If you’ve ever wanted to settle a score with a high school classmate, Showdown might be right up your alley. A new series from Ignition Press that launches this week, the first issue offers a rather morbid approach to settling the score, as Trish blames Harvey for her brother’s death and can’t go on without some justice. Meanwhile, Harvey’s life is in the toilet with his college football free ride gone and his dad dead. Tensions are high in a book that keeps your attention with its keen sense of character and dialogue.
Showdown #1 is an interesting read, in part because there’s nothing too flashy about it, save for its opening pages that show our main characters ready to kill each other. Much of the issue, set two days before the fight takes place, is about meeting the characters in real-life situations, such as Trish sharing advice with a kid on a train and Harvey visiting his dad’s grave. Maybe it’s because I was trained on superhero comics and big twists, but I kept waiting for some surprise, but when none came, I was still locked in on the characters and what might happen next.
That’s largely due to the fantastic dialogue by writer Dave Wielgosz, which reads very naturally. After the explosive opening, we meet Trish after she observes a neglectful parent being forced by his daughter to take his son to the bathroom. Trish gives the girl props, while we also learn a little something about her. We also see she’s not afraid of a little conflict, setting up the fact that she’s ready to beat Harvey to death if she has to.
The story shifts to Harvey from here, where he’s deeply sad at his father’s grave. One can see he’s all alone, especially when other folks in the cemetery are trying to avoid him. A key montage of Harvey walking out of the cemetery establishes he’s an outcast among all types in town, and yet he stays.
Enter Trish, who forces him to buy her lunch and lays out the rules of their fight.
While the premise somewhat loses me by the end of the issue, I’m all in on seeing how this showdown goes. What loses me is why or how Trish is capable of murder, seeing as she appears to be mostly put together with good grades in college. She’s clearly aggressive and angry, but that’s a bridge slightly too far. On the reverse side, though, it’s easy to see Harvey having a death wish. Then there’s the logical solution of Harvey calling the police to solve things, but then again, we wouldn’t have a story.
Aft by Tadd Galusha, with colors by Triona Farrell, is superb, with the cool blues of the snowy environment juxtaposed well against the house on fire on the very first page. Character acting is strong, and the bold line work makes characters pop off the page. The two montages by artist Tadd Galusha of Harvey going about his day, with near-to-no dialogue, show how good Galusha is at drawing your eye and telling a visual story.
Showdown #1 hooks you with a brutal premise, then takes its time letting the characters breathe. The lack of big twists might catch some readers off guard, but the grounded approach pays off through strong dialogue and believable emotional weight. Trish and Harvey feel real, damaged in different ways, and the slow build toward their inevitable clash keeps the tension simmering. The motivations are not fully convincing yet, especially on Trish’s side, but the writing and art carry enough intrigue to make the next issue feel like a must-read.
