Bitter Root: The Next Movement #1
Creative Team
writers: DAVID F. WALKER & CHUCK BROWN
artist: SANFORD GREENE
colorists: MATT HERMS
letterer: HASSAN ETSMANE-ELHAOU
publisher: IMAGE COMICS
Reviewed by Seth Adrian Romo
It’s been nearly four years since comic book stands had new issues of this monster hunting series following the Sangerye Family. Fortunately, the family is back with a new generation, a new decade, and a renewed mission of hunting jinoo (monsters that derive from hate and racism).
The issue begins in 1964 with a bus full of Freedom Riders in the dead of night in Mississippi. It’s already easy to recognize how traveling this road is an unfortunate decision. Within the first few pages, the bus is forced to stop at a police checkpoint and the officer interrogating the driver mutates into a creature decimating the poor souls trapped in the steel box. Why and how this happened remains to be seen.
Written by David F. Walker and Chuck Brown, the script immediately grips readers with the horrors against the Civil Rights Activists and lets questions linger as the story shifts to an older and wiser Blink Sangerye. Fans of the series will be happy to see the return of Blink, and there are clever and lyrically written moments of dialogue with flowery vocabulary that offer nice throwbacks to those who have followed this series.
For those wondering how easy it is to get into this issue, the writers not only do an excellent job with the sharp script and quick pacing, but Walker and Brown allow elements from the world of the Sangeryre Family’s adventures to be seen without excluding new readers. The balance of exposition and dialogue is notable as it never wanes too heavy in either direction.
Illustrator Sandford Greene returns as the artist and it’s so great to see the third creator of the series return with Walker and Brown. Greene’s panel and character designs are top-notch and the way in which the pages are full of detail demand readers take their time soaking up the experience. Coloring the art from Greene is Matt Herms and combined with the letter from Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou, this issue is visually stunning and takes advantage of the color palettes that would have been popular in the 60s.
The original Bitter Root series established a world and rules that incorporated fantasy into 20th century racial tensions, and the series always managed to say what it needed to without remorse while also offering a story and cast of characters that balanced the critical discussions with drama and action. This continuation takes all of the best elements from the original series while having its own unique voice.
Final Verdict
Continuing the critically acclaimed world of Bitter Root, Bitter Root: The Next Movement Issue #1 leans more on exposition than action, but this series premiere brings the same energy that can be felt from the pages proving that lightning can indeed, strike twice. Masterfully written and beautifully illustrated, Bitter Root: The Next Movement is one of the most important and relevant series on stands.
| Criteria | Score |
|---|---|
| Writing | 9.5 |
| Story/Plot | 9.5 |
| Art/Line Work | 9.5 |
| Colors | 9.5 |
| Final Score | 9.5/10 |