The New Deadwardians #8

Written by Dan Abnett
Art by INJ Culbard

Eight months ago, Vertigo launched four new titles in a mini-wave of new material, perhaps in an attempt to replicate some of the attention given to their new 'waves' of New 52 titles.  The plan didn't seem to work too well, as one of the ongoing books has already been cancelled (Dominique Laveau Voodoo Child), and the best of the bunch, The New Deadwardians, never received much press or critical buzz.

That's a real shame though, as Dan Abnett put together a very well-constructed and interesting mini-series with this book.  It's set in a world where much of the upper crust of Edwardian England became vampires (called The Young) in the wake of a massive outbreak of zombies (known as The Restless).  This series has followed London's last homicide detective, Inspector Suttle, as he investigates a case involving the murder of one of the Young, something no one thought was possible outside of the usual methods.

Suttle's investigations revealed to him the machinations of a secret society, the presence of magic in his world, and the stirrings of his own dead heart.  This issue wraps things up very nicely, as Suttle confronts the magician Salt, and learns just what has been going on for behind the scenes.

Is I've been saying all along, Abnett has done a terrific job of building up this world, and thinking through how people at each level of society would feel about it.  INJ Culbard was a great choice for the art, with his style that reminds me of Guy Davis.  This was a very satisfying little series.

The New Deadwardians #7

Written by Dan Abnett
Art by INJ Culbard

As we reach the penultimate issue of The New Deadwardians, Dan Abnett is still piling on the intrigue.  The issue opens with the intrepid Inspector Suttle being attacked by some Bright (human) Londoners.  Suttle being Young (a vampire), is able to easily defend himself, but he has no defence for the surprises that Mr. Salt heaps upon him.

By the time he has finished interviewing his only suspect in the murder of Lord Hinchcliffe, Suttle is not sure of anything anymore, including his own complicity in the murder, and in the Restless (zombie) incursion that killed his own cook.

Abnett has constructed an interesting alternate history with this book, and then populated it with an interesting character.

INJ Culbard's art is the real star of this book though.  He's got a Guy Davis meets Rick Geary quality to his work that I enjoy.  This issue feels looser than the previous ones, at least during the action sequences, and it works very well.

The New Deadwardians #6

Written by Dan Abnett
Art by INJ Culbard

Things take a few different turns in the latest issue of The New Deadwardians.  Inspector Suttle comes up with a theory about his case (involving the murder of a vampire - something previously not believed possible) that I didn't see coming, and also engages himself in a manner he hasn't in some fifty years when his prostitute friend comes around with some new information.

The New Deadwardians is set in a remarkably well-realized world where most upper-class Londoners have become vampires, and where areas outside of their control are subject to zombie attacks.
The murder victim is a Lord of some importance, and Suttle keeps coming across evidence of a secret society's involvement in everything that is going on.

This leads to his having an interesting conversation with a Mr. Salt, a poet who was known to associate with Lord Hinchcliffe.  Salt discusses some numerology, the likes of which always loses me, and leads Suttle into some trouble.

As with the previous issues, Abnett is crafting a very good story, and it is being masterfully illustrated by Culbard.  This is a very good series.

The New Deadwardians #5

Written by Dan Abnett
Art by INJ Culbard

I continue to be very impressed with the way in which Dan Abnett has crafted this mini-series.  It's a murder mystery set in an England where the upper class have all become 'Young', or vampires, broadening the inequality that has always been so ingrained in British society.  A large number of Brits have become 'Restless' (what we would call zombies), and the 'Bright', or regular people, live confined in districts that are not always safe.

Our hero, Chief Inspector Suttle is investigating the first case of murder of a Young - Lord Hinchcliffe was found with his afterlife terminated through a method different from the standard three.  In this issue, Suttle arrives at the Hinchliffe's estate, Cadley House, to meet with his family and further investigate what has happened.

Hinchcliffe's family is rather interesting.  The son, and new Lord, is a bit of a hedonist, while the wife is typical Young - rather unconcerned about the whole thing.  Hinchcliffe's daughter gives Abnett the opportunity to explore gender politics in this strange world.  It seems that it is much harder for women, especially unmarried women, to receive the Cure and become Young.  Lady Celia is a suffragette, whose slogan is 'throats for women'.

Suttle is also given some new information about the interesting symbol that was found on Hinchcliffe.  It's all over the estate, and also on the pocket watch of Lord Falconbridge, a senior government minister, who is there to help the family through their predicament, and to send Suttle on some false leads it seems.

I really like the way that Abnett is taking a typical British mystery story and shifting it into this strange world.  He follows many of the conventions of this genre, but also manages to upend them for his own purposes.  Culbard's art is perfect for this project, and I would like to see him do more after this series ends.  I think he'd be a good artist to add to the BPRD stable.

The New Deadwardians #4

Written by Dan Abnett
Art by INJ Culbard

As we reach the half-way mark in Dan Abnett's alternative history comic, that posits an Edwardian England divided between Brights (lower-class normal people), Young (the vampiric upper classes), and Restless (zombies of all classes), he decides to share a little more of the mechanics of how society changed with the discovery of 'the cure'.

Chief Inspector George Suttle, a Young, is investigating the murder of another Young - the first ever to take place using methods other than the usual, like a stake in the heart.  He's doing his investigating in Zone B, where the Bright live, when a group of thugs try to rough him up.  He begins to go through some changes by being in the regions of London where people actually live, and it causes him to remember more of the man that he once was.  To contrast this, Louisa, his maid who he recently gave the Cure to, is having a hard time accepting after-life as a Young.

Abnett is having fun with this book.  He's playing with the strict social stratification of Edwardian England, but he's also telling a compelling mystery story that is full of strong character work.  This is an off-beat, but very good series, with very nice art.

The New Deadwardians #3

Written by Dan Abnett
Art by INJ Culbard

Dan Abnett's historical fantasy murder mystery series is very interesting.  He spent the first two issues of this eight-issue mini-series establishing the rules for his society.  Britain is divided between zones, with the posh Zone A reserved for the Young - the upper-class, who have taken 'the cure' and become vampires, and Zone B, where the Bright, the everyday humans who make up the toiling class live.  There is constant threat of attack by the Restless - zombies - who shuffle around the edges of the zones.

Until I wrote that paragraph, I hadn't noticed that this is a comic about the Young and the Restless.  Sometimes it takes me a little while...

Anyway, in this issue, our Chief Inspector protagonist, on the case of the first actual murder Zone A has seen in decades, travels into Zone B, searching for a particular Young.  He is escorted by an officer who clearly has some thoughts about the class system, but doesn't say much.  He is taken to a brothel that the suspect has been known to frequent, where he engages in an interesting conversation with one of the girls.

This series is on a bit of a slow boil, but Abnett keeps the dialogue sharp and the world-building compelling enough to hold up entire issues on its own.  I find myself increasingly curious about this world he's created, and I'm enjoying Culbard's artwork a great deal.  This is a good series.

The New Deadwardians #2

Written by Dan Abnett
Art by INJ Culbard

I find I'm really liking this Vertigo mini-series.  Dan Abnett has constructed an alternate history where, we learn this issue, in 1861, a plague of zombies (or 'Restless', as they are called in the story) overwhelmed England.  Many of the upper class felt it necessary to take 'The Cure' in order to protect themselves - this turned them into 'Young', which we know as vampires.

Now, it's 1910, and a vampire's body has been found, and it appears that he was murdered in some fashion other than the only three ways in which one can kill a vampire.  This has our main character, Chief Inspector George Suttle, rather confused.  When it turns out that the deceased undead is Lord Hinchcliffe, an advisor to the crown, then there is a strong need to solve the case quickly and quietly.

Abnett is taking his time with this story, examining various aspects of this society, where 'Brights', or regular people, are confined to menial tasks and a lower place in society.  It seems that British class dramas are making a resurgence on television with Downtown Abbey, and I like that Abnett is playing within that genre.  I also appreciate that he has not chosen (so far at least) to turn this into a Jack the Ripper related comic; that has been done to death.

INJ Culbard's art works nicely with this story.  He has a good sense of the period.

The New Deadwardians #1

Written by Dan Abnett
Art by INJ Culbard

The store where I buy comics was shorted of all of their copies of The New Deadwardians last week, so this was the first I was able to get my hands on an issue of this new mini-series by Dan Abnett (without Andy Lanning) and INJ Culbard.

The New Deadwardians is a very cool comic.  It's set in London in 1910, but this is an alternate history, where zombies, called Restless, roam many areas of the city (designated Zone-B), and where many members of the upper class have been turned into The Young, which we would call vampires.  This information is not thrust at us, but is instead parceled out over the course of the issue.

When the comic opens, our hero, Detective Inspector Suttle is laying awake in bed.  He is disturbed by noises coming from 'below stairs', and descends to find one of his maids being devoured by a Restless.  He quickly dispatches the creature, and soon after learns that another of his maids has been bitten.  The next morning, he takes her to receive 'the cure', which turns her into a Young.

Later, Suttle goes to work, and catches his first murder case in ages (since most people in London are dead already, there's not a lot of call for a working Homicide department).  This case is used to underscore the state of class warfare in 'Deadwardian' England, and also sets up what looks to be an interesting twist on the standard murder mystery.

Abnett is one-half of one of my favourite superhero comics writing teams (Legion of Super-Heroes, Nova, Guardians of the Galaxy, New Mutants, and many more), but it's nice to see him working on his own, and on a project that is in such a different vein.  His approach to this alternate history is very well thought-out, and pretty interesting. Artist INJ Culbard is new to me, and I really like what I'm seeing.  His art looks like a cross between Guy Davis and the Luna Brothers.  He uses an expansive panel lay-out that works well on this type of comic, even though it doesn't look particularly Vertigo-ish.

I somehow missed the information that this was a mini-series, and I was previously skeptical about jumping on this as an on-going series.  For eight issues though, I'm definitely on board.