The New Deadwardians #1

By Sharayah Read On April 27, 2012 · Leave a Comment · In Comic Books

Written By: Dan Abnett

Art By: I.N.J. Culbard

Vertigo

Welcome to the Deadwardian age, in 1910, where vampires still mull the boarders of good and evil, while weird ‘Restless’ zombies eat the flesh of the few people who remain. Your village is far from free and happy as nearly every area is sectioned off for safety reasons and guards lay in plenty. Supernatural is no longer a theory of the past, but, a reality of their day. Most of the younger generation know nothing more than the terror at hand, since they were but babes and thoughts before the invasion; whilst their curiosity of the times before show just how long it’s been since mankind had first been under attack. Although supposed cures exist for ‘Restless’ infections, the sheer number of the monsters at the gates tell me it is either super rare or essentially non-existent. Point being: this seems like one scary-ass age to live in and I for one am glad for it’s purely fictitious existence.

George is a vampire unlike most I have encountered, he has his teeth shaven flat and holds true to human habits such as going to bed at night (despite his lack of sleep) and not eating other people. Thanks to zinc paste and a wide brimmed hat, George is free to roam in daylight and acts as a murder detective in a time where human murder is rare. After a crude wake up via dead maid, he returns to his day job where we meet the newest victim: a vampire who is dead but without decapitation, incineration, or stabbing of the heart – meet George’s newest conundrum.

For a first issue, The New Dedwardians has gotten a lot of introduction to the atmosphere and historic properties over with in a fashion that is clear, concise and enticing. This is a short series, consisting of only 8 issues, so it was a pleasure to see that Abnett didn’t feel like wasting any time and got right into the nitty-gritty. The details given for this case have stricken my curiosity as it brings a fresh take on the typical murder mystery, one that I am willing to follow at least for now.

Not to say I was unimpressed, overall this book actually had a really great feel and provided a unique experience in terms of plot and artistry. But, with only having the first issue and it being as full of random introduction and swiftness, I can’t quite tell for sure how much I will enjoy it in the long run. I’m excited to see where Abnett and Culbard take this mini-series since they are both new names to me and from what I have seen, both are quite impressive – an opinion I hope remains after it’s second instalment.

3/5. This ones definitely going to be a major hit or an unfortunate miss. So give it a shot, what do you have to lose?