Does this new property pack enough punch to make a revenge yarn relevant and interesting?  Read on to find out.

The official description from Image:

The men involved in his wife’s death must die. All of them.

Writer JUSTIN JORDAN (LUTHER STRODE) and artist MATTEO SCALERA (BLACK SCIENCE, Indestructible Hulk) craft the bruising story of one man’s revenge and the dark road he travels.

From the first page on the creative team presses their foot on the proverbial gas pedal, as we’re treated to something that lacks depth but delivers substance. This is a paper thin comic book, but that doesn’t mean that these characters aren’t gripping in their own right, as the people behind this tale offer up something more than back story.  It’s a jaunt that relies on what it can create and it’s through that chaos that something worth noting happens.

I can’t quite explain it but the script by Justin Jordan made me care for our protagonist and the hacker he’s currently chasing down.  It’s not that we’re give a lot to go with, it’s just that the cadence and consistency of the voice carry the piece toward perilous sequences that left me in awe of the author’s skills.  There’s a dark underbelly to his plot points that allow this release to feel authentic, as it regales us with a hard version of payback.  To that end I wish there would have been some time spent building up our primary before the shooting started.

Matteo Scalera handles the visual side of the equation and it more than works for what we’re given.  His illustrations are refined, to a point, as they ebb and flow with an innate spirit of violence that seems to echo where our tale stands.  It’s focused rage that’s unleashed as it needs to be.  There were a couple off renditions but for the most part the body of work rang true to the text that inspired it. In short: the pictures were functionally awesome.

Dead Body Road #1 has plenty of room to grow, but for what we get it earns attention.  Recommended.

3.5/5