Author (and Airship 27 captain extraordinaire) Ron Fortier has written a dynamic dandy-and-a-half, a prequel that plunges readers into Cape Noire's earlier days and the creation of its most ferocious foe, Harry Beest, in the inventive Cape Noire: A Beest & Beauty Tale.
When we enter the man-into-simian lead-up, we find Mr. Beest employed as a body guard for top-banana crime boss, Topper Wyld. The tough-guy duo engages a number of shady and charismatic characters along the rugged way, including Wyld's drop-dead gorgeous daughter, Alexis (blossoming Queen of Crime and the tempting apple of Beest's eye); salacious Madame Sadie Levine; pugnacious Butch Hammer, Big Swede Jorgenson; Fat Jacob Wiseman; brazen Betty One-Eye; mad genius Professor Bugosi; Waldo, his obedient assistant; ill-fated Korgo the Gorilla; and spry do-gooder, Detective Dan Rains.
And for those who might fear there's no trace of Brother Bones in this entry, the Bonello Brothers are always near, albeit in raw, pre-Undead Avenger mode.
Fortier brushes his weird adventure with homages to The Ape Man, Bride and the Beast, Public Enemy and Little Caesar, while Rob Davis' superlative artwork layers on the New Pulp charm, making A Beest & Beauty Tale one of Cape Noire's most engrossing passages to date.
Order this fine, primal prequel at
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1953589197/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Thanks so much for this awesome review, Michael. So happy you enjoyed this one.
ReplyDeleteIt's an outstanding entry, Ron, and as you know, I'm quite fond of Harry Beest.
Delete