Dead Body Road #1: A Road Too Well-Travelled
REVIEW: Dead Body Road #1
Publisher: Image Comics
Story by Justin Jordan
Art by Matteo Scalera and Moreno Dinisio
I’m a sucker for ’80s action-film-type stories. These stories can work when there’s at least a minutiae of something new added. This story didn’t quite go to a bone-dry well, but the well isn’t offering anything resembling fresh water.
The protagonist, Orson Gage, embarks on a one-man mission for revenge after losing someone he loves. A cop/close friend of Gage’s tries to talk Orson out of what he plans to do, but nothing will put out the fire that burns within Gage … and that’s about it.
A tad more innovation with this story comes not from the lead character, but another involved in a heist gone horrifically wrong. The two men’s paths cross, and this seems to be the crux of the story. It wouldn’t be so bad if the ride was at least fun. Unfortunately, the dialogue is extremely stiff, with no voice standing out. The action can best be described as solid — nothing more.
Matteo Scalera is definitely the right artist for this type of story. He balances the fine line between detailed and minimalist like very few can. Colorist Moreno Dinisio did a good enough job, although upon the second reading, I couldn’t help but feel this story maybe would have been served better by being rendered in black and white or sepia. I also feel that drawing the protagonist to look like a certain gun-toting vigilante in another comic universe did this book no favors.
I will give this book a few more issues before passing final judgment. Though, given the caliber of all of the creators’ other work, I was expecting a much stronger opener here. — 3.5 out of 5
