Slots #2 Review

"Drrrrrrrrooooop the coin right into the slot"

Written by: Dan Panosian
Art by: Dan Panosian
Published by: Image Comics
Reviewed by: Andrew McAvoy

Vegas baby Vegas. The Bright Light City is the perfect setting for this tale of Stanley Dance. Dance is like that uncle that used to visit about once every two years when you were a kid, filled with glamour and tales of his travels, and always ready to slip you a handful of dollars out of his money clip. "Go get yourself something, kid" he would say with a wink. As a kid you were in awe, but as an adult you find that though the charm is still there you know this is someone who's gonna break that promise he's just made to go with you to the ball game the following day. Despite seeing through the routine though, you still get dazzled slightly. Anyway, its a bit like that with Stanley Dance.

It's the charm of its central character that really allows Slots to deliver. For once its not a reviewer's cliche to note that the writing and the art are perfectly in tandem as they are both delivered by the same person. It is obvious that this story is a labor of love for Dan Panosian and it shows on every page. The story and characters are so alive, the art renders them large as life, and the dialogue is pitched in exactly the same tone that we would expect from the individual character depictions.

I have to confess that the setting of the book is perfect for me. These characters are my people. In real life these are the interesting people that I seek out, and the sleazy juke joint with a couple of chancers trying to hatch a plot is just a delight for me. Give me this any day over a high brow discussion about global politics (I guess I'm more Sopranos than West Wing). Plus we get the back story of how our Stan has gotten himself into his current predicament.

The premise of the book moving forward, namely that the aged Stanley Dance is trying to secure a place on a pro boxing ticket (or even MMA) as the first stage in his canny plan is perfect. I let out a laugh at the fact that he has even charmed the Taco truck into a sponsorship deal.

Bits and Pieces:

It's like this. If you want your comics to be action packed and filled with caped crusaders then Slots isn't gonna be your scene. If like me though you revel in the exploits of some well intentioned and charming schemers with art as delicious as one of Jose's Taco's then you've come to the right place. This is my type of book, set in my type of social circles. Can't wait to see where Stan's story takes us next.  Viva Las Vegas.

9/10