Victor Santos’ new Paranoia Killer comic is a dark thriller with an unassuming comic book look

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Sometimes the art and storytelling of a comic book go hand in hand. A horror story can be full of lots of blacks and reds, while a superhero comic is brighter and cleaner. Murderous paranoia goes in a different direction. The series is a dark thriller, full of violence and serious subject matter, but with a visual style reminiscent of a Nickelodeon cartoon. Somehow it still works.

What is that? Murderous paranoia is a brand new series – so far only the first of four parts is available – that focuses on Nathalie Laertes, an FBI agent forced to take on some very strange undercover work: posing as her twin brother . It turns out that her twin, who she believed to be just a slightly troubled brother, was actually one of the most infamous hitmen in the world. Surprise!

Nathalie learns all this when her brother is dead and her boss forces her to pretend to be him in order to infiltrate a criminal organization. Part of it is that they’re identical twins, so she’s looking down. But they also apparently share a sort of “aura” that makes change possible. The first issue ends as things really start to heat up, as she heads to a criminal training facility in the middle of the desert.

The thriller setup has a lot of potential, and I’m hooked after the first issue. But part of what makes Murderous paranoia so interesting is its contrast in styles. History is an R-rated material; you’ll see characters shot in cold blood, and it opens with what appears to be a torture sequence. But it is paired with a surprisingly light art style, with flat colors and lots of clear, simple shapes.

In the afterword to the first issue, creator Victor Santos says that this contrast of styles was born in part from stubbornness. “I went for a more over the top comic book style in this book, I guess because I’m very stubborn, and I still read reviews every now and then that you can’t do ‘serious stuff’ with it. this style ”he writes. Well, so far he has made his point; in the first issue, art does not distract but rather gives Murderous paranoia a very distinct atmosphere.

Who is it from? Murderous paranoia is an original idea of ​​Victor Santos, a Spanish comic book creator who took care of all parts of the project: history, art and design. He is probably best known for the series Polar, which also concerns a contract killer.

Where can I read it? Murderous paranoia is the latest version of Panel Syndicate, a creator-driven digital platform for comics. So far he has presented some excellent series like The private eye – a story about a future without the Internet by Brian K. Vaughan, Marcos Martin and Muntsa Vicente – and even a Walking Dead spin off. It’s a great place to find quirky stories, like the incredible Umami by Ken Niimura, who may not have a place with more traditional publishers. It also works as part of a checkout system as you please, allowing you to support creators however you feel comfortable.