This new mini-series from writer Marc Guggenheim and artist Justin Greenwood bears more than a passing resemblance to the 2014 film Nightcrawler (a fact Guggenheim grumpily acknowledges in the afterword in issue #1). Stringers also deals with the plight of intrepid, freelance photojournalists as they race to film all the dark and dangerous doings of late-night Los Angeles and hopefully make a few bucks selling the footage to local news networks. But for all those similarities, Stringers is also a much different story from Nightcrawler, and one that has plenty to offer curious readers.
Guggenheim and Greenwood race right out of the gate in this first issue as their two protagonists, Nick and Paul, follow hot on the heels of a violent police chase. That certainly makes for an exciting opening, but this issue contrasts this raw danger with the more mundane challenges these two characters face. Even as they’re dodging gunfire, Nick and Paul are busy negotiating their latest sale, dealing with worried significant others and squabbling about keeping their SUV gassed up. Guggenheim writes a solid dynamic between these two frazzled but inherently likable men, one defined as much by humor and camaraderie as strife. Perhaps most people don’t make a living by placing themselves directly in harm’s way, but anyone who’s experienced the unpredictable freelancer lifestyle can relate to what these characters face. That character-first focus begins to pay off as Nick and Paul stumble into a much bigger and more dire predicament by issue’s end.
Greenwood’s art is a fitting extension of that character dynamic. Greenwood strikes a nice balance between rendering gritty streets action and high-octane chases and exploring the simple, relatable emotions of the script. His style is neither too realistic and bloody nor overly cartoony. The coloring is a little too flat and dominated by gray tones at times, though to some extent that could be blamed on the urban nighttime setting.
