Filthy Rich

Great dark noir book that is unexpected with its twists and turns. A must read.

One of the graphic novels launching the Vertigo Crime imprint is Filthy Rich, the latest from writer Brian Azzarello (100 Bullets, Joker), along with artist Victor Santos (Young Ronin). Filthy Rich is noir, in the truest sense, and as such sees its central character, Richard "Junk" Junkin, constantly drawing the short straw in life. He is a former pro football player whose career ended abruptly with an injury and accusations of cutting points in conjunction with his addiction to gambling. Junkin finds himself in a stereotypically dead-end job as a used-car salesman, and not much of one at that. Junkin is good for helping others close the deal, when customers get to meet the former star, but he doesn't sell much on his own. He also finds himself the butt-end of jokes around the sales floor. The only thing he seems to be really good at is bedding customers or customer's wives while on the job. His sexual urges carry over to the boss's sexy, spoiled-rich daughter, Victoria. The femme fatale is a celebutant of the 1950s who finds herself in the tabloid pages on a regular basis for her promiscuous nightclub exploits. So, when the boss asks Junkin to be Victoria's personal bodyguard as she trounces through the New York City club scene, it has to be either a godsend or a surefire way to drawing the short straw once again. Being a classic noir male character, Junkin is too blind to see which way the path is leading. He lets his pants, rather than his brain, guide the decision, and soon life gets much worse for Junkin than he could have ever imagined. Filthy Rich works because both Azzarello and Santos understand the core components of noir. The story and dialogue are pulpy, by nature, and the author and artist work together to create just the right amount of sleazy sex and gritty violence committed for all the wrong reasons--primarily greed--with a stylistic black-and-white flair. Azzarello doesn't stray too far from the noir formula--in fact, some might call it noir-by-numbers--but he falls comfortably into that formula and works from within it to create intriguing characters and a story that serves as a great start to Vertigo's "Crime" line. None of the characters are sympathetic. They're all pretty stupid, in fact, but the women know how to use their assets to get what they want, and the poor guys just fall in line taking one crack after another at a life that doesn't seem to have anything positive in store for them. Things have to get better at some point, right? That's what they think, but in true noir fashion, those promising futures are often empty. Santos's art can be a bit cluttered in certain spots, especially near the beginning. With similarly greased hairdos and suits of the era, it can be hard to tell a group of guys apart when they're standing around on the car lot. But as the story progresses, readers will become very familiar with the notable characters. The panel construction isn't anything out of the ordinary but fits in w

You like noir? Then you'll like Filthy Rich, part of a new line of hardcover crime/mystery graphic novels from Vertigo. Written by celebrated 100 Bullets creator Brian Azzarello, Filthy Rich finds ex-football star turned car salesman Junk recruited by his boss to oversee his socialite party animal daughter Vicki, and she sure enough has some big plans for Junk. Azzarello weaves an intriguing story to be sure, twisty enough to hold your interest. The black and white artwork from Victor Santos is very reminiscent of Frank Miller's Sin City work, so much so that some panels almost appear like they're outtakes from one those books. All in all, Filthy Rich is a quick and fun read that is definitely worth your time if noir tales are your thing.

Ignore the negative reviews, this is a great slow paced crime thriller that takes of in to great territory in the second half. I won't go in to story specifics since that will potentially ruin it but lets just say its classic Azzarello.

With this second installment in the new Vertigo crime series, confusion and apprehension are indeed key elements, but not in the stimulating manner one might expect. This of course is nothing new to crime dramas; just try deciphering The Big Sleep. With movies though, it's normally a case of sloppy editing, graphic novels naturally cannot use that defense. For a purported crime suspense tale, the first half of the book is basically devoid of either, instead comprised predominately of obviously essential but overly excessive characterization, with only minor plot setup occurring with nary a twist or turn to be found. The pages however are still turning rapidly, but not in anxious anticipation of exhilarating events, but impatient exasperation over a paucity of events. We are introduced to the main protagonist, a regular stand up guy with past aspirations of playing pro football until an undisclosed scandal and devastating knee injury prematurely ended that dream. His personality is a case of paradoxical extremes, at times an affable, secure ladies man, at others a bitter, insecure professional man, making him somewhat difficult to empathize with despite his former hardships, many of which were brought on by himself. Unbeknownst at the time, buried deep inside is a bubbling cauldron waiting to explode, when along sashays the fateful spark, a sexy and seductive young woman who also happens to be the boss's daughter. By the time the story's first dramatic plot development finally transpires, it comes out of nowhere and makes little sense, leaving the reader slightly dumbfounded with only more contradiction to come. From that point on, the lead characters change personalities and motivations more often than Harvey Dent, ultimately leading to a perplexing finale inspiring comparisons to the turbulent and ambiguous ending to Taxi Driver, right down to the very last panel. Brian Azzarello's writing in general is solid as usual, although considering the subject matter it lacks his normally nuanced and stylized crime patois. It doesn't really fit the noir genre, with the only correlation being bits of internal monologue reminiscent of voice over narrations from older movies. Azzarello's reputation has been firmly established in this area, due to his lengthy 100 Bullets run and his superb Batnoir tale Broken City. After the underachieving Dark Entries, this unexceptional followup is regretfully not the auspicious start that Vertigo had in mind when they launched this highly anticipated series.