Census

Census is a 5 part Comixology Original comic by Marc Bernardin and Adam Freeman. It is advertised as a horror comedy by the publisher. I have read the first 4 installments of the series and the final part will be published January 17, 2023. The story is about Liam Malone who takes a job as a census taker for $32 an hour. Liam has no ambition in life. After six years attending college he has not been able to obtain a degree and is looking for any job other than cleaning up human waste. While riding a bus in New York City he sees a sign that says "Good pay, flexible hours, no experience necessary" so heads over for an interview and gets a job working for the Census Bureau. What Liam doesn't know about this new job is that he will be counting demons for the Underworld census. He has to count and register all of the demons, djinns, changelings and other supernatural beings in New York. Liam learns that to get the job of a lifetime you sometimes have to sell your soul.

The idea for the story is rather creative but with Liam meeting female supernaturals who rape him for his blood, this is obviously written by a man. A woman writer would never create a character who is unappealing physically but cannot fight off the women who want him. The adolescent stuff aside, Census is hilarious. The reader sees Liam going door to door, never knowing what he is going to find when that door opens. Liam's home situation is also hilarious. He shares an apartment with two other men and they alternate who gets to sleep in a bed and who has to sleep in the bathtub. One roommate is always shown naked sitting on a toilet so the adolescent element continues throughout the story.

Each installment of the comic shows Liam coming across different types of creatures. For example, in part 2 he comes across a group of leprechauns that he must register. I enjoyed the story and wish it could keep on going. However, there is only one more release before this comic ends.

4 out of 5 stars.

Night at the Belfry

James Ransom is 74, and a far cry from the tough young boxer he remembers from the 80's. Sick of growing increasingly powerless and reliant on others in his old age, James reconnects with a former trainer and hatches a possibly-fatal plan to regain the control he believes he's lost. He plans on training for a final boxing match during which he hopes to die. His trainer is searching for the right opponent while James trains. In the meantime, James' daughter is constantly checking on him and wonders whether he should be living in an assisted living facility. James wants to avoid that possibility at all costs.

As I advance in age I find myself liking stories about seniors more and more. There is no reason to accept crappy behavior from the younger generations and our hero James finds an interesting way to become stronger. After getting mugged on a train by a kid he gets up early one day to see if he runs into the kid again. James sees him on the street and punches him in the face but gets injured in the process. The important idea here, in my opinion, is that he gets his revenge.

The artwork is beautiful and I liked the cool toned purple and blue palette. Xavior Saxon not only wrote this engaging story but he also did the artwork. Night is his first graphic novel and I am looking forward to seeing what he brings us in the future.

5 out of 5 stars.

Blood Oath

Blood Oath is a  5 part Comixology Original by Rob Hart and Alex Segura. I have read installments 1 through 4. Installment 5 will be released soon. The story takes place during Prohibition with Hazel Crenshaw tending to her Staten Island farm, caring for her younger sister and running her business. Her business becomes tangled up with the New York gangs that will eventually coalesce into the mafia. With the farm not doing as well as Hazel hoped, she helps bootleggers by letting them store their alcohol on her farm. When the Crenshaw farm is attacked, Hazel has to defend her home but realizes that her flirtation with the gangs also put her and her family in danger.  

Blood Oath blends bootlegging and vampires into a horror story that entertains. While it is a horror story, it is also a family story as both Hazel and the vampires act in their respective family interests. A fun read, I am rating it 5 out of 5 stars.

Sunburn

 Sunburn is Andi Watson's fourth graphic novel. Sunburn is a sweet, clean fiction story about 16 year old Rachel. Rachel is happy to have found a summer job at a butcher's shop where she will be mopping the floor and performing other mundane tasks. At the last minute her mother receives a phone call from her best friend Diane with an invitation for Rachel to spend the summer in Greece with her. Of course, Rachel decides to give up that summer job and take a free trip to Greece.

Rachel hasn't seen Diane and her husband Peter since she was a baby. However, she assimilated into the Greek culture swiftly and even made a friend. Benjamin is attracted to Rachel and she feels the same way about him. They spend most of their days and nights together getting to know one another. 

Sunburn has no foul language, violence or sex so it is appropriate for kids. The adults do alot of drinking and party every night. Rachel and Ben tag along with them. There is a mystery concerning why Diane invites a young person every summer to her home and Benjamin has something to do with it. I couldn't figure it out though. The story is illustrated in the blues and whites that you see in Greece which made the story more attractive to the reader.

This is a lovely story. 5 out of 5 stars.