REVIEW: 'John Tiffany' OGN by Stephen Desberg and Dan Panosian

 

JOHN TIFFANY OGN 

Writer: Dan Panosian, Stephen Desberg

Artist: Dan Panosian

Letterer: Lucas Gattoni

Publisher: Mad Cave Studios

Release Date: July 19, 2023

Cover Price: $19.99

MATURE READERS

John Tiffany is one of the best bounty hunters in the world. Given his precarious line of work, he has found that he can only truly trust four people: Pastor Lovejoy, an unorthodox priest; Wan Chao, an underworld geek; Dorothy, his conservative teammate; and Magdalena, a sex worker he has foolishly fallen in love with. But it seems that one of them has turned against him and now he's the one with a bounty on his head. It's a race against time as he tries to survive being a high-priced target and find out which of his confidantes is the traitor.

Score:

★★★1/2 (3.5/5)

'John Tiffany' is a graphic novel that harkens back to the 90s when the stories were darker, heroes were morally ambiguous, and the art was grimy. Dan Panosian and Stephen Desberg create an exciting and slick action thriller that leans heavily on style over substance. The execution is first-rate in this James Bond meets Mickey Spillane's Mike Hammer. 

The titular protagonist, Tiffany, is a successful bounty hunter (the resemblance to Jon Hamm is uncanny) whose dangerous acquisitions take him around the world. Charming but with a hard-boiled demeanor, he narrates the story revealing his motivations, suspicions, and feelings. He surrounds himself with an eclectic crew including a pastor with a loose moral code, a racist but capable teammate, and an underground hacker. So, whether he's racing through the streets of Mexico City being shot at, or in Pakistan chasing a bounty, Tiffany is always in danger. The only thing more precarious is his love for a high-priced call girl that he can't have. 

Desberg is adept at putting together a globe-trotting adventure full of violence and sex. The shoot-outs are well-choreographed and the pacing is mostly brisk. Sometimes, the story gets bogged down with flashbacks and Tiffany pining for Magdelena, the sex worker he's in love with but can't free from her handlers. There is plenty of intrigue in Tiffany's missions that helps drive the action but when the story veers away from that and lingers on his desperate longing, the story loses traction. Tiffany espouses how much he's in love with Magdelena, how beautiful she is, and how he's willing to risk it all for her but it all seems one-sided. It feels superficial because as a character, she appears more as an object or a prize and not a person. Situationally, the action excels but what falls short is that the villains aren't fresh and mostly stereotypical. Perhaps, because we're in Tiffany's head the entire time, some perspective is lost by not focusing on other characters from their point of view. 

Panosian, as co-writer, is responsible for some of these critiques but as the artist, there's nothing he can't do. While the look is gritty and shadowy most of the time, his versatility in conducting the action and shifting gears to quieter moments of romance and love-making seems effortless. One minute you're in a fight scene that's brutal and intense, and the next you're watching Tiffany's passionate encounter with a woman. And Panosian's skill at illustrating the female form is exceptional. The art is the glue that keeps this graphic novel together. 

'John Tiffany' is a capable action thriller that narratively feels hollow. A hard-nosed bounty hunter as charming, formidable, and sexy as James Bond whose Achille's heel is a femme fatale should be a thrill ride, and for parts of it, it is. However, the superficiality of the pursuit of this unattainable woman weighs the story down like an anchor.