The new series is set in modern day London, against the backdrop of Soho, “that infamous district,” and its streets of  “Wardour, Great Windmill, and Greek”. To quote Milligan in Vertigo’s monthly On The Ledge column, Greek Street recounts the tale of Oedipus Rex, and the tale of Cassandra, among others, using characters wittily named Eddie, Sandy, and the like. Presiding over the tale, and speaking up to inform readers on themes and events, much like the chorus does in many classic Greek plays, is a group of strippers known as the “Chorus Girls” who dance in Olympia, a Greek Street club. Their boss, and Olympia club owner, Mr. Furey, hints through his name, that the girls might even double as the classic furies of ancient Greek mythology at some point.

The Chorus Girls in more traditional dress.

 

The greatest aspects of this new series, judging from its great debut, is that it is a crime noir tale in the vein of The Sopranos and that, although it’s a reworking of the aforementioned Greek myths and tragedies, the reader doesn’t have to be an expert on, or for that matter even familiar with, them to follow and enjoy the unfolding tale. An understanding and familiarity with the tragedies and myths, though, makes the tale come alive with a vigor that’s as intoxicating as the fumes of the Delphic Oracle, and as gritty as a London back street alley.

 

Milligan firmly sets his reworking of these tragedies and myths in the modern world, but there are hints of the supernatural at work as well. By supernatural, I mean discounting its whimsical connotation, something more along the lines of the power of myths and their truths, which still haunt us to this day and materialize in the stories of everyday people around us again and again. This, more aptly, sums up the “supernatural” aspect of the series, as these stories and characters return to us again and again, like ghosts of their former incarnations. It is the repetition of the human story, with all its triumphs and tragedies that give literary truth to the allegorical tales of human failings and accomplishment which these myths represent. A monologue by one of the Chorus Girls during the opening sequence, which is quite masterfully, even cinematically, laid out (and if Greek Street is ever adapted to film, should be recreated word for word, and shot for shot), explains the series’ theme best: "This is the old dance. This is the old story. You see, these old stories aren’t through with us. No matter how many different names or masks we might wear… They’re not finished with us yet… I’m thinking about recurrences. What you might call eternal recurrences. Running through the generations like... like blood. We think our science means we’re different or better than we used to be. We think we’re making progress. Every Darfur reveals just how little we really change. Medea and Agamemnon are still playing at the temple of Dionysus. It’s standing room only." The old stories hold much in the way of lesson, and education to mankind, and Milligan’s tale is going to recreate them, and in a fresh new way, they will haunt us once more.

Promo Art: Phony ad for The Olympia Club

Gianfelice’s art captures the mix of myth, and real world grittiness quite well, creating players, scenes, dress, and stage backdrops that fit their role, and reveal aspects of their character, yet are never out of the realm of the appearance of someone you might pass on the street. He also creates horrifying images of dream and vision sequences, which are inhabited by the recently deceased and more hideous monsters. All the while though, his art never goes over the top or wildly out of proportion to real life.

Overall, the feel of this book, even in its earliest stages, is reminiscent of Vertigo’s Sandman. The dreamy, yet shockingly realistic atmosphere, coupled with the interaction of myth, story, and the everyday, as well as the literary allusions, of Greek Street, make it the closest in feel that any Vertigo book has come to its greatest series. With The Unwritten, Unknown Soldier, and now Greek Street, Vertigo has put together its strongest lineup in years. Time will tell, but Greek Street just might go down as the greatest of the three. It certainly has the potential to, early on.

Rating: 10/10

Greek Street #1

Written by Peter Milligan
Art by Davide Gianfelice
40 pages, color
Published by Vertigo/DC Comics

How well do you know your Greek plays? Sure, everyone’s familiar with the basic Greek myths of Zeus, Apollo, Herakles, and Perseus. I’m talking about the the dramas, though; ones starring Oedipus, Agamemnon, Medea, Cassandra, or Ion.

No? Well don’t worry, Greek Street is still going to be extremely accessible to you, coming across as a rival family drama with a crime undercurrent moving through it. But for those who are familiar with some Greek works, though, there’s a nice extra punch to Peter Milligan’s new series.

Eddie’s just come back to town after his mother sent him away, and he’s not pleased about his past. When his confrontation goes badly, though, he ends up adrift and taking a job at a Greek restaurant. But two families are clearly at work, with an eye for an eye mentality moving through the levels of retribution. Meanwhile, there’s a killer preying on women, and Sandy’s having visions of the dead bodies afloat in the river. Only the strippers may know what’s going on, but they’re only revealing their knowledge to the audience—which fortunately, dear reader, is you.

Greek Street is in some ways trying to do to Greek myths and stories what Fables did to fairy tales. To be fair, that’s a gross simplification, but it’s as easy a way as any to try and describe the comic. Greek Street isn’t literally about these ancient characters of myth living in our world, but rather the idea that stories, situations, and characters keep repeating themselves throughout history. One of the strippers—serving as a member of a Greek chorus that talks to the audience—notes as much in the first pages. "You see, those old stories aren’t through with us. No matter how many different names or masks we might wear, they’re just not finished with us yet," she notes. So Eddie and Jo are caught up in the story of Oedipus and Jocasta, for example, although the exact situation and moments aren’t being perfectly replicated. It’s rather the ideas, the mood, and the general flow that we’re seeing here playing themselves out, for good or for ill.

What I like, though, is that you can enjoy Greek Street #1 without knowing most or even any of this extra information. Sandy being Cassandra isn’t knowledge needed to read her hysterical breakdown as she dreams of the dead bodies, for instance. The Furey family may or may not be connected in the broadest of strokes to the Furies, but I find myself not worrying about it. It’s more important in the short term to watch the investigation of the bodies in the river begin to unfold, or the nasty ways that rival families try to even the score and come to some sort of peace. All of the pieces are still being brought onto the board by Milligan, but he wisely focuses on just a few of them to help us get a feel for these characters. I’m not 100% sucked into the story just yet, but there are so many little moments and scenes that ended up sticking with me that I’m already interested to see what will happen next.

Davide Gianfelice’s art in Greek Street #1 is, quite frankly, gorgeous. I love how he draws the characters of this title, and how he’s able to hit all the notes needed from the script; sexy, dangerous, terrifying, sad, they’re all there. I was sold in just the first few pages, as one of our stripper/Greek chorus members lectures an audience member at the club. She’s got such an aura of power around her that it’s almost breathtaking. Gianfelice sells the idea that only she really knows what’s going on, even as the idiot grabbing her butt misses the point of every word she says. With that glazed-over expression on his face as he stares at her, she comes across as powerful even while he ogles, and that’s when I knew he was the right choice for Greek Street. There’s so much going on here, with a soft, well rounded style that can still handle the heavier moments of the book. From Eddie’s nightmares to the twisted bodies found in the river, each moment just bursts onto the page with energy.

Milligan and Gianfelice have brought a sense of style to this book that, I think, is its ultimate selling point. With 100 Bullets over, this book seems the closest to try and inherit its crown as Vertigo’s crime drama, admittedly one with a twist. It’s slick and sexy, and it has enough of its own unique voice that it’s hard to not want to be drawn back for a second installment. I really like Vertigo’s new $1, 40-page debuts for series because like The Unwritten before it, this is a good enough introduction that it should hopefully bring in people eager for another taste. Definitely take a look. I’m already a fan.