Puts a monstrous face on bigotry and a beautiful new spin on the Harlem Renaissance.” -The Onion's AV
Club
"Relentless action...a kinetic style that makes good use of 1920s period details to anchor the story, which develops slowly before kicking into high gear halfway through and concluding on a legitimately exciting cliff-hanger." —Library Journal
“Has become a conversation starter in the comic book industry, which continues to awaken to more diverse ways of creating characters both on the page and behind the scenes. The comic is by an all-black creative team and features a predominantly black cast of characters in the
1920s-embracing the black artistic creativity of the Harlem Renaissance but also recognizing the racism of the time.” -The Washington
Post
“The tragedy and family drama at the heart of
IMAGE COMICS' new series BITTER ROOT may be the most traditional thing about a comic that is, at heart, anything but traditional.” -The Hollywood
Reporter
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY — Since the dawn of civilization, a
Great Evil has plagued humanity" begins the not particularly original opening to this fast-paced horror series. Fortunately, Walker (The Life of Frederick
Douglass) and Brown pump life into a familiar good vs. evil formula with a well-crafted, vividly illustrated setting. In 1920s Harlem, the Sangerye family carries on its generations-old work of fighting jinoo, evil spirits that periodically erupt into the mortal world. When humans start turning into jinoo,
the Sangeryes' mission becomes more complicated, as rival demonologists and possessed humans present new obstacles. Historical fiction mixes with supernatural horror, producing a hybrid fantasy world of voodoo spells, mad science, monster Klansmen, and Jazz Age demon hunters wielding steampunk versions of Ghostbusters proton packs. The dynamic, richly colored art, with its expressive characters and imaginative monster designs, elevates the predictable plot. Above all, it's the background details that sing, from meticulously drawn
Harlem streets to cluttered rooms filled with period detail. Comics fans will look forward to future volumes of this energetic dark fantasy that effectively mixes thrills and scares.
“A comic that's confident in itself and doesn't need to rely on overwrought high-concept themes. Bitter Root isn't afraid to tackle weighty issues while still having some fun, giving us some new heroes that are much needed in today's world.”
-ComicBook.com
★ 11/01/2019
The Sangereye family—Ma Etta, Blink, Cullen, Berg, Ford, and Uncle Enoch—blends potions of roots and other conjurings to rid souls of hate and racism. But new monsters materialize in this Harlem Renaissance New York, and a family split on how to deal with them threatens everybody. Superbly designed characters as well as vivid, kinetic panels with period detail keep the story moving and the twists surprising. An energetic blend of historical fiction, supernatural horror, and steampunk. (LJ 8/19)
