get a little bloody, because how else could you tell these stories? No price, let’s spin the mystery price wheel… $6!
