The Road to Hell of Falling in Love Volume 1
writer: Gerry Dugan
artist: Gary Brown
Colorist: Chris O’Halloran
Writer: Joe Sabino
Publisher: Image comics
Publication date: January 2025
First things first—boy, what about a title? Falling in love on the road to hell is one of those comics (or movies, or books) that really tells you what it’s about in bold letters right from the start. Fortunately, the concept here is poetic enough to still sound interesting without being too hammy or edgy. So, yes, when you crack this comic, the creative team has made a clear promise to you about where things are going – and then they start delivering on that promise. They do it in a gritty and entertaining way.
The first four issues of the series, published in paperback this month, are the work of veteran comics creators, including writer Gerry Dugan, artist Gary BrownColorist Chris O’Halloran, He Xin Joe Sabino. In a way, this is a genre-bending book, or more accurately I should say a genre-mash. Set in the 19th century, the comic combines elements of shootout westerns, complex dynastic samurai dramas, otherworldly war stories and monster horror. Underlying it all, however, is the titular romance.
What I love most about this comic is the art style. Brown has always been a great artist of brutality and boxing comics, with some of his most memorable works in recent years being Viking tales black road and oil industry revenge thriller, crude. Both books are great to read, the art is solid, and you can really feel the punches (kicks, stabs, and beheadings).
That is to say, Falling in love on the road to hell It feels like the next evolution of Brown’s artwork, from page design to the way ideas of the afterlife push his imagery into what I call the universe. The overall aesthetic is quite tough. After all, we are in hell (or rather in purgatory, on the way to hell). So a lot of the art is pretty grounded, gritty, and combat-based. In the first issue alone, we get a multi-page shootout in an old church… followed by a multi-page samurai war breaking out.
However, as the story progresses, Brown is able to use otherworldly visual creativity, and this is where his artwork really shines in the book. Another element that enhances the visuals is O’Halloran’s color work, who I consider to be one of the best colorists we have right now. O’Halloran is able to heighten the depth of the bloody battle scenes and the romance that slowly develops as the story progresses, giving them their own unique color palette while maintaining a warmth and originality throughout the book. I’m impressed by the two artists’ collaboration in these pages, especially in the absence of either genre’s established visual shorthand to rely on.
Dugan’s script in this book is also excellent. Again due to the eclectic nature of the concept, he wrote quite a wide range of prose, ranging from the cowboy character’s nasal Old West dialect, to the samurai’s laconic English, to the striking and directional subtitles throughout. The plot of Dugan and Brown’s team-up is solid if a bit predictable, with the romance beginning reluctantly (as romances in novels often do) and then growing as the characters spend more time with each other. heat up. But, as noted at the outset, it’s hard to be certain about the book’s predictability when the title tells you exactly what the comic is intended to do by design.
Overall, I like it The Road to Hell of Falling in Love Volume 1. The density between chapters here is a bit uneven. Some questions took me twice as long as others, and as a result, I found the pacing to be a bit distracting. But the book is overall very well done, from the best art of Brown’s career to the shamelessly bold title. It’s also the type of story that feels shamelessly (complementary), in a way that makes it perfect for comics. I recommend joining these lovers on their journey to hell.
Falling in Love Road to Hell Volume 1 is out now
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