Kiss Me Satan #2 Review
Published by Dark Horse Comics
Story by Victor Gischler
Art by Juan Ferreyra
Colour Assistance by Eduardo Ferreyra
Review by Patrick McAleer
The first issue of Dark Horse Comics new miniseries Kiss Me Satan from writer Victor Gischler and artist Juan Ferreyra, was akin to eating a beautifully dark stew. It borrowed heavily from horror, but with a pinch of gangsters and a dash of the chase movie genre, all bubbling to great effect in that famous melting pot of New Orleans.
With this second issue, the stew is getting even tastier. From the previous installment we learn that the criminal underworld in New Orleans is run by a family of werewolves. The head of this family, Cassian, is infuriated when his witch Verona (who acts as a kind of oracle for him) informs him that the unborn son his wife is carrying does not bear the mark of the Lycan, meaning he cannot be Cassian’s heir and future leader of the family. Cassian intends to silence the witch, lest this information spread, Verona being well aware of his intentions goes on the run with her coven of young underlings.
Enter Barnabas Black, a fallen angel of sorts, pursued by Beelzebub’s minions, he’s trying his damnedest to get back ‘north’ before he’s dragged ‘south’. In order to achieve this, he is tasked with protecting Verona and her young apprentices. Where issue #1 established the characters and set the scene, this second issue is very much action heavy as Barnabas and the witches must fend off a vampire assassin and a horde of ‘ninja corpses’. We also get to witness the birth of Cassian’s son, which is not without its own brutal piece of action.
Writer Victor Gischler is crafting a wonderfully black yet humorous little tale, with elements borrowed from various genres to create something of a guilty pleasure. I’m a grown man in my 30’s, married with kids, so should a horde of skeleton ninjas in a monster truck chasing a Cadillac full of witches excite me? No. Does it? Yes… and I don’t care. How often do you get to see werewolves on an actual ‘witch-hunt’? Kiss Me Satan is just damn good fun. The pacing is excellent with some snappy dialogue and brilliantly executed action sequences. So whats not to love?
As for the art by Juan Ferreyra with colour assistance by Eduardo Ferreyra, it is suitably dark. His thick line work blends gorgeously with the colour scheme in places to give an almost painted effect. He moulds his sound effects to become part of the action scenes they describe and presents us with some exquisitely rendered gore. His white bordered panel choices are standard format, save for the odd angled panel here and there during the more kinetic moments. The darkly subdued painterly style of the colouring adds a distinctive look to the book.
Overall this is a very enjoyable little series, perfect for the Halloween period. Classic monsters, fallen angels and witches on the run – sign me up for issue #3.
Story 4/5
Art 4.5/5
Colours 4/5
Overall 4/5
Patrick is a contributing writer for Drunk On Comics. You can follow him on Twitter at @RepStones.