KILLADELPHIA #8
IMAGE COMICS – @ImageComics
[This review was originally posted on Patreon.]
STORY: Rodney Barnes
ART: Jason Shawn Alexander
COLORS: Luis Nct
LETTERS: Marshall Dillon
LOGO/GRAPHIC DESIGN: Brent Ashe
EDITOR: Greg Tumbarello
COVER: Jason Shawn Alexander with Luis Nct
VARIANT COVER ARTIST: Bill Sienkiewicz
28pp, Colors, 3.99 U.S.(September 2020)
Rated “M/ Mature”
“Burn Baby Burn” Part II: “Oh So Close...”
Published by Image Comics, Killadelphia is a comic book series from writer Rodney Barnes and artist Jason Shawn Alexander. 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., who came home to Philly to deal with the final affairs of his recently murdered father, revered Philadelphia homicide detective, James Sangster, Sr. But Senior was not dead; he was of the undead. It took the son, the vampire father, the chief medical examiner (Jose Padilla), and a rebellious vampire (Tevin “See Saw” Thompkins) to lead the battle to save “the City of Brotherly Love” from a vampire apocalypse. But that was a battle, and there is a war.
Killadelphia #8 (“Oh So Close...”) opens with Jim, Sr. in his grave and ready to move on with his afterlife, but the vampire revolution still plans on being televised. Jim, Jr. and Ms. Padilla are digging through the bloody mess found at the Governor's mansion, and what they discover will require help – even if the help doesn't want to be required. Meanwhile, Abigail Adams and her acolytes make their next move by targeting a big event in an act of violence that cannot be ignored.
THE LOWDOWN: Killadelphia's first story line, “Sins of the Father,” is quite fantastic. Writer Rodney Barnes seems intent on making “Burn Baby Burn” an even more intense reading experience. I don't want to spoil this wonderful issue, but Barnes sends one of his characters on a dark fantastic journey that recalls the travels readers experienced in Neil Gaiman's The Sandman (DC Comics).
Did artist Jason Shawn Alexander also sell his soul at the crossroads? Seriously, in Killadelphia #8, Alexander offers his most imaginative compositions and graphical storytelling. He introduces new landscapes and dreamscapes into this narrative that takes Killadelphia where no other vampire comic book has gone.
Colorist Luis Nct turns out the fiery hues and neon lights for this excellent issue that transports this narrative to new worlds and also conveys the encroaching horror to its next battlegrounds. Marshall Dillon's lettering is becoming its own character, especially as this story goes new places.
Damn, I thought this comic book would settle down. I didn't know that Killadelphia would still be scratching at the window of my imagination by the eighth issue.
I READS YOU RECOMMENDS: Fans of vampire comic books and of exceptional dark fantasy will want Killadelphia.
10 out of 10
Killadelphia #8 has a backup feature:
“Elysium Gardens” Part 2 “Blood Moon”
Story: Rodney Barnes
Art: Jason Shawn Alexander
Layouts: Sherard Jackson
Letters: Marshall Dillon
After opening on the Santa Monica Pier in Los Angeles, California on April 28, 1962, the back-up story, “Elysium Gardens,” moves to Sicily, 827 A.D. There, the mystery woman, Zubiya, recounts her dark and mystical past, but it is in the 1960s where she will find some surprising truths.
Rodney Barnes' story and Jason Shawn Alexander's art (with its ethereal and mystical qualities) recalls the black and white horror comics magazines of Warren Publications (like Creepy and Eerie). But it is also something new, and “Elysium Gardens” looks like it wants to break more than just a little ground.
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
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https://imagecomics.com/
http://rodneybarnes.com/
The text is copyright © 2020 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog or site for reprint and syndication rights and fees.
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