I.R.$. Book 3 - Silicia, Inc

I.R.$. Book 3 - Silicia, Inc, by Stephen Desberg & Bernard Vrancken, Cinebook

FAST CUTTING car chase scenes and murders in the dark give way to angry senate hearings before a slow burning tale of tax evasion and money laundering unfolding through this 48 page collection.

Larry B. Max is the cool as a cucumber investigator behind this mystery series that takes as its premise that the USA's Internal Revenue Service will stop at nothing to get its due taxes.

From that you can take it as read that Max doesn't like CIA cover-ups and also knows how to use a gun when necessary.

Silicia, Inc proves a tad confusing initially as one pieces the characters and scenarios together, working out where our sympathies should lie.

The story is influenced in part by the real world Iran-Contra CIA/military cover-up that's of a certain vintage, and it's nice to know that at least in fiction the bad guys don't always win.

The case gets solved but it still feels like a prequel to the next book in line, The Corrupter wherein it looks like we're going to find a hell of a lot more about the spectacled, red-haired lady skirting the background of this book's front cover and the peripheries of the story within... It could get nasty!

Stephen Desberg is the writer of one of my favourite graphic novel series, The Scorpion, and Bernard Vrancken is a fine draughtsman, his clear style reminding me of the late Pat Morisi (PAM) who did some very distinguishable work for America's Charlton Comics in the 60s and 70s - Indeed, while I feel I need to read a few more I.R.$. books to get a true flavour of where its heading, it has the feel of Morisi's Vengeance Squad given a modern edge.

For more about I.R.$. visit Cinebook.

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