“A truly dense comic…what the heck just happened?”  That’s the first thing that popped into my head after I completed the issue.  For comparisons sake, this title makes a Johnathan Hickman comic look like “See Spot Run.”  It’s not that I didn’t want to like this comic.  I am always down for prohibition era stories especially when paired with some lite science fiction elements.  But what results from this comic is something of a mess.  I appreciate what Johnathan Ross is trying to do.  He’s got these great nuggets of ideas, but these nuggets are bogged down in jolting time shifts and overcomplicated exposition.  I don’t know if I’m all that hot on the alien aspect that seems to be creeping into this book, and I have a hard time not believing that someone in this world had never heard of vampires.  If a bunch of gangsters started disappearing mysteriously, and if they were found with their throats ripped out, I would like to assume that vampires, at some point, would come into my psyche.  This is a true example, at least for me, of a guy who doesn’t write comics trying out his first book.  I think that this book has potential, and Ross, who is accomplished in his own right, will surely find his footing.  I just hope that he can get there because this first issue is a tough one to read, and may not speak well for the future of the book.

Of course, the real star of this show is Tommy Lee Edwards.  I think he tries to do his best with Ross’ script, but there’s just so much.  His storytelling is cramped and tight and lot of his pencils are overshadowed by Ross’ word balloons and text boxes.  It’s a shame, really, because his art is fantastic and is a perfect fit for this style of story.  Hopefully, as the book continues, he’ll be able to shine more as Ross learns to get his writing under control.