Sydney Brown relives his years fighting alongside Count Dante, an iconic and controversial karate master from the 1970s. But while the reporter interviewing him his excited to hear the salacious details of a crazy life, it is clear the time is bittersweet for Brown. Count Dante: The Unauthorized (But Sort of True) Story of the Deadliest Man Who Ever Lived #1 kicks off the sort of true story of the wild life of John Timothy Keehan, whose life is too strange to be true.

Written by J.C. Barbour, the series is told from the perspective of Sydney Brown, a friend of Keehan, aka Count Dante, a real life personality who expanded martial arts training in the US, took on the mob, may have been behind the heist of $4.3 million, and was a hairdresser and Vietnam Vet. His life was wild and unbelievable. How much is true, we’ll never know but the reality of it all mixed with complete bullshit makes for an interesting subject. And Barbour pulls it off with a first issue that sets the stage for the insanity to come and leaving the reader to ponder what is real and what is not.

Some of that is helped by the art of Wes Watson. Along with colors by Paula Goulart, the comic has a look and style that feels like it plays off of 70s exploitation films. The action scenes are exaggerated in ways, mixed with the quieter moments that evoke the films I remember. And the style is such that it emphasizes the “is it true or not” aspect of it all.

Count Dante: The Unauthorized (But Sort of True) Story of the Deadliest Man Who Ever Lived #1 is an intriguing comic. I knew nothing about JT Keehan before this and now, I want to find out more. It’s a life that can only be described as a wild ride and how much is true and how much isn’t is something debated today. Still, he’s a character that stands out in the world of martial arts and the comic feels like it’s going to do a solid job of taking us through the journey.

Story: J.C. Barbour Art: Wes Watson
Color: Paula Goulart Letterer: Wes Watson
Story: 7.75 Art: 7.75 Overall: 7.75 Recommendation: Read

Scout Comics provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review

---

Purchase: Zeus Comics – Scout Comics