Tag Archives: szymon kudranski

No Man’s Land #4 wraps up the mystery with mixed results

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No Man's Land #4

A long and exhausting murder investigation comes to a shocking end with No Man’s Land #4.

This is it, the answers are there, the motives, the murderer revealed. No Man’s Land #4 wraps up the miniseries with a final issue that does deliver and ending but it being satisfying, is a little up in the air.

Written by Szymon Kudrański, No Man’s Land has been an intriguing series, a little X-Files set in the early days of the cold war. An American FBI agent and Soviet KGB agent work together to crack the case of a murder that has occurred on an ice bridge between the two countries.

For four issues, the series ha done a solid job of building tension and creating a mystery that left readers guessing as to what was really going on. And, in the end, the motivation and reasons are explained but they don’t feel satisfying enough.

The issue has mainly an interrogation where motives are guessed and explanations are given. They’re reasons but they also feel like something deeper is missing. The killer has used lots of mythology in the killing, some makes sense but the rest just feels rather extraneous. Overall, the whole thing feels a little extraneous without a clear solid driver of the events. There’s discussion of the natural state of humans being war and peace is unnatural, but it never quite feels like it’s really laid out the clear reason. Readers are left guessing by what’s said, and all of that feels more cryptic than clear.

The issue does deliver a solid ending with a final scene that’s somewhat predictable but has that nice finality to it like Se7en. It all feels a little unsatisfying though like the motions are gone through without resolution and maybe that’s part of the point.

Kudrański also provides the art and No Man’s Land #4 delivers the usual style that fits the somber mood of the overall comic. He keeps the killer in the shadows playing off some thematic themes and concepts as far as motivation. Overall the comic looks nice as expected. The lettering by DC Hopkins is solid giving the killer a very distinct style that creates an almost otherworldly aspect about him.

No Man’s Land #4 isn’t a bad finale but it also doesn’t quite make things clear enough as far as motivation and why certain things were done. It feels like the answer is “they were crazy,” a sort of copout. Though there’s discussion as to the big picture, it still doesn’t feel satisfying… which might be part of the point.

Story: Szymon Kudrański Art: Szymon Kudrański
Translation Assistance/Editor: Atom Morwill Letterer: DC Hopkins
Story: 7.25 Art: 7.5 Overall: 8.0 Recommendation: Read

Image Comics provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review

Purchase: Zeus Comics – Kindle

Preview: Crownsville #1

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Crownsville #1

(W) Rodney Barnes (A) Elia Bonetti! 

Founded at the turn of the 20th century outside of Annapolis, MD, the Crownsville Hospital was a notoriously segregated, all-Black psychiatric institute. After decades of overcrowding and neglect— alongside darker, more-persistent rumors of patient abuse and illegal medical experiments—it was finally closed. Today, it stands condemned—a crumbling testament to a legacy of all-too-real terror inflicted on a marginalized and vulnerable community. But even as a ruin of its former self, Crownsville still casts a long shadow. . . . When an unexplained death inside the abandoned hospital is ruled a suicide, Annapolis police detective Mike Simms and journalist Paul Blairare are compelled to dig deeper, only to discover the reality of the horrors that once took place there . . . and the powerful connection they share to the anguished spirits of the dead that are still locked within its walls.

Crownsville #1

Preview: Crownsville #1

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Crownsville #1

(W) Rodney Barnes (A) Elia Bonetti! 

Founded at the turn of the 20th century outside of Annapolis, MD, the Crownsville Hospital was a notoriously segregated, all-Black psychiatric institute. After decades of overcrowding and neglect— alongside darker, more-persistent rumors of patient abuse and illegal medical experiments—it was finally closed. Today, it stands condemned—a crumbling testament to a legacy of all-too-real terror inflicted on a marginalized and vulnerable community. But even as a ruin of its former self, Crownsville still casts a long shadow. . . . When an unexplained death inside the abandoned hospital is ruled a suicide, Annapolis police detective Mike Simms and journalist Paul Blairare are compelled to dig deeper, only to discover the reality of the horrors that once took place there . . . and the powerful connection they share to the anguished spirits of the dead that are still locked within its walls.

Crownsville #1

No Man’s Land #2 feels like a Cold War set episode of The X-Files

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No Man's Land #2

FBI Agent Collins touches down on Little Diomede to investigate a chilling murder—facing savage weather, crushing isolation, and the ghosts of a failing marriage. But when he’s forced to team up with KGB Agent Sonia Fiodrow, the uneasy alliance leads to disturbing revelations: a religiously motivated killer and a community gripped by fear. No Man’s Land #2 is a slow, tense, burn that fans of whodunnit stories will appreciate.

Written by and with art by Szymon Kudrański, No Man’s Land #2 at its heart is a murder mystery. A body has been found right in the middle of the ice bridge that connects Russian and the United States during the early years of the Cold War. An American FBI agent and KGB agent must team up to solve the murder but it’s all with the backdrop that is the Cold War.

Kudrański does a hell of a job here setting up two agents who need to work together but also are trained to not trust each other. Mix in the fact that by working together, they could inflame political tensions and also hurt their own careers. The comic seeps in tension and paranoia as the two attempt to figure out what’s going on.

Where Kudrański takes it is far more interesting. Signs early on point that the killing is a religiously driven one with teases of Biblical scripture and the talk of a demonic being. What goes from a straight politically tinged thriller, morphs slightly into an intriguing episode of The X-Files. Replace these two agents with Mulder and Scully and the comic wouldn’t miss a beat.

The art nails the aesthetic of it all with a slightly dark, very white, slightly nightmarish style that reflects the story and its setting. Kudrański is a talent all around when it comes to art, that’s a known, and the comic shows off writing talent as well. DC Hopkins‘ lettering too stands out tackling multiple languages and impressively lettering readers get a sense of intent of words even when the readers don’t know the language.

No Man’s Land #2 is an impressive issue. It mixes mystery, tension, and strange scares all with some fantastic art. For those who are interested in the genre, this is a series and issue that can’t be missed.

Story: Szymon Kudrański Art: Szymon Kudrański
Translation Assistance: Atom Morwill Letterer: DC Hopkins
Story: 8.0 Art: 8.0 Overall: 8.0 Recommendation: Buy

Image Comics provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review

Purchase: Zeus Comics – Kindle

Preview: No Man’s Land #2

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No Man’s Land #2

(W) Szymon Kudrański (A) Szymon Kudrański

FBI Agent Collins touches down on Little Diomede to investigate a chilling murder — facing savage weather, crushing isolation, and the ghosts of a failing marriage. But when he’s forced to team up with KGB Agent Sonia Fiodrow, the uneasy alliance leads to disturbing revelations: a religiously motivated killer and a community gripped by fear.

No Man's Land #2

Face Your Fears in Crownsville #1 – Rodney Barnes and Elia Bonetti Unearth Decades of Terror on November 5th!

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Oni Press has unleashed a look inside Crownsville #1, the first in a chilling five-part series from Rodney Barnes and artist Elia Bonetti! Inspired by the real-life horrors of the notorious Maryland psychiatric hospital once called the “Hospital for the Negro Insane of Maryland” that preyed upon the segregated Black communities surrounding Annapolis, Maryland for decades, Crownsville #1 is a haunting fusion of true crime, tension-addled thriller, and roaring supernatural horror arriving in comic shops everywhere on November 5th with a DOUBLE-SIZED, 48 PAGE FIRST ISSUE! 

Founded at the turn of the 20th century outside of Annapolis, MD, the Crownsville Hospital was a notoriously segregated, all-Black psychiatric institute. After decades of overcrowding and neglect— alongside darker, more-persistent rumors of patient abuse and illegal medical experiments—it was finally closed. Today, it stands condemned—a crumbling testament to a legacy of all-too-real terror inflicted on a marginalized and vulnerable community. But even as a ruin of its former self, Crownsville still casts a long shadow. . . . When an unexplained death inside the abandoned hospital is ruled a suicide, Annapolis police detective Mike Simms and journalist Paul Blairare are compelled to dig deeper, only to discover the reality of the horrors that once took place there . . . and the powerful connection they share to the anguished spirits of the dead that are still locked within its walls.

The past is a ghost that will devour you whole… Discover why on November 5th as master storytellers Rodney Barnes and Elia Bonetti unleash one of 2025’s most enthralling, most terrifying, and most spectacular statements on horror in Crownsville #1 – featuring wrenching covers by Jason Shawn Alexander, interior artist Elia Bonetti, Syzmon Kudranski, and Andrea Sorrentino!

Crownsville #1

Preview: No Man’s Land #1

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No Man’s Land #1

(W) Szymon Kudrański (A) Szymon Kudrański

Diomede Islands. For three months each year, you can walk from the USA to Russia across an ice bridge — a frozen path known as the Ice Curtain.

In 1963, when the body of a young woman is discovered on this icy no-man’s land, the already fragile relationship between the superpowers threatens to collapse. With nuclear tensions rising, an FBI agent and a KGB operative must solve the murder — before the ice melts… and war ignites.

From SOMETHING EPIC and BLOOD COMMANDMENT creator SZYMON KUDRANSKI comes the must-read thriller of the year.

No Man's Land #1

No Man’s Land #1 Kicks Off a Tense Political Murder Mystery

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No Man's Land #1

For three months each year, you can walk from the USA to Russia across an ice bridge—a frozen path known as the Ice Curtain. In 1963, when the body of a young woman is discovered on this icy no-man’s land, the already fragile relationship between the superpowers threatens to collapse. With nuclear tensions rising, an FBI agent and a KGB operative must solve the murder—before the ice melts…and war ignites. No Man’s Land #1 delivers a tense opening that’ll hook fans of murder mysteries.

No Man’s Land #1 is exactly what you’d want with a description like above. Szymon Kudrański handles the writing and art and delivers an opening period piece that’s full of tension and leave you guessing as to where it’s going to go. We’re introduced to an FBI agent who has been dedicated to his job and looking to retired but forced into investigating this international incident. He’s an agent that has wrecked his marriage but all in on the position and what it means, one who will not question his orders. It’s a setup that’s rather paint by numbers in some ways but is presented in a manner and seriousness that oozes tension. Set upon the backdrop of the Cold War and recent Cuban Missile Crisis, it’s a murder investigation set in a cold world and loneliness in location and in the agent’s personal life.

Kudrański’s art is haunting and leaves a sadness that’s perfect for the concept. There’s something about the combination that enhances the coldness of it all and compounds the precarious nature of the situation. It’s a morose comic with its visuals. Kudrański’s style gives it all a haunting, dreamlike feel that adds to the nightmare aspect of the murder and collapsing of a marriage.

No Man’s Land #1 is a solid debut. The combination of story and art create an issue that’ll hook fans of the genre but underneath it also delivers a tense political thriller that you should add to your pull list.

Story: Szymon Kudrański Art: Szymon Kudrański
Translation: Atom Morwill Letterer: DC Hopkins
Story: 8.35 Art: 8.35 Overall: 8.35 Recommendation: Buy

Image Comics provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review

Purchase: Zeus Comics – Kindle

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