Stripped Vol. 1 #13: Coventry--Spooky Noir

People complain — myself included — that everything seems the same in the comic book business. Well, if you want something new, get down to your local comic book store and get a copy of Coventry by Bill Willingham (Fantagraphics).

I generally like to see at least two issues of a regular series before I comment because the first issue’s quality could be a fluke or because it had an unlimited production time. Trying to crank out anything good on a regular basis is tough, tougher if it’s monthly. I do make an exception for self-published comics because there might not be an issue two.

Anyway, Coventry had me hooked by the end of the first issue, but, luckily, because I delayed in searching for it, I found the first two issues together. If I had any lingering doubts about Coventry, issue two blew them away and had me eagerly awaiting issue three. A nutshell description is film noir meets horror-edged fantasy.

The series’ title refers to a fictional U.S. state between Oregon and Washington that seems to be magnet for supernatural happenings. The capital city is Pandora (how’s that for ominous?), dubbed "The Supernatural City." Coventry the state is divided into five counties: Pandora, Coast, Eastern, Mount Herod and Mephisto Valley (definitely ominous). Willingham adds various extras in the back to help people get up the speed. The first issue has "reprints" of Coventry tourist information. Issue two has a glossary of terms and characters. Plus, each issue has a recap of events to date.

Like New Yorkers deal with traffic and noise and Atlanta residents deal with heat, residents of Coventry, and particularly Pandora, deal with supernatural activity, though there seem to be residual effects across the country as the Committee of Oversight of Supernatural Activities (COSA) is a federal agency with offices in most major cities. Recognized occupations include "Doctor of Combat Sorcery" and "Licensed Private Hero." The latter is sort of a private detective who deals with otherworldly problems.

The book has an ensemble feel but I’m guessing that one of the key characters is Claudia Nevermore, who is considered Coventry’s best supernatural troubleshooter. Because there’s so much going on the first two issues, Claudia isn’t exactly center stage, but I’m already starting to like her.

I really like Willingham’s wry sense of humor and the little, logical touches he throws in. Explaining why an angel can’t do something, instead of saying she’d get in trouble, she refers to it as "a falling offense." The police unit that deals with lycanthropy is referred to as "the dog house." There’s also a funny bit about a TV show Claudia watches. It’s not a funny book by any means, but does have flashes of humor.

The threads for several different plots (I assume. They might tie in together. Too soon to tell) are introduced in the first two issues, not the least of which includes a deceptively cute imp (a nasty little sucker you’ll be rooting for someone to take down); a nearby town being plagued, literally; and a missing angel of death, RAG division (Random Acts of God) who seems to have lost it mentally.

If your local store can’t get back issues of Coventry, tell them to try one of the tiny distributors handling independent books rather than Diamond. Diamond has a funky policy that requires a certain minimum before they’ll reorder. I can’t quibble too much with that. What I have problem with is that Diamond doesn’t tell retailers about this. All the retailer knows is that reorders of books that aren’t best sellers may not ever come in. Doesn’t that make sense—stunt orders of books that could grow the industry by appealing to divergent audiences. Grrrrr. Or have the store call Fantagraphics directly at 800-657-1100.

Coventry is a must read, particularly if you like Kolchak, The Night Stalker, Hellblazer, or Leave It To Chance. In fact, you could consider it a harder edged version of Chance. Regardless, it’s good. Buy it.