Writer: Shawn Aldridge
Artist: Scott Godlewski
Now that Jacked has concluded, The Dark & Bloody may very well be the Vertigo title that I most look forward to reading month-to-month. The cover alone should give you an idea of how awesome this series is. If Tyler Crook’s rendering to the left doesn’t immediately grab you, I don’t know what will. I like how it plays on the classic horror trope of letting your mind create unspeakable terror that is otherwise unseen. Granted you will see what that is within this issue, but you get the point.
Speaking of interiors, this might be Scott Godlewski’s most impressive visual offering yet on this series. Ranging from moody cabins to rich country settings, it’s almost as if someone created a glorious hybrid of Dustin Nguyen and Robert Hack. On a side note, I think Iris should use the opening page as his nonexistent Facebook profile picture.
Revelations abound this month as Iris learns that the creature currently plaguing him is an ancient evil he awoke years ago in the desert. We do, in fact, see the full scope of the horror that was hinted at in the previous three issues and it is gloriously bizarre. Shawn Aldridge has truly cooked up something special here.
With this installment, The Dark & Bloody creates edge of your seat excitement that you normally see only in movies. It seems as though the creators up their game with each successive issue and those cliffhangers guarantee my return.
I believe there are only a couple issues left, so savor this masterwork while you can. One can only hope that DC has these guys lined up for other projects in the near future.
