A new sci-fi detective series combines the sun-soaked L.A. noir of Chinatown with the ruined, post-apocalyptic setting of Fallout. It's the ultimate combination, as the corrupt world of neo-Noir is matched by the physical devastation of a world beyond saving.
The two ingredients combine in The Big Shakedown - a new detective series set in the near future, where Los Angeles has been destroyed by a gigantic earthquake, with the city's poorest residents left with nowhere to go.
From The Big Sleep to The Black Dahlia to L.A. Confidential, the City of Angels has a long history as a setting for noir, with a glamorous facade covering up dark crimes and seedy secrets. The Big Shakedown literally tears down that facade, setting a compelling mystery among the ruins.
The Big Shakedown Is a Post-Apocalyptic Noir
Dark Horse recently announced a new four-part comic series from Jordan Blum (Minor Threats), Tim Seeley (Hack/Slash), Scott Koblish (The Despicable Deadpool) and Hi-Fi (The Flash). The Big Shakedown is a classic Los Angeles noir mystery set in "the post-apocalyptic remains of the most beloved/hated city in the world."
The new series will follow Ester Blanco - a private investigator searching for a missing girl in a city peopled by those who can't afford to leave. With Los Angeles abandoned by the outside world, its residents exist in a private Armageddon, five years after 'The Big One' destroyed the city. The first issue's summary reads:
The Big One, the earthquake to end all earthquakes, has finally struck Los Angeles. The government decides not to rebuild and the city becomes a no man's land for those that refuse to leave it. But hey, you can't beat the weather.
Five years later Ester Blanco, a down on her luck former P.I., is willing to do anything to escape the City of Angels. She believes she's found her ticket out when a desperate father hires her to solve a missing person's case in a city where a third of the population is already missing. Instead, the trail of this lost girl leads Ester to uncover a dark web of cults, conspiracy and corruption that threatens every Angeleno that stayed behind.
THE BIG SHAKEDOWN is a sunbaked LA noir in the vein of Chinatown and The Long Goodbye and set in the post-apocalyptic remains of the most beloved/hated city in the world. From writers Jordan Blum (Minor Threats) Tim Seeley (Local Man) and artist Scott Koblish (The Despicable Deadpool) comes a pulpy tale of murder, destruction and traffic.
The series promises classic LA noir vibes with a twisting narrative, with a title that references both the earthquake at the heart of the story and the criminal underbelly Blanco will explore on her mission.
The Big Shakedown Promises a Classic Twist on a Beloved Genre
Los Angeles is a beloved setting for noir fiction because of its glitzy exterior, making it all the more compelling when grimy, gritty truths are forced to the surface. However, The Big Shakedown flips this tradition, turning the city into a disaster zone without the protection of law or traditional civilization.
That's fertile ground for an entire parallel society to spring up, with new power structures and organizations more similar to Fallout's Wasteland than the Tinseltown fans know. Indeed, the book's summary even hints at cults emerging in the aftermath. It's the kind of crime story comics are particularly suited to tell, with several critical hits also set in Los Angeles.
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Title/Series |
Creative Team |
Premise |
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Reckless series |
Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips |
A former political radical investigates cases for friends new and old in 1980s Los Angeles, operating out of a refurbished cinema. |
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The Fade Out |
Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips |
Two screenwriters investigate the murder of a young starlet, despite the looming threat of the Hollywood blacklist. |
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Palomino |
Stephen Franck |
A former cop supplements his music career with private investigator work, as the "American Century" draws to a close. |
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Angeltown: The Nate Hollis Investigations |
Gary Phillips and Shawn Martinbrough |
Basketball star Theophus Burnett is seemingly framed for the murder of his wife, in a case that exasperates racial tensions in LA. |
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Goodnight Paradise |
Joshua Dysart and Alberto Ponticelli |
An unhoused alcoholic investigates the murder of a young woman, drawing on his unique contacts. |
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Hard Boiled |
Frank Miller and Geof Darrow |
Insurance investigator Carl Seltz explores a dystopian Los Angeles, uncovering secrets about his own fractured identity. |
The new comic will potentially draw on real-life LA geography, with a creative team who have personal experience of the city.
The Big Shakedown Is a "Love/Hate Letter" to Los Angeles
Jordan Blum is a longtime resident of Los Angeles. In a press release from Dark Horse, the writer describes how The Big Shakedown draws on his own experiences and LA's long legacy in noir fiction, stating:
I've now lived in Los Angeles for most of my adult life and The Big Shakedown is a pulpy love/hate letter to a town that can simultaneously be heaven and hell on Earth.
LA noir has a long, rich history and we wanted to do a unique and original spin on the detective thriller, so we set it in the aftermath of every Angeleno's greatest fear... THE BIG ONE. Who better to explore a filthy, post-earthquake underworld than my co-writer Tim Seeley? And who better to build a city of broken freeways, sinkhole mansions and studio backlot red light districts than artist Scott Koblish? Throw in the beautiful sunsets above the flooded Venice Beach canals colored by Hi-Fi, and the smashed neon letters of Nate Piekos littering Hollywood Blvd and you have yourself a down and dirty, action-packed, pot boiler of a mystery that could only take place in the City of Angels.
Artist Scott Koblish emphasizes his enthusiasm for the project, saying:
I’ve been in Los Angeles for half of my life now, and I never tire of exploring its unique spaces, so it’s a joy to be able to put that to paper. Tim Seeley and Jordan Blum are terrific collaborators and are doing absolutely amazing things in the world of comics. Hi-Fi and Nate Piekos have been a dream to work with, I couldn’t ask for a better group of collaborators.
New sci-fi crime series The Big Shakedown will see a near-future private investigator searching for a missing girl in a Los Angeles devastated by a historic earthquake - a new combination of Chinatown's corrupt underworld and Fallout's ruined future.
The Big Shakedown #1 is coming from Dark Horse Comics September 16.
English (US) ·