Mike Isenberg recommends The Bargain Vol. 1
It’s New Year’s Eve 1955, and Jackson Connolly owes a debt that’s about to be due. Ten years ago he made a bargain with a supernatural power; now his life and his soul will be forfeit, unless he can find a way out of the deal before the ball drops on 1956.
The Bargain, by Kara Barrett and J.C. Grande, is a supernatural noir comic that makes its way to us via Kickstarter and comiXology Submit.
Barrett and Grande successfully weave an atmospheric tale of southern horror and supernatural gloom. In his quest for redemption, Jackson will travel from the swamplands of Louisiana to the burlesque clubs of New Orleans. Along the way he’ll meet ghosts, witches, hell-hounds, and gods. Jackson is determined to wheel and deal with all of them, hoping that his wits will be enough to free him of his debt, but he knows that he’s running out of time.
The ticking clock of Jackson’s soul-debt gives the book a palpable sense of doom and desperation that keeps the reader on their toes. With the stakes so high—it’s not only his life on the line, but also an eternity of hellfire and torment—Jackson thinks he’s prepared to do anything to reach his goal. But how far will he really go? And even if he can break the bargain and save his soul, what will be left of it to save?
Volume 1 is a self-contained story, but it leaves room for more to follow. The world that Barrett and Grande have created is fascinating and I hope there’s a Volume 2 in the works. For fans of atmospheric supernatural noir stories like Hellblazer or Ten Grand, I can definitely recommend checking out The Bargain.
[Read The Bargain Vol. 1 Here!]
For fans of: action, noir, supernatural
Mike Isenberg is an Associate Production Coordinator at comiXology, and the co-writer of FIRST LAW OF MAD SCIENCE. He lives in Harlem with his cats, TESLA AND EDISON
