The first issue of Hard Evidence centers on Hauge, a fresh out of jail detective who has been cursed with a spree of bad luck that has been approached by a local gangster Rohmer to investigate the death of his daughter Kira. Although her husband has already confessed to the murder and a large amount of evidence is pointing in his direction Hauge takes the job and is determined to uncover the truth behind who murdered Kira. Written and Illustrated by Palle Schmidt (The Devil’s Concubine) published by The Outfit released August 21st 2011.
I am a big fan of noir style comics and am always on the hunt for new series’ to test drive. Hard Evidence is filled with solid writing and a main character that is as tough and resourceful as they come a private detective who is not afraid to get his hands dirty to get results. Every time Hauge spoke, I could hear his voice deep and gravely worn from years of living rough an honest man who has been given a bad rap by life due to his explosive temper. The perfect lead man for a gritty crime drama set in a city where the only people who matter at the rich and the poor suffer more each passing day.
Palle Schmidt is a brilliant writer and perfectly creates the image of a crime riddled city filled with crooked cops, beyond the law wealthy, and straight up criminals and kingpins that will please any fans of a well done noir story. I hope that this comic becomes an ongoing series, the social commentary found within the pages of this issue are beyond clever and as honest as they come. Hard Evidence often feels like a love child created by cross breeding Law & Order and The Shield leading to a very entertaining never dull read that has me dying for more of detective Hauge.
The art style is minimalistic black and white, perfect for the bleak setting of the story and features a well-done full color cover that reminded me a lot a Grand Theft Auto advertisement that immediately caught my eye causing me to investigate the comic further. It turns out Palle Schmidt is not only a talented writer but also a gifted artist as well.
I tried to locate some more information on this series but had no luck so my advice to you readers is to pick up this first issue and cross your fingers that there are more to come in the near future. I for one had a great time with this comic and recommend it to any fans of realistic crime dramas that pull no punches and are not afraid of taking serious and honest looks at our class based society where money talks the loudest and often speaks the last word.
Update Note: The creator of the comic cleared up some confusion for me and this is in fact a stand alone story.
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