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"A perfect blend of dark shadows on white images that almost seem to give the feel of a stark pop art representation."
GEEKS OF DOOM
"There are six stories here, and each succeeds — some impressively so."
ALL-COMIC
BLACK/WHITE ANTHOLOGY
A comic formed entirely of short stories can be hard to pull off. It would take a highly talented creative team to make it work.
Black/White, thankfully, is one such anthology. Written solely by the prolific Andrez Bergen and featuring a new illustrator for each short, this is one compilation worth checking out. Read on to discover some of my particular favorites from this noir crime and dystopian/post-apocalyptic collection.
“Zig Zag” drops the reader right into the middle of a gun cleaner’s mind as he methodically takes care of an antique, precious piece to hand over to a special client. The vivid and descriptive narration combined with the solid whites on solid blacks that artist Drezz Rodriguez sets to “action to action” panel transitioning, makes for a movie-esque read.
“The Writing On The Wall” is a post-apocalyptic story that introduces an intrepid, female drifter who rights wrongs with words and guns. Only three pages of black and white sketches, this manages to become an enthralling and exciting story with a dark and gritty tone. I would love to see this one turned into a graphic novel or ongoing series.
“Waiting For Sod All” is told from the perspective of an ill, married woman. Her husband seems to be losing hope and she can’t take the pain — physically or emotionally — anymore, and will do anything to make it end. The illustrations are done by Bergen in this tale and are a perfect blend of dark shadows on white images that almost seem to give the feel of a stark pop art representation.
Black/White is a creative anthology excelling in both writing and art, as all of the illustrations blend perfectly with their respective stories. I sincerely hope that this is not the last we hear from Bergen in the world of comics.
The decision of whether or not to pick up a copy for yourself is black and white: the answer is yes!
--Max Pfeffer, 2014
Black/White, thankfully, is one such anthology. Written solely by the prolific Andrez Bergen and featuring a new illustrator for each short, this is one compilation worth checking out. Read on to discover some of my particular favorites from this noir crime and dystopian/post-apocalyptic collection.
“Zig Zag” drops the reader right into the middle of a gun cleaner’s mind as he methodically takes care of an antique, precious piece to hand over to a special client. The vivid and descriptive narration combined with the solid whites on solid blacks that artist Drezz Rodriguez sets to “action to action” panel transitioning, makes for a movie-esque read.
“The Writing On The Wall” is a post-apocalyptic story that introduces an intrepid, female drifter who rights wrongs with words and guns. Only three pages of black and white sketches, this manages to become an enthralling and exciting story with a dark and gritty tone. I would love to see this one turned into a graphic novel or ongoing series.
“Waiting For Sod All” is told from the perspective of an ill, married woman. Her husband seems to be losing hope and she can’t take the pain — physically or emotionally — anymore, and will do anything to make it end. The illustrations are done by Bergen in this tale and are a perfect blend of dark shadows on white images that almost seem to give the feel of a stark pop art representation.
Black/White is a creative anthology excelling in both writing and art, as all of the illustrations blend perfectly with their respective stories. I sincerely hope that this is not the last we hear from Bergen in the world of comics.
The decision of whether or not to pick up a copy for yourself is black and white: the answer is yes!
--Max Pfeffer, 2014
"Black/White is very cool." JULIAN DARIAS @ SEQUART
Don’t worry. The list of names attached to this book does not designate a creative mess of multiple inkers and colorists to finish a book.
Black/White from IF? Commix is an anthology book filled with six different shorts all in, well yes, black and white. Andrez Bergen, of Tales to Admonish, has taken on writing on this anthology one-shot. For each story, he has employed a different artist and art style, creating complete shorts that each feel of their own. Maybe it’s the lack of color adding to the effect, but each tale in Black/White has a noir sensibility. They each work, to varying degrees of success, and provide a good bit of quality story telling in this singular publication.
The first of the six tales is the least conventional in what readers have come to expect in the sequential story telling medium of comic books. Over the few pages, artist Drezz Rodriguez pairs Bergen’s script with just a few images. The presentation finds a narrative constrained to the left column and only a few images, stacked vertically, to the right. It is a different reading experience and it stands out. It reads like a great monologue from a noir. A man reflects on polishing his gun, women, and alcohol. It’s so restrained in what it clues the reader in on and what it displays visually that it lends to a fascinating sensation of trying to see more. The structure is intentional, however, and allows for the book’s conclusion. Of the six stories, this one definitely is the most unique and possibly the most enjoyable.
There are several other stories within the title, each with their own paired art, that play to some other realm of this era of mob stories and crime. Bergen has a good handle on giving the different tales their own voice in how they are narrated and what the lead characters are written to be. Having proven his ability to handle such variety in Tales to Admonish, here in Black/White Bergen spends even less time with each story, and comes away just as successful. A few stories feel a bit short and pass by in a way that not much is gleaned. This is not necessarily a knock on those tales. They still hold up, but at times the brevity almost feels too abrupt. Readers may find themselves adjusting to a style or voice just as it moves on again.
Though there are no problematic stories in the six, a few are less successful. Whether it is for the aforementioned reason of length working against the writer, or the paired art, there are a few moments where the book does lose momentum. Possibly the most exciting of the six is a short involved a man and woman in an apartment. Titled, ‘Linoleum Actress,’ the fusion of writing and art is best here. While the previously discussed story is the most unique, this tale feels the most natural. Bergen writes the narration incredibly well, and the evocative art paired with it makes for a fantastic few pages. Suddenly, readers start to take note of what is truly occurring and it is a great pay-off.
Bergen is stretching his chops here and has partnered with some solid talent on art. With no color to help differentiate the stories and styles, each artist comes with their own flare and there is no confusion or overlap to be seen. With an anthology book, the risk is incredibly lowered for readers giving the book a try and failing to find something to love. There are six stories here and each succeeds — some impressively so.
--Dan Pennacchia, 2014
Black/White from IF? Commix is an anthology book filled with six different shorts all in, well yes, black and white. Andrez Bergen, of Tales to Admonish, has taken on writing on this anthology one-shot. For each story, he has employed a different artist and art style, creating complete shorts that each feel of their own. Maybe it’s the lack of color adding to the effect, but each tale in Black/White has a noir sensibility. They each work, to varying degrees of success, and provide a good bit of quality story telling in this singular publication.
The first of the six tales is the least conventional in what readers have come to expect in the sequential story telling medium of comic books. Over the few pages, artist Drezz Rodriguez pairs Bergen’s script with just a few images. The presentation finds a narrative constrained to the left column and only a few images, stacked vertically, to the right. It is a different reading experience and it stands out. It reads like a great monologue from a noir. A man reflects on polishing his gun, women, and alcohol. It’s so restrained in what it clues the reader in on and what it displays visually that it lends to a fascinating sensation of trying to see more. The structure is intentional, however, and allows for the book’s conclusion. Of the six stories, this one definitely is the most unique and possibly the most enjoyable.
There are several other stories within the title, each with their own paired art, that play to some other realm of this era of mob stories and crime. Bergen has a good handle on giving the different tales their own voice in how they are narrated and what the lead characters are written to be. Having proven his ability to handle such variety in Tales to Admonish, here in Black/White Bergen spends even less time with each story, and comes away just as successful. A few stories feel a bit short and pass by in a way that not much is gleaned. This is not necessarily a knock on those tales. They still hold up, but at times the brevity almost feels too abrupt. Readers may find themselves adjusting to a style or voice just as it moves on again.
Though there are no problematic stories in the six, a few are less successful. Whether it is for the aforementioned reason of length working against the writer, or the paired art, there are a few moments where the book does lose momentum. Possibly the most exciting of the six is a short involved a man and woman in an apartment. Titled, ‘Linoleum Actress,’ the fusion of writing and art is best here. While the previously discussed story is the most unique, this tale feels the most natural. Bergen writes the narration incredibly well, and the evocative art paired with it makes for a fantastic few pages. Suddenly, readers start to take note of what is truly occurring and it is a great pay-off.
Bergen is stretching his chops here and has partnered with some solid talent on art. With no color to help differentiate the stories and styles, each artist comes with their own flare and there is no confusion or overlap to be seen. With an anthology book, the risk is incredibly lowered for readers giving the book a try and failing to find something to love. There are six stories here and each succeeds — some impressively so.
--Dan Pennacchia, 2014
This won’t be a traditional review as far as I’m concerned. The main reason is because this isn’t a traditional book. By the end of this brilliantly put together collection, my first thought was that “this needs to be on everyone’s shelf.”
And that isn’t an understatement.
The talent on this anthology comes from all over the world, and it shows. Black/White doesn’t just tell interesting stories, but the way that everything is literally put together makes it something that I haven’t had the pleasure of seeing before. Whether you own it for its original content, or because of how its presence automatically improves the feng shui of the room, this is something that can’t be excluded from any enthusiast’s collection. Collecting all kinds of genres from crime to post-apocalyptic dystopia. Of course the main theme is Noir, but that is merely the overlapping format in which these stories are told.
Very similar to Tales to Admonish, this is a collection of very short stories. Perfect for those of us who don’t have large amounts of time to devote to very long, and sometimes painfully in-depth arcs that very rarely pay off in the way that we believe they should. But now that I’ve sold you on it, I would pay attention to these folks in the future. The rogues gallery on this book consists of Drezz Rodriguez, Michael Grills, Nathan St. John, Andrew Chiu, Marcos Vergara, Andrez Bergen, and Matt Kyme.
I say “rogues gallery” because I am convinced that we will be seeing these names for a long time to come. Black/White just goes to show you how amazing this industry really is. Where else is there this kind of proof that the creation of art is a worldwide collaboration?
Get in touch with these guys as soon as you can. You can’t afford to let a book like this escape your grasp. I jumped on it the second that I could, and I suggest that you do too.
Score: 5/5
--Erik McAlister, 2014
"Black/White just goes to show you how amazing this industry really is...
You can’t afford to let a book like this escape your grasp." COMIC BASTARDS
The theme is noir. It's thick, rich, and heavy. It's noir to the core. You feel it, see it, and hear it. Never have I read something that hits so perfectly what it was going for.
At first I thought this was multiple stories illustrated by the same person which had me all too impressed considering how differently each tale appeared. Unfortunately I was wrong but it was impressive none the less especially considering how well each story captured a different aspect of noir all the while looking so different and unique than the one(s) before it. I was also blown away by how varied each chronicle was in narrative as it was visually.
The first story, "Zig Zag", is written by ANDREZ BERGEN and illustrated by DREZZ RODRIGUEZ. This one reads like a book with relative images to the right of the narration. It was a magnificent description of a man cleaning an antique gun that leads to what could be a hit or murder. The use of black, white, and empty are strong, powerful, intense images. The last one being the best and strongest of them all. It was a great and brilliant build to a fantastic cliffhanger.
"Get Busy" from ANDREZ BERGEN and MARCOS VERGARA was my least favorite content of it all but it was interesting nonetheless. It's obvious the art tells most of the story as there is only a few lines of dialogue. The setting is a busy bar. The main character appears to be a skinny, old, sullen bar tender viewing the commotion and some of the odd ongoings of a few of the bar attendees. The bit is a little too odd for me as the people look like caricatures and it was unclear to me what this one was actually about.
"Linoleum Actress" by MICHAEL GRILLS & ANDREZ BERGEN may be the greatest display of ugly and beautiful I've ever seen in a comic. There is so much depth and detail to the characters, art, and narrative that it's astounding. It was so cinematic and artistically well done I truly felt like I was transported to viewing of a noir film. The woman in this is sexy, sultry yet piercing and devious. The crippled, rough, grizzly, aged man narrates as the tight satin dressed woman teases him. It appears to be a game to them especially her. This one is definitely worth multiple read throughs and rereads. I never knew how expressive black, white, the absence of color, and use of empty space could be until I experienced this piece.
"The Writing On The Wall" comes off as more of a spaghetti western. The story is done by ANDREZ BERGEN whereas the artwork is by NATHAN ST JOHN. Oddly enough the art style looks like that of a rainy day in 'Nam. A couple is spray painting a giant wall when some law dog shows up. This is where things start to seem like the Wild West and even more so at the end. The art is unlike anything I've ever seen. I don't even know how I would begin to describe it. You truly need to see it for yourself. Art is objective so make up your own mind once you check it out.
If there's any kind of theme in this besides the obvious the other has to be confusion and depression. ANDREZ BERGEN does both the story & images in this short story called "Waiting for Sod All".
The woman narrating the story is sick, sad, ill, unhappy, downright depressed and yet she is beautiful, gorgeous even. A real classic beauty like they use to look in the old movies. Her marriage is a sham. She's miserable but afraid. I'm not exactly sure what's wrong with her or what happened in the end but it was definitely interesting. The art almost appears to be spray painted black and white but it's obviously too detailed, accurate, and clear for that. Each panel and page seems to contain the same amount of black and white, none overpowering the other.
The last story is more of a semi-realistic cartoon look and feel. It's literally only one page but it's very clear what's going on here. It's a classic noir damsel in distress rescue. The light overpowers the dark in this quick, enjoyable, fun, juicy tidbit. "Come Out Swinging" story by ANDREZ BERGEN, art by ANDREW CHIU.
There's no doubt that if you're into noir this is totally for you. If you're like me though and you're kind of new to the genre then this is a great step in the right direction. I won't deny that I was floored by some stories while others left me hanging. For a $1 though there's no way you can beat that. I don't know how many times I've read this anthology and I find something new and interesting every time I read it. There's so much depth and content here you'd be a fool to turn down a deal like this. The pros entirely outweigh the cons so spend the dollar because I assure you, you won't regret it.
Verdict: STRONG BUY
Weird & Wonderful reads REVIEW—Black/White
Well, I recently finished the rather excellent graphic collection Black/White, offered up by writer Andrez Bergen, and a host of talented artists namely: Matt Kyme (cover); Drezz Rodriguez (art for 'Zig Zag'); Marcos Vergara ('Get Busy'); Michael Grills ('Linoleum Actress'); Nathan St. John ('The Writing on the Wall'); Andrez himself ('Waiting For Sod All.'); and last, but not least, Andrew Chiu ('Come Out Swinging'). If you want to learn a little more about the individual artists, click here.
First off, we have 'Zig Zag'. A story that is steeped in noir, to the point of drowning. The story, along with Drezz Rodriguez's excellent art, is so dark that only hints of light manage to break through. The story opens with a man whistling a Cole Porter tune while cleaning a certain Webley-Fosbery revolver (an item that makes appearances in many of Andrez's works). Despite having a visitor that is heard commenting in the background, the nameless man concentrates on the task at hand. Eventually finishing his task, he earns a couple of compliments from his visitor. Loads the gun, passes it into waiting hands, and then the last of the light goes out of the story. With a quick ending that you won't see coming, this is a good story to start off the collection. Drezz's stark black and white etchings perfectly compliment the mood of the piece. Impressive, to say the least.
Next up we have 'Get Busy', a look at the local night life through the eyes of a jaded bartender. A quick hit where we witness a few players from Andrez's novels sweep through the landscape, and once again, are confronted with a rather familiar revolver... This seems to function quite like an intermezzo, in my opinion. It ties together a number of pieces from other works, while the party goes on in the background, the bit players oblivious. Marcos Vergara's art is unique, and definitely fits the story. It reminds me a bit of some of the underground comic greats from the 60's and 70's that I love. Very nice.
Third story up is 'Linoleum Actress', and what an actress she is, indeed... Definitely playing up her turn on the stage, you may want to look up "captive audience" for this one. With excellent art, from Michael Grills, Andrez's quick hit shows how low some will sink in this dystopian future... What's your poison, and do you love real butter? If you're confused, buy the book, 'cause I'm saying no more, except that your money will be well spent. Trust me!
With 'The Writing on the Wall', we have a brief encounter between a Seeker and two hapless souls. After a bit of sage advice offered to the two, and a quick critique of their attempt at a political statement, she sends them on their way. Lucky for them, for there are a few unsavory blokes headed the Seeker's way... I have a feeling the Seeker will be fine, though. The art is very unique, and quite striking.
'Waiting For Sod All', is probably my favorite of the collection. With story and art courtesy of Andrez, it is definitely a poignant tale. A tale of the gradual erosion of hope, it is masterfully executed, especially in so brief a format. Absolutely striking. Although it may seem to be the end of a story, in my opinion, it is actually a beginning. For more info, track down Tobbaco-Stained Mountain Goat.
The collection is rounded out by 'Come Out Swinging'. An action filled finale, it's a nifty tale of a rescue that gets a bit complicated.The art by Andrew Chiu hits all the right notes, perfectly fitting this hard-boiled short. A great ending to a very entertaining collection.
To sum up, this is a great collection of short fiction, perfectly complimented by some wonderful graphics. The stories are tied into Andrez's fictional world as a whole; this selection can be read on it's own, but also functions as a great companion piece to previous releases. Highly recommended, so why don't you run out a pick up a copy? Stop by Black/White and If? Commix for more info.
--Shawn Vogt, 2014
"Really nice." Laurence Campbell — Wolverine, Judge Dredd
Andrez Bergen, writer of the comic anthology Black/White, may be one of the few people who loves noir more than I do.
Noir elements are staples in a lot of his work, from the broadly comedic, supernatural, hard-boiled detective antics of his “Roy and Suzie” stories to the dark dystopia of his novel Tobacco-Stained Mountain Goat. Black/White is a collection of a number of Bergen’s specifically noir-based stories, illustrated in comic form by a number of different artists. Because of the different artists, each story has a completely different visual style, ranging from high contrast to realistic to somewhat cartoony. The only thing they have in common, other than Bergen’s words and a noir motif, is that they’re all in . . . well, black and white.
The first story, “Zig Zag,” just has the printed text of Bergen’s story alongside drawings by Drezz Rodriguez. It’s about cleaning a gun, which sounds boring, but is actually rather compelling in a dark, rather twisted way. Then, we move on to more traditionally formatted comics, with “Get Busy” drawn by Marcos Vergara and “Linoleum Actress” drawn by Michael Grills.
“Linoleum Actress” is probably my favorite of the bunch. Like all of these stories, it’s fairly short and, as such, picks up seemingly in the middle of the action. But, in that short amount of time, it still tells a great story. It’s less Humphrey Bogart noir and more Double Indemnity noir, with a beautiful femme fatale who—well, you’ll have to read it to find out.
Nearly all of these stories previously appeared in text form in Bergen’s anthology, The Condimental Op, which I read and reviewed last year. Most of them take place in the world of his novel Tobacco-Stained Mountain Goat, which I still have not read but am basically familiar with from having read a fair amount of Bergen’s other works, which make references to it. The less familiar you are with Tobacco-Stained Mountain Goat, the less clear the background will be for the stories in Black/White. But, the actual action generally speaks for itself, and even when being thrown headlong into an unfamiliar world, the immediate circumstances are clear.
And, that’s all that really matters in the end. To be honest, “knowing what’s going on” has never exactly been a prerequisite for enjoying noir. Case in point: The Big Sleep. It’s one of my favorite movies, and I still have no idea what it’s about.
So, even if this is your first introduction to Bergen’s works and the world in which they take place, Black/White provides dark, action-packed fun that’s totally enjoyable. If you’re a fan of noir, you’ll want to check this one out.
--Steven Alloway, 2014
SCI-FI JUBILEE REVIEW—BLACK/WHITE
Black/White is the brand new anthology collection from the Australian author Andrez Bergen, writer of the detective noir inspired superhero novel Who Is Killing the Great Capes of Heropa?
This anthology features artwork by Canadian artists Drezz Rodriguez (El Cuervo) and Michael Grills (Runnin’ With a Gun), American Nathan St John (Baja), with British artist Andrew Chiu and Argentinean Marcos Vergara, alongside Australians Bergen and Matt Kyme (That Bulletproof Kid & Tales to Admonish).
Published by IF? Commix, Bergen and Kyme takes an innovative stance with Black/White, balancing contrasting tones of storytelling and art (both black and white) in this new Aussie indie anthology which, together with its impressive collection of international artists, explores the subtleties and subtexts which exist between them both.
With a focus on noir, together with a dark blend of comic humour, Black/White serves up a bold and unflinching collection of stories tackling numerous themes: including crime, suicide, and a chilling post-apocalyptic nightmare in a dystopian future.
The first of the six tales in this anthology, 'Zig Zag', features a man, cleaning a gun, one that has survived for 100 years. The narrative here is delivered by Bergen along the left hand side of the page, while the art by Rodriguez dominates the right of the page. The noir style monologue is hauntingly relayed; a symphony of darkness and despair, which together with the uncanny twist at the end gets Black/White off to a fine start.
'Get Busy' takes us to a bustling night in a bar, where barman Ziggy studies the comings and going of his patrons. While the tone of this story is somewhat lighter, Andrez Bergen provides with a host of interesting character, with some great art by Marcos Vergara, this story necks a triple shot of vodka and delivers a surprise find in the most unlikely of circumstances.
'Linoleum Actress' by Michael Grills and Andrez Bergen introduces us to a seductive woman as she admires herself in the mirror. A man just sits and watches her, admiring her beauty. Breakfast, toast and a shot of tequila, later, the man’s vision begins to goes dark, and we slowly learn why this is the last thing he will ever see. I really enjoyed this story, tightly plotted and with intriguing characters, it's one of the best in this collection.
'The Writing on the Wall' introduces another great female character by Bergen, a nomadic vigilante, who catches youths Marie and Jo-Jo daubing graffiti on a wall in a dark apocalyptic landscape. This stranger uses a clever play on words and bullets to meet out justice according to her design. The art by Nathan St John really encapsulates the dark and gritty tone of this story, with great visual flourishes, this story really stands out from the crowd.
'Waiting for Sod All' is the tale of married woman, she is ill, and it is breaking her heart to see her husband as he clings to the last vestiges of hope they once shared. The pain of her illness has become too great now, so the woman makes one final choice, in a heartrending move were her salvation is only phone call away. With story and art by Andrez Bergen, this is perhaps the darkest tale of all in this entire anthology. Bergen’s unflinching approach to the subject matter here is polarized within the vivid blend of shadows and white imagery, weaving a dark narrative through the deeply emotional impact of a love eroded in a sea of pain and tears.
'Come Out Swinging' by Andrez Bergen and Andrew Chiu is a short little story, where a man saves woman from her captor, which concluded with a snappy punch line. This single page rounds off the anthology and brings Black/White to a close.
Black/White is an excellent collection of stories, the distinct film noir and dark apocalyptic style filters through every page, creating a near perfect synergy with each story. The various artistic styles also complement each other very well, none of the stories outshines or clashes with those around it, and it is perhaps this element above all that makes Black/White such an enjoyable and eclectic collection of stories.
Andrez Bergen has excelled himself with this issue, superb stories, a great team of artists, and a striking cover by Matt Kyme, ensures Black/White will have a lasting impression on your imagination and senses long after the final page has turned.
--Paul Bowler 2014