Food Chain Issue 1. Jim Alexander (Writer), Pete Woods (Art), Jim Campbell (Letters). Planet Jimbot (2014)

A clever and intriguing start to a story that opens up a lot of very interesting possibilities. Marc Finch is under pressure and it is beginning to tell. As the top salesman he sees himself as top of the food chain and is determined to stay there. Clients are elusive and it is getting harder to land a contract, Marc needs to find a way back to success. Marc makes two mistakes, he falls asleep after having sex with a woman he meeting in a bar and finds that his all important smartphone has gone with the woman. The second mistake is to answer the question "What do you want?" It is very likely that Marc is about to find out that getting what you want can be a very unpleasant experience.
This is a smart new take on a very old story, its age does nothing to reduce its power or possibilities in the right hands. The breezy confidence that Jim Alexander brings to the story is great, Marc Finch is unsympathetic but not unlikeable, his swagger is who he is. The intrusion of something into a very solidly realised modern world is so matter of fact that it just flows by, the story has room for something very dangerous without ever loosing its balance.
Pete Woods art is substantial pleasure, the cast move naturally through a very strong physical context, the weight of the deals can be felt, the pressure on Marc is sharply captured. The colours are bold and very sharply defined, they give the art an edge that serves it very well and creates room for the mundane and the ferocious. Marc is given a tremendous range that captures the the movement of the script, different situations that effectively give a rounded picture of the man.
This comic does everything that an introduction should do, create a credible situation with a strongly realised and recognisable lead character, a understated cracking of the context to allow in something that does not look too frighting until it is all far too late. The layers of the story are opened like the jaws of a trap that are going to hold Marc in a very close embrace, it will be very interesting to see just how he responds to the deal he has unwittingly made. Smart, sharp and inviting, a first rate start.
Chief Wizard Note: This a review copy very kindly sent by Jim Alexander from Planet Jimbot, for more detail on how to get Food Chain 1 contact planetjimbot@gmail.com