Broken Frontier

What can a man do when the CIA has chased him across the globe and found him in a banana republic short on rules and long on corruption? For Jack Dexter the answer is simple—keep running.

Dead or alive, the CIA wants Jack Dexter, and has sent two cold-blooded agents named Conrad and Murphy to bring him back, whatever it takes, whoever has to die to get the job done. And in a small, nameless South American country, the bodies start piling up quickly. Jack needs to get out of the country fast, but he’s just met a woman named Maria, wife of a politician vying for the country’s presidency. With a beautiful woman at his side and killers on his trail, Jack needs to stay one step ahead of trouble, but may have stepped into even more—the kind that leaves no one unscathed.

There’s much to like in the first issue of The Expatriate. B. Clay Moore’s tight, adrenaline-paced script sets up a world where there could be a killer behind every door and trouble around every corner while still maintaining the sense that nothing is as it seems. The atmosphere reeks of sweat, bad south-of-the-border beer, trepidation, and the sort of scheming that results in dead bodies. Punching the tone up even more is the almost complete lack of backstory that adds mystery to the story. Instead of telling the reader the score, Moore plunges the reader right into the heart of the story, where (s)he finds hard-edged dialogue, shady, enigmatic characters, and plenty of action driving a plot that delivers suspense and intrigue, and promises even more. The formula works, making the first issue of The Expatriate compelling from the first page to the last.

B. Clay Moore couldn’t have found a better fit than Jason Latour. Latour’s artwork is just as in tune with what makes this story work as Clay’s script. His panel frames look drawn on the run and help to convey the frenetic pace of the story. And within the panels themselves, the thick but spare line work makes a real impact. Call it heavy instead of hard boiled, but heavier still are the exquisite colors. The palette of blacks, blues, purples, oranges, and yellows make the images seethe with heat, intensity, and danger, so much so that the setting comes to life though the panel backgrounds are minimal. Add to this level of execution a natural, fluid storytelling sense, and Jason Latour has the makings of a major comics artist.

Moore and Latour are off to a very promising start. Those who love titles like Sleeper, Queen & Country, and The Losers and are looking for the next great title in the spy/thriller genre will have to make room The Expatriate.

-Dexter K. Flowers