Gerry Duggan and John McCrea are planning a new caper with ‘Dead Eyes: The Empty Frames’

In 2019/2020 Gerry Duggan and John McCrea Dead eyes. Here, after his glory days as a “prolific robber and thug in (’90s) Boston,” Martin/Dead Eyes dons the old mask again to save his wife. Equally hilarious and action-packed, Dead eyes this was a wonderful interpretation of noir that added a certain charisma and weight to the standard crime stories.

But it looks like Dead Eyes’ retirement is coming to an end some time from now, as Duggan and McCrea are reuniting for Dead Eyes: The Empty Frames. If you read Dead eyes part one, you may remember that at the end of the story our hooded “hero” found a clue: the hiding place of the “largest private art theft in America.” Well, Dead Eyes: The Empty Frames sees him and Wheels tracking down the score, battling both the mafia and the police, and generally causing even more chaos and mayhem. It’s like Dead eyes with the volume open and the sleeves rolled up well above the elbow.

Dead Eyes: The Empty Frames #1 arrives this week (September 11) from Image Comics. Ahead of its release, we spoke with both Duggan and McCrea about all things Dead eyes: their continued collaboration, the goals of this second part, their favorite moments/pages, and even a possible future for Dead Eyes.

Main cover by John McCrea. Courtesy of Image Comics.

AIPT: How has the collaboration process developed between the two Dead eyes books? Is it easier or more complicated the second time?

Gerry Duggan: Dead Eyes was a simple concept: the villain at the center, our delightful antihero, wouldn’t be the biggest gangster in the story. A simple bit of Robin Hood in our unfortunately very fucked up world. We encountered some of that injustice right away… but we never stopped fighting for this book. We were making it all the time. This comic remembers to break hearts.

John McCrea: I think the collaboration process is much easier in volume two, because all the characters, style, and imagery are already established, and so we’re just telling a new story with our heroes. Gerry is largely writing the story and I’m drawing it. I might have little suggestions every now and then, but there’s a really strong separation between our two jobs.

Thanks to Image Comics.

AIPT: Does The Empty Frames have different goals in mind? How do you think the story feels (emotionally, aesthetically, etc.) compared to part one?

GD: I think this one is even more fun, and ultimately more heartbreaking. We have a nice hook in the real Boston, a place I know very well. Martin, Megan, and Dead Eyes won big at the end of the first story. Let’s see if their luck holds up. This one definitely has some of our funniest moments.

JM: The first issue of Volume 2 was drawn four years ago, and I don’t think I was really trying to change the look or direction of my art style back then. However, the entire story was drawn over such a long period of time that I think it’s inevitable that there have been changes in my art style — but especially since getting Long COVID.

AIPT: How do you think Dead Eyes has evolved between the two parts? Are we dealing with a “smarter” masked hood here?

GD: There isn’t much time between volumes one and two for Dobbs. Is he smarter? Probably not? Older and more cunning — yes!

Thanks to Image Comics.

AIPT: Building on that last question, the first part seemed like a kind of analogy for second chances and reclaimed glory. Is this second part about biting off more than you can chew or about what happens when you actually get what you want?

GD: It’s a good question, Dead eyes was definitely about defying your own age and mortality. I think that’s still at play here. There’s always “one big shot” to take, and we have a take on it that I can say no one has ever seen before. HA.

AIPT: Do you have a favorite moment and/or panel/page in issue #1 that you feel sets the tone and pace of this volume?

GD: I love what John did to set the table in the first sequence. To bring everyone up to speed on what is still the largest private art theft in history. Really beautiful work.

AIPT: The Empty Frames feels like Elmore Leonard wrote a Deadpool hijacker. Are there any specific influences for this second installment?

GD: Eddie Coyle’s Friends is another Boston crime great. I also had the chance to work with Chuck MacLean between the first and second parts and he is a great crime writer; a film he worked on was called The instigators is on Apple TV. I really enjoyed it City on a Hillalso. Check them out.

Thanks to Image Comics.

AIPT: I feel like there has been a definite increase in great crime/noir comics since volume one. Do you feel like you were maybe a little bit ahead of the curve? And/or did you tap into that “vibe” in some way when creating this second volume?

JM: We may have been a little bit ahead of ourselves, but we still followed in the wake of some great books, the most famous of which would be Criminal by Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips.

GD: I usually hit home runs before they’re fashionable — haha. We’re planning a third book. Crime fiction thrives when the world feels most unfair, I think. I don’t know how that fits.

AIPT: John, this book still looks as tight and gritty, but it also feels brighter and more alive. Are my (dead) eyes deceiving me, or is something new bubbling up visually?

JM: I think the most noticeable visual change you’ll see in the art comes at the beginning of issue 4. This goes back to what I mentioned in question 2, when I said I got Long COVID. After a year of illness, I was able to return to work, but I realized that I couldn’t color my work the same way I had in previous issues of Dead eyes with that precise, smooth brushwork. I just couldn’t concentrate that way, so I had to develop a much more sketchy scribble style. Nothing to do with the story, everything to do with necessity.

AIPT: Can we see a third part for Dead eyes? And if so, is there any hint as to what direction that might go (I’d like to see something along the lines of Ocean Elf)?

GD: Road trip!

Thanks to Image Comics.