ADVANCED REVIEW: The Devil’s Cut – 8 Rules To Make It Out In One Piece

“8 Rules To Make It Out In One Piece” follows a spy who is posing as a tourist on an island who spouts some interesting lessons on the way that she conducts herself while undercover. As the title suggests, the lesson being tough is in direct relation to how to escape from a less than favorable situation. Much like the other offerings in The Devil’s Cut, “8 Rules To Make It Out In One Piece” sets up a glimpse into the window of possibility for this new creation from the minds of Elsa Charretier and PK Colinet.

Charretier and Colinet have been collaborators in the past, having worked on The Infinite Loop and more recently with James Tynion IV on Room Service. Their collaboration for this introductory issue from the recently-minted DSTLRY just makes sense, with their being a strong sense of cohesion throughout this short story. “8 Rules To Make It Out In One Piece” is an excellent offering of action, comedy, and wit, all shoved into eight pages. Unlike many of the other short stories here, “8 Rules” genuinely feels like a one and done, rather than a setup for a future series. That being said, if this was to expand into a larger series, there is definitely a strong foundational tone to build from.

The highlight of this story has to be the art from Charretier and colors from Nick  Filardi. Charretier may be most well known from her Substack project with Tom King, Love Everlasting, which is a good place to look if you would like to see more of her art. Fans of that series will love what Charretier does with the art here, practically giving this story an ‘80s cartoon vibe. Filardi does a great job in capturing the sunny beach aesthetic, giving everyone a lively and bright color palette. This all creates a fun ambiance that makes this story work thematically. 

One thing that is likely to turn some heads here is Charretier’s use of nudity on the last page of this story. While many of the creators behind DSTLRY have some very famous works in either Marvel or DC, it’s worth noting that DSTLRY is a more mature, independent publisher that isn’t afraid to punch the boundaries of the medium. This adds a lot of intrigue to what other avenues this creative team can explore, with the more conventional rules out the window.

Rounding off the creative team here is Clayton Cowles on letters. Cowles does an excellent job in maintaining the flow of the story while also doing a lot of creative things. There is a fun use of color to dictate when the main character is speaking vs the omniscient narrator that starts things off. Cowles’ letters seem to flow like a ladder throughout the page, highlighting Charretier’s panels in a creative and nuanced manner.