Bedlam #1 Review

By Diego Chi
November 5, 2012 - 19:05

Nick Spencer brings a humorous and dark series to Image Comics with his latest brainchild, Bedlam. The story centers around Fillmore, a man who used to be a serial killer named Madder Red.

The issue opens with a flashback sequence from a decade ago. Madder Red took an entire opera house hostage and killed everyone within. Red wears a skeleton-esque mask, its design reminds me of anime. His a cartoony and almost humorous appearance offsets the violent actions. Red's antagonist comes onto the scene, a masked crime-fighter named "The First." The crime-fighter proceeds to knock Red into submission, ending the prologue. Suddenly, we are brought to present day and introduced to Fillmore. He wakes alone in his apartment, enters his bathroom and looks at himself in the mirror only to see Madder Red looking back. He takes a few pills and his reflection returns to normal, as he repeats a therapeutic phrase "We are not who we were -- we are who we are." Most people are haunted by their past, Fillmore's past just happens include being a deranged masked murderer.

The issue then proceeds to tell two stories at once: the events after Madder Red's apprehension from a decade before, and a day in the life of Fillmore, the former psychopath who wants to help his community (or so he claims). Without revealing too much of the fun, I will say the story leaves you asking: how the hell does a sick and twisted murderer become a helpful (yet still disturbed) man?

This is the first book I've read by Nick Spencer, and it is brilliantly unsettling. Most surprising of all, the book is funny! Fillmore's oddball nature and Madder Red's rhetoric are some of the funniest I've read all year. Madder Red's ability to laugh while he violently kills makes it hard to not be reminded of a certain purple-suited villain from Gotham, but the real gem here is Fillmore. Fillmore is quirky-- he has repeated speech patterns and obsessive compulsive habits. He seems to actually want to help, but also enjoys self-inflicted pain (laughing at it!). There is clearly a darkness still present within. I'm excited to see how far Spencer will take Fillmore.

Spencer shows his experience with the comic book medium, allowing the visuals to really the tell the story. Often, his captions do not directly narrate the visuals, but rather supplement them. Riley Rossmo's artwork does a lot of heavy lifting and does it well. The pencils feel raw and almost dirty but it fits the backdrop of crime-filled Bedlam. Rossmo's use of body language is powerful and sells the humor-- taking a masked Madder Red and making him appear happily animated while carrying out his plans. Jean-Paul Csuka's coloring effectively contrasts the drab color schemes of Fillmore's life with black-and-white flashback sequences accented with red-- of which there was plenty due to Madder Red's bloody exploits. Despite Madder Red's close resemblance to the Joker, the storytelling stands strong. All in all, a solid first issue.

Rating: 8 /10

Last Updated: August 31, 2023 - 08:12

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