Writer: Charles Ardai
Penciller: Ace Continuado
Inker: Juan Castro
Colorist: Asifur Rahman
Letterer: David Leach
Cover Artist: David Nakayama, Tula Lotay, Ace Continuado, Lesley Li, Brao, Noobvich, Cedric Poulat,Nuno Pereira, Alain Nip, Dalmos, Karina Belous & Cosplay
Publisher: Titan Comics
Price: $3.99
Release Date: November 13, 2024
Dr Bessemer Preiss works for unsavory people who value his biochemical research. But he doesn't want them to use his daughter to twist his arm. So, Dr Preiss calls on Dahlia Racers for help. Can Dahlia sneak Rosaline out of Venice and make her disappear? Let’s burn into Heat Seeker: Combustion #1 and find out!
Story
This time, Dahlia enlisted Cesar and Sarah Claride’s assistance. That's right! The fierce bounty hunter who hunted her in Heat Seeker: A Gun Honey Series works with Dahlia in Venice. But what happens in Venice stays in Venice. When Dahlia, Cesar, and Rosaline depart, they leave Sarah behind. Still, this should be an easy job. Dr Preiss has arranged for his daughter to hide in a monastery. Rosaline hopes that the nuns won’t make her pray all day.
A drive into Italy’s Dolomite Mountains can make for a relaxing holiday excursion. But Dahlia has her eyes out for a tail, and Cesar reads Dr Preiss' book, The Biochemistry Revolution. Despite the cool weather, Dahlia, Cesar, and Rosaline receive a warm welcome at the convent in Montefiacco. While Rosaline envisions her future in black-and-white, Dahlia and Cesar can look forward to the pulsing nightlife of New York. Or perhaps they’ll visit the health spa further up the mountain before they leave Italy in Heat Seeker: Combustion #1.
Dahlia’s anxiety rises when Cesar mentions what Dr Preiss has been researching. Something that struck them as odd earlier that day connects with Dr Preiss’ expertise. Rosaline’s father claimed the monastery would provide sanctuary. But if Cesar laid a false trail, how could Dr Preiss’ employers have gotten there before them? Suddenly, Dr Preiss' words don't add up, but Dahlia is still determined to protect his daughter.
Heat Seeker: Combustion #1 rips along so quickly it leaves you breathless. Yet Charles Ardai forces his characters to put two-and-two together along the way. The shadow of suspicion even falls on Dr Preiss. He doesn't want his employers to use his daughter against him. Yet he shows no reluctance to continue working for them. If Dahlia doesn’t know the whole story, nor do her pursuers. They may not want to kill Rosaline, but they won't hesitate to kill Dahlia and Cesar. But then, as Cesar tells the Mother Superior, "It's a house of violence tonight, sister."
Art
Having introduced Dahlia Racers and demonstrated her abilities in Heat Seeker: A Gun Honey Series, Charles Ardai drops us into the heat of the moment. Ace Continuado and Juan Castro deliver furious action without blurring characters or replacing settings with direction lines. The constant camera angle changes enhance the sense of danger and the story's pace, while flashbacks at key moments feed you tidbits of backstory.
While Ace Continuado and Juan Castro occasionally throw in silhouettes, Asifur Rahman delivers deep and nuanced color. The characters shine during the day and night, and dramatic lighting enhances the mood. Venice sparkles with yellows, greens, blues, and reds, while Rahman dusts the tops of the gray Dolomites with white. The convent’s gray stone walls and brown wooden doors show weathering and age, while a glowing white moon illuminates the action beneath a purple and ultramarine night sky. A visit to an exclusive health spa gets the heart racing with ample flesh coloring in Heat Seeker: Combustion #1. While your heart goes to little Rosaline in her yellow and gray dress, the spotlight remains on Dahlia Racers in her green skintight one-piece and flaming red wig.
David Leach launches black uppercase letters into white dialogue balloons and colored narrative boxes. The font grows bold for inflection and swells inside dialogue balloons outlined with red in Heat Seeker: Combustion #1. A lack of time/space markers forces readers to pay attention when the story dips into the past before returning to the present. Sound effects like gunfire, shattered wood and glass, and a secreted motor roaring to life power readers through Dahlia Racers' latest adventure. Thanks to Titan Comics and Hard Case Crime for providing a copy for review.
Final Thoughts
Dahlia Racers has her hands full protecting a girl who doesn’t want her help from people who don’t want to kill her in Heat Seeker: Combustion #1. While the researcher’s daughter places herself in danger, Dahlia’s new assistant gets ideas above his station.
Rating 9.4/10
To peek inside see my preview at The Dragon's Cache.
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