Dynamite Entertainment 2018
Written by Bryan Hill
Illustrated by Rodney Buchemi
Coloured by Adriano Augusto
Lettered by Troy Peteri
KISS returns to rock’n’roll and save the world! An immortal cabal is taking the lives of innocents and the only ones who can stop them are KISS! The only problem…they are dead. And now they have to make a deal with a demon to save their souls and return to Earth to fight evil!
Who knew that KISS would become one of those bands who were able to transcend the music genre? They had a film, were cartoon characters, and guest star pretty much everywhere from Scooby Doo to their own show. Marvel was first to jump onto the Kiss Comics bandwagon and from there it’s pretty much history. So what keeps them so active for so long? Dynamite found out how to keep them fresh and invigorating through comics and the stories told. There is no timeline or continuity to their books they are stories told by creators meant to thrill and entertain and that is exactly what they do.
Kiss having super-powers and where they got them from has always been a great story idea and Bryan goes all out with how he tells this story. I love it, since this is a limited run series we get to see Bryan’s pacing in full effect as he is able to not only establish Kiss’ role in the coming drama, the “villain” and the people behind him as well as the root source of the problem and how they are all going to intertwine. I am damn well impressed with how this issue is structured and the ease in which it flows. I enjoy seeing more and more of Bryan’s work being seen since he really is one the more versatile and interesting writers out there.
The opening here is fantastic as we see KISS in concert. The way that segues into meeting the villain is superbly well done and it just goes to show how nice it can be when someone this talented is at the helm and able to transition with apparent ease. The opening also reminds us why we love KISS and what they represent to each individual. This is a stellar moment and it is one that each of us will react to in our way as the power of what we see washes over us.
It’s also something shows us Rodney and Adriano’s work on the book. The linework is exquisite as we see just how well it is manipulated through the varying weights and this utterly amazing attention to detail. There are moments that are meant to be sensual instead of slutty and they manage to pull that off perfectly. The overall mood tone and look of they bring to this book makes the reader feel at home right away. There is something special and magical about the work they do as it really does help the whole flow of the book move so smoothly. The utilisation of the page layouts and how we see the angles and perspective in the panels shows off a magnificent eye for storytelling. Adriano’s colours really stand out through their gradation and how the characters come to look and especially the band themselves.
It is really hard to take the band and make them get powers that set them apart from the rest of mankind and make it believable is something very special. Granted they do lend their persona’s to this type of storytelling and it really is a natural fit but to see it play out in this way is just plain cool. So while it may seem like the enemy of my enemy is my friend that’s never the case as one always has some nasty plans for what happens after the original plan is taken care of. I am looking forward to seeing where Bryan is going to take us with this arc.
With amazing writing, characterisation and pacing alongside some of the most brilliant interiors around Dynamite keeps bringing us KISS in every way we want, whether we knew it or not.