Out of Alcatraz

Superb hardboiled storytelling and killer mid-century design power this noir from Eisner nominees Cantwell (Plastic Man No More) and Crook (Harrow County). The twists and betrayals start with the eponymous escape in 1962, as three felons bust free from the infamous prison in San Francisco Bay, though only two seem to survive the harrowing raft trip to Marin County. The fugitives—cold schemer Frank Morris and shattered, childlike Clarence Anglin—make their way to Modesto to meet up with their contact, a young Black woman who often passes as white and quickly loses her cool as she tries to shepherd the escapees to a Canadian work camp. On their trail are an FBI agent and a U.S. Marshal whose heated argument over jurisdiction is cover for their clandestine queer romance. The fugitives kill recklessly yet also feel conflicted about bloodshed (in one bitter dilemma, a local rancher, IDing them as on the run, demands they murder his wife) as they evade the law and a surprise pursuer. Cantwell’s script is sharp, both in its thriller jolts and surprising empathy. Bleakly gorgeous art by Crook evokes Alfred Hitchcock, Edward Hopper, Badlands, American Graffiti, and vintage crime paperbacks. The effect brilliantly imbues wide-open West Coast vistas with grim beauty and, in the end, a touch of welcome warmth. This will certainly win over noir fans—and may make new ones. (Oct.)