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‘Bone Parish #1:’ Comic Book Review

Small, family-owned businesses are inspiring, heart-warming, and make the average consumer root for them to succeed . . . unless they are selling hallucinogenic drugs made from the ashes of dead people.

Bone Parish: Chapter One – Be Not Proud (billed as necromantic horror) is another incredible story from Cullen Bunn (Harrow County) that explores the darkest and most macabre corners of the drug industry. It begins with a bang – a drug-induced rock concert in the middle of the street from a drug dealer who sells “The Ash,” the fast-growing drug of choice. The reader soon meets the family behind the drug, which brings about interesting dynamics and plenty of power struggles – everything one would expect from a crime drama.

But, this isn’t a crime drama, and just when the reader thinks they know what will happen next, the story is twisted in a most unexpected way. I had to read the last couple of pages twice just to relive the experience. Bunn has had a fantastic career thus far, but in recent years, he’s really solidified himself as one of the top writers in not only the horror comic field, but the entire industry. It seems he can do no wrong, and Bone Parish is just one more example of his bottomless brilliance.

The art is just as outstanding, because one cannot have a great story without the art to back it up. Jonas Scharf (War for the Planet of the Apes) hits the perfect stride in this comic, with gruesome, disturbing imagery that can churn just about any stomach. As successful as the story is, it cannot stand alone, and the artwork takes it to a whole new level. Expressions and stances of characters make them come alive in a most beautiful way. The scenes that include drug-induced hallucinations are stunning and stand out from the rest of the panels in a horrifying way. Colors are spot on with shadows in all of the right places to bring out the creep factor, and the lettering is outstanding, with the perfect fonts for each bit of dialogue and narrative.

I don’t know that this team could have brought about a more perfect comic. Thankfully, it’s been picked up for 12 issues; this is a story that needs to be followed through to completion. I cannot wait to see where Bunn and team take us next.

Creative Team: Writer – Cullen Bunn; Artist – Jonas Scharf; Colors: Alex Guimãraes; Letters: Ed Dukeshire; Cover – Lee Garbett; Variant Covers – Rod Reis, Tyler Crook
Publisher: BOOM! Studios
Click here to purchase.

Angie Martin, Fanbase Press Guest Contributor

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