[Comic Review] Re-Animator #1

Writer: Keith Davidsen
Artist: Randy Valiente
Colourist: Jorge Sutil
Letterer: Marshall Dillon
Publisher: Dynamite

Review: I have been anxiously awaiting to get Issue 1 of Dynamite’s Re-Animator 4 issue series, and now that I have it and have read it, I was not at all disappointed. You see Re-Animator from 1985 is my absolute favourite horror film of all time, one of my greatest moments was meeting it’s star Jeffrey Combs. I love all things Re-Animator and it gives me a great thrill to see H.P. Lovecraft’s creation still going on strong.

For this short series, we are introduced to Herbert West, a scientist who refuses to be called mad, but who has the ability to re-animate the dead. He is very much a mixture of what we have seen in the film series, the original book and the earlier incarnation from Army Of Darkness vs. Re-Animator. He is a well spoken man, an intelligent man, but he certainly has secrets. He comes across Susan Greene, another intelligent woman who sells pharmaceutical drugs on the black market for ‘the thrill’. As her last sale goes south, Herbert West appears and saves her, he shows her what he is about and how his reagent works. He asks her to join him in his research, she agrees.

Whilst helping West, Susan discovers something shocking hidden away. Meanwhile to help fund his experiments, West has a drug that he sells called Eunique, but as it turns out the wrong sort of people are using the drug. It is a drug capable of something bad when used in larger doses, something Lovecraftian. With all of these things at play, what will happen.

I have tried to keep a bulk of the plot so far vague, but it is hard to discuss without spoilers. I wont give any away here, however I will say that the setting of New Orleans is a very interesting one, it opens up for some interesting characters and perhaps some voodoo? Herbert West feels like the man fans of Re-Animator know, with a bit of a different edge. Maybe he is more clear headed but his Eunique drug may not have been well thought out. West always needs someone in hand, Susan Greene is a perfect candidate. She is out for a thrill, and that is exactly what West can provide.

The artwork perfectly suits the tone and feel of the story, it has a rough feel a kind of beauty to it, with the horror flowing through the pages. This is a short series that shows promise, there is a lot of life left in Re-Animator and Herbert West.

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