His driver says that they’re being followed. He says it’s okay. They’ll deal with it when they get to their destination. Their destination happens to be the Moonlite Motel. It’s a cozy little space not unlike a million other motels in the U.S. They aren’t going to be really surprised to find themselves at gunpoint when they get there. So, they’re more than prepared for it. The people tailing them aren’t exactly prepared for them to be prepared for it, though. So it goes with Newburn #9 by writer Chip Zdarsky and artist Jacob Phillips. Pip Martin assists with the color. 

Newburn’s meeting his client on the pier. Mr. Albano is a bit upset at having to meet with him out in the open like that. He’s the head of the whole goddamned family, and Newburn can’t come to him. Of course...Newburn is a busy guy, and he probably didn’t get to be where he is by dealing with people on their own terms. A guy in his line of work deals with other people on their own terms, and he finds his career cut a little short along with the rest of his life. Newburn’s new job looks interesting. There’s a guy who got killed in a boating accident. Only he didn’t die. There are gambling debt and problems within the organization...so maybe he’s only playing dead.

Zdarsky keeps it all tense and tight with terse dialogue and tight-lipped drama. The scene at the Moonlite is one of the few moments of active action. Other than that, it’s just a whole lot of people meeting in different locations talking business. The fact that the business in question involves murders and passports and other shady activities is a big part of the appeal of the organized crime drama genre. There’s a classiness about it, but it feels like a lot of dormant drama until Newburn makes it to the Moonlite.

Phillips is good with talking heads. He takes the drama from interesting angles on occasion. For the most part, though, Phillips handles the visual in a very straightforward, conservative business-minded style. No reason to call too much attention to ANY of what’s going on. It’s all very casual. No need to raise any suspicion about what’s going on. It’s all just...business. Doesn’t exactly make the pages turn, though, does it? Phillips is good with the drama, though. Really. 

There’s such a strong dedication to the overall look and feel of a guy like Newburn who works in Newburn’s line of business. It’s all perfectly casual, which makes the act of reading the comic book feel really slimy and illicit. It’s just people doing business that happens to involve murder and the darker side of human endeavor. Things are so strangely dispassionate that it’s difficult to feel a whole lot of engagement coming from the comic book itself until they get to the motel and shots are fired. Then the issue’s almost over.

Grade: B