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The New Deadwardians #4
The New Deadwardians
Someone is killing the dead! Inspector Suttle's investigation continues as he pursues the identity of the victim and attempts to determine the method of murder. But he must work circumspectly, because the answers he is seeking are literally matters of life and death, and they will rock the very cornerstones of Deadwardian Society.
32 pages, Unknown Binding
First published August 29, 2012
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 132 reviews
March 30, 2016
Another series that is good, but just misses the mark of greatness.
(Another series I picked up from my local comic-store during their "1/2 off" sale.)
(Another series I picked up from my local comic-store during their "1/2 off" sale.)
May 6, 2014
England in the early 20th century is a slightly different place to the Edwardian era we knew – most of the upper classes have taken “the cure” and become vampires while most of the lower classes are zombies, kept out of major cities like London by massive walls. In a world populated with the dead and undying, Chief Inspector George Suttle is faced with the bizarre homicide case of a young aristocrat – but who can kill the “Young”, as the vampires are known, and why?
I’m going to talk about some details that bothered me later in the review so if you don’t want to read spoilers because you’re thinking of reading it and you just want a yay or nay, my takeaway of The New Deadwardians is that it’s not a bad murder mystery which has some excellent art but is a bit overlong and a bit thin, plot-wise. If you enjoy supernatural police procedurals, it’s not bad and the set-up is certainly different, even if the protagonist is more than a bit bland. I didn’t love it but, considering the other titles Vertigo is currently offering, it’s up there as one of the better ones to read.
Ok, so: spoilers.
The set-up isn’t totally correct; there are vampires and there are zombies but there are also humans. Quite a few, in fact - they’re called the “Bright”. I really like Dan Abnett’s labelling of the different types of people in this world, “the Young”, “the Bright”, “the cure” – they feel like titles that perfectly belong to the post-Victorian era.
But much is made of Suttle being a redundant figure – a homicide detective in a world where homicides are so rare that he’s the last cop in that department. This makes sense if there are just zombies and vampires – but humans also exist. Humans can die. Are they saying that humans can’t die for some reason, or they don’t murder anymore? Or maybe Suttle and the rest of “the Young” don’t investigate human murders? If that’s the case, why even have a department if murder amongst the dead and undying is practically extinct? It’s a glaring error that’s never corrected and which stuck out for me the entire time I was reading this.
I also didn’t think much of our protagonist, Suttle. He’s a stoic, practical man with very little inner life or personality who goes through the motions in a dry, dull manner. He’s efficient and good at his job but that sort of person is often the worst person to cast as the lead in a dramatic story – there’s very little conflict to be had with his character. Occasionally a character emerges but for the most part he’s forgettable and boring.
Add to that, Suttle becomes the villain in the end! The antagonist behind the initial murder is a magician who, decades ago, cast a spell to resurrect Queen Vic’s dead hubby, Albert, but the spell went wrong and - poof! - zombies appeared! The magician was forced into doing this and killing off the snobby aristos was his revenge to make them pay for destroying the world. That doesn’t make the magician a villain in my mind – quite the opposite! And Suttle going along with the conspiracy at the end to pin it all on the magician and label him as a lone madman… yeah, he’s no hero, he’s just another failed cog in a broken machine.
So what was the point? A murder mystery set in a post-zombie-apocalypse world where those in power are totally corrupt and those charged with capturing the baddies are equally corrupt – so, all of the New Deadwardians are scum? Bit banal, but alright, I guess…
At eight issues, the already-thin plotline was stretched too far and should’ve been six issues at most, if not shorter. Abnett’s writing isn’t bad but too many issues – like the foray into the English countryside – could’ve easily been dropped as they added next to nothing to the story, besides showing how even more blighted old Blighty had become. INJ Culbard’s art is fantastic as it always is – lovely clear lines, great character designs that capture the era well, and an interestingly distorted London all serve to make this a visually brilliant book.
The New Deadwardians is an ok murder mystery that I enjoyed parts of and found other parts somewhat tedious. For all the space devoted to explaining this strange new world, a lot of it remained a mystery when it really shouldn’t have. I suppose you could do worse with other Vertigo titles but it’s still not a must-read.
I’m going to talk about some details that bothered me later in the review so if you don’t want to read spoilers because you’re thinking of reading it and you just want a yay or nay, my takeaway of The New Deadwardians is that it’s not a bad murder mystery which has some excellent art but is a bit overlong and a bit thin, plot-wise. If you enjoy supernatural police procedurals, it’s not bad and the set-up is certainly different, even if the protagonist is more than a bit bland. I didn’t love it but, considering the other titles Vertigo is currently offering, it’s up there as one of the better ones to read.
Ok, so: spoilers.
The set-up isn’t totally correct; there are vampires and there are zombies but there are also humans. Quite a few, in fact - they’re called the “Bright”. I really like Dan Abnett’s labelling of the different types of people in this world, “the Young”, “the Bright”, “the cure” – they feel like titles that perfectly belong to the post-Victorian era.
But much is made of Suttle being a redundant figure – a homicide detective in a world where homicides are so rare that he’s the last cop in that department. This makes sense if there are just zombies and vampires – but humans also exist. Humans can die. Are they saying that humans can’t die for some reason, or they don’t murder anymore? Or maybe Suttle and the rest of “the Young” don’t investigate human murders? If that’s the case, why even have a department if murder amongst the dead and undying is practically extinct? It’s a glaring error that’s never corrected and which stuck out for me the entire time I was reading this.
I also didn’t think much of our protagonist, Suttle. He’s a stoic, practical man with very little inner life or personality who goes through the motions in a dry, dull manner. He’s efficient and good at his job but that sort of person is often the worst person to cast as the lead in a dramatic story – there’s very little conflict to be had with his character. Occasionally a character emerges but for the most part he’s forgettable and boring.
Add to that, Suttle becomes the villain in the end! The antagonist behind the initial murder is a magician who, decades ago, cast a spell to resurrect Queen Vic’s dead hubby, Albert, but the spell went wrong and - poof! - zombies appeared! The magician was forced into doing this and killing off the snobby aristos was his revenge to make them pay for destroying the world. That doesn’t make the magician a villain in my mind – quite the opposite! And Suttle going along with the conspiracy at the end to pin it all on the magician and label him as a lone madman… yeah, he’s no hero, he’s just another failed cog in a broken machine.
So what was the point? A murder mystery set in a post-zombie-apocalypse world where those in power are totally corrupt and those charged with capturing the baddies are equally corrupt – so, all of the New Deadwardians are scum? Bit banal, but alright, I guess…
At eight issues, the already-thin plotline was stretched too far and should’ve been six issues at most, if not shorter. Abnett’s writing isn’t bad but too many issues – like the foray into the English countryside – could’ve easily been dropped as they added next to nothing to the story, besides showing how even more blighted old Blighty had become. INJ Culbard’s art is fantastic as it always is – lovely clear lines, great character designs that capture the era well, and an interestingly distorted London all serve to make this a visually brilliant book.
The New Deadwardians is an ok murder mystery that I enjoyed parts of and found other parts somewhat tedious. For all the space devoted to explaining this strange new world, a lot of it remained a mystery when it really shouldn’t have. I suppose you could do worse with other Vertigo titles but it’s still not a must-read.
June 7, 2013
The New Deadwardians is a pretty decent zombie/vampire mash-up set in an alternate Edwardian England (and beyond) where the dead have risen as, well, you know, flesh-eating zombies. At the start of the outbreak, war was fought against the undead, and during the course of the war it was discovered that the answer to fighting undead things was other undead things. Medical science somehow learned how to infect the living with vampirism and soldiers of rank were made "Young" (the word "vampire" is never used in the book). The war is over. Zombie hoards still roam the world. London is zoned according to infestation. And Chief Inspector George Suttle of Scotland Yard has a baffling case on his hands: A "Young" has been found... murdered. But not by any traditional methods such as stake through the heart, decapitation, etc. The guy's just dead. But how do you kill something already dead?
Dab Abnett's story is a classic Victorian detective mystery twisting and turning through the halls of nobility and the back alleys of working class London. It's a dash of Sherlock Holmes, a bit of Dickens, some Upstairs Downstairs and a reasonable amount of George Romero and Kim Newman. Oh yes, I'd say The New Deadwardians owes more than a nod to Newman's outstanding classic, Anno Dracula.
The mystery Inspector Suttle pursues is interesting and the crime is interwoven with the British customs that have come to be in a world crawling with the Undead. (Women, for example, are not only seeking the right to vote, but the right to be made "Young" although the exact ins and outs of that aren't clear since there are female "Young" in the story. And it appears that being "Young" is primarily reserved for the upper classes, although Suttle subjects his housemaid to the cure after she's bitten by a zombie. No fangs involved. Strictly a medical procedure and all that.)
The New Deadwardians is a quick, entertaining read and I'd actually rate it higher than three starts except that, this being a comic book, the artwork has to be considered as well. And sadly, the artwork of I.N.J. Culbard is pitifully weak. In fact, it seems downright amateurish. It doesn't raise my ire like the work of Warren Pleece, The line-work is very simple (minimalist would be a polite way to say it) with little regard to proportion, substance or perspective. And it hurts the overall quality of the book. As I turned each page I was constantly distracted by the poor quality of the art despite my interest in the story. The New Deadwardians is the type of story that should be graced with artwork the conveys a sense of Edwardian society, the elegance of the mansions and the squalor of the slums. But Culbard draws no distinction. Everything is plain, flat and simple.
Good story. Unfortunate artwork.
Dab Abnett's story is a classic Victorian detective mystery twisting and turning through the halls of nobility and the back alleys of working class London. It's a dash of Sherlock Holmes, a bit of Dickens, some Upstairs Downstairs and a reasonable amount of George Romero and Kim Newman. Oh yes, I'd say The New Deadwardians owes more than a nod to Newman's outstanding classic, Anno Dracula.
The mystery Inspector Suttle pursues is interesting and the crime is interwoven with the British customs that have come to be in a world crawling with the Undead. (Women, for example, are not only seeking the right to vote, but the right to be made "Young" although the exact ins and outs of that aren't clear since there are female "Young" in the story. And it appears that being "Young" is primarily reserved for the upper classes, although Suttle subjects his housemaid to the cure after she's bitten by a zombie. No fangs involved. Strictly a medical procedure and all that.)
The New Deadwardians is a quick, entertaining read and I'd actually rate it higher than three starts except that, this being a comic book, the artwork has to be considered as well. And sadly, the artwork of I.N.J. Culbard is pitifully weak. In fact, it seems downright amateurish. It doesn't raise my ire like the work of Warren Pleece, The line-work is very simple (minimalist would be a polite way to say it) with little regard to proportion, substance or perspective. And it hurts the overall quality of the book. As I turned each page I was constantly distracted by the poor quality of the art despite my interest in the story. The New Deadwardians is the type of story that should be graced with artwork the conveys a sense of Edwardian society, the elegance of the mansions and the squalor of the slums. But Culbard draws no distinction. Everything is plain, flat and simple.
Good story. Unfortunate artwork.
October 3, 2015
Leí con avidez The New Deadwardians por muchas razones: me encantan las historias con un toque retro y el concepto me fascinó. No es la primera vez que se nos presenta una sociedad donde los vampiros están totalmente integrados en ella, de hecho, Deadwardians le debe mucho a Anno Dracula. No obstante, es una lectura muy disfrutable, el protagonista es deliciosamente británico en su forma de afrontar su condición de no-muerto (molesto porque no puede dormir), y se agradece su estructura narrativa trazada al estilo de la novela negra.
Es una lástima que sepa a poco, y dé la impresión de que estamos ante una especie de serie piloto, más que una serie completa. Es como si los autores esperasen tener el éxito suficiente como para continuar la saga.
Creo que The New Deadwardians no aprovechó ni la mitad de su potencial, así que le doy cuatro estrellas.
Es una lástima que sepa a poco, y dé la impresión de que estamos ante una especie de serie piloto, más que una serie completa. Es como si los autores esperasen tener el éxito suficiente como para continuar la saga.
Creo que The New Deadwardians no aprovechó ni la mitad de su potencial, así que le doy cuatro estrellas.
February 12, 2013
“A thrilling, horror ride through a twisted new world. Horror fans will get as much a kick out of this as comics fans. Abnett fans should love this as well. It’s a stellar comic.” ~The Founding Fields
Writer: Dan Abnett | Art: INJ Culbard | Cover: INJ Culbad | Publisher: Vertigo (DC Imprint) Comics | Collects: The New Deadwardians #1-8.
So, I’ve never encountered an Abnett comic before aside from the first issues of Resurrection Man, and I was a bit unsure about whether I should dive into this graphic novel and read it or not. As this was before my read of Pariah, which I will be reviewing lately and wasn’t as enjoyable as I thought it would be – I’d never been disappointed by an Abnett novel before. Graphic novel though? I know Abnett can handle things fine out of the Black Library universe (Embedded & Triumff), but like I said, I wasn’t sure whether he could handle the comic medium (despite apparently successful runs on Guardians of the Galaxy [Something that I haven't read, but need to check out]), but after reading this graphic novel, rest assured – I no longer have any doubts. This mini series was superb, and Abnett at his best.
In this collection of the 8-issue miniseries, nearly every member of upper class, post-Victorian England has voluntarily become a vampire in order to escape the lower classes – who are all zombies! Into this simmering cauldron is thrust Chief Inspector George Suttle, a lonely detective who’s got the slowest beat in London: investigating murders in a world where everyone is already dead!
First of all, there’s an obvious premise that will draw readers to this book. The whole Zombies vs. Vampires, what would work and what wouldn’t – set in the backdrop of a post-Victorian England allows for some great thrills and Abnett, with art from Culbad, just makes the setting work. This is something that you couldn’t get in a novel and that the graphic novel setting just captures the premise perfectly.
The lead character, Chief Inspector George Suttle – is an interesting character. We’re drawn to support him particularly when you learn that he’s the only one that’s actually bothered to remain in his job despite being like everybody else - effectively dead. This makes us want to root for him even though he is a vampire, and whilst Abnett has twisted the traditional mythos slightly so they’re not as evil as Dracula and pals, they don’t sparkle and fall in love with teenage humans. They also still drink blood.
Read the Full Review: http://thefoundingfields.com/2013/02/....
Writer: Dan Abnett | Art: INJ Culbard | Cover: INJ Culbad | Publisher: Vertigo (DC Imprint) Comics | Collects: The New Deadwardians #1-8.
So, I’ve never encountered an Abnett comic before aside from the first issues of Resurrection Man, and I was a bit unsure about whether I should dive into this graphic novel and read it or not. As this was before my read of Pariah, which I will be reviewing lately and wasn’t as enjoyable as I thought it would be – I’d never been disappointed by an Abnett novel before. Graphic novel though? I know Abnett can handle things fine out of the Black Library universe (Embedded & Triumff), but like I said, I wasn’t sure whether he could handle the comic medium (despite apparently successful runs on Guardians of the Galaxy [Something that I haven't read, but need to check out]), but after reading this graphic novel, rest assured – I no longer have any doubts. This mini series was superb, and Abnett at his best.
In this collection of the 8-issue miniseries, nearly every member of upper class, post-Victorian England has voluntarily become a vampire in order to escape the lower classes – who are all zombies! Into this simmering cauldron is thrust Chief Inspector George Suttle, a lonely detective who’s got the slowest beat in London: investigating murders in a world where everyone is already dead!
First of all, there’s an obvious premise that will draw readers to this book. The whole Zombies vs. Vampires, what would work and what wouldn’t – set in the backdrop of a post-Victorian England allows for some great thrills and Abnett, with art from Culbad, just makes the setting work. This is something that you couldn’t get in a novel and that the graphic novel setting just captures the premise perfectly.
The lead character, Chief Inspector George Suttle – is an interesting character. We’re drawn to support him particularly when you learn that he’s the only one that’s actually bothered to remain in his job despite being like everybody else - effectively dead. This makes us want to root for him even though he is a vampire, and whilst Abnett has twisted the traditional mythos slightly so they’re not as evil as Dracula and pals, they don’t sparkle and fall in love with teenage humans. They also still drink blood.
Read the Full Review: http://thefoundingfields.com/2013/02/....
December 17, 2013
While I did not much care for the art, the story is great. It is an alternate history in which a zombie apocalypse spread across the globe in the 1800s. The British Empire was losing its war for survival when they invented the "Cure" (for death): vampirism (though I do not believe the word "vampire" is ever used, and this really is not a story about vampires or zombies, per se.) Now, in the early 1900s, the zombies are kept at bay by large walls/fences around cities, and most of the British upper class has taken the "Cure." This fact adds an interesting twist both to class tension and British manners: they file down their teeth and behave like normal people. It is considered perverse and unrefined to drink blood. The main character, George Suttle, London's last homicide detective, must deal with all these issues while investigating a mysterious murder: the victim is dead, but not from one of the few ways that it is possible to kill on of the "Young" (stake to the heart, etc.) It would be interesting to explore this world a bit more, if only there were more than just this one volume!
May 27, 2016
I've always been fascinated by the idea of what happens to someone who becomes a vampire -- what elements of the person are the same, which are suppressed, which are enhanced, and what things become "locked" and unchangeable. This volume does an elegant job of showing these conflicts in character via its protagonist, a war-hero police detective, turned into a vampire (or, as they are called here, "one of the Young") 50 years ago. He thinks himself a being without desires or appetites, but his drive to solve a rare and unusual murder just might uncover some of the dangerous secrets of the world he lives in, and leave him changed in the process.
The art is a bit "off" at times, especially with proportion, but usually does an excellent job catching the odd lack of expression of the "Young" characters. I also wish there was more world-building to explain just how many of the "Restless" zombies were surrounding and threatening the inhabited parts of this world. This seems to be a completed, finished series, but I hope that they return to it in future volumes to tell more stories about this world and the main character.
The art is a bit "off" at times, especially with proportion, but usually does an excellent job catching the odd lack of expression of the "Young" characters. I also wish there was more world-building to explain just how many of the "Restless" zombies were surrounding and threatening the inhabited parts of this world. This seems to be a completed, finished series, but I hope that they return to it in future volumes to tell more stories about this world and the main character.
December 20, 2022
📚 Plot
The Dead Deadwardians is a detective story set in the post-apocalyptic victorian age where zombies, vampires, and mortals live in a class society. The plot follows our vampire MC, Chief Inspector Suttle, who discovered found a corpse of an aristocrat and set out to find out about the murderer.
👍 What i liked
(+) Solid worldbuilding. I also loved the "show, not tell" aspect of the book. We don't know what's happening in the world, and we slowly get more information as we read through each chapter. There's little exposition and the narration feels natural.
(+) Great themes. It tackles humanity, class society, existence, and what it means to be immortal.
(+) Good mystery element.
(+) Excellent art. It's gory and targeted toward adults.
👎 What i disliked
(-) Boring story with unrelatable characters.
(-) Unsatisfying conclusion.
(-) Unmemorable overall message.
❓ Who is this for
If you love a victorian murder mystery and zombie apocalypse story, then this book is the perfect one for you.
The Dead Deadwardians is a detective story set in the post-apocalyptic victorian age where zombies, vampires, and mortals live in a class society. The plot follows our vampire MC, Chief Inspector Suttle, who discovered found a corpse of an aristocrat and set out to find out about the murderer.
👍 What i liked
(+) Solid worldbuilding. I also loved the "show, not tell" aspect of the book. We don't know what's happening in the world, and we slowly get more information as we read through each chapter. There's little exposition and the narration feels natural.
(+) Great themes. It tackles humanity, class society, existence, and what it means to be immortal.
(+) Good mystery element.
(+) Excellent art. It's gory and targeted toward adults.
👎 What i disliked
(-) Boring story with unrelatable characters.
(-) Unsatisfying conclusion.
(-) Unmemorable overall message.
❓ Who is this for
If you love a victorian murder mystery and zombie apocalypse story, then this book is the perfect one for you.
February 26, 2013
I am smitten! This was a great intro to these characters and this time. Nicely plotted, good mystery, and panels that were beautiful in their starkness.
I can only hope to see more from these characters and these creators.
I can only hope to see more from these characters and these creators.
February 27, 2013
To save Victorian England the Brits must die to fight the undead. A very cool premise gets bogged down in telling the origins of the universe and left me feeling unsatisfied because they stopped focusing on what I cared about, the characters thoughts and emotions.
May 22, 2014
Interesting paranormal alt history. Really liked the main character and the way that "The Young" are portrayed in that very reserved British way. Nude-y bits and bad-language issues prevent this from being something I recommend to anyone, but overall, story and art, made it a great read.
March 9, 2015
A well paced story that isn't as dire as the zombies+vampires+Downton Abbey mashup one blurb suggests. Could have been used to say interesting things about Britain, empire, war and class, but anyway, at least we have an interesting little mystery story.
June 7, 2012
Interesting, like Downton Abbey with zombies.
February 10, 2013
Sounds like an interesting read. Can't wait to write a review.
July 22, 2019
This graphic novel had spot-on worldbuilding and was just delightful in how it created it's own vampire and zombie mythology. I wish there were more! But it's still a wonderful standalone that takes detective tropes, much like the vampire and zombie tropes, and reinvents them in a way that makes you feel like you're reading a reinvigorated Sherlock Holmes, if he were a vampire. The drawing style is clean and crisp and feels period, and again, why isn't there more!?!
April 8, 2021
An interesting premise that mostly held up. I liked the mystery story angle as well as the source of the zombie plague was because Albert died and we had to try and bring him back. (That just makes a horrible sort of sense for the era.)
One thing I did dislike, as someone who is asexual, was the whole not wanting to have sex (because vampire makes you not interested in sex) was linked to losing what makes you human. They mention other things as well but the whole, oh he managed to have sex and suddenly people/and he act like he's more alive/human than before.....eh not a fan.
Still an interesting alternate history world. I'd have liked to have read more stories set in it.
One thing I did dislike, as someone who is asexual, was the whole not wanting to have sex (because vampire makes you not interested in sex) was linked to losing what makes you human. They mention other things as well but the whole, oh he managed to have sex and suddenly people/and he act like he's more alive/human than before.....eh not a fan.
Still an interesting alternate history world. I'd have liked to have read more stories set in it.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 21, 2022
Usually I find classic era monster mashups to be tongue-in-cheek novelties (Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, Abraham Lincoln Vampire Hunter), but this alt history tale by Dan Abnett and co. Is something special. A unique look at early 20th century society nested in a well written murder mystery that happens to feature vampires and zombies. Chief Inspector George Suttle is a refreshing and compelling character who I’d love to see again in further adventures.
October 24, 2016
This was so good! Loved the Edwardian feel with zombies and just yes. I loved the illustrations and the style. It was very well done. They kept the time Victorian time feel and verbage without it sounding pretentious and wrong.
I am going to check and see if there is more, because the mystery behind the story was so good. I am anxious to see if there are more!
I am going to check and see if there is more, because the mystery behind the story was so good. I am anxious to see if there are more!
September 20, 2017
Very interesting concept in terms of zombie/ vampire origins. There were points where the writing didn't feel like natural speech but overall very enjoyable.
September 30, 2017
I liked the idea behind this, and the artwork, but felt that it all wrapped very quickly and without as much resolution as I could have wished. But good steampunk adjacent zombie fun.
February 4, 2019
This was an interesting take on Zombie during the Victorian age. Wish it elaborated on how it started, but I think I have an idea. Kind of slow pace for such a crazy subject.
May 1, 2019
Excellent twist of a story. Loved the world, the story, the art. Fantastic.
October 16, 2019
Pretty gruesome, but a good story overall. Dan Abnett is a great writer, even when it’s about zombies!
December 31, 2020
Kept me guessing in a most delightful way.
August 13, 2021
I thought the world building and history of the curse was interesting but I didn't really like/understand how it ended or why it ended that way.
August 30, 2019
That comic is very great.
December 3, 2018
Meh. Bad delivery, sub-par art. One of the most annoying things about this comic is that the main character, a supposedly sympathetic upper class "Young" (vampire) is never shown paying the "Bright" (mortal) sex worker who serves as his informant and lover. Showing the exchange of money might be less important in another work, but she asks him about money a few times in the book and it's supposedly an upper class vs. lower class story through the lens of the zombie apocalypse. Not impressed.
October 10, 2013
The New Deadwardians was a true surprise - what looked like a simple horror book reinventing the zombie and vampire lore instead was a fascinating and intelligent treatise on what it means to be alive - all wrapped up in a murder mystery.
In an alternative history Edwardian England, Chief Inspector George Suttle is faced with the mysterious death of a titled lord. What draws Suttle's interest is that the Lord was able to be killed at all - he, like Suttle is a 'young' - given eternal life as a cure against the revenants that plague the world but one that also has a curse of certain vampiric 'tendencies' that make them reviled by the normal humans. What Suttle will find in the course of his investigation is a redemption for his own meaningless eternal life but also a chance to go to the heart of the revenant curse itself.
The story and plot are dense - full of layers and interesting side characters as well as a fascinating history for Suttle himself. This isn't a simple murder mystery with pretty pictures to tie it up neatly. Rather, it is a very engrossing character study and some of the things proferred about the meaning of life (or being a revenant or vampire) were very revealing. Suttle himself has found that eternal life (he took the 'cure' to fight the revenants but others take the cure after being bitten to prevent from becoming one) has taken away all the reasons he wants to live - the cessation of pleasure to be derived from sex, eating, and more. In a very insightful aside, a prostitute casually comments that life has a specific start and end: if you stretch that lifespan by giving someone eternal life, it thins out that life so much that the reasons living is worthwhile become too shallow to be enjoyed.
Side characters include a prostitute who gives Suttle a reason to start his heart again (she's no angel - very world weary and intelligent) and an assistant human policeman with his own pithy sarcasm and comments on Suttle's undead state and the actions of those around Suttle.
The illustrations follow a very naturalistic palette of earthen colors - beiges, browns, greens. The artist does a great job of giving Suttle life but also showing how devoid of life he has become after 50 years of being undead. I also appreciated that the drawings were accurate to the period and helped further the story in a graphical way.
In all, despite not being a horror, vampire, or zombie fan, I was very glad I picked this up.
In an alternative history Edwardian England, Chief Inspector George Suttle is faced with the mysterious death of a titled lord. What draws Suttle's interest is that the Lord was able to be killed at all - he, like Suttle is a 'young' - given eternal life as a cure against the revenants that plague the world but one that also has a curse of certain vampiric 'tendencies' that make them reviled by the normal humans. What Suttle will find in the course of his investigation is a redemption for his own meaningless eternal life but also a chance to go to the heart of the revenant curse itself.
The story and plot are dense - full of layers and interesting side characters as well as a fascinating history for Suttle himself. This isn't a simple murder mystery with pretty pictures to tie it up neatly. Rather, it is a very engrossing character study and some of the things proferred about the meaning of life (or being a revenant or vampire) were very revealing. Suttle himself has found that eternal life (he took the 'cure' to fight the revenants but others take the cure after being bitten to prevent from becoming one) has taken away all the reasons he wants to live - the cessation of pleasure to be derived from sex, eating, and more. In a very insightful aside, a prostitute casually comments that life has a specific start and end: if you stretch that lifespan by giving someone eternal life, it thins out that life so much that the reasons living is worthwhile become too shallow to be enjoyed.
Side characters include a prostitute who gives Suttle a reason to start his heart again (she's no angel - very world weary and intelligent) and an assistant human policeman with his own pithy sarcasm and comments on Suttle's undead state and the actions of those around Suttle.
The illustrations follow a very naturalistic palette of earthen colors - beiges, browns, greens. The artist does a great job of giving Suttle life but also showing how devoid of life he has become after 50 years of being undead. I also appreciated that the drawings were accurate to the period and helped further the story in a graphical way.
In all, despite not being a horror, vampire, or zombie fan, I was very glad I picked this up.
November 7, 2012
This recently finished 8 part mini-series from Vertigo was created by writer Dan Abnett and artist I.N.J. Culbard. Abnett has had a long career as a writer of prose books, most notably a large number of Warhammer 40K novels, and comics books mainly for Marvel and 2000AD. Ian Culbard has illustrated a number of adaptions of literary works including Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes, H.P. Lovecraft stories and Edgar Rice Burroughs' A Princess of Mars.
Set in an alternate history London of 1910, a curse has spread across England since zombies (known as the Restless) first mysteriously appeared in 1861. Attracted by the living, the only cure is to become a vampire (known as the Young) an option taken up mainly by the wealthy and privileged members of society. The rest of the human race (known as the Bright) live in barricaded zones surrounded by hundreds of the Restless pressing in attracted by the living. In this setting, Chief Inspector George Suttle is called on to investigate the murder of a Young aristocrat who death is made more mysterious by not being due to one of the three ways to kill the Young. During his investigation, Suttle has to cross into a Bright zone and deal with the reawakening of long dormant desires as well as secret societies and pressure to close the case quickly without any scandal.
Abnett has taken some very old (and possibly tired) supernatural species and managed to weave a fresh story full of intrigue. The zombies are mostly background threat with a couple of incursions in the living zones of London. The most interesting relationship is between the Young and the Bright and the simmering resentment that pervades the whole series. Suttle goes through a transformative experience when made to interact with the Bright that challenges the life (or unlife) he has been leading for nearly 50 years. I liked the art by Ian Culbard and the subtle colour palette used throughout the book. Worth a look for a different take on some classic horror tropes.
Set in an alternate history London of 1910, a curse has spread across England since zombies (known as the Restless) first mysteriously appeared in 1861. Attracted by the living, the only cure is to become a vampire (known as the Young) an option taken up mainly by the wealthy and privileged members of society. The rest of the human race (known as the Bright) live in barricaded zones surrounded by hundreds of the Restless pressing in attracted by the living. In this setting, Chief Inspector George Suttle is called on to investigate the murder of a Young aristocrat who death is made more mysterious by not being due to one of the three ways to kill the Young. During his investigation, Suttle has to cross into a Bright zone and deal with the reawakening of long dormant desires as well as secret societies and pressure to close the case quickly without any scandal.
Abnett has taken some very old (and possibly tired) supernatural species and managed to weave a fresh story full of intrigue. The zombies are mostly background threat with a couple of incursions in the living zones of London. The most interesting relationship is between the Young and the Bright and the simmering resentment that pervades the whole series. Suttle goes through a transformative experience when made to interact with the Bright that challenges the life (or unlife) he has been leading for nearly 50 years. I liked the art by Ian Culbard and the subtle colour palette used throughout the book. Worth a look for a different take on some classic horror tropes.
November 23, 2012
The New Deadwardians is an alternate history story set in turn of the century London where society consists of three distinct types of people: the "Brights," your regular, run of the mill humans (mostly members of the lower-middle working classes), the "Young," vampires (most of whom are upper-middle and upper class) and the "Restless," straight-up wanna kill you and eat you zombies.
The vast majority of the "Young" are people who chose to take "the cure" to become vampires in an effort to avoid being eaten by the zombies. Our lead character, inspector Suttle is a Young who chose to take the cure during a stint in the army in order to serve the crown. As the story opens he is the last remaining homicide detective at Scotland yard. The fact is, no one really commits murder anymore because they're too busy trying to avoid being eaten. But when a corpse turns up, naked in a muddy pit near parliament, Suttle goes to work.
The mystery deepens when it's discovered that the corpse was not a Bright, but a Young, who was not killed in any of the only three ways you SHOULD be able to kill a vampire. As Suttle investigates the bizarre murder he is drawn into a world of secret societies, secret identities, hookers with hearts of gold and magic.
As someone who loves vampires but is ambivalent about zombies I wasn't really sure what to expect, but was glad that the Restless, though important to the plot, are not really heavily featured. Rather than focusing on the supernatural aspects of Suttle's life, the author does a good job of making him a very relateable, very "human" character with the same basic problem many of us face - trying to find meaning in his life. The friendship Suttle develops with a Bright police officer, his romance with a Bright prostitute and even his henpecked relationship with his mother add depth to the man, who struggles daily with the fact that he is not really a man at all but a creature every bit as reviled as those he is sworn to protect people from. I found the story surprisingly touching and uplifting.
The vast majority of the "Young" are people who chose to take "the cure" to become vampires in an effort to avoid being eaten by the zombies. Our lead character, inspector Suttle is a Young who chose to take the cure during a stint in the army in order to serve the crown. As the story opens he is the last remaining homicide detective at Scotland yard. The fact is, no one really commits murder anymore because they're too busy trying to avoid being eaten. But when a corpse turns up, naked in a muddy pit near parliament, Suttle goes to work.
The mystery deepens when it's discovered that the corpse was not a Bright, but a Young, who was not killed in any of the only three ways you SHOULD be able to kill a vampire. As Suttle investigates the bizarre murder he is drawn into a world of secret societies, secret identities, hookers with hearts of gold and magic.
As someone who loves vampires but is ambivalent about zombies I wasn't really sure what to expect, but was glad that the Restless, though important to the plot, are not really heavily featured. Rather than focusing on the supernatural aspects of Suttle's life, the author does a good job of making him a very relateable, very "human" character with the same basic problem many of us face - trying to find meaning in his life. The friendship Suttle develops with a Bright police officer, his romance with a Bright prostitute and even his henpecked relationship with his mother add depth to the man, who struggles daily with the fact that he is not really a man at all but a creature every bit as reviled as those he is sworn to protect people from. I found the story surprisingly touching and uplifting.
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