Thicker Than Blood

Thicker Than Blood (see below for preview images)

Credits: 
 
Written by Simon Reed
Pencils & Inks by Mike Ploog
Paintings by Simon Bisley
 
I picked this up at the comic book store the other day.  I grabbed it in Trade Paper which is all three issues under one cover.  What drew my eye to this was the artwork.  It’s creepy and spooky and perfect for my taste.
 
The story, however, was less than what I had hoped for.  If I deciphered the code correctly, the tale is about two brothers.  One lives a fairly normal life.  He’s a scientist of some sort and receives funding for his research from investors.  And like a lot of people, he is drastically in debt.  He’s researching to find a cure to opium addiction.  Or so he says.  It seems more that he is looking for a cure for his brother, who is some sort of werewolf.
 
The story is told in a very confusing way.  Normally, I don’t mind the flashbacks and such.  IF they are clearly defined AS FLASHBACKS.  In this comic, it is so hard to determine where the flashbacks start and stop.  That makes for a VERY confusing story.  I really couldn’t get much else from the story other than what I’ve summed up. And nothing really stuck in my mind. AND I was never quite sure who was narrating this whole this?  Is it the scientist brother, is it just some narrator?  I mean, seriously?  I shouldn’t be left with this many questions after reading the whole series.
 
Plus, the vocabulary used in this comic book series made it seem like it was written for an English Literature major.  I like to think that, in general, I have a decent vocabulary.  However, in reading this I had to look up so many words that it just got plain annoying.  I can’t imagine what purpose that serves.  Words like gossamer and diaphanous…what the hell???  Is this a comic book or a project for English Lit 101?
 
Yet, the artwork is fantastic.  That alone was worth looking at.  It dark and sinister, creepy…like what you might imagine an Edgar Allan Poe tale to look like.  
 
All in all, I’d say this would have to be a pass unless you really are a lover of the more classic types of literature.  I swear this could have been something they handed out to read in high school at some point.
 
RATINGS
Overall 2.5/5
Story 1/5
Artwork 4/5