Dead Body Road #1 Review

“The men involved in his wife’s death must die. All of them.”

That’s the base premise for Dead Body Road, the new series from Image Comics' Skybound Imprint. Revenge noir at its core, this book hits the ground running at a furious speed setting it apart from your regular revenge story. This is in part due the talent of the creative team at the helm.

The story starts off with a botched heist, which leaves a security guard and the wife of our protagonist, Gage, dead. Tortured and broken within, Gage follows whatever leads he has, small as they are, to set bloody revenge against the people responsible for the death of his beloved Anna.

The writing in this first issue by Justin Jordan is a solid introduction to the series, offering twists and leaving you wanting more. If you’ve enjoyed Jordan’s previous violence filled series, Luther Strode, you won't be disappointed with Dead Body Road.

Matteo Scalera’s pencils and inks pop off the pages displaying the violence and grief of Jordan’s writing like an early Tarantino flick. With his amazing work on Black Science, and the high standard he sets on his other work, Scalera has quickly become a favourite of mine. His art in Dead Body Road made me think of Sean Murphy and Punk Rock Jesus, not that any comparison is needed.

Moreno Dinisio’s colours flesh out the art with a palette of blues, yellows and browns which reinforces the rugged dirty revenge world that the series is set in. The lettering of Pat Brosseau pops as well, with jagged geometric style balloons that add to the off-kilter feel that flows through this series. 

Image Comics and Skybound are known for picking great series and this is just another title to tip your hat to. If it continues like this, Dead Body Road looks to be one of my favourite mini-series of 2014.

- Billy