Review of KNOCK EM DEAD #1: Waiting For The "Wow"

KNOCK EM DEAD #1 (Aftershock, December 2020) “The Setup.” Writer: Eliot Rahal. Artist: Mattia Monaco. Colorist: Matt Milla.  Letters: Taylor Esposito. Cover: Andy Clarke with Jose Villarrubia. Incentive Cover: Tony Harris.  

My rating: FOUR out of  a possible FIVE STARS.

SYNOPSIS: An aspiring young stand-up comedian bombs night after night until a tragic accident provides a supernatural spark to transition into the limelight.  It’s a set-up issue that holds back on delivering the punchline.

Sigh. The streak appears to be broken. 

In 2020, every debut issue from Aftershock left me saying “wow” and eagerly anticipating the next issue. Almost a perfect year - -  a string of successes in a weird year for the comics business along with the weirdness and troubling times we all experienced and still are.  The streak almost ended for me with SYMPATHY FOR NO DEVILS, but the expressive art that reminded me of Steve Ditko won me over. 

  I finished reading Issue #1 of KNOCK EM DEAD without a “wow”.  However, the premise is a really good one, and like watching a stand-up comedian on a bad night, I decide to order another drink and hang around to see if the next joke (or the next issue) finally delivers.  I think it just might. 

   I searched a few reviews on the internet and found them to be favorable. They pointed out some things that I missed during my first reading. Is it possible that certain scenes in Issue #1 were meant to discourage?  Would a writer actually dare to do that? Now I’m curious. 

So I read KNOCK EM DEAD a second time, and then a third - - something I don’t normally do. I give a debut issue one reading to win me over, unless it’s so complex I have to read it again to absorb everything it contains.  I was rewarded for my re-reads of KNOCK EM DEAD with several discoveries. 

1. A lot of this story is being told without words, which appears to be an intentional story-telling device that is being employed here. I believe this may be the U.S. debut for Italian artist Mattia Monaco and he reveals a fresh and expressive style that should mark him as someone to add to your watch list. From his perfectly portrayed scenes of the Chicago background to his very telling facial expressions and body language his style is clear and uncluttered and impressive.
2. We seem to be in a transitional moment for creating comics, where color has become more important than ever in helping to create the proper atmosphere as well as enhance the story-telling. A perfect example of that is Matt Milla’s work here, from drab and dimly lit tucked-away comedy clubs, cold blue hues, and reds that foreshadow supernatural aspects of the story yet to be revealed. 
3. It’s rare that I read a comic and make note of the letterers. They are part of the creative team that I tend to take for granted, with few expectations. Taylor Esposito gets a real opportunity to be creative here, and he takes full advantage of it.  Text captions at scene changes look like poorly-scribbled darkly lit comedy club signs, the exclamations and sound effects are big and bold, and the use of scribbles and emojis in place of dialogue is brilliant. 
4. I saved the writing for last, as initially I didn’t appreciate what Eliot Rahal is doing here. So I’ll make it up to him by giving him the last words . . . . .

A.  Pryor Brice is a likable character that many of us will empathize with immediately. Struggling to find his place in the world, an unemployed college student who owes a debt to dead parents for financing his education, dependent on an older sister for food and shelter, Pryor only finds fulfillment in his quest to be a stand-up comedian. Unfortunately, he’s terrible at comedy but persists from one seedy comedy club to another looking for acceptance. 

B.  Rather than share Brice’s unfunny material with us, Rahal lets Esposito replace the words with scribbles and emojis. At first, I was disappointed. I wanted to read an example of Brice’s routine. However, what better way to indicate how badly Pryor is bombing? Suppose Rahal wrote some unfunny text and then a reader accidentally laughed at it? That could ruin the mood he is trying to set here. 

C.  You would not know you are reading a horror comic, as this first issue focuses solely on Pryor Brice’s life and struggles. Rahal is trusting that his story is compelling enough for readers to wait for the hook. The only things that hint at what is to come are the eerie cover straight out of Creepshow / EC’s horror comics, and the next issue blurb at the back of the book that tells us what happens after Brice’s tragic accident and return from near death.  There is one scene that hints at what’s to come. Brice’s first time on stage really goes poorly as the next page shows that he bombed so badly that the audience exploded.

Because of the absence of dialogue or text on many of the pages, it’s easy to read this book too fast and then miss the whole point. Now that I’ve made that mistake and corrected myself on re-reading, I recommend you take your time with this book, pause to savor the images on each page and absorb it all before moving forward. You’ll get a better appreciation for KNOCK EM DEAD. I have, and while I may have to wait until Issue #2 to experience the “wow” — I fully expect that to happen. 

The streak is intact.