“Bitter Root” #3 raises the stakes for the Sangerye family as real devils rise to battle the notion that purification alone might not be enough to save America’s soul.
Written by David F. Walker & Chuck BrownCover by Sanford Greene
Illustrated by Sanford Greene
Colored by Rico Renzi & Sanford Greene
Lettered by Clayton Cowles
With violence erupting on the streets of Harlem and his cousin possessed by a demonic force, Cullen Sangerye reaches out for help from an estranged family member. Meanwhile, in Mississippi, Ford Sangerye fights for his life at the gateway to Hell.
Working in a deeply thematic space is difficult, especially in comics, and Walker, Brown & Greene do well with “Bitter Root.” By establishing unique characters and siting their efforts in horror, which allows for exaggeration to illuminate reality, the creative team is crafting a winner. In issue #3, it’s up to us to determine how far off from reality we actually are as various members of the Sangerye family battle demons, both literal and figurative. Hint: not far.
That said, this kind of storytelling does have pitfalls, one of which can be expository dialogue. “Bitter Root” steers pretty clear of this problem overall, but in issue #3 Doctor Sylvester’s avenging angel pivot is rushed. In the first two issues we’ve only seen him in his laboratory, so the narrative beat of releasing him into the wider world makes sense, but the dialogue that gets him there feels like it lacks some context. As it stands, I know what he’s got at stake but not why. Put another way, we haven’t had many moments with him yet like we have with the Sangerye family.
Horror has always been a genre that uncovers the unsavory and the grotesque in our cultural consciousness, and “Bitter Root” is doing exactly that. The humor and pathos required to make real horror gems are here in the family’s interactions, in the creature reveals, in the quiet moments and in the big decisions, all rendered in sketchy, eye-catching antics or striking character profiles. Greene’s art is exquisite and demonstrates the kind of line control needed to generate both chaos and balance on a comic page.
In this issue, we can see “Bitter Root” hitting its stride. The first two issues landed heavy on world-building, but issue #3 slackens the pace just a bit to let its hard work so far sing. To wit, the double-page spread in issue #3 is a perfect example of each team member’s talents on display and the overall scope of this comic. In terms of layout, we have a continuous scene across the top of the page, a strip of inset akimbo panels in the center and regular square panels, punctuated by Ford, across the bottom. Renzi gives each strip its own distinct color palette to help distinguish location and action – blues and purples with foregrounded light for the club in Harlem, greens for the Sangerye Tonsorial and muted lavender and brown for the racist old white man’s shack. The white in the background at the bottom of the page is a nice contrast to the dim club scene in Harlem, and darker colors would obliterate the bottom half of Ford’s jacket and untether him in space. The dialogue choices in the bottom strips are simple, meaning the visuals take precedence over text, and relate to each other as well as track action across each separate storyline. Cowles typeface functions perfectly here, and tight balloons mean no space is wasted.
As for narrative balance, the top scene is one of immediate and unfettered police brutality, the middle strip is of a desperate bid to save a family member in peril, and the bottom is a tense moment before the surprise reveal of the devil just beneath the surface – literally. Ford also draws your eye down the page as both the physical object that breaks the gutter and as the embodied symbol of the Sangerye’s family power against the institutional violence on display above. Top to bottom, it’s a nice piece of comic book storytelling and a powerful moment because of its visual and narrative sophistication.
Overall “Bitter Root” is unflinching and brave and painful and all of those words that dominant American culture uses to categorize what we could simply, and more honestly, call stories that are not written by or catered to white people. “Bitter Root” invites readers to experience what is for some of us might still be unfamiliar territory, and for many others what is as real as breathing. The creative team is getting the balance right so far between horror and reality, humor and severity and imagination and truth in this endeavor, and I’m looking forward to getting to know the Sangerye family in the midst of some well-crafted action and terror.
Final Verdict: 8.0 – “Bitter Root” #3 continues the book’s deep dive into racism in America, with compelling character development, beautiful art and a great concept on display in its best issue to date.
