DYNAMITE ENTERTAINMENT – @dynamitecomics
[This review was originally posted on Patreon.]
STORY: Marc Andreyko
ART: Kewber Baal
COLORS: Jorge Sutil
LETTERS: Taylor Esposito
EDITOR: Matt Idelson
COVER: Kelley Jones with Doug Hazlewood
VARIANT COVER ARTISTS: Kewber Baal with Schimerys Baal
32pp, Color, $3.99 U.S. (April 25, 2018)
Rated “Teen+”
Jeepers Creepers created by Victor Salva
Jeepers Creepers is a 2001 horror film written and directed by Victor Salva. The film takes its name from the 1938 song "Jeepers Creepers" (which is featured in the film) and tells the story of two siblings who become the targets of a demonic creature in rural Florida. Salva wrote and directed a sequel, Jeepers Creepers 2 (2003), and a third film, Jeepers Creepers 3 (2017), which is set in a time period between the first and second films.
The adversary in all three films is an ancient creature known as “the Creeper” that awakens every 23rd spring for 23 days. During this awakening, the Creeper feasts on human body parts, which then form parts of the creature's own body.
Dynamite Entertainment recently obtained the license to produce comic books based on the Jeepers Creepers film, and the result is Jeepers Creepers Volume 1. This new comic book series is written by Marc Andreyko; drawn by Kewber Baal; colored by Jorge Sutil; and lettered by Taylor Esposito.
Jeepers Creepers, Volume 1 #1 introduces Devon James, an American college graduate student just arriving in Mexico. He is there to work on his graduate thesis (“The Cross-Cultural Appearances of the Dragon in North American Mythology from the Aztecs to Today”). When he arrives at the archaeological site, “The Lost Aztec City of Teotihuacan,” Devon decides that he should not act like a regular tourist and follow the tour guide. Instead, he summons his inner Indiana Jones without realizing the danger in which he is putting himself.
Twenty pages of actual story for a cover price of $3.99 is long-term, slow suicide for the American comic book market. For instance, Jeepers Creepers #1 offers some effective teasing, and that is what 20 pages of a first issue comic book narrative is today – a cock tease. The teasing is so good here that I am ready for the second issue, and I imagine fans of the Jeepers Creepers films will also enjoy this comic book. But 20 pages for $3.99... I am emphasizing price point and page count because I think that they will negatively effect this new comic book's reception. But this is a really good comic book.
Marc Andreyko's script diverges from the mythology of the films, but in a way that would still connect it to overall narrative of the franchise. Kewber Baal, whom I remember from Chaos Campus: Sorority Girls vs. Zombies (Approbation Comics), offers imaginative compositions, while Jorge Sutil's colors create the perfect Jeepers Creepers atmosphere and mood. Taylor Esposito's lettering is all-around effective because he makes the dialogue and first person narration seem like one flowing conversation, although one floats in word balloons while the other sits in caption boxes.
Yes, the creative team of Jeepers Creepers #1 has delivered a first issue will make readers want to come back for more. I know I want more. I hope 20 pages/$3.99 does not hold some of us back.
8 out of 10
Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux a.k.a. "I Reads You"
The text is copyright © 2018 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog or site for reprint and syndication rights and fees.
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