Deadman by Kelley Jones: The Complete Collection

Deadman: Love After Death #1-2

by Mike Baron, Kelley Jones (Illustrator)

DEADMAN BY KELLEY JONES: THE COMPLETE COLLECTION showcases classic stories featuring the DC horror icon Deadman, written by Mike Baron (THE FLASH) and illustrated by the acclaimed artist Kelley Jones (BATMAN, THE SANDMAN).

He has gone from supernatural hero to insane spirit of evil. In this collection, Deadman faces a slew of malicious spirits and the damned humans attacked by these paranormal entities. He must save the souls of murdered carnival freaks trapped in the abandoned remnants of a defunct circus train, rescue kidnapped children and battle a tide of demons. Great power lies within Deadman, but it can only be unlocked if he faces the secrets within himself--secrets that have driven him mad. Can he save the souls of the living and the dead when he cannot save himself?

This collects the DEADMAN ACTION COMICS WEEKLY serial "Grave Doings," as well as DEADMAN: LOVE AFTER DEATH and DEADMAN: EXORCISM.

Genres: Comics, Graphic Novels, Dc Comics, Horror, Graphic Novels Comics, Comic Book

272 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 2017

Reviews

[Bjorn · Rating 3 out of 5]

The writing was terrible, though it improved slightly over the course of the book. The art was the most interesting part of the book, even though there was an occasional disconnect between the images and the dialogue/plot point.

[Alex Sarll]

Grabbed on a whim from a Hallowe'en Comixology sale – but back when this came out DC was on fire in the sense of churning out hit after hit, as against now when they're on fire in the same sense as the house in the 'this is fine' meme, so for the most part it didn't disappoint. Anyone who's read any amount of DC supernatural stuff will have bumped into Boston Brand, aka Deadman – the ghost of a circus acrobat, blessed/cursed with the ability to help others by briefly possessing the living. Quantum Leap, in other words, except first, and not so desperately whitebread. Which said, often, Brand in his circus outfit can end up looking like just another superhero, albeit a pale and insubstantial one. Not so here, where Jones really goes to town on making everything look angular and spooky, but then still manages to make Brand look way more angular and spooky than the rest. Actual horror in comics, as against stories about vampires and critters, isn't always easy to pull off, but Jones manages it largely by making everything look very deliberately wrong, even before the nastiness starts. And in places it can get very nasty, though for the first two stories, Grave Doings and Love After Death, it's never in a way that feels leering. Mostly in terms of the villains, obviously, though of course the ability to possess others, even if divinely conferred, will always come with certain ethical issues. Accordingly, Brand is no straightforward hero here, but even when we can't applaud his actions, they're understandable – all the more so now we've all had a few months' taste of that sense of being shut away from life which he's experienced for a decade. That's part of what makes this work so well: it's very hard to give Deadman a personal stake in an Earthbound story, as against one wandering off into mystical realms. But here, whether it's finding himself trapped after trying to inhabit a zombie, or thinking he might have found love with another ghost if they can only find a way to really touch, he's a player, not just a helper. Much of which, of course, must be down to writer Mike Baron, and it's curious to see a writer's name given such secondary billing on a '[Character] By [Creator]' collection – especially when the exigencies of fill-ins &c mean there is one brief installment of the first story here with no Jones contribution. But while the writing is smart, inventive, generally solid, it's definitely the fascinating, horrid art that's the selling point here.

But then there's the third story, Exorcism. Where the art has taken a further step away from the representational, into something like Kevin O'Neill tipping over into John Hicklenton. And the story is just...horrible. Not in any particularly insightful or interesting way, simply an unpleasant one. Brand has been driven mad by his experiences in Love After Death, and is now killing his hosts, or using them to go on gay-bashing sprees. A bunch of other ghosts pop up, including a centurion, because the haunted church at the story's heart is built on Roman ruins, despite being in Vermont. The Phantom Stranger guests, and even by his standards his power levels are all over the place as immediate plot convenience requires. It is, in short, an ugly clusterfuck, albeit (if only in visual terms) a fascinating sort of ugly.

The first 170 pages, though? Brilliant.

[Jeff Lewonczyk · Rating 4 out of 5]

The fourth star is entirely for the expressionist contortions of Jones's Egon Schiele-esque Deadman. It's a character with such interesting potential, but the stories only kind of dip their toe into it, getting distracted by a whole bunch of other pop-psychological, quasi-misogynistic crap along the way. It's entertaining enough, and the art is serviceable throughout, but the depiction of Deadman himself is on a whole other level - I'd like to see him drawn this way in a story that lives up to the strangeness of his design.

[Quentin Wallace · Rating 4 out of 5]

This ran a little hot and cold, but was good overall. First up is the Deadman serial from Action Comics Weekly back in 1988 that I didn't even know about until this volume. It wasn't bad, and we got to see some Kelley Jones artwork before it really evolved, although you could see signs of his later art.

Then we have Love After Death, which to me was the high point of the volume. Some of the better artwork, if not the best, I've seen from Kelley Jones.

We wrap it up with Exorcism, which wasn't bad but I didn't enjoy as much as the previous works included.

I would say this volume is essential Deadman material, so if you're a fan of the character this is something you should read.

[Frédéric · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's all about Kelley Jones.

If you like his tortured style with its random anatomy and proportions, its deep shades of black and its gothic shadows, then you'll love this book in all its glory.
The storyline is sometimes shaky in its construction and a bit stretched in the "Exorcism" section but generally holds up well with a bit of gothic, a lot of macabre, a bit of horror, a pint of sexy and even a pinch of offbeat humour with the psychiatrist in "Exorcism".

If you don't like Jones, skip it, it's definitely not for you.

[Mhorg · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love Kelly Jones artwork. very reminiscent of the late, great Bernie Wrightson. I find the story a little uneven. but I've always liked deadman.

[ダンカン · Rating 4 out of 5]

Deadman is a supernatural hero in the DC Universe, which by its own standard, not really an interesting character. What made it stayed on was how he was written - a some what spirit named Boston Brand, a circus aerialist was shot to dead and was turn into a spirit by a Goddess Rama Kushna as a spirit to right wrongs. This is a complete collection of Deadman with featured art by Kelly Jones and written by Mike Baron.

I have been fascinated by the character and since it was drawn by Kelly Jones, he has this touch of horror that translates the art very well in the form of Deadman. As there are only three stories inside, they are connected one another that really shows Deadman as it is in the supernatural world in the DC Universe. For what's it worth, I love the art and the three chapters are fine. But to much of its own, Deadman isn't a character that many people will love. For me, its a good read, nothing more.

[Z · Rating 4 out of 5]

it was good but there was language in it that i didnt think was appropriate and i feel may have added to what kept this character from being more popular. Some language was indicative of the time period that was written though, so ...

[Jiro Dreams of Suchy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this! The contortionist design for deadman is perfect as he floats through these paranormal experiences. It looks amazing- the stories are interesting. I bought this one after finishing it at the library, please check this out!

[alejandro galvez · Rating 5 out of 5]

Super good read.

I miss when comics were this good. Uncensored and unfiltered art, like it should be. A classic to behold. We hardly see this type of writing and art style anymore. Glad I can always hop on a time machine and read back issues like this. Glad I read it.

[Jeremy · Rating 3 out of 5]

A pretty solid read if you're in the mood for some nineties-vintage Vertigo horror.

[Matt · Rating 3 out of 5]

Eh... the art started to grow on me. The stories were just ok but the last one seemed to go on forever.

[Bryan · Rating 4 out of 5]

The print and paper quality leaves something to be desired, but for $25, it’s a great value and a decent collection of the very good and long out-of-print Baron/Jones DEADMAN trilogy.

[Al McCarty · Rating 3 out of 5]

At last I realize how much Jones owes to Bernie Wrightson.

[Joshua Sloan · Rating 3 out of 5]

It really is just all about the art here.