I finally picked up a copy of Desolation Jones. This one has been on the back burner for a little time. After reading The Big Sleep and while halfway through the Maltese Falcon, I decided to order a copy of Desolation Jones, just to read it again. I collected the single issues when it came out back in ’05, and they’ve been sitting in a box in a undisclosed location ever since.

The eponymous Jones, is a former-spy, who contracts as a private detective in Los Angeles. As L.A. is described as an open prison for former intelligence agents, Jones strictly limits his cases that surround that community. And the first story arc is about resolving a blackmail case for a former Colonel.

I really enjoy J.H. Williams art and panel structure, something that seems to be carried right into his work on Batwoman (which I will write about at a later date.) Williams has full control over colour and line to set the mood, tone and emotion, and it’s something I’ve rarely seen elsewhere.

Sadly, this is one of those defunct series which only barely made it past the first story arc. I’d honestly like to know where it was headed, since certain things were sounded in the first arc. And this would be one of the few series I’d consider running fanfiction on, since it’s been sleeping for nearly a decade, and no one else has picked it up again since.

If you like noir, with a deep dark edge, then you should probably seek out this one while it’s still in print.