Cruella De Vil: Issue 1 – A Review by The Indie Comix Dispatch

3.92/5.0 StarsRating if the Book Were a Movie: PG

Creative Team:

Writer: Sweeney BooArtist: Mariana PugliaColors: Ellie WrightLetters: Jeff EckleberryCover: Gretel LuskyEditor: Nate CosbyPublisher: Dynamite Entertainment

Ratings:

Story: 4.0 StarsArtwork: 3.8 StarsCover Artwork: 4.0 StarsDialogue: 3.9 StarsMechanics: 3.9 StarsEditing: 3.9 Stars

About the Book:

Cruella has been exonerated of all charges for her involvement in the incident with the Dalmatians. In the eyes of the law she did no wrong. In the court of public opinion she is still viewed as a villain. Cruella is desperate to restore her reputation and regain her place in high society. Will her charitable efforts be enough to wash away people’s memories of the past?

Reader’s Notes:

The court of public opinion baffles me. Some celebrities can make mistakes and/or break the law and the public welcomes them with open arms. Others, while doing nothing illegal, are seen as villains in the public eye. Why is this?

I spoke with Lord Trekker about this. He suggested that it’s because as a society we have come to dislike successful people. Society wants to see people fall because it humanizes them. It is only after the hero takes a fall that society wants to see someone succeed.

There’s a special caveat for professional athletes. Society has established that these individuals can commit rape, domestic violence, use illegal drugs, or be involved in a dog fighting ring and receive a hero’s welcome when the return to the arena. All they have to do is perform well. This hypocrisy has been taking place for decades.

This is the battle Cruella De Vil is fighting. The press is constantly looking for anything that puts her in a bad light. She made a mistake and is trying to make amends. Whether it’s because she is sorry for what she did or just wants to be part of the A list crowd in London’s social scene remains to be seen. Either way, she deserves a fair chance at redemption.

I found the story easy to fall into. It flows at a steady pace. We have a good foundation for the premise of the story. I’m curious to see where the story will take us.

I like how the artwork on this cover is done. It isn’t busy with too many characters or too much action. Cruella with a dog chomping at her coat is a great summary of her plight. No one has forgotten or forgiven her. Even dogs are going after Cruella.

The artwork on the interior pages does an outstanding job of dovetailing with the story. While doing that it also allows us to see Cruella in a different light. She has her moments when she just wants peace and quiet. She can’t seem to be able to buy a break though.

As a geek on a budget I believe “Cruella De Vil” is worth the price of admission. We get to see Cruella at her best (and worst) while trying to navigate the minefield that is the London social scene. We get a couple of laughs. Best of all, we get to see the epilogue to a movie that felt like it ended rather abruptly.