City of Others

March 15, 2008
An outstanding feature of any Bernie Wrightson graphic novel is his painstaking attention to detail, especially when his subjects include corpses and bloodthirsty monsters. Collaborating with veteran scripter Niles, Wrightson puts his anatomical expertise to grisly good use in this exquisitely illustrated story about a remorseless hired assassin. Stosh Bludowskis taste for killing keeps him gainfully employed until his career hits a sudden roadblock in the form of two targets who simply refuse to die. Following the maps tattooed on his victims severed arms, Bludowski stumbles into a haven of vampires facing a murderous ambush of zombies. To survive the onslaught, Bludowskis only recourse is to side with the vampires and become one of the undead himself. A dangling side plot focusing on the zombies mastermind promises further episodes in Bludowskis quest to track down that unsavory nemesis. While Bludowskis own brutal demeanor may not exactly endear him to many readers, Wrightsons superbly arranged panels and vividly rendered action sequences should keep this new antiheros adventures interesting.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2008, American Library Association.)