Stillman #1 opens on a rather intense scene: a man in a mask is strangling a prisoner to death. It’s a shocking, but effective way to get the reader’s attention, and what’s even more surprising is that the next page reveals that this cold, effective killer is a family man by the name of Peter Stillman. By day, Peter spends time with his wife and kids, but by night, he carries out hits for organized crime.
It’s the kind of story that’ll hook comic book readers looking for something fresh, and probably make aspiring creators go, “I wish I’d thought of that.” It also shows the genius of Curt Pires at work. He’s managed to take the classic “protagonist leading a double life” and make it feel fresh; the way Peter navigates his life at home is far different from how he walks in the world of paid assassins. It all has to do with the dialogue, as Peter’s warm and joking with his wife, but direct and to the point when talking on the phone with his employers.
There is one moment where the two sides of Peter’s personality collide, and it comes to the prison guards that he has to bribe so he can pull off his latest hit. He manages to convince one guard based on appealing to their better nature; the other, he has to use force. It’s the difference in which Pires scripts these scenes that is worth paying attention to, as it shows that there are more layers to Peter than expected.
Visually, Sunando C brings a simple but striking art style to the pages of Stillman #1. Peter himself is instantly recognizable thanks to his graying temples and neatly trimmed mustache. And when it comes to action, C delivers it in short, brutal bursts. He also has a talent for closing in on characters’ faces, letting their eyes do most of the talking. In Peter’s case, his eyes don’t betray much. But there’s one element that stood out to me was how the beginning and the ending pages slowly pull out and push into Peter’s face, respectively: in the latter case, C’s art takes on a blurry aspect, representing a potential blurring between Peter’s two lives.
Sunando’s art style deserves a simple, yet striking color scheme to match. Enter Mark Dale. His colors are bold and to the point: lighter for daytime scenes, and pitch black for when Peter descends into the prison. In fact, the only light comes, ironically enough, from the cell featuring the man he’s there to kill. There’s also shades of red during the fight scene, and a golden hue to represent the flashbacks. Finally, Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou brings his signature lettering to the page, while also tailoring it to fit C and Dale’s Spartan art style.
Stillman #1 takes a page from its protagonist’s book, and offers a study in contrasts. While the creative team offers a spartan approach to their work, it’s packed with plenty of layers. The only question is: how long before Peter’s two lives inevitably crash into each other?
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