BEDLAM review
(Reviewed by Melody Werner)
Bedlam is a 2012-2014 11 issue long thriller series published by Image Comics. Written by Nick Spencer (now (in)famous for his current work on Captain America), with art by Riley Rossmo and Ryan Browne. Bedlam tells the tale of Madder Red, or more accurately, the reformed Madder Red. A terrifying villain who is now trying his best to help. Using his expertise in madness to attempt and solve major level crimes, Bedlam puts a nice spin on things. While currently on extended hiatus, Bedlam is an extremely intriguing thriller series, something all too rare in the comics industry.
The art of Bedlam is grungy and relatively ugly. It lacks detail in a lot of areas and looks pretty sloppy in places. However, I've said time and time again that even lackluster art can fit the series tone and subject matter, and therefore make sense in the grand scheme of things. The aesthetic of Bedlam perfectly matches the fucked up nature of the writing, meaning it gets away with not having what one would call quality art. The covers are all great, again, pretty fucked up, which I dig. The character designs in Bedlam are fantastic, Madder Red looks and feels like the perfect villain. His design looks crazy and chilling, perfect for his character. The First also looks like a cool counter to Madder Red's insanity, and the same goes for the arc villains, although I won't go too into them for spoiler reasons.
The concept of Bedlam is extremely strong for a thriller series, and Spencer does a ton with the premise. The plot is extremely cerebral and compelling, with many twists, turns, and absolutely fucked up moments that'll make you go "Oh, fuck no...". With a thriller you need to keep intrigue up in the arc, and Bedlam is one of the few comics that I feel executes this well. I'm a fan of guys like Kellerman, and anyone who is too will find themselves at home with Bedlam. The pacing, for the most part, is slick and always gives you something neat to read. However, there are sometimes when the threads and twists feel a slight bit rushed in their executions, a cardinal sin if it weren't that too great an offender of this.
But that's not the only reason why Bedlam's so great--it's actually batshit hilarious. A lot of dark humor, especially in flashbacks of Madder Red, but the comedy creeps into the main story-line too and gives the reader something else to chew on. The characters of Bedlam are complex and interesting, ranging from Madder Red to the Good Doctor to the First to the arc villains, they all add to the greatness that is Bedlam. The dialogue of Bedlam is exceptional, something I don't often say. The lines are cleverly written, and the same goes for the banter between characters.
Bedlam is a very noteworthy series. I struggle to say that any of the problems in it are major or hold it back too much. There are flaws, but none too large to keep me from saying it's brilliant in summation. It's one of the few thriller comics I've found myself stomaching but also loving. If it does ever return, you'll find me keeping up with it to the letter. Bedlam gets a 9/10.
Excellent
Summary:
Bedlam is one of the best thriller comic series I've read. Thanks to a cerebral narrative, excellent premise, excellent characters, exceptional dialogue, comedy which necessitates hysterics, high caliber character designs, a fitting aesthetic, a mostly slick pace, delicious madness, fun banter, and great character designs, Bedlam rises above many comics which try to achieve such excellence in its field and fail. It not only makes itself a contender with other greats in the genre across various mediums, but it also proposes a new layer which they lack.
(originally posted: 12/4/2016)
Bedlam is a 2012-2014 11 issue long thriller series published by Image Comics. Written by Nick Spencer (now (in)famous for his current work on Captain America), with art by Riley Rossmo and Ryan Browne. Bedlam tells the tale of Madder Red, or more accurately, the reformed Madder Red. A terrifying villain who is now trying his best to help. Using his expertise in madness to attempt and solve major level crimes, Bedlam puts a nice spin on things. While currently on extended hiatus, Bedlam is an extremely intriguing thriller series, something all too rare in the comics industry.
The art of Bedlam is grungy and relatively ugly. It lacks detail in a lot of areas and looks pretty sloppy in places. However, I've said time and time again that even lackluster art can fit the series tone and subject matter, and therefore make sense in the grand scheme of things. The aesthetic of Bedlam perfectly matches the fucked up nature of the writing, meaning it gets away with not having what one would call quality art. The covers are all great, again, pretty fucked up, which I dig. The character designs in Bedlam are fantastic, Madder Red looks and feels like the perfect villain. His design looks crazy and chilling, perfect for his character. The First also looks like a cool counter to Madder Red's insanity, and the same goes for the arc villains, although I won't go too into them for spoiler reasons.
The concept of Bedlam is extremely strong for a thriller series, and Spencer does a ton with the premise. The plot is extremely cerebral and compelling, with many twists, turns, and absolutely fucked up moments that'll make you go "Oh, fuck no...". With a thriller you need to keep intrigue up in the arc, and Bedlam is one of the few comics that I feel executes this well. I'm a fan of guys like Kellerman, and anyone who is too will find themselves at home with Bedlam. The pacing, for the most part, is slick and always gives you something neat to read. However, there are sometimes when the threads and twists feel a slight bit rushed in their executions, a cardinal sin if it weren't that too great an offender of this.
But that's not the only reason why Bedlam's so great--it's actually batshit hilarious. A lot of dark humor, especially in flashbacks of Madder Red, but the comedy creeps into the main story-line too and gives the reader something else to chew on. The characters of Bedlam are complex and interesting, ranging from Madder Red to the Good Doctor to the First to the arc villains, they all add to the greatness that is Bedlam. The dialogue of Bedlam is exceptional, something I don't often say. The lines are cleverly written, and the same goes for the banter between characters.
Bedlam is a very noteworthy series. I struggle to say that any of the problems in it are major or hold it back too much. There are flaws, but none too large to keep me from saying it's brilliant in summation. It's one of the few thriller comics I've found myself stomaching but also loving. If it does ever return, you'll find me keeping up with it to the letter. Bedlam gets a 9/10.
Excellent
Summary:
Bedlam is one of the best thriller comic series I've read. Thanks to a cerebral narrative, excellent premise, excellent characters, exceptional dialogue, comedy which necessitates hysterics, high caliber character designs, a fitting aesthetic, a mostly slick pace, delicious madness, fun banter, and great character designs, Bedlam rises above many comics which try to achieve such excellence in its field and fail. It not only makes itself a contender with other greats in the genre across various mediums, but it also proposes a new layer which they lack.
(originally posted: 12/4/2016)
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