Bitter Root #6

Image Comics

Writers: David F. Walker & Chuck Brown

Artist: Sanford Greene

It’s been some time since readers haven had the pleasure of catching up with the Sangeryes family. The first, and wildly popular, arc ended with on a knife-edge with little light on the horizon for this demon/racist hunting family. With the start of the second arc, the monstrous animals bred from racism threaten, not just Harlem, but the entire world.

As a rule, nobody can fight hatred on their own. Everyone needs help, and that’s what the Sangeryes look for in other families who have a long history of demon/racist hunting. However, the news they bring, the cause for alarm, isn’t necessarily welcomed by other factions. In fact, some go so far as to blame the Sangeryes for the problem in the first place; it’s a severe case of victim-blaming. As is only fitting and truthful in terms of historical context, the accuser of the Sangeryes is a white man–it’s like white people blaming black people for racism.

This issue does a ton of heavy lifting in the sense of reacquainting readers with the vast collection of characters. The Sangeryes are a big family, and each member has their own struggles both internal and external. This isn’t just a story about the monstrosity of racism and those who fight it. It’s also a story of a family and the way they interact with each other. We’re also reacquainted with the. . . well, villain seems to harsh a word. What do you call someone when they have been harmed so thoroughly they believe the only course of action is retribution? I’m not sure if you can call this a villain. Perhaps, nearsighted, or maybe narrow-minded, but villain implies he perceives what he is doing as wrong, and does it anyway. This is not our antagonist. In fact, Bitter Root’s antagonist is a character you can empathize with.

Sanford Greene and his steampunk, dimensional world-hopping art continues to impress. The harsh, scratch-like lines partner well with the monsters the characters face. The character, design, itself, is unique and fresh without feeling over the top. The armor Cullen wears, the weapon Blink fights with–it all speaks to a larger world, deeper, and older than the one we see on the page. It’s fantastic world-building via character design–something rather unique to the graphic form. Lastly, the paneling is spot on. I love the overlay of panels across a larger scene. It’s effective storytelling, using a backdrop to create a sense of place, then layering the page with smaller, closer panels. I love the effect it has.

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