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Sunset
Sometimes all you can do is go out with guns blazing In the noir tradition of Chandler and Spillane comes Sunset, a two-fisted tale of revenge and redemption. On the surface, Nick Bellamy looks like any other veteran retiree left behind by a modern world. In reality, Nick is a former enforcer, who stole a fortune and years of freedom from his former mob boss. Now, in the twilight of his life, Nick will lose everything he cares about except two things: revenge... and the chance to die with his guns blazing Writer Christos Gage (Avengers Academy, GI Joe: Cobra) and artist Jorge Lucas (The Darkness) promise to hit hard with Minotaur Press's first original graphic novel and make you forget all about your Prius and organic whole-grain trans-fat-free diet
160 pages, Unknown Binding
First published July 31, 2012
37 people want to read
About the author
Christos Gage
1,533 books128 followersChris N. Gage is a writer for comic books and television.
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
March 16, 2022
Nick Bellamy is one "old guy" you don't want to mess with! The former mob enforcer is mad...and that is bad...for a lot of people who tried to mess with his family. Think 'Gran Torino' and get ready for some old school butt-kicking! Cathartic read when you hear about how the elderly are so often victimized.
September 11, 2018
"I can see the end of the road. And it ends with me dead."
"But it ends with a lot of other people dead first."
Nick Bellamy, a former mob enforcer, now in his late 70's has his peaceful existence shattered when bullets break the glasshouse he had for so long hoped the mob wouldn't throw stones at.
With his elderly wife caught in the hail of death and his life in his own hands, Nick, who had never forgotten the feel of a crushed windpipe beneath his palms, once again revels in the violence that comes with his form of vengeance.
Sunset is all I could hope for from a revenge fueled romp and then some. Author Christos Gage balances out the bloodshed with some comedic moments which not only provide a brief form of respite from the bullets and bashing's but also help the characters grow and appear more real.
Sure Nick is a bad guy but he's damn fun to cheer for. You know he's done wrong and been wronged yet all this makes it right. Sunset isn't so much about redemption as it is finding closure through the cross-hairs yet the redemption and redeeming themes become more prevalent throughout adding an extra layer of depth to what is an already solid story.
My rating: 5/5 stars - as per the intro by Duane Swierczynski, this is geezer-noir at its finest.
"But it ends with a lot of other people dead first."
Nick Bellamy, a former mob enforcer, now in his late 70's has his peaceful existence shattered when bullets break the glasshouse he had for so long hoped the mob wouldn't throw stones at.
With his elderly wife caught in the hail of death and his life in his own hands, Nick, who had never forgotten the feel of a crushed windpipe beneath his palms, once again revels in the violence that comes with his form of vengeance.
Sunset is all I could hope for from a revenge fueled romp and then some. Author Christos Gage balances out the bloodshed with some comedic moments which not only provide a brief form of respite from the bullets and bashing's but also help the characters grow and appear more real.
Sure Nick is a bad guy but he's damn fun to cheer for. You know he's done wrong and been wronged yet all this makes it right. Sunset isn't so much about redemption as it is finding closure through the cross-hairs yet the redemption and redeeming themes become more prevalent throughout adding an extra layer of depth to what is an already solid story.
My rating: 5/5 stars - as per the intro by Duane Swierczynski, this is geezer-noir at its finest.
August 2, 2012
Reason for Reading: I loved the total crime/mob/revenge theme. I'm really getting into GN's that are far removed from the usual fantasy/sci-fi subgenre, not that I'm giving those up, just branching out!
This is fantastic! Definitely one of the best GN's I've read this year, if not *the* best. Dirty, gritty, old-fashioned noir, starring a 77yo man from that gangster world of the past but now drawn into the one of today.Nick Bellamy looks like a senior citizen but he also looks like he was a tough guy in his day, and less noticeably still is. When his 30 years of living a quite, good life with the woman he loved are over after his former mob boss gets out from prison and hunts him down to make amends, Nick decides to either exact revenge or go down in the middle of the fight. A dark, violent story showing mostly what gangsters were like thirty years ago compared to today. Nick has the advantage. The book also has humour, as Nick gets back out into the real modern world he is confronted with all the whiny, lazy, "pansy" behaviour of modern people and it makes him sick. Hi reactions to modern devices, trends and behaviour put a smirk on your face and when he finds out what a "MILF" is, his reaction is priceless! Nick's not a guy to like, a cold-blooded killer, a murderer for hire, a hitman who enjoys his job but he is surrounded by others who could probably be called worse than him until he finds the real love of a woman which makes him turn his back on it all, yet always prepared for the day when his past will come calling. Even though Nick is an anti-hero, he has friends that truly care for him. Engrossing, riveting, a must read!
This is fantastic! Definitely one of the best GN's I've read this year, if not *the* best. Dirty, gritty, old-fashioned noir, starring a 77yo man from that gangster world of the past but now drawn into the one of today.Nick Bellamy looks like a senior citizen but he also looks like he was a tough guy in his day, and less noticeably still is. When his 30 years of living a quite, good life with the woman he loved are over after his former mob boss gets out from prison and hunts him down to make amends, Nick decides to either exact revenge or go down in the middle of the fight. A dark, violent story showing mostly what gangsters were like thirty years ago compared to today. Nick has the advantage. The book also has humour, as Nick gets back out into the real modern world he is confronted with all the whiny, lazy, "pansy" behaviour of modern people and it makes him sick. Hi reactions to modern devices, trends and behaviour put a smirk on your face and when he finds out what a "MILF" is, his reaction is priceless! Nick's not a guy to like, a cold-blooded killer, a murderer for hire, a hitman who enjoys his job but he is surrounded by others who could probably be called worse than him until he finds the real love of a woman which makes him turn his back on it all, yet always prepared for the day when his past will come calling. Even though Nick is an anti-hero, he has friends that truly care for him. Engrossing, riveting, a must read!
February 1, 2017
The cover of this one made me think of a bad ass Clint Eastwood so I checked it out.
Nick Bellamy is a hard ass veteran who has slipped through the modern society. He is a vet of class and he is not afraid to kick ass if the opportunity arises. Nick is actually a former enforcer who stole from his former boss. He left the hard life behind but unfortunately it comes to catch up with him and he loses people he loves. Because of this, he finishes out the story with guns blazing!
I like how it's a noir setting - a setting that isn't as popular as it used to be.
This is hands down a fantastic read. It's gritty and full of dirt - the kind that takes you forever to wash off. Pure perfection. A dark and violent story that emphasizes the classy aspects of the gangster era of old. Nick also has a sense of humor comparable to Eastwood's and often mouths off. There's humor and witty dialogue.
I love how Nick Bellamy is someone you should hate but you can't because the story makes him the most likable character you meet. An anti-hero that will have you seeing him as a hero in the end.
A riveting read that will have you wishing there were more volumes.
December 4, 2020
Sunset is an original graphic novel by Christos Gage and art by Jorge Lucas.
Nick, a 77-year old retired mob enforcer, whose past catches up to him when the mob boss, Gianelli, he screwed out of 8 million dollars and planted evidence on is released from prison. Gianelli is ready to seek revenge on the 30 years he served. He immediately puta hit out on Nick and his wife. Nick escapes but u fortunately his wife does not. Now it is Nick’s turn to seek out vengeance and dive intro his old life.
This was a great revenge story that feels like a lot of those kick ass old men revenge movies like Gran Torino, Harry Brown, and Taken. Nick is not a good person but you are rooting for him. The book is extremely gritty and violent with a unique high contrast black and white art style. If you are a fan of a good revenge thriller, check this one out.
Nick, a 77-year old retired mob enforcer, whose past catches up to him when the mob boss, Gianelli, he screwed out of 8 million dollars and planted evidence on is released from prison. Gianelli is ready to seek revenge on the 30 years he served. He immediately puta hit out on Nick and his wife. Nick escapes but u fortunately his wife does not. Now it is Nick’s turn to seek out vengeance and dive intro his old life.
This was a great revenge story that feels like a lot of those kick ass old men revenge movies like Gran Torino, Harry Brown, and Taken. Nick is not a good person but you are rooting for him. The book is extremely gritty and violent with a unique high contrast black and white art style. If you are a fan of a good revenge thriller, check this one out.
December 25, 2020
Another great crime noir graphic novel. Plot would easily make an enjoyable movie. Gianelli looked a lot like Jack Palance.
October 21, 2012
Disclaimer: Not for children at all, because of the gore and profanity. But if you can stomach that, it's a heck of a good ride, as an aging mob enforcer takes on his former employers, with his bloody death or theirs as the only possible outcomes. I would say it's a "guilty pleasure" except stories like this do capture the truth of the justice and retribution that's coming for many who deserve it, often at the hands of others who do too.
April 27, 2013
Fantastic Story. - Fantstic Art.
On beginning it, I was somewhat dissapointed that it was in Black & White, but the story and art are so darned good and out of the common
(OK it does have some commonalties to it, *cough*history of violence*cough* but those are quickly over-looked)
that I soon forgot it was in BnW and just enjoyed the ride.
On beginning it, I was somewhat dissapointed that it was in Black & White, but the story and art are so darned good and out of the common
(OK it does have some commonalties to it, *cough*history of violence*cough* but those are quickly over-looked)
that I soon forgot it was in BnW and just enjoyed the ride.
September 18, 2013
"Geezer Noir" indeed ... great stuff, especially if you're a fan of movies like Gran Torino.
March 31, 2015
Having an older gentlemen as an ass kicking protagonist, love it!!
November 29, 2012
Beautiful art. Crispy storytelling. Awesome script!
July 26, 2023
This is the revenge story of Nick Bellamy, who is 77 years old, a Korean War veteran and owns a vintage 1978 Cadillac.
Sometimes all you can do is go out with guns blazing...
Blurb:
On the surface, Nick Bellamy looks like any other veteran retiree left behind by a modern world. In reality, Nick is a former enforcer, who stole a fortune and years of freedom from his former mob boss. Now, in the twilight of his life, Nick will lose everything he cares about except two things: revenge... and the chance to die with his guns blazing.
February 12, 2014
Not long back, I discovered a terrific printed collection of what was termed ‘Geezer Noir.’ The skinny is that these were stories about the old and restless – bitter, angry, jaundiced souls who weren’t quite yet ready to let sleeping dogs lie. Most of the protagonists were, debatably, their own worst antagonist, and they went about their business dispensing justice at the end of a barrel, the swipe of a blade, or the swing of their arthritic-seized fists. Despite having some mileage under the hood, these rough’n’tumble men had forgotten more about dispensing pain than the young Turks they encountered had ever taken the time to learn. Consequently, they headlined some short but crackin’ good reads. It was all very loose. It was all very noir. And the tome of stories was edited by novelist Duane Swierczynski.
How fitting is it that Duane provided the intro for Image’s SUNSET? Why, it was a match made in the old folks’ home, it was!
(NOTE: The following review will contain minor spoilers necessary solely for the discussion of plot and/or characters. If you’re the type of reader who prefers a review entirely spoiler-free, then I’d encourage you to skip down to the last two paragraphs for my final assessment. If, however, you’re accepting of a few modest hints at ‘things to come,’ then read on …)
In his younger years, Nick Bellamy knew how to live. After the Korean War, he found better ways to use his particular brand of skills in service to a Vegas kingpin, the kind of gangster who wasn’t above using the irons for more than just idle threats. Hoping for a shot at his own form of retirement, Bellamy defied his best interests and double-crossed the Gianelli mob, putting the big guy himself behind bars for what he thought would be a life sentence. Now – thirty years later – Gianelli’s out … and he’s gunning for his former enforcer if it’s the last thing he’ll do. Can Nick set aside his best interests one more time and save the li’l lady and the son he never raised before bullets fly?
If it’s hard-boiled prose you’re looking for, then SUNSET is exactly what the doctor ordered. Mind you: it ain’t perfect. In fact, I’d argue it’s a far cry from it, and that could be because the young guns who whipped up and spun the story – Christos Gage (writer) and Jorge Lucas (artist) – are just that: young guns. They haven’t quite walked enough miles in an old man’s shoes to recognize what true Geezer Noir should be, but they’ve steeped themselves in enough literature and/or books to know a good thing when they have it. Whether they intended it or not, the storytellers created a tug’o’war between the past and present that ends up being a bit more distracting than it should be, though I suspect most readers will simply delight in being along for this ride.
And it is a wild ride, indeed.
Artistically, Lucas’s artwork is good, though I found some of the panels requiring more attention than one would want in a tale that’s supposed to be about action, about movement, about pace. Too many faces – largely, the aged ones – appear similar to one another, and the only distinction between one black-and-white panel to the next is some crow’s feet here and a laugh line there: that’s not enough so far as this four decade veteran of reading comics is concerned, and some of the panels could’ve used less black and more white for purposes of clarity. It’s very similar in tone to what Frank Miller’s already done (to vastly greater effect) in his line of SIN CITY comics, so I’m honestly surprised they banked so heavily on colorless images here. Parts of it end up feeling a bit derivative, but methinks Bellamy wouldn’t have concerned himself so much with the mere act of flattery by comparison. He’s a true original – a last-man-standing – and, like he lived his life, he’d want his experiences to be told without association to somebody else’s narrative.
Also, SUNSET’s conclusion really stretches that old thing we call “suspension of disbelief” too far. I won’t spoil it, but let’s just be perfectly clear that it involves a casino, some state-of-the-art security systems, more C4 than you’d want to shake a stick at, and a big boom. A really big boom. I think Gage watched too many Hollywood actioners and took the easy way out. If I learned anything from my short time with Nick, it would be that he wasn’t interested in an easy way out. He’d choose the most sublime. Making things go boom just felt cheap.
SUNSET is published by Image Comics, Inc. The story is created and written by Christos Gage; the work is drawn by Jorge Lucas; and the lettering is by Troy Peteri. This collected volume is digest-sized, and it contains a smart (and fitting) introduction from author Duane Swierczynski. If you’re interested in special features, then you’re in store for the original proposal in the afterward, along with some other artwork and character designs by Gage. It’s a swell assortment; think of it as icing on the literary cake.
RECOMMENDED. At times, SUNSET is far too cinematic, too formulaic to serve as legitimate hard-boiled fiction – a vanity project crafted by Christos Gage and Jorge Lucas clearly with high hopes of bringing Clint Eastwood and Morgan Freeman together with maybe Ann Margaret or Sophia Loren as the aging squeeze. Alas, it wasn’t meant to be, much like the big motion picture set pieces that populate the latter half of an otherwise crusty tale about violence, vengeance, and (surprisingly) Viagra. As a one-off read, it’s solid enough to get two pistols up, but methinks it seriously lacks re-read quality. Enjoy it while it lasts!
How fitting is it that Duane provided the intro for Image’s SUNSET? Why, it was a match made in the old folks’ home, it was!
(NOTE: The following review will contain minor spoilers necessary solely for the discussion of plot and/or characters. If you’re the type of reader who prefers a review entirely spoiler-free, then I’d encourage you to skip down to the last two paragraphs for my final assessment. If, however, you’re accepting of a few modest hints at ‘things to come,’ then read on …)
In his younger years, Nick Bellamy knew how to live. After the Korean War, he found better ways to use his particular brand of skills in service to a Vegas kingpin, the kind of gangster who wasn’t above using the irons for more than just idle threats. Hoping for a shot at his own form of retirement, Bellamy defied his best interests and double-crossed the Gianelli mob, putting the big guy himself behind bars for what he thought would be a life sentence. Now – thirty years later – Gianelli’s out … and he’s gunning for his former enforcer if it’s the last thing he’ll do. Can Nick set aside his best interests one more time and save the li’l lady and the son he never raised before bullets fly?
If it’s hard-boiled prose you’re looking for, then SUNSET is exactly what the doctor ordered. Mind you: it ain’t perfect. In fact, I’d argue it’s a far cry from it, and that could be because the young guns who whipped up and spun the story – Christos Gage (writer) and Jorge Lucas (artist) – are just that: young guns. They haven’t quite walked enough miles in an old man’s shoes to recognize what true Geezer Noir should be, but they’ve steeped themselves in enough literature and/or books to know a good thing when they have it. Whether they intended it or not, the storytellers created a tug’o’war between the past and present that ends up being a bit more distracting than it should be, though I suspect most readers will simply delight in being along for this ride.
And it is a wild ride, indeed.
Artistically, Lucas’s artwork is good, though I found some of the panels requiring more attention than one would want in a tale that’s supposed to be about action, about movement, about pace. Too many faces – largely, the aged ones – appear similar to one another, and the only distinction between one black-and-white panel to the next is some crow’s feet here and a laugh line there: that’s not enough so far as this four decade veteran of reading comics is concerned, and some of the panels could’ve used less black and more white for purposes of clarity. It’s very similar in tone to what Frank Miller’s already done (to vastly greater effect) in his line of SIN CITY comics, so I’m honestly surprised they banked so heavily on colorless images here. Parts of it end up feeling a bit derivative, but methinks Bellamy wouldn’t have concerned himself so much with the mere act of flattery by comparison. He’s a true original – a last-man-standing – and, like he lived his life, he’d want his experiences to be told without association to somebody else’s narrative.
Also, SUNSET’s conclusion really stretches that old thing we call “suspension of disbelief” too far. I won’t spoil it, but let’s just be perfectly clear that it involves a casino, some state-of-the-art security systems, more C4 than you’d want to shake a stick at, and a big boom. A really big boom. I think Gage watched too many Hollywood actioners and took the easy way out. If I learned anything from my short time with Nick, it would be that he wasn’t interested in an easy way out. He’d choose the most sublime. Making things go boom just felt cheap.
SUNSET is published by Image Comics, Inc. The story is created and written by Christos Gage; the work is drawn by Jorge Lucas; and the lettering is by Troy Peteri. This collected volume is digest-sized, and it contains a smart (and fitting) introduction from author Duane Swierczynski. If you’re interested in special features, then you’re in store for the original proposal in the afterward, along with some other artwork and character designs by Gage. It’s a swell assortment; think of it as icing on the literary cake.
RECOMMENDED. At times, SUNSET is far too cinematic, too formulaic to serve as legitimate hard-boiled fiction – a vanity project crafted by Christos Gage and Jorge Lucas clearly with high hopes of bringing Clint Eastwood and Morgan Freeman together with maybe Ann Margaret or Sophia Loren as the aging squeeze. Alas, it wasn’t meant to be, much like the big motion picture set pieces that populate the latter half of an otherwise crusty tale about violence, vengeance, and (surprisingly) Viagra. As a one-off read, it’s solid enough to get two pistols up, but methinks it seriously lacks re-read quality. Enjoy it while it lasts!
October 26, 2021
3 stars, minus.
I think the first half was very good. An aging goon, laying low for years, finds that his past has finally caught him and he needs to come out of retirement.
The second half goes off the rails. Things wind up a little too neatly. The protagonist reconnects with his first wife, forms a bond with his estranged son, kills lots of younger goons, defeats his nemesis, and blows up a hotel on the Vegas strip. It's a little too much.
The dialogue is good throughout. The art it black and white and gets a bit grainy at times, at least in the electronic version.
I think the first half was very good. An aging goon, laying low for years, finds that his past has finally caught him and he needs to come out of retirement.
The second half goes off the rails. Things wind up a little too neatly. The protagonist reconnects with his first wife, forms a bond with his estranged son, kills lots of younger goons, defeats his nemesis, and blows up a hotel on the Vegas strip. It's a little too much.
The dialogue is good throughout. The art it black and white and gets a bit grainy at times, at least in the electronic version.
November 29, 2024
Cliche on top of cliche on top of cliche. A story by folks who watched some 80s action films, and think to call it crime fiction. It goes exactly where you expect to after a few pages in and takes forever to get there.
June 26, 2020
I love this graphic novel. Tough, gritty, straightforward. Some folks moan about no-new-ideas - but I enjoy a good old-fashioned tough guy tale.
September 7, 2019
Life can become boring if one tends to read the same themes, eat the same foods, vacation in the same spots, drive the same way to work, talk with the same groups of people.
Every once in awhile, I enjoy it when life deviates by accident or purpose and I stumble across new ideas, peoples, places and find new books I’d never normally read.
That’s what happened here with Sunset.
It grabbed my attention quickly, and I suddenly felt I had taken a different route to work and was tasting a different kind of food and meeting people I probably should, in real life, stay far away from.
But that’s what made it fun and humanizing.
This book was made to be read and felt..
I hate to go into details because I despise spoilers.
Suffice it to say, life is difficult and we’re all doing the best we can to survive it.
Just remember... which is the only opinion I’ll truthfully say about this... the more things change, the more they stay the same.
That’s when you know you’ve found a great book.
Every once in awhile, I enjoy it when life deviates by accident or purpose and I stumble across new ideas, peoples, places and find new books I’d never normally read.
That’s what happened here with Sunset.
It grabbed my attention quickly, and I suddenly felt I had taken a different route to work and was tasting a different kind of food and meeting people I probably should, in real life, stay far away from.
But that’s what made it fun and humanizing.
This book was made to be read and felt..
I hate to go into details because I despise spoilers.
Suffice it to say, life is difficult and we’re all doing the best we can to survive it.
Just remember... which is the only opinion I’ll truthfully say about this... the more things change, the more they stay the same.
That’s when you know you’ve found a great book.
May 30, 2013
Not my favorite of late.
Overall, not too bad. The thing is, imagine throwing Clint Eastwood from Gran Torino into Ocean's 11. Which actually sounds really awesome. There would be some really awkward moments during the planning phase when he kept saying, "So we put the chink in the box, and then..."
But actually, it was mostly a story of an old man getting revenge, but not regular revenge, revenge on top of revenge. Revengeance?
The two things I really didn't like were two things that don't seem to bother other people, so you may still dig this book.
One, I don't like when they have this hard-assed old man, and they have to show that he still has a soft spot, some humanity left in there. Which can work, but it didn't. I mean, there's a subplot where he's sort of reconnecting with his son, who is 30 by now. A hollow, empty old man who just wants to kill has no business and no reason to connect with his grown son. And a guy who really, deep down just wants to connect with his son has no business shooting a bunch of mob guys in a casino. The rigidity of the character is what makes it fun to me, and when you start bending him I just don't enjoy it as much.
Two, I really hate 90% of heist-y shit. I think the Darwyn Cooke Parker comics are awesome, and the original Richard Stark novels they came from are also top notch. But overall, I get very bored watching a plan come together like this. And it bothers me as a viewer because the storytellers do this weird thing where they hide some stuff from the audience while putting some of it on display. So I don't get the surprise of a guy having his casino robbed and not knowing what's going on, but I also don't get to be in on the plan and fully watch it unfold. It's a weird halfway involvement that doesn't sit right with me.
If those things don't bother you...I don't know. If you're really into Gran Torino, why not?
Oh yeah. That reminds me of the one other thing that bothered me. This could have been WAY more racist with the simple addition of a lost Chinese boy. Just sayin.
Overall, not too bad. The thing is, imagine throwing Clint Eastwood from Gran Torino into Ocean's 11. Which actually sounds really awesome. There would be some really awkward moments during the planning phase when he kept saying, "So we put the chink in the box, and then..."
But actually, it was mostly a story of an old man getting revenge, but not regular revenge, revenge on top of revenge. Revengeance?
The two things I really didn't like were two things that don't seem to bother other people, so you may still dig this book.
One, I don't like when they have this hard-assed old man, and they have to show that he still has a soft spot, some humanity left in there. Which can work, but it didn't. I mean, there's a subplot where he's sort of reconnecting with his son, who is 30 by now. A hollow, empty old man who just wants to kill has no business and no reason to connect with his grown son. And a guy who really, deep down just wants to connect with his son has no business shooting a bunch of mob guys in a casino. The rigidity of the character is what makes it fun to me, and when you start bending him I just don't enjoy it as much.
Two, I really hate 90% of heist-y shit. I think the Darwyn Cooke Parker comics are awesome, and the original Richard Stark novels they came from are also top notch. But overall, I get very bored watching a plan come together like this. And it bothers me as a viewer because the storytellers do this weird thing where they hide some stuff from the audience while putting some of it on display. So I don't get the surprise of a guy having his casino robbed and not knowing what's going on, but I also don't get to be in on the plan and fully watch it unfold. It's a weird halfway involvement that doesn't sit right with me.
If those things don't bother you...I don't know. If you're really into Gran Torino, why not?
Oh yeah. That reminds me of the one other thing that bothered me. This could have been WAY more racist with the simple addition of a lost Chinese boy. Just sayin.
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews