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The Black Duchess

The Black Duchess is an ongoing series by writer Bob Getty. Issue one, titled Palace Pandemonium, tells the tale of a convicted thief released from prison to continue their life of crime. The main character, Callie, has her sentence reduced thanks to the influence of an anonymous character who pressures her to steal a diamond to pay off her debt to him.

Overall I thought this was an interesting take on a story told from a perspective of a criminal and the pressures this particular one is under to commit the crimes they do. 

Callie isn't categorised as evil in my opinion, she's simply just a skilled thief who is now under obligation to return to a life of crime. Grey characters like this are always interesting because they're neither "good" nor "evil" and it's a credit to Bob to write a character in this manner which is both refreshing and thought provoking.

The artwork was also very interesting. The illustrations provided by JP Vilchis, depict characters in a very real world and the use of shade for the mob boss to provide anonymity is a great technique and works well with the tone of the story. I also found it interesting that the heroes featured in this story weren't too bright and colourful as to not be too contrasting from the black outfit worn by Callie.

I wasn't keen on the ending to this story, it felt very disatisfying to me as a reader. It gave off the impression that Callie's hard work amounted to nothing in the end, which made me feel bad for the character. That being said, I very much enjoyed the idea of this story. The pacing was very good for a first issue and it doesn't take all day to set things up. The characters were grounded and felt very real, making it more immersive for the reader. The action sequences were very well thought out and the layout made for a great reading experience. I'll be curious to know where the story will pick up in the next issue.

To clarify, this story is not a traditional super hero flick, it's closer to something in the thriller/crime category for mature readers. If you enjoy stories about real characters in a slightly linear form of writing, this is definitely worth exploring.

Rating: 2/5

Digital copies of issue one are available here with plans for physical books in the future.

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