June, 1962. Alex Prestfield has hired private detective Gus Richards to make sure his engagement party goes off without any problems. But Gus quickly learns that what seemed like a routine job is anything but!
Ongoing webcomic, black and white and blue. Free to read on Instagram!
Sample pages:
Jason‘s thoughts:
Matthew has been steadfastly posting updates about his series at the Small Press Heroes Facebook page and I’ve been intrigued but hadn’t had the chance to check it out. Luckily, I had some unexpected free time and finally got the chance to get caught up on Matthew’s tale of wealth, crime and drama in 1962 New York and Greenwich, Connecticut. And it was definitely worth spending my free time on it!
The story is now 50 pages in, and it feels like we’re only on the tip of the iceberg. And even if we’re still there in another 50, I’d be okay with that. Matthew is a REALLY strong storyteller. He’s got a great ear for dialogue and I especially love how he plays around with sound, such as the sound of the telephone ringing from one panel into another or word balloons either blank or filled with words only partially seen to signify meaningless blather or good-natured small talk. And I really enjoy the little “breaks” in the story, such as a page of exposition explaining who some of the characters are or overhead maps showing the progress of a taxicab.
Matthew’s art style is simple, efficient lines that effortlessly convey emotion in just a few strokes of the pen. And his color palette of black, white and blue lends itself well to the story. I can almost hear soft jazz playing when I’m reading it. This absolutely could be a fun little noir movie made in the ’60s.
My only gripe, if it’s even a gripe, is that it’s being told on Instagram. I feel like it would work better if told on a platform more closely built for webcomics. But that could just be me being a grumpy old man. Once I got comfortable with how to read it, I devoured it, so it really is just a minor quibble. And it does make it easier to go back and read previous pages to remind yourself of specific details. It’s definitely an efficient way to let your readers know when a new page is up. And if you’re not a reader already, I would DEFINITELY advise you to get caught up on this excellent story like I did!
Small Press Heroes 
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