The Damned #1
Writer: Cullen Bunn
Artist: Brian Hurtt
Colorist: Bill Crabtree
Letterer: Crank!
Publisher: Oni Press
A review by Kylee Sills
Take the speakeasies of the roaring 20s and substitute demons for some of the worries of Prohibition, that’ll give you an idea of just what kind of world Cullen Bunn, Brian Hurtt, and Bill Crabtree created with The Damned #1.
In a time where darker forces vie for control, Eddie’s a damned man, in charge of the Gehenna Room and tasked with enforcing the one rule of the joint: no demons allowed. The catch is that Eddie’s literally damned, having given up his soul and been cursed for his efforts. He can die, but he can’t stay that way. The first person who touches him after he’s expired takes on his injuries and is killed in his place. It’s a responsibility that weighs heavily on him and when an old friend turns to him for help hiding out, Eddie may end up tangled up in things he doesn’t fully understand.
Two previous mini-series for The Damned have been written by the same creative team in 2006 and 2008, which means that some readers may be familiar with this world and these characters already, but for new audiences The Damned #1 is the perfect jumping on point. There’s a jarring introduction to the main character, Eddie, as he stumbles wildly through a crowded street, weighing his desperation against his inevitable guilt.
The series is full of familiar crime drama tropes have been developed with a twist of the supernatural and could easily entice readers to revisit the past mini-series’ for a refresher of the factions at play or read them for the first time for a better understanding of the stakes.
Cullen Bunn does an amazing job immersing audiences in the era with the dialogue and the inner monologue stylings that mimic hardboiled film noir. There are enough hints at the backstory from the past mini-series’, as well as some future implications that make it an intriguing read with an almost instant connection to Eddie as he struggles. He’s clearly the anti-hero to root for when audiences see him nearly bleed out before even learning his name.
However, it was the art from Brian Hurtt and the colors from Bill Crabtree really sold me on the book. In an era of dapper men, glitz and glamour, curves, and square jaws, Hurtt stylized everything perfectly. There is a near-cartoon quality to the art that animates the crowd in the Gehenna Room, as well as the city streets that Eddie runs through.
Speaking of the city, it is muted in color by Crabtree, punctuated by Eddie’s own blood on his hands as un unnervingly bright spot. Likewise, the demons themselves are rendered in shades of brown and gray, with shadows creeping over them in true noir fashion. The real color comes into the Gehenna Room itself and especially clings to the lounge singer who flirts with Eddie. I would almost prefer the drudgery of black and white, with stark reds in contrast, for the entire book as the artwork is as much about the lighting and staging as the coloring.
Fans of the Prohibition era, noir, or the supernatural won’t be disappointed by this perfect mixing of genres as the creative team introduces a solid new tale.
The Verdict
Buy It! I’ll be honest in that I may be biased because I’m a sucker for anything Cullen Bunn writes. Having never read the previous mini-series’, it’s obvious that this creative team is already very comfortable in the world they’re presenting in The Damned #1. It’s a fairly straightforward story that’s being offered up, but the potential is there for something truly great and, as an ongoing series, there is definitely time to explore all of the facets of this fascinating world and the choices Eddie’s faced with with this damned curse.
