Get Ready for Murder, Mayhem and Rehabilitation in Bedlam
Bedlam's set-up sounds like it's taking a twist on the usual murder mystery from Image Comics. In Bedlam, it's no mystery who has killed people and bathed the streets in blood: Filmore Press, a.k.a. Madder Red. Now, Filmore has been rehabilitated but the town of Bedlam needs some rehabilitation itself.
The writer, Nick Spencer (
Morning Glories,
Thief of Thieves), says:
"There's a long-form, big commitment story here, that we will hopefully tell for years to come... It's like Morning Glories in that sense. The book's not going to be around a little while then vanish. The goal here is to build a mythology around a modern American metropolis, with Madder Red as our guide. It's exhilarating, starting down the path of something like this."
...It's a scary world these characters live in. A desperate one. It's brutal what we put them through... The shocks aren't confined to the last page, they're peppered throughout. There are a lot of 'shift in your seat uncomfortably' moments. You don't get Riley Rossmo to draw your book and not heap on the horror and violence."
Artist Riley Rossmo, who's no stranger to horror having done the artwork for Green Wake and Debris, talks more about his artwork for the series, which is going to be in muted tones with red (think Sin City):
"Bedlam's art is pulling a bit stylistically from my last three books... I'm trying for a cleaner line, lots of spotted blacks, and strong well-designed color palettes. The Film 'M' and David Mazzucchelli are big visual influences. I'm super-happy with the pages I've finished so far."
The artwork for Bedlam is what really peeks my interest since it sounds like it matches perfectly with the tone of the story, which could prove to be a very creative one. The first issue of Bedlam will be double-sized and sport a cover by Frazer Irving (Batman and Robin, Xombi). It will be released alongside other October releases on Halloween.
