Bone Parish #1 - Boom! Studios
Written by Cullen Bunn
Illustrated by Jonas Scharf
Colors by Alex Guimaraes
Letters by Ed Dukeshire
Cover by Lee Garbett
When a writer that is as good as Cullen Bunn is tells you that something is the "best first issue I've ever written", that certainly gets your attention. That's what Cullen told me in a recent interview talking about Bone Parish. So you know I wasn't going to pass up the chance to review this one. Let's head to the boneyard!
The story centers around a family run drug operation, with the product made from the ashes of the dead. We follow several characters both in and outside of the family, and there is definitely some tension there. We also get to see what the drug itself can do, and it is pretty crazy. When the dealer warns you about taking it, you know it's insane. The story then dives deeper into the operation itself, and it seems like everyone has an idea of how things should be done. With business going well, you know that is going to attract attention. There are some very tense moments near the end of the story, and you just know we will see much more about this in upcoming issues. The end of the book was the biggest surprise, and really raised questions about how the drug itself and how it affects it's users.
This book definitely had it's creepy moments, but the story also had a lot of depth. Cullen really lays the groundwork for the drug operation, and highlights the importance of each person involved. What surprised me most was the intense emotional aspect of the story, especially with the Grace Winters character. These are BAD people, but Cullen has still managed to make them likeable and help the reader connect to them. I just can't shake that ending, and it makes me really want the next issue to start peeling the onion of just what this drug can really do. When the fact that we're dealing with a drug that's made from people's ashes actually takes a backseat to the characters in the story, you know you've done something special. It's creepy, but it's deep in a way I never would have expected. This is one you'll definitely want to etch into your pull list made of stone.
RATING: PULL / BUY