Bedlam #3

Bedlam #3
"Chapter Three: Let Him Have His Fun"
Writer: Nick Spencer
Artist: Riley Rossmo
January 2013
Image Comics


This is kind of a strange review, as I've read Bedlam #2 and have yet to review it, and I'm skipping ahead a bit by reviewing #3 first... Gotta keep things interesting somehow I guess. I'm not familiar with anything else Nick Spencer has written, but I've got to hand it to him, his writing has continued to pique my interest three issues in and I'm definitely here for the long haul. I love how the story is still fleshing out who Fillmore Press was when he donned the persona of Madder Red. There is hardly any dialogue used in this opening scene, proving that Spencer is capable of telling a story with just images and doing so in a stylistic fashion. Credit also goes to Riley Rossmo and team for bringing these images to life. The use of B&W colouring with the red accents further enhances the intensity of Madder Red's personality; the red stands out much more than it would if the entire environment had been coloured more naturally. The opening scene makes me wonder how many cats Madder Red killed in his seventy-nine day trial of "Companionship..." What a creepy character done right.

The story then jumps back to the present day, where Fillmore has managed to have himself arrested and awaits a confrontation with Detective Ramira Acevedo. (Sidenote: At the end of issue #2, I was confused as to why Fillmore confessed to being a murderer; now his motives become obvious). The two characters engage in conversation over the murders happening across Bedlam, and Detective Acevedo is under the assumption that Fillmore is indeed the man responsible for them. Fillmore claims that she and the rest of the homicide department require his assistance to catch the killer at large. This drama occurring between the two characters acts as a precursor to what I imagine will become a love/hate relationship for many issues to come. It feels almost as if Joker is conversing with Commissioner Gordon and Mr. J was trying to convince Gordon that he was turning a new leaf... it's just one of those situations where two people don't understand each other and probably never will...

Fillmore plays the card where he insists that there are many more murders that the police have yet to discover, and the only way for them to track them all down is with his help. There is a lot of tension building amongst these characters and Fillmore's zany personality makes me feel both uneasy and excited simultaneously. I can sympathize with Detective Acevedo cautionary approach, but at the same time, I can't help but want Fillmore to have his chance to redeem himself for his wayward past. This comic series feels like a mature version of "Batman;" not that Batman is immature by any means, but Bedlam feels a bit more grounded in reality, and the psychology of these characters reflects more serious, moral and ethical viewpoints than something like superhero comics tends to. This is obviously still fictional and retains a sense of the fantastic, but I'm definitely feeling connected to Fillmore and Acevedo much more than I do other characters in different comic series'.

The antagonist makes only a brief appearance in this issue (having taken a bigger chunk of #2's story, I think having him take a backseat is appropriate, so as to help build tension in his character as well as develop other aspects of the story), but that's okay! I imagine he will have a bigger role in issue #4. Without spoiling more of the story, I will conclude this review by stating that the end of the issue sees something very interesting happen that's given me an itch to open up Bedlam #4 ASAP. I shall go do that right now! (Well, I should probably upload this review first...) Bedlam is a fantastic story about a serial killer who has turned a new leaf and is seeking ways to redeem himself (or so it seems) by helping to stop/catch other killers. I highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys both Dexter and the Joker; Fillmore Press is essentially an amalgamation of the two.


Story: 4
Art: 4