With The New Deadwardians, we’re treated to an early twentieth century England where most of the upper classes have willingly been turned into vampires. Much of the lower classes are considered “Brights”, normal humans. And the remaining have been turned into zombies by the “Restless Curse”. With a world populated primarily by the undead, there wouldn’t seem to be much need for a murder detective. But that’s exactly what the main character, George Suttle is. When the body of a young lord washes up from a river, Suttle must figure out what is killing the undead.
We start the issue as Suttle enters Zone-B with his driver Bowes. Bowes is a “Bright”, where Suttle is a vampire, so there is a little exchange of flippancy between the two. We’re treated to a flashback during the war, and to Suttle examining his own morality. Suttle enters a brothel where an interesting exchange with a lady of ill-repute helps us delve deeper into the mind of Suttle and who he truly is. As Suttle leaves the brothel with some information and quickly heads to a nearby street to seek a new lead, he’s stopped by a street gang, who are a bit less than welcoming to someone like him.
I just have to say that I absolutely love the little journal entries at the beginning of and throughout each issue. Something about it is just wonderful. I feel like it gives a small look into Suttle’s mind, beyond what the text and action of the comic gives us. I like the idea of Suttle keeping a journal throughout his case and recording what he thinks on the innermost level.
Dan Abnett does a wonderful job crafting the story of Suttle, zombies, vampires, and a mystery murder. Abnett doesn’t really make this into a stereotypical vampire story, but rather makes it a mystery, where the main character just so happens to be a vampire and there just so happen to be zombies. The fact that Abnett can do this shows how great of a writer he is.
I.N.J. Culbard does a great job on the art as well. Three issues in, his art is just as strong and hasn’t lost a single thing that made it so great in the first two issues. His facial expressions are wonderful, which gives the characters depth. Also, in this issue we get to see his renderings of the zombies a little more up close, and those too are wonderful. Culbard’s art is just great, and serves as a perfect companion to Abnett’s writing, helping to bring the whole story together in a nice way.
Overall, this is steadily shaping up to be a fantastic little series, and continues to impress three months in. With such an original concept and execution, it’s a welcome addition to the current comic landscape. It’s definitely something I plan on keeping up with in the months leading up to the finish.
Art: 9/10
Script: 8/10
Parental Concern: Nudity and zombies
