In order to promote their books, creators have said and done plenty of things to generate hype and attention. But I was particularly floored when comics veteran Peter Milligan said that Profane — his “mind-bending thriller” with fellow vet Raül Fernandez — is “right up there with the best things I’ve done.” So, is it, indeed, truly right up there with X-Statix, Enigma, his heaps of 2000 AD work, and (a personal fave) Human Remains? Or, is this more bloated internet hyping firmly into the void?
And while I can’t say it’s Milligan’s absolute crowning achievement, I can say Profane is a mystery I want to further crack like a tasty walnut.
When the book was first announced, I was a little worried. Mostly ’cause BOOM! Studios described it as exploring the “precariously thin line between reality and fiction — perfect for fans of BANG! and Newburn.” Because with those (maybe less Newburn but then also Subgenre), it felt like the world didn’t need another self-aware, decidedly meta P.I./detective story.
Perhaps it’s with that very awareness of peak meta-noir in mind that Milligan crafted Profane. From nearly the onset, we’re wholly aware that something is off with Will Profane, and it doesn’t take very long before he himself sees the cycle that he’s locked into as the creation of another dumpy writer. But from there, Milligan’s story takes a slightly novel spin, and while I can’t reveal that here, let’s just say that it’s an important editorial decision.
BOOM! Studios
It makes what could’ve been yet another BANG! or Subgenre and gives it just enough oomph to ask really important questions about the writer-character relationship and the role the creator plays in shaping a character’s future. That, and there’s also some added commentary from Milligan’s own career, as he is seemingly looking back at 30-plus years of making comics and asking some interesting ideas. There’s a sense that Milligan’s story very much falls prey to the obviousness of this rather niche genre (the black widow love interest, the wonderfully hokey dialogue, the goon-ish friend with a heart of gold, etc.), but I can’t help but feel like that’s The Point. Milligan wants us to lean heavily into noir, and he’s dissecting it with a playfulness and brutality that gets us thinking about the genre’s value, what it means to tell these stories now, why tropes are created and sustained, and even what the future of noir might look like.
It helps that, perhaps unlike some other creators, Milligan is a proper pro at meta storytelling. I mean, X-Statix is so far up its own rectum it can clean the back of its own teeth. And no one really does the form better — Milligan has a wit, insanity, and sense of humor that is tailor-made for this “genre” that’s all about playing up the absurdity of it all and still feeling like you’re getting a meaningful story. In the case of Profane specifically, there’s actually a compelling bit of noir here, and even if it’s super gimmicky, Milligan makes the story feel real and nuanced, sort of like what we really want from these grounded but gimmicky stories. It’s about being meta with it, but also not being too clever that you forget to tell a story with texture and stakes and a lead worth generally caring whether he dies or not.
BOOM! Studios
But, to a certain extent, I get that your consumption of this story does take a bit of patience and a little more brain power than perhaps usual. (If only to remember that you’re in a kind of thought experiment as much as you are reading a story.) Luckily, there’s a really great feature built in: the truly great art from Fernández (and colorist Giada Marchisio).
Together, the duo really nail everything you’d want in a rather straightforward noir. Profane is a generally rugged but handsome lead, and his presence feels new and refreshing even as it checks the box for everything we’d need from a proper detective (i.e., the unkempt clothes, the filthy office, the boozehound-ing, the presence/statture, etc.) And the world he lives in is a kind of dream for your average private dick: this gritty but slightly nebulous big city (it could be New York, L.A., or someone where new, and that’s important and also another layer of commentary).
There’s also shadow and darkness galore — what other settings would make for a proper piece of crime fiction? The other character designs foster much of the same — be it the curves of our black widow type, or the hunchback-ian vibes of Moose the informant, Profane is joined by a cast that helps further establish him as a seemingly perfect P.I. practically plucked from the ether. Yet your immersion is never really made to seem like that big of a deal, and you can enjoy a pretty solid world to move around in. Mostly.
Because while Fernández and Marchisio play it pretty straightforward — which is a solid counter to the more layered narrative from Milligan — there’s certain decisions made that do play into the more, “Hey this is a meta story and so you need to be aware/cognizant/ready to play along.” Like some of the faces Profane makes — there’s a dash of humor and slight wink that made me feel like we were being prepared for the outlandishness that most meta stories carry. Or, the slightly stereotypical features, including Profane’s rugged good looks and Moose’s less traditionally attractive looks — these were a subtle sign that maybe we’re in a story (or, that they commented on the nature of these characters in these stories, which mostly felt like the same thing).
Heck, even the lettering from Jeff Eckleberry looks like it was typed out case notes, and that is just another neat feature intended to prime our brain. In all, the art’s two-pronged approach really felt like a nice way to extend and balance Milligan’s story, and to facilitate our entrance in such a way that we were ready for what’s coming (and still allowed to feel surprised and confronted). It’s not a feature of some of those other meta books, and maybe that’s why Profane works so dang well so early on in its tenuous mission.
BOOM! Studios
I got to thinking about Milligan’s “best things I’ve done” comment as I was re-reading issue #1. Again, I mostly disagree, even as I think Profane is a really interesting book and something that crystallizes what I like about the writer’s overarching approach and worldview. And then I thought maybe that’s it — this may be the most Milligan-esque book, for better and/or worse, and he’s using Profane not to just define his career but his views on comics fans, popular fiction, and storytelling at-large.
And if we look at Profane through that very filter, then it’s already clear that this book is a story with the humanity, passion, and depth to really pull off its mission. I for one can’t wait to get back on the case like I’m Frank Cannon or something.
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