#IReadsYou Review: KILLADELPHIA #18

KILLADELPHIA #18
IMAGE COMICS

STORY: Rodney Barnes
ART: Jason Shawn Alexander
PENCILS: Christopher Mitten (pp. 21-23)
COLORS: Luis Nct
LETTERS: Marshall Dillon
EDITOR: Greg Tumbarello
COVER: Jason Shawn Alexander
VARIANT COVER ARTIST: Simon Bisley
28pp, Colors, 3.99 U.S. (October 2021)

Rated “M/ Mature”

Killadelphia and Elysium Gardens created by Rodney Barnes and Jason Shawn Alexander

“Home is Where the Hatred Is” Part VI: “The End of Things”

Killadelphia is an apocalyptic vampire and dark fantasy comic book series from writer Rodney Barnes and artist Jason Shawn Alexander and is published by Image Comics.  At the center of this series is a police officer caught in a lurid conspiracy in which vampires attempt to rule Philadelphia, “the City of Brotherly Love.”  Colorist Luis Nct and letterer Marshall Dillon complete Killadelphia's creative team.

Killadelphia focuses on James “Jim” Sangster, Jr. and his father, revered Philadelphia homicide detective, James Sangster, Sr., thought to be dead.  He is actually a vampire.  Now father and son lead a ragtag team comprised of a medical examiner, a dead president, and a rebellious, but special young vampire (Tevin Thompkins a.k.a. “See Saw”) in a bid to save Philly from an ambitious and murderous former First Lady.

As Killadelphia #18 (“The End of Things”) opens, Abigail Adams and her vampire hordes and legions are tearing Philadelphia apart and tearing through its human citizens.  Meanwhile, back at the heroes' ranch, Anansi is ready to bounce, but at least he is offering some parting words of wisdom.

James Sr. is determined that Jim Jr. and Jose's unborn child – his grandchild – have a better life than he got and than what he gave Jim Jr.  So, he's off to battle … with a few friends.  There's no way they can survive Abigail Adams, so they need allies...  The reckoning for a city and a nation is finally at hand, but are all the players on the board?

THE LOWDOWN:  Killadelphia's third story arc, “Home is Where the Hatred Is,” comes to an end.  I thought that this would be the story arc that most reveals the complexities and multiple layers of Killadelphia.  I thought it would be the one that reveals this series as more dark fantasy than mere vampire comic book.  And it is.

I think I do need a break from the series.  I have run up against a rhetorical wall.  What more can I say?  Every issue I read impresses me and inspires me to create my own fiction.  So I need a few months breather before I take on the next glorious arc and more Rodney Barnes.  I'll have extra time to mine the dictionary for new words of praise and glorification.  Can you imagine what Barnes' Falcon comic book series would have been if Marvel Comics had not canceled it?

As for artist Jason Shawn Alexander:  Jason’s art continues to astound me.  He is just beyond talented.  Isn't it crazy or coincidental that we feel the say way about Jason, Mr. Barnes?  Seriously, Jason's art in this closer is like the best of elements of 1960s and 70s horror comic books, Hammer Films, and Bill Sienkiewicz – all brought together in a way only Jason can do.

Colorist Luis Nct, who has always done great work on this series, lost his mind and created a comic book coloring masterpiece in Killadelphia #18.  Marshall Dillon's lettering brings peace to the story, or at least enough so that we can read through the madness.  And I credit artist Chris Mitten for bringing his “A game” so that his guest art here blends in without a bump.

I'll end this review by saying that Killadelphia #18 is yet another chance for readers to get in now on the best of the best.  However, even if you get far behind, dear readers, it will be such fun to catch up.

I READS YOU RECOMMENDS:  Fans of vampire comic books and of exceptional dark fantasy will want Killadelphia.

[This issue includes an afterword by Rodney Barnes.]

A+

10 out of 10

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux a.k.a. "I Reads You"


https://twitter.com/TheRodneyBarnes
https://twitter.com/jasonshawnalex
https://twitter.com/luisnct
https://twitter.com/MarshallDillon
https://twitter.com/ImageComics
https://imagecomics.com/
http://rodneybarnes.com/
https://www.instagram.com/imagecomics/
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Image-Comics-Inc/178643148813259
https://www.twitch.tv/imagecomics
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCHmaKLo0FXWIPx-3n6qs3vQ
https://www.linkedin.com/company/image-comics/


The text is copyright © 2021 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog or site for reprint and syndication rights and fees.

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#IReadsYou Review: KILLADELPHIA #17

KILLADELPHIA #17
IMAGE COMICS

STORY: Rodney Barnes
ART: Jason Shawn Alexander
COLORS: Luis Nct
LETTERS: Marshall Dillon
EDITOR: Greg Tumbarello
COVER: Jason Shawn Alexander
VARIANT COVER ARTIST: Kent Williams
28pp, Colors, 3.99 U.S. (September 2021)

Rated “M/ Mature”

Killadelphia and Elysium Gardens created by Rodney Barnes and Jason Shawn Alexander

“Home is Where the Hatred Is” Part V: “To Make Man”

Killadelphia is an apocalyptic vampire and dark fantasy comic book series from writer Rodney Barnes and artist Jason Shawn Alexander and is published by Image Comics.  At the center of this series is a police officer caught in a lurid conspiracy in which vampires attempt to rule Philadelphia, “the City of Brotherly Love.”  Colorist Luis Nct and letterer Marshall Dillon complete Killadelphia's creative team.

Killadelphia focuses on James “Jim” Sangster, Jr. and his father, revered Philadelphia homicide detective, James Sangster, Sr., thought to be dead.  He is actually a vampire.  Now father and son lead a ragtag team comprised of a medical examiner, a dead president, and a rebellious, but special young vampire (Tevin Thompkins a.k.a. “See Saw”) in a bid to save Philly from an ambitious and murderous former First Lady.

As Killadelphia #17 (“To Make Man”) opens, Tevin visits an old friend … for a little blood.  Later, James, Jr. begins the journey that will return him to humanity after being turned into a vampire.  To do so, however, James will have to confront the dark legacy of abuse that gets passed down from father to son.  In this case, James, Sr.'s legacy represents both.  Plus, a we get a first look at the “Dark Realm,” with some help from Anansi.

Meanwhile, Thomas Jefferson makes a move at being a “vampire king.”  So what does the “vampire queen” have to say about that?

THE LOWDOWN:  Killadelphia is now in the penultimate chapter of its third story arc, “Home is Where the Hatred Is.”  This may be the story arc that most reveals the complexities and multiple layers of Killadelphia, making it more dark fantasy than mere vampire comic book.

Writer Rodney Barnes offers a chapter that is a bit more philosophical than usual.  It is surprising, especially considering that he is preparing the readers for some red, hot-blooded Armageddon.  It can be a surprise, to both characters and readers, when the revelation comes that everything is worse than thought.  On the other hand, it is good that we see more complexity in Tevin Thompkins; he is a most human vampire, and I hope he gets his own something – graphic novel, miniseries, one-shot, etc.

Artist Jason Shawn Alexander and colorist Luis Nct are always ready to draw and color the delights and eccentricities in Barnes' scripts.  There is an odd balance of surreal, especially in the place where Jim, Jr. must find himself, and artists' suggestions and presentations of the “Dark Realm” are creepy.  The other part of that balance is the fire they light back in Philadelphia, conveying through the story that it is about to go down.

I am still impressed that Barnes and Alexander are able to make each issue of Killadelphia unique  It blows my mind, and I implore you, dear readers, to drink fully of this cup of red.

I READS YOU RECOMMENDS:  Fans of vampire comic books and of exceptional dark fantasy will want Killadelphia.

[Killadelphia #17 has a backup feature: “Elysium Gardens” Part 10 “The End” by Rodney Barnes, Chris Mitten, Sherard Jackson, and Marshall Dillon.]

A+

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux a.k.a. "I Reads You"


https://twitter.com/TheRodneyBarnes
https://twitter.com/jasonshawnalex
https://twitter.com/luisnct
https://twitter.com/MarshallDillon
https://twitter.com/ImageComics
https://imagecomics.com/
http://rodneybarnes.com/


The text is copyright © 2021 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog or site for reprint and syndication rights and fees.

-------------------------

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#IReadsYou Review: KILLADELPHIA #15

KILLADELPHIA #15
IMAGE COMICS

STORY: Rodney Barnes
ART: Jason Shawn Alexander with Well-Bee (pp 9-10)
COLORS: Luis Nct
LETTERS: Marshall Dillon
EDITOR: Greg Tumbarello
COVER: Jason Shawn Alexander
VARIANT COVER ARTIST: Paul Pope
28pp, Colors, 3.99 U.S.(July 2021)

Rated “M/ Mature”

Killadelphia and Elysium Gardens created by Rodney Barnes and Jason Shawn Alexander

“Home is Where the Hatred Is” Part III: “Manifest Destiny”

Killadelphia is an apocalyptic vampire and dark fantasy comic book series from writer Rodney Barnes and artist Jason Shawn Alexander and is published by Image Comics.  At the center of this series is a police officer caught in a lurid conspiracy in which vampires attempt to rule Philadelphia, “the City of Brotherly Love.”  Colorist Luis Nct and letterer Marshall Dillon complete Killadelphia's creative team.

Killadelphia focuses on James “Jim” Sangster, Jr. and his father, revered Philadelphia homicide detective, James Sangster, Sr., thought to be dead.  He is actually a vampire.  Now father and son lead a ragtag team comprised of a medical examiner, a dead president, and a rebellious, but special young vampire (Tevin Thompkins a.k.a. “See Saw”) in a bid to save Philly from an ambitious and murderous former First Lady.

As Killadelphia #15 (“Manifest Destiny”) opens, there is a new vampire player in town, and it's another “Founding Father” and former president.  Meet Tom Jefferson.  He has a tale to tell, philosophically, of course, and he is making a claim on the throne.

Elsewhere, Toppy and the rest of Abigail Adams' inner circle invade the Sangsters' sanctum.  Oh, they also want to know where See Saw has gone, but isn't that his body, all curled up on the floor?  Meanwhile, See Saw is meeting important religious figures like Jesus (who is Black), but he may have to go back to an original god to get the help and the answers he seeks.

THE LOWDOWN:  Killadelphia hits the midway point of its third story arc, “Home is Where the Hatred Is.”  After the pyrotechnics of the previous story arc, “Burn Baby Burn,” this new story line started with a focus on family – damned and otherwise, but now, its pyrotechnics begin.

I find myself endlessly fascinated by writer Rodney Barnes' plots, but sometimes, I really get a chance to admire how he drops history, religion, culture, politics, and philosophy, scattered like drops of enlightening blood throughout his scripts.  That he has brought Thomas Jefferson into play shows that Killadelphia is not growing cold, but will keep surprising and scaring us.

Artist Jason Shawn Alexander and colorist Luis Nct dance through Barnes' script bringing each scene or sequence into life with its own unique look.  From lurid to luminescent, Killadelphia is a comic book of different worlds and different textures and moods and not a place where things are from a melting pot...

Killadelphia #15 is a another great chapter, and you should be reading it, dear readers.

I READS YOU RECOMMENDS:  Fans of vampire comic books and of exceptional dark fantasy will want Killadelphia.

[Killadelphia #15 has a backup feature: “Elysium Gardens” Part 8 “The Power of One” by Rodney Barnes, Chris Mitten, Sherard Jackson, and Marshall Dillon]

A+

10 out of 10

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux a.k.a. "I Reads You"


https://twitter.com/TheRodneyBarnes
https://twitter.com/jasonshawnalex
https://twitter.com/luisnct
https://twitter.com/MarshallDillon
https://twitter.com/ImageComics
https://imagecomics.com/
http://rodneybarnes.com/


The text is copyright © 2021 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog or site for reprint and syndication rights and fees.

----------------

Amazon wants me to inform you that the affiliate link below is a PAID AD, but I technically only get paid (eventually) if you click on the affiliate link below AND buy something(s).

I Reads You Review: Clive Barker's NIGHTBREED #1

CLIVE BARKER’S NIGHTBREED #1
BOOM! Studios

STORY: Clive Barker
WRITER: Marc Andreyko
ARTIST: Piotr Kowalski
COLORS: Juan Manuel Tumburus
LETTERS: Ed Dukeshire
COVER: Riley Rossmo
VARIANT COVER: Christopher Mitten (B); Mike Mignola (C); Matthew Roberts (Cards, Comics & Collectibles Exclusive Cover); Tony Harris (Phoenix Comicon Exclusive Cover)
24pp, Colors, $3.99 U.S. (May 2014)

Suggested for mature readers

Famed horror author, Clive Barker, adapted his 1988 fantasy-horror novel, Cabal, into a film entitled Nightbreed.  In both the film and the novel (sometimes listed as a novella), the focus is Aaron Boone, a young man who is an unstable mental patient.  Boone believes that he is a serial killer, because his doctor tells him that he is.  Events lead Boone to an abandoned cemetery connected to a deserted town named Midian.

There, he encounters a community of monsters and outcasts (also called the “Tribes of the Moon”), known as the “Nightbreed” (called “Night Breed” in the book) that hides from humanity.  Boone becomes one of them and protects them from an assault by outside forces, including his doctor and local police.  Boone soon becomes the Nightbreed’s savior, as he leads them on a quest to find a new home.

Released in 1990, Nightbreed was not well received, at the box office or with critics.  However, I loved the movie.  I loved its characters, concepts, setting, and Danny Elfman’s dark and beautiful score.  To be honest, I thought that there were things about the film that needed improvement, but I still loved me some Nightbreed.

In the early 1990s, Marvel Comics published Nightbreed, a comic book follow-up to the film, which ran for 25 issues, and there was also a two-issue crossover with the Hellraiser franchise (also a creation of Clive Barker), entitled Hellraiser vs. Nightbreed: Jihad.  Boom! Studios returns Barker’s “Tribes of the Moon” to comic books in a new series, Clive Barker’s Nightbreed, written by Marc Andreyko, drawn by Piotr Kowalski, colored by Juan Manuel Tumburus, and lettered by Ed Dukeshire.

Clive Barker’s Nightbreed #1 opens in the present, where we meet Dirk Lylesburg, leader of the Nightbreed, who acts as a sort of narrator.  Then, the story moves into the past.  The first tale takes place in July 1857, in a swamp outside Lacombe, Louisiana.  Two runaway slaves, a man and woman who are apparently a couple, desperately try to avoid a slave patrol.  However, an encounter with Peloquin will change their lives, especially for one of the slaves.  Next, the story moves to Boston, Massachusetts in April 1945.  Senator Harold Emery separates from his friends so that he can visit a local cathouse, where he will meet Shuna Sassi.

Normally, I would admit that there is not enough in this first issue to render judgment on the series or even to give this first issue a grade.  But as an African-American of possible Nightbreed extraction, I am so very happy that both my peoples are represented in this fine comic book, so I will give it a good grade.

Seriously, the storytelling by artist Piotr Kowalski is moody and alluring, drawn in a sharp line and with matter-of-fact compositions.  Juan Manuel Tumburus’ rich colors are vivid during the violent scenes and shimmers to give the Boston house of ill repute a magical quality that it needs within the context of this story.

Writer Marc Andreyko gets it, and what is “it?”  It is the thing that is Nightbreed, and if we can’t have Clive Barker, Andreyko is the surrogate who will return us to the world of Midian and her children, the Tribes of the Moon that are the Nightbreed.

A

www.boom-studios.com

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux


The text is copyright © 2014 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog for syndication rights and fees.

2012 Comic Book Bin Awards Announced

written by Leroy Douresseaux

I am also a writer and quasi-editor for the website, the Comic Book Bin. A few years ago, the Bin initiated the Binnies (or BINnies), the site’s very own comic book awards.

The guy behind Binnies is writer/editor, Zak Edwards, who announced the results of the 2012 Binnie Awards (the Third Annual Binnies) at the end of this past week:

http://www.comicbookbin.com/Welcome_to_the_2012_Binnie_Awards.html

Third Annual Binnie Awards Winners and runner-ups:

Best New Series: Saga
Runner-Up: Hawkeye

Best Mini-Series: Bedlam
Runner-Up: Before Watchmen: Minutemen

Best OGN: The Underwater Welder
Runner-Up: Wild Children

Best Anthology: Dark Horse Presents
Rocketeer Adventures 2

Best Ongoing Series: Batman
Runner-Up: Rachel Rising

Best Artist: Terry Moore
Runner-Up: Matt Kindt

Best Writer: Scott Snyder
Runner-Up: Jonathan Hickman

Best Comic Adaptation: The Avengers
Runner-Up: The Dark Knight Rises

Biggest Surprise/Best Moment: Death of Agent Coulson
Runner-Up: Marvel NOW!

Biggest Disappointment: DC Comics
Runner-Up: The Dark Knight Rises

Best Publisher: Image Comics
Runner-Up: Valiant


For your interest, dear reader, here, is how I voted:

Best Writer:
Chris Ware – Building Stories (Pantheon Books)

Best Artist:
Chris Ware – Building Stories

Best New Series (An ongoing series that debuted this year):
Bad Medicine by Nunzio DeFilippis and Christina Weir and Christopher Mitten (Oni Press)

Best Ongoing Series
Naruto by Masashi Kishimoto (VIZ Media)

Best Mini-Series (The series should have either started or ended this year):
The Rocketeer: Cargo of Doom by Mark Waid and Chris Samnee with Scott Dunbier as editor (IDW)

Best OGN (original graphic novel):
Batman: Earth One by Geoff Johns and Gary Frank (DC Comics)

Best Anthology (we sometimes collapse this and OGN together if we can't fill up the space)
The Judas Coin by Walter Simonson (DC Comics)

Best Moment/Biggest Surprise
Marvel Comics: The Untold Story (HarperCollins) – a history of Marvel Comics by Sean Howe

Biggest Disappointment:
The Dark Knight Rises (Warner Bros. Pictures)

Best Comic Adaptation:
The Avengers (Walt Disney Pictures/Marvel Studios)

Best Publisher
VIZ Media

I Reads You Review: BAD MEDICINE #3

BAD MEDICINE #3
ONI PRESS

WRITERS: Nunzio DeFilippis and Christina Weir
ART: Christopher Mitten
COLORS: Bill Crabtree
LETTERS: Douglas E. Sherwood
28pp, Color, $3.99 U.S.

Bad Medicine is a new comic book series from the husband and wife writing team of Nunzio DeFilippis and Christina Weir and artist Christopher Mitten (Wasteland). Weir described Bad Medicine (which is published by Oni Press) as “a sci-fi/horror medical procedural” that focuses on a team put together by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) to “investigate strange diseases and outbreaks that science can't explain.”

Bad Medicine #3 (“Killing Moon” Part 1 of 3) opens after the first strange case, and Dr. Randal Horne gets his next one. Apparently, a police officer shot a rampaging werewolf-like creature in Portland, Maine. NYPD Detective Joely Huffman, glad to get away from the drama at work, tags along with Horne’s team. At the Portland Police Department, they find Officer Wilensky, who shot the werewolf, in distress over the shooting and the subsequent investigation. The team also discovers that the other possible eyewitness to the attack is uncooperative. The investigation takes the team to Deer Falls, a nearby small town where the citizens seem to love the place too much to ever leave.

I can happily say that the first story arc (the two-part “Unseen”) of Bad Medicine was not a fluke, and it seems that the series can remain consistent with the beginning of a second intriguing arc. Bad Medicine reads like a blending of elements of The X-Files, “Fringe,” and “CSI,” but the strongest element about the series is the cast.

However, with this third issue, I find myself having a problem with the series. Most of the first chapter of “Killing Moon” is a set up for the rest of the story. The real meat of this werewolf story comes later, so $3.99 (before tax) is simply too much to pay for the 22-pages of the set-up of a story. Of course, I realize that this is an industry-wide problem. Perhaps, the publisher wants Bad Medicine to be a monthly, but maybe publishing the story arcs as a series of one-shots would give better value for the readers’ money.

B+

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux

I Reads You Review: Bad Medicine #2

"Good Medicine, actually"
BAD MEDICINE #2
ONI PRESS

WRITERS: Nunzio DeFilippis and Christina Weir
ART: Christopher Mitten
COLORS: Bill Crabtree
LETTERS: Douglas E. Sherwood
28pp, Color, $3.99 U.S.

Published by Oni Press, Bad Medicine is a new kind of crime comic book series from the husband and wife writing team of Nunzio DeFilippis and Christina Weir and artist Christopher Mitten (Wasteland). In an interview with the website, Comic Book Resources, Weir described Bad Medicine as “a sci-fi/horror medical procedural” that focuses on a team put together by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) to “investigate strange diseases and outbreaks that science can't explain.”

The series opened with the discovery of a corpse without a head, but it turned out that the head was still attached to the body. The head was just invisible. The body belonged to a lab assistant named Matt Dalton, and his superior, Dr. Charles Keefer, is the lead suspect or “person of interest.” Disgraced physician Dr. Randal Horne has been traveling the world studying different alternative medicines and non-western views of science. He returns to New York City to help NYPD Detective Joely Huffman unravel this strange, possible homicide case.

As Bad Medicine #2 (“Unseen” Part 2 of 2) opens, Dr. Keefer, now an invisible man, strikes. How can Horne and Huffman bring in someone they cannot see? Also, surprising decisions from the CDC only complicate matters.

I can happily say that the first issue of Bad Medicine was not a fluke. The opening story arc offers a nice, new take on the crazy invisible man tale, but what has made this series already a success is the excellent character writing. It isn’t the sci-fi gimmick/trope that drives this narrative; the intriguing players are the drivers. I must say, however, that this issue’s epilogue that acts as a prologue to the third issue does offer a killer genre hook.

Readers looking for something different and something good in crime comics will go to Drs. DeFilippis and Weir for a prescription of Bad Medicine.

A

Leroy Douresseaux Reviews: BAD MEDICINE #1

BAD MEDICINE #1
ONI PRESS

WRITERS: Nunzio DeFilippis and Christina Weir
ART: Christopher Mitten
COLORS: Bill Crabtree
LETTERS: Douglas E. Sherwood
28pp, Color, $3.99 U.S.

Christina Weir and Nunzio DeFilippis form the wife and husband writing team that wrote New Mutants and New X-Men from Marvel Comics over a three-year period. The couple also wrote the crime fiction graphic novels, Skinwalker and Three Strikes.

Published by Oni Press, Bad Medicine is a new kind of crime comic written by DeFilippis and Weir and drawn by artist Christopher Mitten (Wasteland). In a an interview with the website, Comic Book Resources, Christina Weir described Bad Medicine as “a sci-fi/horror medical procedural” that focuses on a team put together by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) to “investigate strange diseases and outbreaks that science can't explain.”

Bad Medicine #1 (“Unseen” Part 1 of 2) introduces team leader, Dr. Randal Horne. The good doctor has been traveling the world to study different alternative medicines and non-western views of science. He returns to New York City to help NYPD Detective Joely Huffman unravel a strange murder case. The corpse of a man has been found in an abandoned lab, and the corpse’s head is invisible.

A new comic book series should not begin with a bang, but rather with intriguing characters. They make the bang better and louder. Bad Medicine has good characters to spare, and one of them seems to be some kind of spirit. As interesting as the “invisible head” murder is, the characters just make it all the better. Dr. Horne and Det. Huffman are a match made in crime fiction heaven, and there is even a squabbling Laurel and Hardy-like pair to add comedic flare. Weir described this as “House” meets “The X-Files.” I still love “The X-Files,” but never wanted to be bothered with “House.” Let’s try “The X-Files” meets “C.S.I.”

Readers looking for something different and good in crime comics will want a prescription for Bad Medicine.

A