Sign of the Hammer!

Sunday 7 August 2016

Gimme Toro, Gimme Some More!

Almost three years ago (has it really been that long?) artist David Broughton and I unleashed 'Martillo' on the world - a hefty comic about an angry priest with a sledgehammer, smiting evil in 1940s Spain. However, when I was scripting 'Martillo', I found myself particularly enjoying the dialogue and antics of one of the supporting cast, Detective Gallo of the Higher Police Corp. In the grumbling Gallo, I had a character who seemed permanently exasperated by everything around him - particularly the supernatural - and whose caustic retorts proved enormous fun to write. As such, David and I are currently working on a spin-off, which will see the loquacious lawman starring in his own comic. Set in 1949, 'Gallo' sees the balding, smart-arsed sleuth dealing once more with paranormal peril - peril intimately connected to his own troubled past. But now that Martillo's no longer around, will Gallo have to face it alone?

Well, no. Much as he might wish otherwise, Gallo has a new partner, the energetic young Toro - a courageous cop, far more practical than his predecessor, the notoriously incompetent Detective Moles. But why does it often seem as if Gallo would prefer a more useless partner? The answer, as ever, may lie in the psychic upheaval of the Spanish Civil War...


'Gallo' will consist of three linked stories, and at time of writing, looks likely to be a 32-page volume. The scripts are done and David has completed the art for the first story, which looks smashing - he's using a slightly different approach to light and shade from 'Martillo', which guarantees that 'Gallo' will be a striking-looking comic. More updates as we progress - for now, here's a sneak peak at Toro, a man who needs no red rag to spur him into action.

"You think I ain't worth a peseta, but I feel like a millionaire!" Art by David Broughton.