REVIEW: The Curse of Brimstone #1

Some demons just want to see the whole world burn. Some will settle for their hometown.

York Hills is small Midwestern town caught in a common plight. When the coal mine closed and the factory moved away so did most of the jobs. Those who could get away have gone, leaving the ones who are left trapped. All they can do is fight for the few low paying jobs left in the town.

Johnny Bla”¦ Um, Joe Chamberlain was born into York Hills long after prosperity packed its bags and took the last Greyhound to anywhere else. His mother is gone. His dad is on disability with a broken back. His truck is a beater that can barely get him to the next town so he can apply for the disappearing jobs there. He“s harassed by the local sheriff who has nothing better to do. The one bright spot in his life is his sister Annie, who works at the local diner to make enough money to pay for nursing school and maybe a way out.

Despite all this Joe really loves his town and would do anything to make it a better place again. And that is his problem. When a stranger comes to town and offers Joe a job as a scout for their home office, Joe takes it on the spot. Unfortunately, it“s hard to read the fine print in a handshake deal and Joe learns the hard way that the home office is a little to the south of Louisiana.

He finds himself transformed into a fiery demon. He is out of control and setting blazes that threatens to burn his town to the ground.

Philip Tan and Justin Jordan have done a great job of spinning the common tale of the good man tricked into selling his soul to the devil. They have found a way to tell this tale that is new, by focusing on one of the most overlooked, unremarked problems in modern America: how people become snared into poverty when towns“ economies dry up.

One problem I had, is that Jordan (Sideways, Monsters Unleashed) spends the entire issue in setting up the problem. There is a lot of talking (seriously, a LOT of talking). I“m hoping that with most of the setup done, we can really jump into the action next issue. We have learned all about Chamberlain, but nothing of Brimstone.

As with the other Dark Metal spin-off books, Tan“s (Uncanny X-Men, Iron Man) art is the real star of this book. His art really sells the desperation and poverty of this town. He makes it feel like a real place. But with deceptively seeming chaotic layout, he adds in a real gothic layer. It all pays off in the transformation scenes.

The Dark Metal titles hearken back to the 90s when comics were very art-driven and this book really sells the value of that approach. The dynamic and dramatic art really sells this book. But enough with the background let“s see if Chamberlain can control Brimstone or if the demon will burn the world down.

[yasr_overall_rating size=”large”]

Artist: Philip Tan
Writer: Justin Jordan
Colors: Rain Berado

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Andy Hall

Sent from the future by our Robot Ape overlords to preserve the timeline. Reading and writing about comics until the revolution comes. All hail the Orangutan Android Solar King!