The premiere of this new dramatic horror four part mini-series, a father and son who live isolated in the deep wooded wilderness are about to face revelations and secrets from the past. No Spoilers Ahead
Cover by Szymon KudrańskiWritten, Illustrated, & Colored by Szymon Kudrański
Lettered by Marshall DillonEzra Connely lives in the deep dark woods off the path of a small town with his 14 year old son Wil. Living without many modern comforts and away from civilization has afforded them their privacy, but as Wil gets older a rift between he and his father is starting to form and Ezra’s past is starting to rear its ugly head.
Ezra homeschools Wil in a typical fashion, but also teaches him survival and hunting skills, both to find food when they don’t make the rare trip into town to grocery shop, and to protect himself against bears and wolves, which would seem to be a somewhat regular threat for where they live. But at fourteen, Wil is beginning to miss having friends and a normal teenager social life. It isn’t that Ezra is against his son having that sort of life, and would like for him to have a normal one eventually, but for now he is keeping secrets and it is becoming more and more evident to Wil. Ezra clearly has things from his past that he is hiding and then there is the death of his wife and Wil’s mother, Anna. At first it feels like any other every day tragedy, but as the story begins to purposefully and patiently expand, it quickly becomes clear that Anna’s death was anything but ordinary.
Written and illustrated by Szymon Kudrański (“The Punisher,” “Penguin: Pain and Prejudice”), this horror tale is beautifully and intelligently constructed in a way that allows the story to unfold at a perfect pace. It reveals each new bit of information in a timely manner without feeling rushed or attempting to drag out things the reader comes to figure out on their own. For example, it’s impossible to go into this without knowing it is a vampire story and while that is not really hinted at until later in this first issue, there is no point in which you are feeling cheated or impatient about that reveal coming. It feels right as soon as the terror and vampiric elements get integrated into the plot. Overall, the story and the elements that make it up are really nothing new. Survivalist and their child live on their own, there’s a dead mom, some mental trauma, and a horrific thing hunting them and those around them. It has all been done before, but Kudrański’s control over not only the script, but the art as well, allows for him to really make this his most perfect and specific to him vision.
The framing and pacing is cinematic in the best way possible. It is gorgeous and purposeful and not unlike many other comics that look to feel like this, but it is executed incredibly. Feeling like a small in scope, dark and terrible horror drama, “Blood Commandment” is akin to the kind of nasty and troubling indie horror flick you always hope to find while scrolling through your streaming service of choice. The anxiety and terror mount with each page and as the questions begin to fill your skull, the writing and the art is there to alleviate the pressure on your poor brain. There isn’t anything overly complicated or terribly deep about this story, but what it is, is fully aware of itself and the kind of story it needs to be. The script changes between third person omniscient and first person to each of the characters we meet throughout the issue in a way that once again feels like a classic horror novel and spooky movie or television episode that wants to speak directly to you, the reader or viewer, and then allows for the characters to have their own voice and their own inner monologue. Not only is the script perfectly executed in a way that allows for all of the speaking and inner thoughts to ebb and flow without crashing into each other, but it is all really great and necessary writing. It is one of the better and economic scripts out of many of the recent horror comics. Without sacrificing word count and relying so heavily on the art, the script still moves without ever feeling like you’re reading a prose story as opposed to a comic book.
Continued belowThe lettering by Marshall Dillon is a full range of styles and fully embraces the storytelling. There are wonderful onomatopoeia sound effects that match their moments beautifully. Even the dialogue bubbles are filled with standard lettering that moves and changes at the exact right time to meet a mood or emotion, as well as emphasizing a story beat. It is the kind of work one should expect from any great letterer and Dillon is up to the task. It’s stunning, clean work and, yes, lettering is probably the most looked over or thankless job in the comic book industry, and it should be recognized more often. So when work like Dillon’s really pops, it needs to be discussed.
The art is dark and haunting from top to bottom feeling like true to life dangers that lurk in the dark and a nightmarish mindscape that is all blood and shadow. It is gorgeous and gothic while still capturing setting and people that you can related to on some level and have probably come across in your life. Once you let the darkness wash over you, it is impossible to not let the this horror story get under your skin. Even when the twists, turns, and reveals feel clear or even obvious, the quality of this book stands above any of that. It’s also the perfect kind of story to read on your own, rather than have things spoiled in a review. So enjoy the journey.
Final Verdict: 9.0, A thoughtful and terrifying vampire yarn set in the deep, dark woods that looks to sink its teeth into you.
