Bedlam #1 Thoughts

Bedlam #1
"Chapter One: The End of Everything Good"
Writer: Nick Spencer
Artist: Riley Rossmo
October 2012
Image Comics


I had read the preview of this comic prior to first reading the full issue itself. I must admit that I have no knowledge of who the creators are and what their previous work is save for one issue of Batman Incorporated that Frazer Irving (Cover Artist on Bedlam #1) filled in for on the interiors earlier in the Fall. Even after reading the preview, I was skeptical of this story, but was still interested enough to give the rest of the issue a chance. 'Even if I don't end up enjoying this comic,' I thought to myself, 'I can at least savour the fantastic cover and the interior artwork.'

So, several months after having thoroughly enjoyed this story, I've decided to dissect it. Bedlam #1 is a tale about serial killer/anti-hero Madder Red (aka Fillmore Press outside of the mask) who has turned a new leaf and stopped killing. He presently deals with his guilt and anguish (or rather tries to, although I can't imagine it would be easy) towards his old way of life and strives to lead a new life. The plot of the narrative flips back and forth between the present and 10 years ago, during one of Madder Red's mass killings of men, women, and more disturbingly, children in a theatre.

There is a lot of exposition in this issue, and rightfully so since it is the first installment in a new continuity of characters. I gather that this is not writer Nick Spencer's first work, as the flow of the narrative and dialogue is top notch and very impressive. The reader learns about Madder Red/Fillmore Press: his backstory, his motivations, and the events that occurred between the last time he donned the identity of his alter-ego to the present day (in which he is successfully recovering from his old lifestyle). Something that I didn't pick up on initially is that the past is presented in Black & White (and red) whereas the present is in full colour; I'm sure this has been done before, but I think it is a very cool touch. There is an inspirational moment where in one panel [present] Fillmore is looking at himself in the mirror and seeing Madder Red reflect back at him, and then over the course of several panels, we see Fillmore swallow some pills, and after he says "We are not who we were -- We are who we are." Fillmore looks back in the mirror and sees his own reflection and not Madder Red's.

The artwork is attention grabbing since most of it is in black & white with red accents in almost every panel. Clearly red is a motif and has a deeper meaning (the protagonist's alter ego is called Madder Red...); perhaps I am over thinking this. To say the least, this comic is visually stunning and I feel that the script/visuals work extremely well together (Rossmo's artwork is somewhat gritty, and having a better portion of the story in B/W with red accents helps create an even dirtier feel).

Madder Red instantly reminded me of the Joker, and I freaking love it. It doesn't feel like a rehash or a clear cut copy of Mr. J, but instead feels like a breath of fresh air on this maniacal serial-killer archetype. Madder Red does not contain the goofy, 'clowning-around' side of the Joker and that's perfectly okay, because if he did, it would feel really obvious where Spencer got his influence from. Instead, Madder Red is witty and smart and has motivations for why he regularly commits murder, although the reader still doesn't condone what he's doing. There is still that anarchistic side in Madder Red that resembles that of the Joker, but the reader hear's Madder Red's side of the proverbial coin in an interrogation and discovers that MR is not quite as aimless as Mr. J is. MR is challenging humanity and putting them to a test: can they kill him and save the lives of innocents? Or do they do nothing at the cost of six children? It goes a bit deeper than I'm describing and MR even brings in philosophy to the equation. In short, MR questions the values of Capitalist society and blames Western civilization's bad behaviour on that movement. Back to the topic of the Joker, Bedlam #1 is a nice change from what we've already seen with the Joker because the other half of the story takes place in the present which is where Fillmore has stopped killing and is dealing with his life post-Madder Red.

Overall, Bedlam #1 is one of my favourite new comics and I can see this series being loads of fun as these characters are fleshed out. If you're into the nitty gritty world of serial-killers and also love complex character studies, than this is the comic for you!

Story: 4.5/5
Art: 4/5