We’ll Return to Paris starts life as a heist book, as a group of supposed criminals, plan a hit on an unidentified baddie in a shiny car. But as you would expect in this kind of tale the hit doesn’t quite go to plan and the gang go on the run, only to run across more trouble. But is this a book worth returning to?

Publisher: Hirukoa Comics
Writer: Jaume De Diego Galvany
Artist: Xavier Tarrega
Price: $2.99 from DriveThruComics

On the surface We’ll Return to Paris feels like your average crime caper in the vein of Reservoir Dogs or The Usual Suspects via The Italian Job, but in Paris. However it has a few hidden gems which make it into something much more interesting than your average crime comic.

First up is the setting. By staging it in Paris it has this more glamorous European sensibility to it. From the beginning in Montmatre to the escape via a vintage Citroen car, there is something fundamentally more interesting about having a getaway in a European location.

Second is the fantastic art from Xavier Tarrega. It reminded us of underrated gems like like The Killer from Archaia Entertainment, with it’s mix of beautiful European scenery combined with strong and stylised violence that feels fresh from an early Luc Besson movie. And this adult tone is another plus for it, as it comes complete with blood splatters and a bit of nudity too, which really helps give it an edge, but without it becoming sensationalist for the sake of it.

And finally, there is a sub plot which reveals our story is set in the near future, with our protagonists being revolutionaries fighting the good fight, not just your average crooks, which definitely isn’t what you expect after the first few pages. The problem with this sub plot is that it gets lost, either in translation or in the dialogue. The only way you really learn about this back story and the characters personal history is via the synopsis on the back cover and it’s crying out for either an introduction page or some more exposition to make what could have been a really unique feature into something more substantial.

Overall We’ll Return to Paris is a fun slice of adult crime action that falls just short of excellent, which is a shame. The elements are there for this to be an absolutely amazing book, however the execution of the story and the ideas within it, doesn’t quite live up to the stunning artwork and smart concepts. But that’s not enough to stop us from returning if there ever is a Volume 2.