THE DAMNATION OF CHARLIE WORMWOOD #1 Review

Will this series prove a must have? Or is it better left on the shelves? Read on to find out.

The official description from Dynamite:

How far will a man go to save his son? Charlie Wormwood has a pretty normal life – a house, a wife, a job, and a kid. With his son sick, he begins treading a dangerous path to make things right. Teaching in prison gives him many “opportunities” but what problems will he create as he walks into the prison of darkness for his family?

What would you do to get medical help for your child? This is the question that The Damnation of Charlie Wormwood asks, with the emotionally driven tale showing how a prison English teacher is tempted to enter the life of crime himself. Unlike other crime tales, it’s the conviction behind Charlie Wormwood’s reasons for considering this that captivate, as if it was any other reason he’d be nothing more than a common criminal.

Christina Blanch and Chris Carr handle the script for The Damnation of Charlie Wormwood, and though it took a little while to draw me in, when it did it did so in a big way. Having a very dramatic tone throughout, the writers manage to show the fear and despair in Charlie, with the issue quickly turning him into a broken man. The issue wasn’t however without it’s flaws, with the main one being the constant change in pace. Though this reflects the tone of this tale wonderfully, it causes the flow to be uneven, and at times marginally disjointed.

Five Days to Die artist Chee handles the artwork on this emotional tale, with his black and white toned art giving a very dramatic look to this tale. Having become more frequently used than before, the black and white medium is one that can either go right or badly wrong. Fortunately for the better part Chee’s art does the former, with the grey tones capturing the despair of Charlie brilliantly. The layout also gives a TV drama flair to the issue, with the uniqueness at the start of chapters, and the end of the issue really adding more tension to those sequences.

The Damnation of Charlie Wormwood is an emotional tale that’ll touch the hearts of every fanboy. It also sets up what potentially could be a great crime tale, with the choices that Charlie’s contemplating leading him down a dangerous path. Recommended.