COMIC BOOK OF THE WEEK

COMIC BOOK OF THE WEEK


Hello, denizens of the comic book world!  We have returned after a tiny hiatus to pull out a gem from our comic shop of history to discuss, and expose you to.  And this week, we head back to the "Distinguished Competition" to talk about a mini-series that I remember seeing an ad for back in 1988 called Cinder and Ashe.  It was a book designated for "Mature Audiences", which probably meant language, mature subject matter, and quite possibly partial nudity.  This series intrigued me as a kid, and wanted to read it, but--alas--has eluded me at this point.  But that doesn't mean YOU shouldn't pick it up and read it.  But, I am going to be like YOU  this week, and let's learn about this mystery series, shall we?



CINDER AND ASHE #1


COVER: Jose Luis Garcia-Lopez
WRITER: Gerry Conway
ARTIST: Jose Luis Garcia-Lopez
INKS: Jose Luis Garcia-Lopez
COLORS: Joe Orlando
LETTERS: Augustin Mas
EDITOR: Pat Bastienne
COVER DATE: May 1988
PUBLISHER: DC Comics


STORY TITLE:  "Book One"


Cinder and Ashe #1 was a detective/mystery mini-series released by DC Comics between May-August of 1988, and was suggest for more "mature audiences".  There were a few at the time, depending on the publisher, but this is one of the first FEW forays into more mature matter that DC branched out in.  The story centers on two private investigators named Cinder DuBois, and Jacob Ashe, as they look to solve an important case that calls back to both of their times in Vietnam during the war.  Ashe was the veteran, and Cinder happened to be there at the time.  The story jumps various locations, starting in Iowa, and stretches to the French Quarter of New Orleans, to Washington DC, and eventually flashing back to Saigon, Vietnam in 1963.  Gerry Conway scripted the mystery, along with the exceptional artwork of Jose Luis Garcia-Lopez.  



THE STORY:  Cinder and Ashe, two private detectives, take on the case of an Iowa man named  Wilson Starger, who's daughter has been kidnapped.  The case reminds the intrepid Cinder of her time in Vietnam during the war.  A man named Lacey---a figure from both Cinder and Ashe's past--has turned up, and is hell bent on killing the duo.



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Gerry Conway is one of those exceptional scribes, who's known for his many runs on various superhero titles including Amazing Spider-Man, has also been an accomplished writer of novels, as well as for one of the longest running TV shows of the modern era:  Law & Order.  It's no surprise that he can write a mystery that will grab someone's attention.  I also can't speak enough about Jose Luis Garcia-Lopez's artwork---to this day, his work is STILL one of my all-time favorites.  He's got a great sense of anatomy, and cinematic storytelling.  This is a series I am curious about, and hope to be able to read it and share my thoughts on it.  However, if YOU manage to pick it up before I do...PLEASE leave a comment below, and gimme a review!