Self-Published 2019, On Kickstarter Now
Written by Rob Wolinsky
Illustrated by Nicolo Arcuti
Coloured by Francesco Farabi
Lettered by Micah Myers
SKOTUS (Serial Killer of the United States) is the story of President Theodore Voyage, as he deals with his Presidential duties by day, and by night, he is the notorious Patriot Killer. Our story follows President Voyage as he uses his political power and thirst for blood to get what he wants. Follow the President as he uses his power as SKOTUS in order to gain more political power as POTUS.
I have said time and time again that one of the perks of the “job” is that I get contacted by creators who wish to have their projects reviewed. A lot of the time they are fairly good and they present a very professional looking book for folks like myself to review. This one exceeded all of my expectations when it comes to reviewing a book that is self-published and I love that! The premise is usually what grabs your immediate attention then the cover of the book itself. From there the first few pages are critical in deciding if we want to continue. That is the standard that at least I go by and I am sure most of you will agree that it’s yours as well.
Not going to lie here but during the opening I was really hoping that we’d see him strip the guy further than he did heh. I mean this is a killing and they usually are hyper-sexualised affairs if I am not mistaken, granted I am not up to snuff on serial killers or their methods but… Still what it is, is an amazing start to the book which capture the attention of the reader and instils something in their mind which makes them want to see more.
I like the way that this is structured. From the opening to how we get there it’s done with a nice ebb & flow that releases the information in a way the comes across naturally. Yes there are a few things that seem unlikely while other things are done in a way that thanks to the hints in the writing and characterisation that make us feel like this would actually happen. So overall the way that we meet these characters and how they fit together is extremely well done. Though I will say this don’t be afraid of nudity folks there are a few spots where it could’ve or maybe should have happened and didn’t.
The interior artwork here is really rather nice to see. Black & White is an unforgiving style of art to work in and while inking can cover up some mistakes it can’t cover up fundamentals and what I am seeing here is some really wonderful linework. I do like the faces, facial expressions and the emotions those convey and more so when something within happens makes that even more impressive and creepy. Violence without gore is something to be thankful for, Hitchcock never showed the killing only the aftermath and let the audiences mind do the scary work and to this day I believe that’s one of the bets things to do. The utilisation of the page layouts and how we see the angles and perspective in the panels shows off a solid eye for storytelling. Even the way backgrounds are utilised is nicely done.
With everything that is happening within the United States concerning the White House it’s pretty surprising this is the first thing I have read that even remotely makes me laugh about a man holding the office. The potential is here and it’s great and I look forward to seeing what is going to transpire next. If you can get to their kickstarter page and support it, I highly recommend you do and I hope that once funded we don’t have long to wait for the second issue.