Over at the Do Some Damage crime blog, novelist Jay Stringer has posted an early review of Sparrow & Crowe #1. It’s a very thoughtful examination of the first issue, and we’re very excited to be featured on a blog with numerous talented crime writers.

Here are some highlights from the review:

The script smartly avoids a lot of the pitfalls that can hamstring new comic writers. Often in a writers early work you’ll see too many words on the page, and an inability to get out of the way of the artist. But the writers, Dave Accampo and Jeremy Rogers have recognised this, and the writing is kept tight and sparse, allowing the scenes to flow. There’s a level of craft here that’s way ahead of where these guys should be, playing with structure enough to fit in a few neat jokes that wouldn’t be possible without a strong understanding of how a comic page works.

and:

Souza’s style bears more of a European -almost Tin Tin- looseness, which draws a clear line between itself and the cleaner house styles of bog companies like Marvel and DC. It’s clear and to the point, and it keeps you moving from panel to panel. The finest example of this is the final two pages of the issue, where the scripting, layout and art all combine to perfectly set up and reveal the hook ending. As with the writing, I can’t wait to see where Souza’s art changes as the series progresses.

You can read the full review here. Jay’s His first novel, Old Gold, is due from Thomas & Mercer in 2012, and blogs every Thursday at Do Some Damage. You can also catch him at Twitter.