Bob Saetta, second in command of the Saetta family, has discovered a horrific secret about his boss and older brother, Paul. After cutting a deal with the authorities, he goes back to Brooklyn to rescue his wife and son from his brother. Once word hits the streets that Bob might be a rat and he’s gunning for his brother, all of Brooklyn will be coming for him.
Back to Brooklyn is a graphic novel for the basement noir crazies. You know who you are, so just stop reading and go buy the damn thing if you haven’t already. For the rest of you who need a little more arm twisting….
This bloody family epic is gloriously profane and violent. The faint of heart need not apply. To some extent Back to Brooklyn is reminiscent of a heroic bloodshed type of story but stripped of all the honor that typically pervades that type of story. Bob Saetta isn’t really an honorable man, not by a long shot; he just found that there was a line drawn in the sand and that it had been crossed. With that said, he is our POV character, whether you love or loathe him, and the act that puts him and his brother at an impasse is vile enough to make you root for him as the lesser of two evils.
By the end there is the expected violent reckoning, but even this has been ramped up a notch with an unexpected blindside that catches everyone off guard. And the mother…whew, that one just has to be seen to be believed.
The art is filled with shades and shadows, particularly in the characters’ faces, representing the netherworld, both internal and external, that these characters are from and thrive in. But in general I’m not a fan of art that is based on photography. It often feels static, and that is the case here. The impression of immobility is not what you want for such an action-filled story.
For the right reader, Back to Brooklyn is going to be a brilliant book.
