MIXOLOGY NOIR – BOOK ONE: SAZERAC – Comic Review

MIXOLOGY NOIR – BOOK ONE: SAZERAC, from Wolven Press on Kickstarter, presents the story of a lonely husband who encounters a strange bar where a special drink and odd patrons grant him a dangerous amount of liquid courage.

The Details

• Written by: Evan Carothers
• Art by: Vlad Vov
• Colors by: Wem Seven
• Letters by: Evan Carothers
• Cover art by: Bryce Yzaquirre
• Comic Rating: Teen+
• Cover price: $6.00
• Release date: March 2023 (estimated)

Is It Good?

MIXOLOGY NOIR – BOOK ONE: SAZERAC is one of two issues in a Kickstarter double-feature from Wolven Press. Set in the dark corners of a sullen city, a man at odds with his wife seeks refuge in a tavern he never noticed before for a brief moment of contemplation. Unfortunately, the spiritual and supernatural forces of old provide all the answers to the husband’s woes, and the results are horrifying.

This is the type of story we love to see imaginative creators cast out into the world. Evan Carothers’s urban fantasy about a man who crosses paths with Norse gods plays into the desire of every person to be seen, heard, and understood. You understand the man’s plight, even if you haven’t experienced something precisely similar, so when the not-so-subtle gods of old woo him with encouragement, advice, and a smile, you could easily imagine yourself falling into the same trap.

For the interested reader, the story starts as a fantasy but quickly spirals into horror when the advice given to the man, powered by a drink called the Sezerac, pushes the man to act in ways he never thought he could or would. The story isn’t predictable, which is a big plus, and Carothers’s plotting, pacing, and dialog are phenomenal. The story follows a fairly standard three-act structure, but the simplicity of the structure is exactly why this story works so well. Every act builds on the previous one, making the man’s downward spiral an exponential freefall.

Vlad Vov’s art style fits the material and is serviceable. However, the splash pages transitioning from one act to the next are a high point in the art. Each splash page is a shadowy montage of the man fulfilling his next call to action, suggesting what happened without spelling it out. The montages reflect the lack of clarity the man experiences from the Sazerac, creating a drunken haziness that justifies the man’s disoriented uncertainty when he returns to the tavern the next day. It’s a nice creative choice that significantly impacts the effectiveness of the story.

Keep scrolling for a closer look at the covers, or Click Here to jump right to the story description with some spoilers.

What’s It About?

[SPOILERS AHEAD – Click here if you just want the score without spoilers]

We begin with a man stumbling through the streets of a sleepy city in the early morning hours. He looks roughed up, and his hands are covered in blood. The story jumps back to three days earlier when the man walks along the streets at night and encounters a tavern he’s never noticed before called The Raven.

Inside, the man is given a drink called the Sezerac from the old, one-eyed bartender. As the night wears on and the effects of the drink take hold, a woman dressed in Egyptian garb sits down next to the man to lend him a sympathetic ear. Before the night is over, sweet words of encouragement lead to violence and a heck of a hangover.

We conclude the issue with a second and third night, an increasing loss of inhibitions, and a closed door.

Keep scrolling for a closer look at preview images of the internal pages, or Click Here to jump right to the score.

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