Deadless #0
Publisher: Alterna
Writer: Matt O’Keefe
Artists: (Cover) Douglas Draper, Jr. (Anointed) Arisy Ahrazad (Hexed) Cecilia Latella (Unfriendly) Sam Tung (Decrepit) Pat Loika (Preview) Douglas Draper, Jr.
Colorist: Jesse Turnbull
Letterers: (Cover) Douglas Draper, Jr. (Anointed) JM Ringuet (Hexed) JM Ringuet (Unfriendly) Marshall Dillon (Decrepit) JM Ringuet (Preview) Steve Bialik
It’s October, Halloween month, time for some scary, creepy, and eerie stories. Well if you are wanting a series that has quite a bit of promise in bringing those elements, Alterna’s Deadless seems like it could deliver. They were nice enough to give us a peek at the zero issue, so let’s take a look.
The #0 issue is an origin of the four lead characters. They all have some damned form of existence that won’t let them leave this mortal coil, and are united by one demon. They feel like a hellbent Fantastic Four, but with no signs of doing good. I am most intrigued to find out how Juliette Grey will be affecting things what with her twisted punishment.
I enjoyed the story of the ghost the best; it’s a twisted take on an old favorite (don’t want to give it away). Half the origins feel like Twilight Zone episodes that don’t end with the lead character’s comeuppance, only a new terrifying beginning. The other two characters seem to be somewhat more sympathetic, but still involve using their power of choice to fall, even if the cards are stacked against them. The demon blood addict and the ghost feel like they’d make for a great video game duo because I’d like to wield their powers.
The art is done by several different artists who all have a similar style, so the art change is never too jarring, but it’s also not the same each time. My favorite story, the one with the ghost, is almost entirely wordless, the story provided entirely with pictures, and it’s great. The other stories do well with the art fitting a scary story, the characters change, and the look seems like it is morphing with them.
This book has a lot of promise and so I’m going to see where it goes. I recommend this book to anyone who wants a good couple short stories in the horror genre. If you want something that fits the season, check it out. I want more and that’s all I can really ask of any single issue, really. Here’s to Deadless being a fun horror series.
Dr. Alexander Bustos
drbustos@comicattack.net
