Engine Press
Script: Peter Siegel
Art: Brent White
As you may know, either from my longish Platinum Studios post or from other sources, the graphic novel KILLING DEMONS is now slated for the big screen, with Platinum Studios and Atmosphere Entertainment producing. You can read the presser for yourself but of particular note is that Atmosphere’s Mark Canton was the Columbia exec who worked with Scott Mitchell Rosenberg to produce MEN IN BLACK and that Atmosphere is currently producing Frank Miller’s 300.
I had not seen this book before but was able to get my hands on a copy through the good graces of Platinum Studios. Chances are I might not have bought it even if I had seen it since I don’t typically gravitate towards the horror genre -- in books or movies -- but the exceptions I’ll make are for those that are done well. KILLING DEMONS is done very well.
The story is simple enough: a boy, whose family is killed by demons, is raised to fight them. Years later the demons are methodically killing “pure light” mortals - whose goodness unknowingly makes it difficult for other demons to cross over into our dimension, and the boy -- Joshua Brand, grown up now -- is recruited to battle them by a female police detective. There are a some nice twists and turns and of course your standard boy meet girls stuff. It all makes for rather gory, morbid fun as Siegel subtly winds in a number of horror genre influences, crafting a smart little tale that wraps up in under 80 pages while leaving the door wide open to further stories.
Brent White’s work is very strong -- his inks in particular -- and somewhat reminiscent of Ben Templesmith albeit with clearer, crisper lines. His use of shadows and gradients compliments the narrative well. No color for this book, and none really needed.
Will this translate to the big screen? Well, much can happen through the course of development but the concept is fairly high level and should provide a good foundation for whichever screenwriter(s) lands the assignment. As it sits it has a whiff of CONSTANTINE about it (although the Joshua Brand character is less of an anti-hero) which may or may not create problems in marketing. If the producers are able to bring a MEN IN BLACK style of humor to it (the book isn’t really very funny although there are some weak attempts at it - of course the MIB comic book wasn’t a comedy either) I think it could be very successful as so many movies in this genre are so very earnest about themselves.
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