Dante has discovered that not all victories are sweet. The Count may have won his tournament, but the outfit ransacked his dojo and murdered his friend. When that happens, there is only one thing left to do… dojo war. Count Dante: The Unauthorized (But Sort of True) Story of The Deadliest Man Who Ever Lived #5 wraps up the story that dances around both fact and fiction.

Written by J.C. Barbour, it’s hard to figure out exactly where the bullshit begins and truth ends for Count Dante: The Unauthorized (But Sort of True) Story of The Deadliest Man Who Ever Lived #6 but for what’s out there, the finale lands much more in the fiction space. That unknown has been part of the fun of the series but for those that know the story of John Timothy Keehan, aka Count Dante, you know this issue takes a lot of liberty.

With the counterattack against his enemies over, Dante is hurting and on death’s door. In fact, he dies this issue and beyond the twists and turns throughout, that death is as much a clue as to where this series lies than anything else.

With visions of Bruce Lee, talk of a Sheng Mak, and a question as to whether he faked his death, the finale falls far into the fantasy space. In reality, Count Dante died in his sleep of internal hemorrhaging caused by a bleeding ulcer. While an “ulcer” is mentioned, it’s the form of ulcerative colitis and then from there things get upgraded, or is it downgraded, to cancer that eventually takes his life. It’s maybe the one “fact” that’s pretty documented but the series takes artistic liberty. And that’s quite ok as that’s part of the fun of the series as a whole. For six issues it’s taken the exageration that is Count Dante and upped it to 11.

The art by Wes Watson continues to be great with color by Paula Goulart. The comic has a pulp sense about it and there’s a detail about the art and the ads within that really enhances the story overall. While there’s some action in the issue, it’s all about Dante’s death and the art takes a somewhat muted a solemn approach about it all. It’s what the comic needs in a way visually delivering a muted death compared to the visual over the top aspects of the previous five issues followed by a pulp sense of action. Visually, it’s a chef’s kiss..

Count Dante: The Unauthorized (But Sort of True) Story of The Deadliest Man Who Ever Lived #6 wraps up the series having fun with its subject. It’s both reality and satire, fact and fiction, truth and lies, sending up martial arts, the 70s and 80s, all in one entertaining series. Hopefully it entertains and maybe it’ll send readers on a journey to discover even more about this iconic figure in martial arts.

Story: J.C. Barbour Art: Wes Watson
Ink: Wes Watson Letterer: Wes Watson Color: Paula Goulart
Story: 8.0 Art: 8.0 Overall: 8.0 Recommendation: Buy

Graphic Policy was provided a FREE copy for review

Purchase: Zeus Comics – Scout Comics

Dante has discovered that not all victories are sweet. The Count may have won his tournament, but the outfit ransacked his dojo and murdered his friend. When that happens, there is only one thing left to do… dojo war. Count Dante: The Unauthorized (But Sort of True) Story of The Deadliest Man Who Ever Lived #5 continues the sort of true story that’ll leave you wondering what’s fact and what’s fiction and ups the action!

Written by J.C. Barbour, it’s hard to figure out exactly where the bullshit begins and truth ends for Count Dante: The Unauthorized (But Sort of True) Story of The Deadliest Man Who Ever Lived #5. That’s part of the story’s charm and fun. It’s based on a real person whose greatest skill might have been selling himself. But, as has been the trend with each issue, it feels like the bullshit has grown more and more. Everything is so exaggerated with each moment taken to an extreme.

The issue focuses on the fallout from the attack on Dante’s dojo. He’s out for revenge and the first round doesn’t go well at all landing him in jail and then from there… it’s time for a counterattack!

The issue has a pop sense about it that evokes B-martial arts films as well as the revenge/action films of the 70s and 80s. The comedic aspect of things dies down a little with this issue, instead focusing on serious moments and coming off more action oriented.

The art by Wes Watson continues to be great with color by Paula Goulart. The comic has a pulp sense about it and there’s a detail about the art and the ads within that really enhances the story overall. The characters have a style that does a nice balance of the tone the comic is going for. It’s both comical and serious at the same time, but the more serious nature enhances the comical aspects. It’s an exaggerated fantasy and grounded in some ways too. All of that is helped with the addition of ads in the comic that evoke the classic style of the time. They punctuate the humor of it all.

Count Dante: The Unauthorized (But Sort of True) Story of The Deadliest Man Who Ever Lived #5 is another great entry setting up the battle to come beyond the tournament. There’s some truth to it all but the end result is an exaggerated comedic mess of reality. It’s the truth but a hyperbole which fits so well in our times. It feels like the precursor of the bullshit that permeates and is standard today. Then again, it can all be true too… that’s for you, the reader, to decide.

Story: J.C. Barbour Art: Wes Watson
Ink: Wes Watson Letterer: Wes Watson Color: Paula Goulart
Story: 8.0 Art: 8.0 Overall: 8.0 Recommendation: Buy

Graphic Policy was provided a FREE copy for review

Purchase: Zeus Comics – Scout Comics

Too brutal for Hollywood, Dante now turns his attention to the bloodsport tournament that will make him a legend. But the Count will soon discover that not all wars are fought on one front. And some wounds hurt more than others… Count Dante: The Unauthorized (But Sort of True) Story of The Deadliest Man Who Ever Lived #4 continues the sort of true story that’ll leave you wondering what’s fact and what’s fiction.

Written by J.C. Barbour, it’s hard to figure out exactly where the bullshit begins and truth ends for Count Dante: The Unauthorized (But Sort of True) Story of The Deadliest Man Who Ever Lived #4. That’s part of the story’s charm and fun. It’s based on a real person whose greatest skill might have been selling himself. But, unlike the previous three issues, the bullshit seems a bit more apparent here. Everything is so exaggerated with larger than life characters, it’s hard to take much of anything in the issue at any value beyond entertaining. The tournament happened, that’s about where the truth ends.

The issue focuses on Dante fighting in the tournament he has set up and the final few rounds of it. The tournament’s goal is to find the deadliest person out there and who knows if that goal is really achieved at all.

The issue has a pop sense about it that evokes B-martial arts films. And, more so than other issues, there’s a level of comedy in here at a different level. It’s much more slapstick than the first three issues but it balances action and humor well. Like the story itself, the characters presented are a mix of fact and fiction, spoofs, and all delivering some laughs.

The art by Wes Watson continues to be great with color by Paula Goulart. The comic has a pulp sense about it and there’s a detail about the art and the ads within that really enhances the story overall. The characters have a style that does a nice balance of the tone the comic is going for. It’s both comical and serious at the same time. It’s an exaggerated fantasy and grounded in some ways too. All of that is helped with the addition of ads in the comic that evoke the classic style of the time. They punctuate the humor of it all.

Count Dante: The Unauthorized (But Sort of True) Story of The Deadliest Man Who Ever Lived #4 is another great entry setting up the battle to come beyond the tournament. There’s some truth to it all but the end result is an exaggerated comedic mess of reality. It’s the truth but a hyperbole which fits so well in our times. It feels like the precursor of the bullshit that permeates and is standard today. Then again, it can all be true too… that’s for you, the reader, to decide.

Story: J.C. Barbour Art: Wes Watson
Ink: Wes Watson Letterer: Wes Watson Color: Paula Goulart
Story: 8.0 Art: 8.0 Overall: 8.0 Recommendation: Buy

Graphic Policy was provided a FREE copy for review

Purchase: Zeus Comics – Scout Comics