Finally for this week, Caper.  This is one of Judd Winick's projects for DC, and since he's still technically the regular writer on Exiles (despite having been on a DC exclusive contract for months) it even has an X-connection.

It's a crime series, although in a rather odd format.  Strictly speaking this is a twelve-issue miniseries, but it's actually a series of three four-issue arcs, each following different members of the same family, decades apart.  By the way, even though it isn't a Vertigo book, it's still a mature readers title.  Don't ask me how DC decide what goes in what imprint these days.  I haven't got a clue any more.

The first arc picks up at the turn of the century, with the Jewish mob in San Francisco.  I'm not particularly familiar with the history of American organised crime, but apparently this is loosely based on history.  At this stage, the Jewish aspects of the story are largely surface material, to be honest - but it does freshen up what could easily be overfamiliar material by changing the setting drastically.

Brothers Jacob and Izzy are debt collectors, a task somewhat hampered by Izzy's over-enthusiasm.  He doesn't quite seem to grasp that people pay up more easily if they're still breathing.  The tone is leaning towards black comedy, but Winick and artist Farel Dalrymple (who's doing the first arc) still create a surprisingly believable setting for the story.

Winick often seems like a split personality as a writer.  Whereas Exiles is heavily formulaic and largely an exercise in playing with continuity, Caper has little in common with it aside from the cute dialogue that Winick almost always delivers.  That's about the only stylistic link.  And this is much better work - even if the plot is somewhat familiar territory, Winick and Dalrymple give it their own distinctive style.

Good work, and light years away from Winick's X-books.

Rating: A-

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