I, Paparazzi

By Pat McGreal, Stephen John Phillips & Steven Parke (DC Comics)
Hardback ISBN: 1-56389-752-0 Softcover ISBN: 1-56389-863-2

When it was hived off from DC’s mainstream continuity the adult-oriented Vertigo imprint was quick to embrace not only the innovative but also the classical in its efforts to advance the medium. Although eschewing the formulas of superhero and science-fiction genres it welcomed other favourites of popular fiction.

I, Paparazzi is an old-fashioned Noir thriller with heavy Conspiracy Theory underpinnings. Jaded Jake McGowran is a sleazebag photographer, part of the pack that chases celebrities for the big bucks exclusives. But he used to be something more, and even by his own lights, something better. He is big, hulking, relentless. He doesn’t stop until he gets what he’s after. His fellow scavengers call him â€œMonsterâ€.

When he decides to go after Media darling Jeremy Zinn, though, he is completely unprepared for the kind of trouble that this celebrity can make for himâ€¦

Dark, moody and deeply paranoid, this slight modern fable blends the world of the Glitterati with the seamy urban underbelly and sweetens the mix with outrageous fantasyâ€¦ or perhaps not. What is the exact nature of Reality when even the Camera is happy to lie to us?

Taking the old fumetti process (strips constructed from sequential photographs) to new heights, this drama is told with computer enhanced photographs and typography, for a gritty and surreal experience that will stand up well against a lot of movies and a fair few comic books too.

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