The Dredger
Writer: Jeremy Wilfinger
Artist: Crizam Zamora
Colors: Natalia Marques
Letters: Jeremy Wilfinger
Covers: Crizam Zamora & Dinei Ribeiro; Gardenio Lima & Natalia Marques
Publisher: The Dredger Comic

 

Ben is just trying to get to work, for a TMZ type ‘news organization’, when he almost hits a young lady and a child. What could’ve been just a normal bad situation takes a turn for the worse and things quickly escalate, thus beginning Jeremy Wilfinger’s tale of intrigue. In The Dredger, Wilfinger immediately and deftly throws you into the deep end of day-to-day Los Angeles and all it entails: multiculturalism, traffic jams, casual violence and racism. However, it’s not all dark as basic human decency is still a thing and when a potentially deadly situation occurs, most of the characters rise up to the challenge. That decency is exemplified by extremely strong main characters: Ben is sharp and funny, even in the midst of a truly unsettling situation; Tamiko has an unwavering kindness that she doesn’t forget when things get ugly; and Doc Livingston’s no-nonsense, been there, seen that, bluntness is exactly what I’d personally want in the situation they all find themselves in.

The storyline of the book is immensely helped by the detail of the art which is, frankly, amazing. Crizam Zamora and Natalia Marques leave no one and nothing to be lost. Each character is immediately distinct and important, even in the background, and small details (such as how certain cars are manufactured or weapons held) are done right and done well. The colors are bright and vibrant where necessary and just the right side of dark when they’re supposed to be, allowing you to understand clearly when changes of venue or time of day happen without getting mired.

Overall this is an excellent debut that leaves me wanting more and I look forward to the next chapter, Five out of Five ripped shirts.

*Special thanks to Jeremy Wilfinger for allowing us to review his book. For more info and regular updates, please see the official facebook page. Available for purchase on Amazon, and there’s also a Kickstarter for issue #2.