The Damned Vol. 3: Prodigal Sons

The Damned #3

by Cullen Bunn

THE DAMNED: PRODIGAL SONS, is the third volume of the fan-favorite series by the award-nominated creative team behind THE SIXTH GUN you won’t want to miss! 

Years of playing every side in a world of Prohibition-era crime and violence spearheaded by demonic crime families, Eddie’s unfortunate gift of never staying dead may have reached its limit. While he seeks out their mother in the afterlife, Eddie’s cursed brother Morgan has tried to keep them both out of the hands of those are determined to make sure Eddie stays dead this time around.

Genres: Comics, Horror, Graphic Novels, Fantasy, Crime, Noir, Comic Book

136 pages, Paperback

First published February 12, 2019

About the author

Cullen grew up in rural North Carolina, but now lives in the St. Louis area with his wife Cindy and his son Jackson. His noir/horror comic (and first collaboration with Brian Hurtt), The Damned, was published in 2007 by Oni Press. The follow-up, The Damned: Prodigal Sons, was released in 2008. In addition to The Sixth Gun, his current projects include Crooked Hills, a middle reader horror prose series from Evileye Books; The Tooth, an original graphic novel from Oni Press; and various work for Marvel and DC. Somewhere along the way, Cullen founded Undaunted Press and edited the critically acclaimed small press horror magazine, Whispers from the Shattered Forum.

All writers must pay their dues, and Cullen has worked various odd jobs, including Alien Autopsy Specialist, Rodeo Clown, Professional Wrestler Manager, and Sasquatch Wrangler.

And, yes, he has fought for his life against mountain lions and he did perform on stage as the World's Youngest Hypnotist. Buy him a drink sometime, and he'll tell you all about it.

Visit his website at www.cullenbunn.com.

Reviews

[Philip James Ahlschlager]

Really hoping Bunn & Hurtt come back to finish this series; this could be on the same scale as the Sixth Gun.

[Patrick Brown]

Really hope they come back and finish this story one day.

[47Time]

Just as I feared, the story is left wide open. And it's a damn shame to leave these cool characters hanging. I would have loved to see one of them finally defeat the demons at their own game or succumb to the inevitability of death and damnation.

Eddie approches his younger brother Morgan to tell him about a way to contact their mother's soul. Morgan refuses the offer, accusing Eddie of continuing his father's legacy in dealing with the demons and always ending up with the short stick. The two brothers will prove that blood is thicker than water and will band together to face the demons in a desperate attempt to save their own lives and souls.

Bruno Roarke plans to take Eddie out, aware that he is important for the Verlochin. They get to the Gehenna Room when Eddie has already killed himself to search for his mother's soul. Morgan will risk his own life to protect Eddie's body, though Rourke's men have the upper hand. On the other world Eddie's soul is guided by a creature into a trap. His mother intervenes and gets him to safety by the time he is resurrected. It doesn't look like the brothers stand a chance, but they fight nontheless.

[Craig]

Love this series generally, but this volume isn't as strong as others. The story seems incomplete and the artwork a bit rushed. Still, you can't beat the mix of Depression-era gangsters and demons and I hope these guys continue to develop this universe.

[Václav]

DAMNED book 3
(2,5 of 5 because 4,5 minus 2 for CulBun abandoning this great series the way he did)
I loved those five issues maybe even more than the previous five, which were awesome too. That's why I was shocked when I came to the end of this book - the end is missing. There is not one single storyline ending. It was so great, but Cullen Bunn fucked up. He left all doors open with all stakes high to tease the next, probably final part, which never came. So this series was left unopened, and the way I see it it could be closed in one or two issues with grace. Shame.

[Stergios]

We learn about Eddie's immediate family and their past. He now tries to save his mother's soul dying willingly while his brother defends his corpse. A quick read but boring...

[Eric]

As enjoyable as the previous volumes, but lacking in the quality of the story arc. It felt a bit rushed and underdeveloped.

[G Scott]

Really good stuff.

[Sean Goh]

It was quite funny seeing Eddie's body being ragdolled around and killed deader. Cliffhanger ending that may or may not go anywhere.

[Robert]

An easy reentry into the world after several years away, but the open conclusion and lack of any more material coming soon is a definite downer. If you like your stories to have an end, avoid.

[Jonathan Bartholomew]

inevitably in any series, there will be a book that feels like a story is being told to get to the next story, and this is that book for this series. still WAAAY above average tho.

[Elaine White]

Another hit!
I've been waiting to learn more about Eddie's brother since Volume 1 and now we have it - the whole sordid story of how they became what they are. Though I'm still uncertain *what* his brother is, we get glimpses of how he's been affected by Eddie and how important they both are to the demon families.
It was nice to finally get an almost-conclusion to the whole storyline with his mother, and learn more about that, while also getting some flashback moments to their childhood. I loved the extra pages at the end that introduced the next phase of the story - showing how they became cursed.

I can't wait for Volume 4.