Last week saw the debut of a new series from Dark Horse Comics entitled American Caper, created and written by Dan Houser – the creator of some of the most successful video games of all time.
Houser is responsible for bringing gamers the Grand Theft Auto series and my personal favorite, Red Dead Redemption. A hallmark of Houser’s writing has always been his devotion to placing characters first. His heroes and villains always feel like fully formed and nuanced people. Dutch, the primary antagonist of Red Dead Redemption I and II, is one the most fully realized characters in video games. The best villains are always the ones who – even if you can’t condone their actions – you can empathize with their motivations. Any gamer who played Red Dead Redemption II could immediately see why any person would follow the charismatic Dutch. Watching the character slowly crumble under the weight of leadership with each compromise is one of the highlights of that game. So, you can imagine how excited I was to pick up American Caper and dive right in. Of course, when I discovered that it was drawn by comic veteran David Lapham (writer/artist/creator of Stray Bullets and multiple titles across DC, Marvel, and Dark Horse), I was even more sold on this book.
American Caper, at its heart, strives to show the reader how fractured and ugly our modern society has become. And Houser doesn’t hold back his satirical digs for any side. Both the far right and the far left are ramped up to equal levels of absurdity. This book shines a light on our societal divisions and drives home the feeling I think we’ve all expressed that our society has fractured. It can often feel like you, your neighbors, and your family members all live in a different version of reality. The main character, William Hamilton, just feels lost in the endless waves of anger and indignation of those around him. William is a lawyer who hates his job but, above all, hates that he will never be the legal crusader he had dreamed of becoming. To him, there is no chance for any of us to be the heroes we dreamed of becoming as kids.
Besides just introducing its characters and world, American Caper opens with a mystery in its opening pages, as William is introduced as our first narrator. The overall mystery of this series only deepens when the narration of the issue switches over to William’s neighbor, Orson. Up to this point, Orson had primarily served as the object of envy for William. Orson had the perfect wife, kids, and life according to William. All of this slowly unravels as readers get a chance to be in Orson’s head and discover that this character isn’t what he has appeared to be. I won’t spoil anything here, but it both deepens the overarching mystery and expands the scope of the narrative. A wonderful and unexpected turn that subverted my expectations.
On the art side, I can’t think of a better partner for Houser than Lapham. His gritty, realistic pencils are a perfect match for this neo-noir story. I love an artist whose art can carry the heavy emotional beats of a narrative. This is exemplified in a scene where William is watching his son playing video games on the couch. Lapham’s art relays to the reader all of the turmoil in William’s heart in just one expression. A beautifully crafted comic panel.
American Caper is off to a strong start. It’s a treat to see Houser working in the comic medium after enjoying his video game work for years. A tantalizing mystery I can’t wait to follow to the end and a great new addition to the stands from Dark Horse Comics.
Creative Team: Dan Houser (Creator/Writer), Lazlow (Producer/Additional Writing), David Lapham (Story Layouts/Pencils), Lee Loughridge (Colorist), Chris Anderson (Finishes), Nate Piekos (Letterer), Tyler Boss (Series Covers)
Publisher: Dark Horse Comics
Click here to purchase.
