POINT OF IMPACT review

Point of Impact is a 2012-2013 four issue miniseries published by Image Comics, written by Jay Faerber, with black and white art provided by Koray Kuranel. It's a crime/mystery story with a pretty cool case that it's based around. It follows a bunch of characters that are tied into the case (including the victim's husband and the cops on the case), jumping from perspective to perspective as the tale unravels. I'd been reading a bit of Faerber at time of writing (my favorite still by far being Anti-Hero). I'll get straight to the point (of impact): is Point of Impact any good? I already told you I like Faerber, so do you even have to ask?

The art of PoI is nothing spectacular. It's not horrible by any means and it makes up for the lack of color with a good attention to detail, it's just not amazing. If you're a fan of black and white you'd probably dig it more than I did, obviously, and if you aren't a huge fan of this aesthetic then I doubt you'll find much to complain about or anything that'll convert you.

The plot of this mystery is quite interesting and there is a ton of suspense that keeps it a page-turner. The overall concept isn't much new but the execution is what makes it a strong thriller. The characters aren't hugely interesting nor likeable, but they work well enough and the more dramatic sequences do have their impact (heh). The dialogue is well written but it does lack any gusto to push it over the top. It's decently well paced, but I felt that some parts were a little fast in divulging answers, which did lessen the experience when it comes to this genre. I also felt that the mystery wasn't hard to figure out since it was pretty obvious who were the bad guys, but it's really the plot twists and suspense that make it a good thriller. That doesn't change the fact that this lessens the satisfaction in figuring out what's going on (since it is so easy), which is one of the huge inherent draws of the genre.

Point of Impact is a solid miniseries, but it's not a masterpiece. Faerber weaves a strong tale with an emphasis on story and in this sense it succeeds. If you're one of those guys who loves solving fictional mysteries by yourself, like me, you may be a little disappointed by the series, but that by no means makes it bad. It'll still keep the reader's interest due to how viscerally compelling it is. Point of Impact gets a 8.5/10.

Great

Summary:
A great little miniseries held together by a compelling narrative, believable drama, a cool case, and well written dialogue, with some decent art and characters--but marred by a somewhat clear-cut mystery you can basically figure out halfway through.

(originally posted: 4/16/2016)