Review: Killadelphia #4
Rodney Barnes and Jason Shawn Alexander’s Killadelphia has been setting its sights high since the very first issue. It established conflicting racial politics and creates a history that dates back to early independent America. A time when the Founding Fathers still roamed the land. One of them turns out to be a vampire looking to start a revolution of his own in present times. A vampire revolution. Killadelphia #4 is where that revolution starts, where we hear the first shot of the vampire uprising. It’s loud enough to become the new ‘shot heard around the world.’
Father and son James and Jim Sangster along with chief medical examiner Jose Padilla have stumbled across several big pieces of the larger puzzle, namely that President John Adams is patient zero of the vampire virus and that some of Philadelphia’s poorer neighborhoods have become his personal vampiric breeding grounds. Our merry group of novice vampire hunters is worried about the conquest-level amounts of bloodsuckers that are awaiting their orders, but they still don’t know when it’s all going to go down. This fourth issue is when everything starts.
Barnes’ script and Shawn Alexander’s art never waste an opportunity to comment on the fact that most of Adams’ vampire army is composed of black people. This is interesting because Adams is widely regarded as one of the few Founding Father to have not owned slaves. The actual facts behind this are somewhat muddy as the President did hire white and free black servants but also rented out slaves from slave owners, paying a service fee for their employment.
On top of that, Adams tolerated slavery and was very much a man of his time, meaning he might not hold up in a court of public opinion in today’s political climate (or perhaps he would’ve, given the state of things). This might say something about the drive behind his vampire revolution, especially in terms of how traditional or nuanced his perceived villainy will end up being.
It doesn’t seem like Barnes and Shawn Alexander are looking to frame Adams as a mere ‘white bad guy’ type of character for Killadelphia. The next two issues should reveal a lot more about the agendas pushed forward by the second President of the United States. The race dynamic between the white leader and the black vampires speaks volumes, but just exactly what it’s truly meant to represent is still up for debate.
I will say, while I am completely invested in the series and have loved how dense each entry has been, I did feel the revolution started a bit early. I could’ve done with two more issues of world building and perhaps more exploration of the vampires themselves. Issue #4 takes a plunge into big story developments and, while exciting, it does feel a bit rushed.
Shawn Alexander’s art continues to impress. It really digs into the grittiness of the setting, but it also plays with realism in a way that keeps the more fantastical elements of the story grounded. It heightens the horror and continues to produce some nasty-looking vampires.
Luis NCT’s colors, on the other hand, do a fantastic job of helping the art maintain a balance between its fantasy and its realism. They have a way of accentuating the more visceral sequences while also setting the tone for the moments that need an additional dose of darkness to really be effective. Visually, this comic is a well-oiled machine. The script wraps itself around this beautifully.
Killadelphia #4 speeds things up quite a bit—perhaps a bit too quickly—but the quality of the storytelling hasn’t dipped not one bit. There are traces of Richard Matheson’s I Am Legend here, and even a bit of Candyman in terms of ambiance. I’m eager to see what else gets thrown in the ring, because we got a vampire revolution firing up and it looks like it’s about to get real bloody.
Story: Rodney Barnes Art: Jason Shawn Alexander Colors: Luis NCT
Story: 8.0 Art: 10 Overall: 9.0
Recommendation: Buy, and then make sure it’s in your pull list
Image Comics provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review
“Philadelphia Comic Con is a flagship event that went extremely well this past weekend. We’re excited to announce our 2012 dates with such a prestigious group of artists,” said Gareb Shamus, Wizard World CEO. “With Deodato, Hildebrandt, Segovia, Pagulayan and Tolibao, we are bringing fans closer to the best artists from all over the world, many of whom haven’t appeared in the United States in many years. I’m already impressed with our lineup, and we have 12 months left to go. We also want to congratulate Wizard World fan favorite Greg Capulo on his Batman duties; the art we’ve seen is quite awesome.”
The creators will be on hand to meet fans, sign autographs and sketch. Many Greater Philadelphia-based artists will be in attendance, as well as a total of 13 Eisner Comics winners or nominees, including honorees Franco Aureliani (“Billy Batson And The Magic Of Shazam!,” “Tiny Titans”) and Todd Klein (“Green Lantern,” “New Talent Showcase”).
“Response to this year’s celebrities has been massive,” said Gareb Shamus, Wizard World CEO. “Philadelphia Comic Con is bringing its most robust and diverse guest list ever. Fans are psyched, and they have let us know.”
NEW YORK and PHILADELPHIA, May 26, 2011 – Thirteen Will Eisner Comics Industry Awards winners or nominees are among the more than 200 comic creators already scheduled to attend Wizard World Philadelphia Comic Con, part of North America’s largest pop-culture tour, June 17-19 at the Pennsylvania Convention Center.
Other superstar artists scheduled to attend include Doug Braithwaite (“Heroes for Hire,” “Chaos War: X-Men”); Jim Cheung (“Avengers,” “Uncanny X-Men”); Arthur Suydam (“Marvel Zombies,” “Army of Darkness”); Minck Oosterveer (“Zombie Tales,” “The Unknown”); Greg Horn (“Spider-Man: Turn off the Dark,” “Hero For Hire”); Phil Jimenez (“Amazing Spider-Man,” “Astonishing X-Men); Mike Grell (“Green Arrow,” “Green Lantern”); Tom Raney (“Avengers Academy,” “Incredible Hulks”); and Shane Davis (“Bruce Wayne – The Road Home,” “Green Lantern”).
NEW YORK and PHILADELPHIA, May 16, 2011 – Wizard World Inc. (WIZD) is proud to announce that popular WWE professional wrestler, television and movie star Bill Goldberg has joined a standout list of celebrity guests scheduled to attend the 11th annual Wizard World Philadelphia Comic Con at the Pennsylvania Convention Center. Goldberg, who will be making his first Wizard World event appearance, will meet fans on Saturday, June 18th. The event, which will feature more than 300 celebrities, comic book creators and great guests, will be held June 17-19.