Do you like old school film noir? Of course. Do you like big-headed green aliens? Uhh . . . yeah! Do you want to see what happens when you put those two things together? Then, you should really check out Dames in the Atomic Age by Christopher Ryder and Marc Sandroni.  These guys have taken an old school detective story, complete with the narrating private-eye protagonist, and combined it with the stylings of a 1950s B-movie filled with aliens, ray guns, and giant radioactive ants. Dames in the Atomic Age is the perfect marriage between the sci-fi and noir detective genres. It is colorful, humorous, and – best of all – a very intriguing mystery.

Ryder has crafted a very interesting story that centers around a private eye who gets in over his head while investigating the disappearance of a beautiful woman who is cheating on her husband. Soon, the detective is brawling in the streets with identical thugs carrying ray guns and speaking in a weird language. Without giving too much away, let’s just say his crazy adventure is just beginning. Sandroni delivers some stunning artwork that falls somewhere between Darwyn Cooke and Bruce Timm and is a perfect fit for the story. Even cooler are the little mini comics throughout the story by guest artists like Andy Suriano, Tony Fleecs, Rahsan Ekedal, and more. These stories poke fun at the comics of the 1940s and set the stage for important events in the story.

Dames in the Atomic Age is a 64-page, full-color graphic novel that is a real steal at a cover price of $8.95. It can be purchased at www.ArtofFiction.com along with a ton of other really awesome books. Make sure you check them out.