Smoke And Guns [Paperback]

Kirsten Baldock (Author), Fabio Moon (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 13, 2005

When Scarlett, an overly ambitious cigarette girl - quick to break the rules and even quicker to pull the trigger - starts selling cigarettes outside of her district, tensions rise and the seeds of an all-out cigarette girl gang war are sown. When you're out on the street in the middle of the night wearing your little French Maid outfit, with the short skirt and the off-the-shoulder top, Jack Daniels isn't just your friend, it's your coat. And the 9mm in your tray isn't just your protection - it's the compass that points you the way home.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

What if the milieu of the noir films of the late 1940s and early 1950s had paved the way to a gritty future in which cigarette girls with guns ruled the streets? That's what has happened in this hysterical send-up of pulp culture. Scarlett is a Fifth District Puff with ambition. She pushes the boundaries when she starts selling cigarettes outside of her district, In fact, she triggers an all-out cigarette-girl turf war. Baldock's writing is hip and clever; she's unafraid of letting the world she creates unfold as much through the events we see as in the actions and reactions of the characters. The art is in a stylized, high-contrast monochrome that pays homage to the atmosphere of noir yet keeps its distinctiveness; Moon well conveys the story's dark humor without tilting toward slapstick. Tina Coleman
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Product Details

• Paperback: 104 pages
• Publisher: AiT/PlanetLar (September 13, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1932051368
• ISBN-13: 978-1932051360
• Product Dimensions: 10.2 x 6.7 x 0.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 0.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #473,762 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars Quirky noir, May 13, 2008

By 

wiredweird "wiredweird" (Earth, or somewhere nearby) - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 500 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Smoke And Guns (Paperback)

Think of all those Prohibition-era movies you ever saw, with rum-runners, turf wars, criminal empires, and the sweet and relatively innocent cigarette girls. Baldock turns the genre on its head. Here, alcohol takes a minor place and the shadow economy revolves around cigarettes - and the cigarette girls. They're the tough guys, they're in control. Except maybe Scarlett, who's totally out of control.

This B&W comic offers an exicting ride with a cross-town gun battle reminiscent of The Warriors. OK, the plot and characters aren't the most highly developed. Well, the lean, leggy babes are well developed, but that's not what I meant. You'll find plenty of excitement lightly seasoned with mild nudity. Sometimes I look for more in a comic, but this one's fun anyway.

-- wiredweird

4.0 out of 5 stars Smokin' HOT!, October 26, 2005

By 

L. Passmore (Los Angeles, CA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Smoke And Guns (Paperback)

Taking a page from Frank Miller's SIN CITY, Kirsten Baldock perfectly captures the pulp-noir genre she was aiming for. Everything from the frame compositions to the hard-boiled dialogue, if you love to drink-in the world of dirty, gitty, hard-times, where your gun mostly does all the talking and the dames are an eye-full, then you'll love this book.

Yeah, smoking is bad for you, but damn, do you look cool doing it.