Review: Bone Parish #1

Bone Parish is written by Cullen Bunn, illustrated by Jonas Scharg, colored by Alex Guimarees, and lettered by Ed Dukeshire. Bone Parish is published by Boom! Studios

This issue takes no time introducing us to a new street drug called Ash. This drug is no joke. Not only do you see things, but you EXPERIENCE everything you see.

All five senses get a rush from ash. This is proven by a man at the beginning of the issue that appears to be tripping on ash. He’s a pretty plain looking guy but he’s singing like a rock star. In his mind he’s on a huge stage singing to thousands of adoring fans. In real life it’s apparent that he’s high as a kite as he sings to random people on the street.

There’s a shady fellow on the side of the street selling ash. He goes by the name Dante, and he’s selling a lot of this new drug. So much that he runs out quickly. So, here comes the creepy twist we’ve all come to adore from Cullen Bunn’s writing. What is the main ingredient in ash? So glad you asked. I know I’m not spoiling anything by saying this since it’s in the description of this dark comic. The main ingredient is dead people.

I mean that’s perfect. These drug manufacturers will never be in short supply. The story itself takes place in New Orleans. But, it seems like our grave robbers have connections all over America to get their heavily demanded supply. The comic delves pretty deep into operations and answers quite a few questions about ash in this first issue.

So something I really liked about this story is that you get to see inside some of these hallucinations. I explained what one man saw. But, like with any individual person using a drug, results may vary. What do I mean by that? Well, I’m sure you can imagine. But, you won’t want to miss this incredible story telling mechanism for yourself.

Other things I really liked about this first issue is so much is explained. So many answers are revealed. But, I still very much want to read the next issue to learn more. There are still so many questions I have, but my current curiosity is nearly calmed. Cullen Bunn does a great job revealing creepy and mysterious aspects of the drug ash all while building suspense up to issue #2 in Bone Parish. 

Rating: 9/10

Bone Parish #1 is now available at comic book retailers everywhere.