Ex-Con by Duane Swierczynski

[Jax14]

While I really enjoy reading graphic novels I have never had the opportunity to review one before so this was a definite first from Netgalley!
Cody Pomeray's ability to see the lights went out. The lights he used to see what people were really feeling. Their auras. He should never have duped Budd Waldo. If he hadn't he wouldn't have landed up in San Quentin, been beaten half to death and now owe Barnaby Creed a favour for saving his life. When will he learn? And now he's out. But the favour seems to be linked to too many people and doesn't make sense. How will an ex-con who has lost his ability and is a sucker for a dame and booze make good on his promise without violating parole or even being killed?
Having five episodes of the novel delivered together was a treat to keep the storyline going. The artist's depiction of the characters was exactly what I would have envisaged compared to the dialogue. As I was reading, the voices in my head were film noir. The panels were crisp and clean and the speech balloons as well as the flow and layout of the storyboard was easy to maintain with the eye. The words and pictures worked very well together. I thought the synaesthesia aspect was interesting to bring into a story this "thuggish". And the fact that See's face or her aura were sometimes hidden makes a good lead into hopefully the next part of the story. Definitely recommended.