Reviewer: Mathan “R.I.P. O.D.B.” Erhardt
Story Title: Baller: Part 1
Written by: Gary Phillips
Penciled and Inked by: Shawn Martinborough
Colored by: Lee Loughridge
Lettered by: Jared K. Fletcher
Editor: Will Dennis
The issue opens with police officers discovering the body of Allison Dillon, the ex-wife of L.A. Comets Basketball star Theophus “The Magician” Burnett. Of course since this is L.A. the story spreads quickly. Monica Orozco is Burnett’s attorney and she can’t find her client, so she hires Nate Hollis to find him before the cops do.
Nate Hollis is the son of disgraced cop Earl Hollis, and this day is the anniversary of his murder. We also see Irma Deuce, a brutal bounty hunter, who appears will have a larger role in the future.
Nate begins to work the case, and some information from Burnett’s teammates leads him to Toasty, an “actress” and part-time fling of Burnett. She tells Nate about an apartment Burnett used for “private” gatherings.
We then meet Maynard Regus, a L.A.P.D. detective, who has a father with Alzheimer’s. He gets a call from the D.A. Sam Pope, who also happens to be Nate’s former boss.
Nate puts on a disguise and checks out Burnett’s apartment. There he finds evidence that Burnett’s changed his appearance and has gone on the run. He’s also encountered by two men who tell him that someone wants to have a word with him. A fight happens and Nate, worse for the wear, escapes.
Later Nate and his grandfather, Obadiah, visit Earl’s grave. From the side Maynard watches and mourns.
Then we see Paul Teddy a local kingpin who hired the goons that attacked Nate. He’s fierce. Nate then goes home and has some “fun” with Kristy, his girlfriend. Afterward Nate gets a call from Burnett, but before Nate can get any information, there’s the sound of a gunshot. To be continued.
Phillips is a great writer. He manages to have characters with unique voices and speech patterns. He’s also got some very interesting characters and a great mystery. I’m a fan of The Rockford Files so I dig the “L.A. P.I.” aspect of this mini. I also dig the Black lead character.
Martinbrough is a favorite artist of mine. I enjoyed his Milestone work and his work on The Creeper. His work is stellar here. He manages to capture a different side of L.A. It’s not glamorous, but it’s still got blondes. It’s seedy but still sexy. The fights are brutal but the women are sultry. This is one fun comic to look at, it’s literally a feast on the eyes.
