REVIEW: 'Sanction' #1 by Ray Fawkes, Antonio Fuso, and Emilio Leece

 

SANCTION #1 

Writer: Ray Fawkes

Artist: Antonio Fuso, Emilio Leece

Letters: Dave Sharp

Publisher: Mad Cave Studios

Release Date: May 15, 2024

Cover Price: $4.99

Leningrad, 1987. When a woman's corpse is discovered on New Year's Day, a hungover Detective Pavel Smirnoff hands off the case to his partner, Detective Boris Dimitrovich, hoping he'll close it without fuss. Instead, Dimitrovich uncovers a connection to an old, unsolved crime, dragging them both into an investigation that puts their careers - and possibly their lives - at risk.

Score:

★★★★☆ (4/5)

QUICK REVIEW: 'Sanction' #1 by Ray Fawkes, Antonio Fuso, and Emilio Leece takes place in the Soviet Union during the late '80s, and it's an intriguing murder investigation with two peculiar detectives. The body of a naked woman is found in Leningrad and senior Detective Pavel Smirnoff's disinterest in the case pawns it off to Detective Boris Dimitrovich. Pavel's flippant and lazy attitude is in direct contrast to Boris' affable but diligent demeanor. When Boris discovers a link to a cold case, Pavel suddenly seems interested. The tone is surprisingly lighthearted in the midst of an unsolved murder with the potential of a serial case but it's the procedural work of Boris that will keep the reader's interest. Boris is a bit of a goof, but his attention to detail and detective work make Pavel look bad and make 'Sanction' all the more fascinating. Fuso and Leece do a great job of bringing the wintery setting of Leningrad to life by using a white-out background and cool blues outdoors. The implied existence of snow translates and while there is plenty of detail in the backgrounds some detail is lost on the characters' faces which can be distracting. 

'Sanction' is a quirky character crime thriller that offers genuine intrigue and mystery.