SWALLOWER OF SHADES #1, from Dead Sky Publishing on 10/18/23, follows Professor Elias Morris as the owner of a traveling curiosities show who acquires a deadly new attraction.
The Details
- Written by: J.M. Brandt
- Art by: Tom Napolitano
- Letters by: Apparatus Revolution
- Cover art by: Garry Brown
- Comic Rating: Mature
- Cover price: $3.99
- Release date: October 18, 2023
Is SWALLOWER OF SHADES #1 Good?
Boy, Howdy, and Sasparilla! We love us some Splatter Western horror, especially when the splatter is, at times, needlessly gratuitous. Why bother reading a Splatter comic if it doesn’t want to make you vomit at least once!? Well, hats off to J.M. Brandt and the team at Deead Sky for crafting a neat one-shot in SWALLOWER OF SHADES #1 with a dark tale of horror with enough gore to make your tummy go, “Please! Stop! I just ate!”
Brandt’s sordid story of sorrow centers on Prof. Elias Morris, the owner of a traveling oddities show who wins an ancient mummy in a barroom bet. What the good Professor doesn’t know is that the mummy is cursed, and woe unto he who keeps the mummy separated from its sarcophagus for even one night.
That’s right. This is a cursed mummy story, but rather than leaving the unsavory deaths to horrible diseases or suspicious accidents, the mummy gets up close and rough with each of its victims. If nothing else, give props to Brandt for creatively helping the mummy to use whatever implements are within arm’s reach to deal blood retribution.
What’s great about SWALLOWER OF SHADES #1? Brandt understands the homework assignment and gives readers precisely what they’re looking for in a comic of this type. You get a rock-solid supernatural tale, the rules are clear and consistent, the deaths are brutal, the gore is vomit-inducing, and the ending is very far from happy. You couldn’t ask for anything more.
What’s not so great about SWALLOWER OF SHADES #1? The ending is certainly unhappy (as it should be), but it’s also a little ambiguous. The ending would have hit a little harder if there was some hint about the mummy’s disposition.
How’s the art? Surprisingly excellent. We say “surprisingly” because Tom Napolitano is most familiar to us as a letterer, so to see Napolitano take on a one-shot as the penciler/inker was an unexpected twist, and we’re more shocked to see how hard Napolitano comes out swinging. The character designs are whimsically creepy, the layouts and compositions are solid, and the gore is gross. Well done, Napolitano.
Keep scrolling for a closer look at the covers, or Click Here to jump right to the story description with some spoilers.
What’s SWALLOWER OF SHADES #1 About?
[SPOILERS AHEAD – Click here if you just want the score without spoilers]
We begin with an introduction to Professor Elias Morris. Morris runs a traveling oddities show, employing all manner of deformed curios and odd performers. On a stop in a lonely town, Morris happens to get caught up in a game of chance with a man who has too much confidence and too much cash to lose. When the gentleman is relieved of his money, he offers a special object as collateral for one last gamble – an ancient mummy.
Morris wins and adds his prize to his show, not realizing the mummy holds a curse to take one life every night the mummy is separated from its sarcophagus. As each night passes, more employees of the show turn up brutally murdered. The local Sheriff is called in to investigate, but his fragile psyche and narrowmindedness run him afoul of every performer, including the Strong Man.
Before the issue is done, there will be crushing, stabbing, ripping, tearing, eating (not food), and suffering.
Keep scrolling for a closer look at preview images of the internal pages, or Click Here to jump right to the score.
Final Thoughts
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SWALLOWER OF SHADES #1 does exactly what a Western Splatter comic is supposed to do – deliver a creepy horror tale with over-the-top gore and violence. Brandt’s tale of a cursed mummy is a perfect setup, and Napolitano’s gory art is disgusting (in a good way).
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