Comic Books

GREEK STREET #1


Price: $1.00
iFanboy Community Pick of the Week Percentage: 0.0%

Reviews

UserAddedSpoilers
changingshades07/04/09YesRead Review
greekst07/04/09NoRead Review
Bedhead07/03/09NoRead Review
miyamotofreak07/01/09NoRead Review
goRimbaud07/01/09NoRead Review
akamuu06/30/09NoRead Review
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Avg Rating: 2.9
 
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Comments

  1. This looks awesome. And only $1!

  2. Vertigo seems to have caught on to something here.  Give people a cheap trial issue, they’ll grab it blindly. I never would have got Unwritten if it weren’t a dollar, and it’s the only reason I’m getting this.

  3. I think this or Locke and Key is going to be my pick of the week.

    40 pages for a 1$’s the best promo ever.

  4. i don’t know what this is, but it’s a buck and it’s vertigo. sold

  5. I’m picking it up cos I read the preview and it was great. Not cos it’s $1… I would have got it anyway.

  6. Avatar photo Paul Montgomery (@fuzzytypewriter) says:

    That’s a badass cover.  

  7. I only read the preview because it was a dollar YO!

     just keeping it real deadspace, just keeping it real.

  8. I’m buying this because it’s a dollar and forty pages. I don’t even think it sounds interesting. But it’s a dollar!

  9. Previews for this looked awesome.  Along for the ride!

  10. God damn, i’m looking forward to this! i love the conspect. Ultra voilant stories re-interpreted set amongst terrifing english gantsers.

  11. It’ll be interesting to see how this does in sales compared to UNWRITTEN. $1.00 is definitely the way to go, though. Big ups Vertigo.

  12. Damn you Vertigo!

  13. i love $1 first issues it makes me not scared to try something new.

  14. One dollar and an interesting premise.

     Thank you, Vertigo.

  15. I think Conor was right about this being a great idea for number 1 books.  You make it difficult to turn down when it’s a dollar.  That’s why I’m picking it up.

  16. I haven’t read any preview, but I remember listening to a podcast talking this series up several months ago. After that listen, I knew I was sold, and I didn’t know about the dollar thing yet.

  17. After seeing the teaser stuff for this in Young Liars I’m not so sure about it. Seemed a little too conceptual.For me it could be OK if they  play the story pretty straight….I don’t mind metaphors and appropriation but I prefer subtle references that are like easter eggs rather than self consciously clever postmodernism.I save that for my comments 😉

  18. I’d buy that for a dollar!

  19. I’m buying it but I don’t want to like it b/c that’s another title every month and they won’t all be a buck.

  20. "You’re a boy from the hood"……………what?

  21. $1!  The previews for this look incredible. 

    Sweet Tooth will be the next $1 offering from Vertigo in September!  Keep ’em coming!

  22. In for a buck anytime.

  23. I really hope my LCS doesn’t sell out of this. I had to be dumb and forget to add it to my pull list.

  24. I had no idea it was for a $1.  If I did I would have added to my pull list too.   I really liked Unwritten and going to ride that for a couple of issues.  Hoping for the same now with Greek Street.

  25. PURE PERFECT!

  26. That’s some pretty wild stuff. Great way to spend a buck.

  27. really cool stuff in this book, and i gotta say for only a dollar they certainly know how to get us hooked. I’ll buy the next issue for sure

  28. What the fuck did I just read?

  29. You know it’s not a good sign when you’re less than halfway through whatever comic you read after this, pause to try to remember what happened in this, and can’t come up with anything.

  30. @stockhart Seriously.  This comic was all over the place.

  31. Once the myths start to take form, this should be much less confusing to figure out.  As it was, great first issue, with fantastic art, and I’m sticking with it for the forseeable future.

  32. SOme interesting stuff in there. Might pick up the next issue but I’m not OMGZ over it.

  33. This was really poorly written.  Great art, great intention.  Not a huge loss for a dollar, but not good enough to have me looking forward to the second issue.

  34. Exactly what I wanted. I’m sold.

  35. Things seem to be kind of split in the comments for this. I didn’t enjoy this as much as I thought I would…but I’ll stick with it for at least the first arc to see how it pans out. I don’t know a lot about Greek mythology so that may be why I’m not tuned into it as much. Still, the main character seems interesting, and the story about him and his Mother was great. I think this is more poorly constructed than poorly written. Plus, it’s a #01 and it’s $1.00.

    4/5.

  36. The art in this book is awesome. Although it had some obvious instances of bad bad writing, I liked this book. And for a dollar, I really liked this book. I’m hooked on the character and feel the need to cough up 3 bucks for the next issue. Great way to get people onto a series, sell it for a buck.

  37. One of the worst first issues I have read in a long time. The script was confusing and the art made it very had to recognise characters. Plus if you are going to write about a place that actually exists at least draw it accurately. Basically it looks and feels nothing like Greek Street…

  38. I just wasn’t really interested in the concept, and the preview didn’t really hook me.  The $1 price tag did not convince me either.  I am digging what Milligan is doing on Hellblazer, but I am taking a pass on this one, despite my tendency to check out anything Vertigo puts out.

  39. @akamuu: exactly!!

  40. Some reviews from other creators…

    “Sex, death, ambition, revenge and a reminder that some stories are too true and too dangerous to ever die. GREEK STREET crackles with Promethean fire.” —Grant Morrison

    “A mind-bending mashup of ancient myth and modern mayhem!” —Dave Gibbons, artist of WATCHMEN

    “A new monthly from the man who brought us Skin, Skreemer and Bad Company? Count me in!” —Garth Ennis, writer of PREACHER

    “A spellbinding blend of modern crime and classical tragedy, GREEK STREET sparkles with wit, style and energy, yet is as brutal and unrelenting as the mythical Furies themselves. I can’t get enough of it.” —Cliff Chiang

    And for those of us looking forward to shouting TGIF! we have this toast to GREEK STREET by Lee Bermejo, artist of the NEW YORK TIMES bestseller, JOKER:

    “Milligan & Gianfelice mix delicious elixir with GREEK STREET. With a combination of totally unique characters, challenging themes, and a complex, multi-layered narrative, you’ve got one hell of a stiff drink. It’s aged well, with the smooth taste of Greek tragedy mixed with the tart bite of urban noir. But don’t just down it…SIP it. Let the flavors sink in and then go back for some more.”

  41. I think too much was maybe squeezed into this one issue. The people who are complaining that it was all over the place – I can see where you’re coming from. There were a lot of characters and a lot going on so I got a bit confused. I think I might trade-wait for this, I’m not sure. Part of me loved it but the confusing bits has made me waiver on whether to continue with it.

    I don’t think it was badly written though. Don’t know why people are saying that. I noticed a mistake tho of a word being left out *gasp*

    It was kinda like reading House of Mystery if it was written by David Lapham when he was on whatever drugs he took to write Young Liars. 

  42. @deadspace – the word being left out was intentional, just like most of the spelling errors.

    I enjoyed the hell out of this and I’m really looking forward to more.

  43. I knew the spelling errors were intentional but this:

    "You mean your macho uncle felt so sorry for he gave me a job?"

    I don’t get it. 

  44. Oh my bad. I read that as if the "for" wasn’t even there.

  45. I agree with the people saying this was all over the place & hard to follow for a first issue — A LOT happened. But I also agree with the people saying the art was pretty strong & this might be worth sticking around for another issue to see what’s going on exactly. If things are this unclear in the second issue though, my patience will run out.

    My favourite part was when the guy had sex with his mum & then killed her. You don’t see that everyday.

    PS – Can someone tell me what myth(s) this comic covers?

  46. I’m sure I’m missing more than a few, because it’s been a long time since I studied Greek Mythology, but Eddie is clearly a stand in for Oedipus. The Furey’s are probably meant to represent the Furies. But I remember the Furies as being three women, much like those seen on the splash page, so I don’t know if that is just meant as a decoy or not. Dedalus (the cop who finds the body) I’m sure is a play on Daedalus but I don’t see how they’re working that just yet, because the comic character is implied to be gay, and the mythological character had several children.

    I’m sure after a few issues, somone who knows more than me will make a cool sitedrawing all the parallels.

  47. the book was really under written. Use a caption box to explain the situation. don’t exspect the reader to understand the story by having characters glaze into the distance

  48. @Noto- thanks dude. What stories are those characters from? Or are their names the names of the stories/myths?

    @edward- great point. A few caption boxes would have helped a lot. Maybe it’s meant to be vague/unclear?

  49. @Wade – I don’t know if they’re from "stories" in that they have titles so much as they are just myths in general. If you do a Wiki search on each of them you should get the character’s history.

    As for the clarity of the situation, I’m pretty sure it’s meant to be written this way. I think Eddie is gonna learn as he goes – just like the reader, and there’s a LOT of characters that haven’t mingled yet (Sandy & Paolo, Gene Furey, the unseen disfigured Limm son, etc.)

  50. When I say the story is badly written, I don’t mean that he left out words, or that he misspelled.  That would be poor editing, and I don’t think this book was poorly edited.  I believe every spelling mistake and incorrect grammar was a style choice.  A lazy style choice.

  51. I just finished this comic. What an incredible read! The story has potential and I know that it’s going places. Milligan writes with a poetic street smart style. I love it! I can’t wait until issue 2.

  52. 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.

    —Greg McElhatton  

  53. 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.


    greek_street_chorus.jpg
    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.


    greek-street-promo-art.jpg
    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

  54. Vertigo’s newest $1.00 #1 came out yesterday, and should still be available at all four Amazing Fantasy locations: Greek Street by Peter Milligan and Davide Gianfelice.

    This is a very interesting and intriguing new series. The sheer scope that Milligan has taken up here is impressive to say the least. This is definitely one of those series that will take a while to gel with readers. Greek Street reminds me at times of Sandman and Fables since Milligan is drawing upon the classical Greek tragedies of old, but using a modern setting. The huge cast of characters are not direct re-interpretations of characters like Oedipus, but rather influenced by these type of characters. Each character in Greek Street draws upon multiple characters from Greek antiquity along with some modern twists.

    Do you have to be familiar with the Greek tragedies to fully appreciate this series? No, I don’t think so. IF you happen to remember your classic lit from high school and college it’s a nice bonus if only to justify an English Degree or all those Greek Tragedy courses you took in college for no good reason. HERE is your good reason! Like Sandman and Fables before it, Greek Street may inspire readers to go back to reread the the inspiration for this series, the Greek Classics. This can only be interpreted as a good thing, because these stories are still taught in school for a reason. There is a certain universality to the plot points and character archetypes.

    Greek Street is illustrated by Davide Gianfelice, who made his name on Vertigo’s Northlanders. His style is quite unique and could be a perfect fit for this book. His art style doesn’t work for every book, but for both Northlanders and now Greek Street it works. The color choices jump out as unique for this book, if only because of the limited color palette that Patricia Mulvihill has picked. One thing about Vertigo, each book is unique unto itself, and the colors and letters play an important role in singling a series out.

    This first issue, like Unwritten #1 before it is 40 pages for buck! Give it a try, but I am warning you that I think it will take a whole storyline before this baby can be judged fairly. Taking this one issue on it’s own I think some readers may be confused about what they are reading, mainly because of the huge cast of characters. Over time, this will most likely pan out well, I have the utmost faith in Milligan. He wrote one of my all time favorite Vertigo series, Shade: The Changing Man, and that too took a little while to get its feet. Try the #1 for a buck and if it intrigues you as much I think it will, try the first volume of the graphic novel, odds are good that the first collection of Greek Street will cost a measly $9.99. That is another thing Vertigo is VERY good about, trying to make books affordable so readers can try new things.

    "A reminder that some stories are too true and too dangerous to ever die. ….crackles with Promethean fire." – Grant Morrison.

  55. Greek Street #1 (DC/Vertigo): Davide Gianfelice, whose already strong pencils delighted in Brian Wood’s Northlanders, gives us something with more of an Eduardo Risso influence here. Gianfelice is a versatile guy, able to draw Vikings, crime figures, and even cars correctly. It’s nice to see a Mercedes look just like a Mercedes and not a melted turd. Not only does the book simply look gorgeous, but Peter Milligan dives right into the story. There are a couple of rough spots that I’ll gripe about. I know it’s meant to play this way, but I have a hard time accepting exposition that feels so out of place and unnatural. I mean, any stripper who says “Medea and Agamemnon are still playing at the temple of Dionysius” raises my skeptical eyebrow. Along those lines, ultimately we find out that the following “typos” are intended as written word, done deliberately to emphasize the education level of the speaker: “handel,” “coudnt,” “don’t,” “your” instead of “you’re,” “youd,” “whats,” and “tho.” However, the problem is that we’re not told this is meant to be written word for quite a few pages, it initially reads like internal monologue. And… I don’t know about you, but when I talk to myself it’s usually spelled right. Without knowing the intention up front, it’s highly annoying and distracting; it pushed me out of the narrative and I kept flipping back to try and figure out what the hell was going on. There’s another outright typo: “You mean your macho uncle felt so sorry for he gave me a job?” with a missing “me.” Though the book is not without flaws, I really enjoyed it because it doesn’t shy away from taboo subjects, once the stripper scene is over there is absolutely no exposition, and I really have no idea where it’s going, and that’s saying something. It’s nice to read something different that isn’t predictable or someone’s retread version of property “x.” It may be too early to call, but I feel like this could have the legs to be the next 100 Bullets in the Vertigo stable. Overall, a great package with 40 pages for a mere buck, and well placed house ads for the new Vertigo Crime line. Grade A.

  56. what the fuck is this?

  57. I’m really hoping that wasn’t Peter or Davide. That would be kinda… sad :/

  58. greekst is obviously working for someone

  59. Mr. Milligan never talk with people. I did it for my taste. And yours bad taste.

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