Blood & Gourd #1
Publisher: Dead Peasant
Writer(s): Jenz K. Lund & D. H. Shultis
Artist(s): Dave Acosta & Fran Gamboa
Cover: Juan Antonio Ramirez
Blood & Gourd hits all the right beats in the first issue as everything is set up to go straight to hell at Henderson Farms! These unsuspecting townspeople are pawns in a larger scheme of Seminal Chemical and by the end of Devil’s Night the population of Olympia, Washington will have taken a significant drop.
As the story opens we’re given a glimpse of what’s in store for the town as Lund and Shultis introduce us to those responsible. It’s not pretty but at the same time it’s hilarious to see these pumpkins devour these sacrificial lambs. Though it’s nothing compared to the mayhem that takes place later in the issue which is some of the best over the top action I’ve seen in a horror comic lately. There’s a nice cast of characters here that range from ones you’ll root for to those who you’ll be hoping don’t make it out alive. There maybe even be a few you’ll feel sorry for if they don’t. Shultis and Lund also make sure to maintain a nice balance of dark humor that doesn’t get in the way of the story and provides some laugh out loud moments along the way. Now, there were a couple of pacing issues early in the story as some transitions were a bit jarring but once things get moving those problems are long gone.
What’s also nice about Blood & Gourd is the great looking artwork by Dave Acosta along with Fran Gamboa’s colors! They make sure to give you some good looking panels but really crank things up when the madness starts. Skeeter getting dragged away and fighting the pumpkin corpse was one of those standout sequences that really captures what’s cool about this book. There’s a nice amount of gore used and it’s always at the right moments and not just for the sake of shock value. It serves the story and not the other way around. The visual storytelling is consistently fun and strong and this team deserves a pat on the back for that.
Blood & Gourd has a terrific mix of B-movie magic and solid storytelling that helps to keep it campy, fun, and definitely worth your time. It’s essence is that of those classic horror movies from either the late 70s or early 80s when practical effects and imagination were at the forefront. So if that’s your thing then you need to head on over to Blood & Gourd and order yourself a copy!
Now the hard part is waiting for the next issue!
Infinite Speech
infinitespeech@comicattack.net
