Bad Break - A Graphic Novel Review

The following review of Philippe Riche's 'Bad Break' graphic novel was made by Nathan Wilson and published in the September 11, 2013, issue of ICv2.

Bad Break HC
Publisher: Humanoids
Release Date: August 2013
Price: $29.95
Creator: Philippe Riche
Format: 216 pgs., B&W, 7.7" x 10.5", Hardcover
ISBN: 978-1-5946-5047-5
Age Rating: Teens/Adult
ICv2 Rating: 4 out of 5
 
The sense of levity and brand of humor Philippe Riche brings with his latest book Bad Break is a welcome, albeit not-fully-realized, follow-up to his Alliance of the Curious, published by Humanoids in 2012.
 
Originally released as Pas de Chance by Les Humanoides Associes, Bad Break is a bizarre inversion of the traditional crime story.  Billed as noir, Bad Break's connection to the genre label is tenuous at best.  While cast in chiaroscuro-heavy black and white art with deep greytones, Bad Break is better described as neo-noir due in large part to the repeated utilization of flashbacks, the at times convoluted narrative, and the infusion of ridiculous and comical exploits faced by the three protagonists.  The end result, however, is mixed as some audiences may find that Riche is trying too hard in forcing together such varied story elements.
 
Fans of classic crime will revel in Riche's opening, unfolding tale.  In fact, within the first forty pages, Bad Break mirrors the recent graphic noir of Eric Skillman and Jhomar Soriano's Liar's Kiss as well as Andy Diggle and Victor Ibanez's The Rat Catcher--a mysterious, bandaged stranger needing assistance, a disturbed, blind auto-parts dealer, and an ever-helpful , unworldly assistant who becomes entrapped in the stranger's presumably criminal endeavors.  It is when Riche diverges from these noir tropes and delves into redundant flashbacks that Bad Break's source of strength and innovation also becomes a weakness to the evolving plot.
 
Readers familiar with Riche's Alliance of the Curious will immediately recognize the trio of misfit heroes in Bad Break.  Interestingly, Bad Break is a prequel to the adventures of Ernst-Lazare, Simon, and Rebecca.  Here, Lazare is the injured man, Simon the assistant who aids him, and Rebecca a porn star with a tattoo that holds the secret to a mystery involving a sailor, a tropical island, and an indigenous creation story.  The greatest problem for Bad Break, however, is that the mystery is not all that mysterious or interesting.
 
Bad Break's moments of strength arrive when the trio is pitted against each other, in the humorous beats and sequences as they get to know each other or survive assault from tribal assailants.  The dilemma is that these are few and far between as Riche devotes greater attention to backstory through repeated flashbacks that distract and do a disservice to the characters he has created.  These narrative flaws could be excused or even lessened if Riche employed a more diverse and fluid page layout.  As it stands, Bad Break routinely cycles through the same panel designs on each page, which reduces the grace, clarity, and sharpness of his line found in Alliance.  The consequence is a monotone visual palette that sometimes lacks the proper narrative punch these characters deserve.  
 
Yet, there is enough of the good with Ernst, Simon, and Rebecca to warrant giving Bad Break close attention.  Riche's distinctive voice and vision should be commended, and along with Alliance of the Curious, he has created an ongoing saga with these characters that demands a stage with American readers. 
 
--Nathan Wilson