Preview – The Grievous Journey of Ichabod Azrael

 

Ichabod Azarael 1 - Cover

Written by Rob Williams
Art by Dom Reardon, Mike Dowling, Antonio Fuso and Peter Doherty.
Published in the US by 2000AD

Release date – 25th February 2015

His name is Ichabod and he was a killer. But his death was only the beginning of his story! From writer Rob Williams (The Royals: Masters of War) and artist Dom Reardon (The Ten Seconders), comes a tale of vengeance and redemption that will shake the very gates of the afterlife itself. Ichabod Azrael was the deadliest, meanest outlaw the Old West ever spat out, but his murder at the hands of hired guns takes him on a journey through the underworld as he desperately tries to return to the land of the living, and his true love Zoe, haunted by the dead he left in his wake!
Ichabod Azrael has run on and off in the British 2000AD weekly since 2010. This is the next in the series of comics, out next February, aimed at the US market, and the story will be presented as a six issue mini series.
Those acquainted with the series know that it’s a fiery sermon of a comic. Imagine the Old West mixed with Biblical mythology, cross that with a central character who wouldnt flich at being starred down by Eastwood or Mifune and you get a sense of the mood of this series.

Ichabod-01_Page_18

 

 

The narration hits like a hammer and the dialogue is good enough to have been lifted directly from an episode of Deadwood. Although the art team changes there remains a consistent style throughout. Issue 1 contains the art of Dom Reardon (Caballistics) and colours by Peter Doherty (Shaolin Cowboy), with a cover from Simon Davis (Sláine the Barbarian) with a variant by Lee Garbett (Loki: Agent of Asgard).

The other artists on the series are Mike Dowling (Death Sentence) and Fuso (The Girl Who Played With Fire), with letters by Annie Parkhouse.

Solidly in a Charlie Adlard/Sean Phillips camp, all the artists on this series evoke a strong sense of mood and setting. It has a rough Wild West edge that reminds me of a fantastical version of Brian Azarello and Marcelo Fruisin’s Loveless that came out of Vertigo Comics in 2006. Much of the art sits in the similar shadows of a blazing sun, often minimalistic but bleak and emotive joined. Bullets are symbolic throughout the book, killing and banishing as they blast through the air.

In an interesting stylistic choice you soon notice that some pages are fully coloured, some make use of a single colour here and there and many are in black and white. It would spoil a surprise by saying why this is done but you’ll have it figured out by the end of the issue.

 

Ichabod-01_Page_05

 

The six-issue mini-series from 2000AD will begin on 25th February 2015 and will be available through comic book stores via Diamond Distribution (order code DEC141640) and digitally from 2000AD’s DRM-free webshop and iPad app.
“We’re thrilled to bring the west’s greatest DEAD killer to the US market, that’s where he’s from, after all,” says Rob Williams. “Movies like The Assassination of Jesse James and the songs of Gram Parsons and Townes Van Zandt were the strip’s inspiration. So it’s great he’s heading to his homeland, revolver in hand.”
“The editor of 2000AD, Matt Smith, said: “After the success of our US format comics this year – DREDD: Underbelly, Jaegir and Brass Sun – we have plans to continue with more titles in the format in 2015, drawing on some of the most inventive, intriguing, and action-packed series 2000AD has ever produced. The last few years have seen an incredible range of new characters emerge and we’re looking forward to blowing comic book readers’ minds!”
Ichabod-01_Page_17
• To order Ichabod Azrael #1 from your comic shop quote Diamond Previews Item Code: DEC141640. For more about 2000AD you can go to www.2000ADonline.com or follow them on Twitter @2000AD
• Rob Williams can be found at www.robwilliamscomics.co.uk and on Twitter @Robwilliams71
• Dom Reardon can be found on Twitter @DomReardon
Many thanks for reading.


Categories: 2000AD, British Comics, Comic Previews, downthetubes Comics News, US Comics

Tags: , , , , , , ,

1 reply

Trackbacks

  1. British Comic Shop Releases (18th March 2015) – Doctor Who, Transformers and Ichabod Azrael!

Discover more from downthetubes.net

Subscribe now to keep reading and get access to the full archive.

Continue reading