By Comix
With the increasing popularity of horror and horror icons, other genres have begun to crossover to the torrid side, creating works that either suck, rock, or defy all explanation. Vampires and romance? BAM, Twilight. Zombies and comedy? BAM, Shaun of the Dead. Sharks and Tornados? BAM, we call that Sharknado! Another popular crossover, though more commonly seen in comics, is crime/mystery and the supernatural. Stories like Criminal Macabre, BPRD, and Hellblazer have been tearing up the comic scene with tight writing and unique characters, creating a bizarre world view that must contained under all costs lest the muggles learn of its existence. Kiss Me Satan adds another log on that fire, this time with a bodyguard slash angel that is attempting to good-deed himself into Heaven. Fighting werewolves and vampires alike, this new series is attempting to drop another fast-paced arcane thriller into the already bloated stomach of horror fandom.
The story circles around Barnabus, an ex-angel, who spends his time lying low in New Orleans while waiting for the Heavenly Hosts to him welcome back into their bosom. But, as is common, nothing ever goes as planned and Barnabus is suddenly attacked by pack of suit-wearing demons who parkour themselves over the city in attempt to recover a stolen amulet he’s carrying. He promptly gets the drop on them (literally, with a piano) and flees over the rooftops, meeting a cigar smoking cherub who assigns him a protection job. Entering on the left, the story cuts to a meeting between werewolves about an unborn child; a child who is unfortunately foretold to not have the lycanthrope gene and cannot take over his father’s dog pack/mob that has been running the city from below the streets. A murder, a coven of witches, and a high speed chase later, Barnabus finds himself in the middle of a brand new war of secrets and blood.
If this story seems a little too script-y, it kind of is. I like what they’re trying to do, and I’m also a huge sucker for supernatural crime, but this particular comic drops short of any real originality. It’s as if the story was first written as a straight bad-guy-turned-good and the macabre elements were added in as an afterthought. It even attempts that lame re-telling of supernatural lore such as (and I quote) “Lesson in killing werewolves. First, separate fact from fiction. Silver bullets? Yes. But you may have heard you to shoot them in the heart. That’s bullshit.” To which he proceeds to splatter the guys brains into the ground. I mean, why even mess with that stuff? Either write it off completely or stay true to it, anything else just plays off as unnecessarily “edgy” and “unique” and it’s not, it’s just dumb. I would not be surprised if this made a leap into a movie in a year, that’s how formulaic it is. The characters are sexy, the old person is wise with a missing eye, and oh yes, there will be blood.
After checking out the author, Victor Gischler, I can kind of understand where the story is coming from. Gischler is first recognized as an author of comedy crime fiction with such titles as the Go Go Girls of the Apocalypse and Shotgun Opera and a comic author second, which include Buffy, The Punisher, and Deadpool (I read his Deadpool – I did not like it). That being said, for someone with so much writing experience, it’s kind of bummer to see him fall short of creating an engaging comic. Perhaps I’m being too harsh, after all, it is only the first issue, but I’m not completely sold. The art kind of has the same problem; it falls just short of being really good. The artist, Juan Ferreyra, has a great style, with beautiful women and on time facial expressions, but once it comes to dynamic poses or action perspective for both movement and background placement, he can’t quiet bring it in. This is another comic I’m labeling: Buy with Caution.
Kiss Me Satan drops Sept. 18 from Dark Horse Comics