Lost Vegas #1

by Sean Tonelli on March 06, 2013

Lost Vegas Cov
“Cards, dice, races, fights, life, death, sticks, slots, coins, even magic. You can bet on pretty much anything in the galaxy…”

Welcome to fabulous Lost Vegas, a new a comic series from Eisner award winning team Jim McCann and Janet Lee. Another breath of fresh air from Image Comics, who have just been on a roll lately, Lost Vegas is a colourful and original series that is brimming with excitement.

Lost Vegas is the name of a giant, Casino filled space station. A place where the upper-class and the scum can all cavort in the glorious fun of Gambling, but just make sure you have enough cash to back up your bets, or you’re next five years of life are not going to be fun. Our main hero, Roland has found this out the hard way. If you’re one of the unlucky, and there are many, then you have only one way to pay off your debt; join the staff of Lost Vegas as an indentured servant. As fun as that sounds, Roland has had enough but how is a two-bit gambler, down on his luck, just supposed to escape from the galaxies biggest casino? Well, we’ll just have to find out.

Lost Vegas is a fun book. It felt like reading Casino with a dash of Ocean’s 11. Roland is a great character that’s a perfect blend of wit, shallowness and bone-headed arrogance. His narrative keeps the punches rolling and in the process, gives the reader someone to root for even though his motives for escape appear to be selfish. We don’t hear a lot from the supporting cast at this point, but we get the gist. There’s the girl who’s helping him for mysterious reasons, a kooky genius who makes gadgets and a shadowy, ink-type blob that allows Roland to communicate with his team. Like the blob, this book oozes cool.

The only thing that is more fun than the story is the art. Janet Lee has populated Lost Vegas with a colourful cast of characters, and I do mean colourful. Each panel is feast for the eyes and her exaggerated style is one of the reason’s this book works so well. You’ll want to turn the page just to see what it’ll look like. From the unique alien designs, to the way the ink-type blob melds with Roland, Lost Vegas is a visual treat.

With Saga, Comeback, Luther Strode and now Lost Vegas, Image Comics has proven they have a keen eye for creator based projects and I for one am a huge fan of their products. Lost Vegas #1 is a great start and definitely a series to bet on. Let’s just hope McCann and Lee doesn't fold under pressure. (See what I did there?)

Lost Vegas #1 (of 4)
Writer: Jim McCann
Art: Janet Lee
Publisher: Image Comics

Our Score:

9/10

A Look Inside