It takes a lot of effort to make something look realistic and strange at the same time, but Alexander pulls it off. There is an automatic sense of dread, the atmosphere is dense, and this can be linked to how out-of-place some figures and situations are.

It takes a quasi-realistic approach, but adds to it very unusual page and panel designs, especially on the angles that certain scenes are played out. It does take long to have better visibility on what the story is about, to the point of confusion.īefore going further into the plot, Alexander’s art is mesmerising. While surely a bold choice, and one that leaves invested readers glued to the page, it pushes its welcome a bit. For a debut issue, it keeps its cards very close to the vest, to the point that even halfway through it, readers might be unsure of what this story will actually be about. This is an important clarification, as the script by Barnes is surely deliberate on how it wants to hold back certain aspects of the plot, character backgrounds, and general themes that “Killadelphia” will explore.

Assume this audience comes in cold into the issue itself, with no sense of anticipation or clarity on what is it about.

Let’s assume for once that a reader approaching “Killadelphia” #1 will not have read any promotional material, or even the solicit about the issue. The city that was once the symbol of liberty and freedom has fallen prey to corruption, poverty, unemployment, brutality… and vampires. When a small-town beat cop comes home to bury his murdered father-the revered Philadelphia detective James Sangster Sr.-he begins to unravel a mystery that leads him down a path of horrors that will shake his beliefs to their core. “SINS OF THE FATHER,” Part One Featuring the show-stopping talents of SPAWN series artist JASON SHAWN ALEXANDER and the writer behind such hit shows as Wutang: An American Saga, Marvel’s Runaways, and Starz’s American Gods-RODNEY BARNES.

Killadelphia vol 1