You have to be impressed with Judd Winick's range as a comic-book writer. Who would have thought the over-the-top antics of Barry Ween, the novel super-heroics of Exiles and the touching, real-life drama of Pedro and Me could all have come from the pen of the same man? Well, those familiar with his work know that there is a common thread in all of his work, and that's strong, down-to-earth characterization. Winick now adds the horror genre to his repetoire, and once again, he builds a story with strong characterization as the foundation.
Adam Heller was one of those kids in high school who had it all. He was a star athlete, star student politician... the darling of the school. But life after high school has been brutal, thanks to a debilitating and deforming disease. He's lived in pain and indignity for years, and now, he's learned that after all of that, after all the battles, he's dying. And that's when his two best friends opt to reveal their secret to him... and to share that secret with him.
Coker's artwork here reminds me a great deal of the style of Sean (Sleeper) Phillips, and at times, there's a hint of Tony (JSA: The Unholy Three) Harris influence to be found here as well. There's a stark, textured realism in linework, and Wright's colors add a surreal tone that's in keeping with the weirder elements in the plot. Coker captures the bizarre and disturbing results of Adam's sickness powerfully, and it's reinforced by the sickly pallor cast over the book by the colors.
The key to this issue's genre appeal is that the real horror stems from a real-life "monster," hepatitis. I was well aware of the effects of hepatitis C, but Winick opens my eyes to the more serious strains of the disease, A and B, in this blunt script. Adam lives a nightmare that could happen to any one of us, and it's a part of everyday life that most of us blind ourselves to in order to go about our days comfortably ignorant.
Adam's lot in life is a depressing one, and the vampire schtick is inherently dark and gothic as well, but wisely, Winick includes a more playful tone that's as much a trademark of his work as his strong characterization. Adam's amusement with his situation -- along with Joshua and Nicole's offbeat way of revealing themselves -- adds a mature, twisted sense of fun to the story that makes for a nice balance with the uglier ideas included here.
