Deathbed

by Joshua Williamson, Riley Rossmo (Illustrations)

Myth, hack, sex symbol, stark raving lunatic--all of these words have been used to describe Antonio Luna, the world's greatest living adventurer. Or at least he was until 20 years ago, when he mysteriously vanished from the public eye.

Now the ninety-year-old has returned and claims to be on his deathbed. Which is where Valentine Richards, a failed novelist turned reporter, comes in. Val is hired to travel to Luna's remote castle home and uncover where the old star has been all these years, and just how much of what he says is actually true. But once Val starts to hear Luna's tale, she finds herself entering into an insane world of psychedelic violence and explosive supernatural adventure.

This brand-new series is a bold collaboration between Joshua Williamson (The Flash, Frostbite) and Riley Rossmo (The Batman Who Laughs), mixing myth and horror in this new project from Vertigo.

Genres: Comics, Graphic Novels, Fantasy, Fiction, Graphic Novels Comics, Science Fiction, Horror

152 pages, Paperback

First published November 6, 2018

Reviews

[Chad · Rating 3 out of 5]

A solid read about the most interesting man in the world and his story as as he relates it to his autobiographer, Val. I really enjoyed the first half as they met mummy ninjas, sex cults, and werewolves on the moon. But the story weakens as the story turns self-reflective and turns into a moral about living life to its fullest. Riley Rossmo's over the top art actually works well in this setting.

[Paul · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not a bad read... a little on the puerile side in places but it certainly packed a lot into six issues.

[L. McCoy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Yes! I’m back to reading good books! Not meh books, shitty books or not necessarily terrible but still bad books. GOOD books! Yay!

What’s it about?
Luna is a dying man who needs his story told. He finds a struggling author named Valentine Richards and wants her to ghost write his story. It turns out that a batshit crazy adventure of mummies, space wolves, sex cults and more awaits!

Pros:
The story is interesting and crazy! I love the uniqueness and exciting it is!
The artwork is very well done. It’s not what I’m used to but it works very well in this book.
The characters are interesting. Luna is a crazy, super cool adventurer that is often humorous and readers will feel sympathetic towards Valentine. Both are well written.
There’s a lot of insane action throughout. This is a fantastic adventure story because of that. It’s not just good because it’s great action, it’s something that I doubt most readers will have read anything like.
This comic is humorous.
This is very unpredictable.

Cons:
So much gratuitous nudity and random fan service. I did expect some and I’m no prude but holy fuck, it’s so random. Whether it’s characters with their dicks floppin’ about, titties everywhere (one character even has a costume that shows off her bare breasts) or frequent ass shots, it seems to be everywhere in this book and rarely doesn’t feel gratuitous.
Stupid ending. It’s one of those is it real life, is it just fantasy endings where you don’t know if it was real or not. I can’t stand stuff like that.

Overall:
If you’re a fan of adventure stories and don’t mind a pile of nudity I would recommend this comic. It may not be a masterpiece but I had a great time reading it! It’s unique and exciting throughout so in my opinion, this comic is a good one worth adding to your list.
Recommended!

4/5

[RG · Rating 4 out of 5]

I actually enjoyed this more than I was expecting. The artwork was awesome and bonkers which fit the larger than life story. Charming story of enjoying and giving everything you have in life.

[Adam M · Rating 2 out of 5]

I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

What did I just read? No, really. What was that? It starts out as a batsh*t story about the world's most interesting man who is trying to have his life story documented and it showed some (weird) promise. Then it suddenly devolves into a self-indulgent reflection on what life means and what's any one person's story really worth. I don't know what Joshua Williamson was personally working through when writing this, but I wish him luck and good mental health because this was some "teenager figuring out how big the world is and how small they are" banality.

WAAAAAAAAYYYYYYY too much nudity for sheer shock value in a book that really spent a lot of time trying to throw weird shocking things at you. I'm not trying to be a prude when I say that it was over the top, it was just trying to provoke a reaction in case the mummy-ninjas didn't get one.

I was intrigued by this and then I was just disappointed by this. It had all kinds of potential, but just couldn't figure out what it wanted to be or say.
... what a weird way to start 2019

[James DeSantis · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm going to be 100% honest, this is a pretty insane fucking book, but it's also pretty fun.

So what's it about? Well, Val, our main character, is trying to write up a piece for Antonio Luna. At first she visits him to get his life story as he lays sick in his deathbed (Get the title?) then these monsters come to attack him, and he jumps out, completely naked, and kills them all. He then promises Val that this mission will be a once in a lifetime chance to join him on an adventure. She agrees and tus we head into issue 2 of this insane world.

Good: I enjoyed the bright and zanny atmosphere and colors. Worked real well. Luna is just insanely badass at points, but also kind of so stupid it hurts. Val is pretty fun, I like her attitude, and her determination is admirable, and this story goes all over the place so it's never boring.

Bad: With so much happening it can be a bit overwhelming and you never get a chance to breath a little. I also thought the ending was kind of meh and we could have gotten a few arcs visiting this universe.

Overall, a solid 3 out of 5. Not mind-blowing but different enough that you'd want to check it out for sure.

[A Fan of Comics · Rating 4 out of 5]

More fun than I was expecting!

I picked up the book for the art. The first issues cover was messy with lots of pinks and yellows and it kinda just called out to me. The series is great. I really love the art! The way they use light and motion in the comics is pretty interesting. Thankfully the story itself is as strange and adventurous as the art. There's the greatest man thats ever lived and he is trying to get his story out. A young girl with little to no "story" (experience?) is chosen to take on the task of writing it. Together, they start to go over all the incredible things the man has done and realize that there are always consequences. Even in things you think are good or in "good doing". Zombie ninjas, sex cults and moon landings are just a few things the two take on. This book has a lot of self reflection and really a deeper meaning then I was expecting.
My only compliant would be the end. I'm afraid it went a bit over my head and I dont fully understand what they were trying to convey. still a great read though!

[Alex Sarll]

Adventurer, artist, disco messiah - Antonio Luna has done it all. Now, he's telling ghostwriter Valentine Richards his story - but someone is determined that Luna not be remembered, sending undead ninjas after everyone who knew him. Can Luna and Val stop them? The energy is reminiscent of a more madcap Shutter, or maybe a Duck Tales entirely unsuitable for children. To some extent the story wants to have its cake and eat it, telling a story about the damage done by monstrous men who treat everyone else as fuel for their own epic self-image, while also relying on just such a figure as its engine. There are littler details, too, which didn't feel altogether consistent as one layer of the story gave way to the next. But the writing has sufficient verve, and Rossmo's art is so entirely charming and lively, that I still enjoyed this a lot.

[Boujee · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book would've had 5 stars, if not for the ending. Something about it just felt...incomplete to me.

Beyond that, these characters and the story-telling are both amazing. This book made me both laugh AND *feel*. Couldn't possibly recommend it enough.

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a wild ride!! This is one of those stories that are best read in one sitting. The artwork was bonkers. I would stop reading and look at all the crazy details - issue 3 I believe was the most insane one. Don’t know why, but when I read the voice I heard for Luna was Sean Connery.

[Gabriell Anderson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ve svém věku vím, že příběhy které dupnou na plyn hned na začátku málokdy udrží nohu a skoro vždy se roztáhnou přinejlepším do průměru. A tohle bohužel není výjimka. Začne to jako pozvánka na crazy psychedelické dobrodružství a už dřív než v půlce se to promění v pozitivní příběh o hledání sama sebe, byť pořád v psychedelických kulisách. Věčná škoda.

Mohlo by se vám líbit, pokud:
- vám ke štěstí stačí šílená kresba a kulisy
- anebo samoúčelná nahota
- máte rádi feel-good příběhy

Spíš vás zklame, pokud:
- jste četli první sešit a očekáváte šílenou jízdu s nádechem nostalgie
- už jste přejedení příběhů, kde jde hrdina do sebe a stává se lepším člověkem

[Jakub Kvíz · Rating 2 out of 5]

Posledni dobou nemam moc stesti na komiksy, ktery kupuju vicemene na slepo.

Deathbed neni vylozene spatna veci, ale ani chvili sem se u toho nebavil. Hlavni postavy me nudej a absolutne nezajimaj, pribeh je prumerny “akcni crazy dobrodruzstvi” a moralni ponauceni na zaver me minulo jak Patrik Stefan prazdnou branu.

Williamson me po Nailbiterovi zklamal podruhe a Rossmova kresba me ze zidle rozhodne nezvedla, byt k tomu crazy stylu celkem sedi.

[Wren · Rating 5 out of 5]

SO. MUCH. FUN.

This was such a wild ride and super freaking entertaining. Every page I just couldn't wait to see what shenanigans they would get up to next. Sure a bunch of it is really unbelievable (a rocket built by a child then left dormant for 60 odd years can somehow survive a trip to the moon and back... not even mentioning the werewolves on the moon - actually I kinda like the story behind the werewolves on the moon) but it was so fun.

I really loved the writing, the art, the colours, and the characters. Highly recommend!

[Molly · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm usually a big fan of Joshua Williamson, but this title just didn't quite do it for me, for whatever reason. The art is phenomenal, the story's pretty good, but I just didn't love it.

[Josh Herrema · Rating 4 out of 5]

I mean this story has it all. Mummy assassins, accidental cults, hallucinogenic jellyfish and mummy werewolves that live on the moon.

[Morris · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had a blast reading Deathbed! As you can tell by the dscription, it's a wild ride, but that doesn't even begin to scratch the surface. It's unique and keeps the reader on their toes. The artwork fits the style and tone perfectly. If you'd describe yourself as an eccentric reader, this is one you'll want to try!

This review is based upon a complimentary copy provided by the publisher in exchange for honest feedback.

[Harry Jahnke · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked the artwork a lot. That being said, I felt kind of weird how sexy everything is? Like, it's a panel of our two main characters walking so of course we're viewing it between the legs of somebody who has an amazing butt. No context, just a butt. Or Val's character design in general. At any given panel, her breasts are spilling our of her top which might be a comment on how women are depicted in classic adventure stories or maybe the artist likes boobies. Either way, it struck me but not necessarily in a bad way. I thought the story was a little simple but it works. I'd probably recommend this to someone who enjoyed The Venture Bros. Overall, I think I liked this. I didn't love it but it was a completely serviceable story.

[Alan · Rating 4 out of 5]

You know how they say truth is stranger than fiction? Well, if there ever had been such a man as Antonio Luna, he certainly would have fit that hoary cliche'. You name it Luna has done it. Explored strange lands and discovered new peoples, explored underneath the sea, the darkest corners of the world, fought evil, and ever started essentially, his own sex cult (it began as a religion).

Such a man should not go unremembered, so he has his people contact Val, an author who had an outstanding debut novel, and over the years has settled into writing /"ghosting' the biographies of those more famous than her. Except even this slight emergence bu Luna back into the limelight draws out many of his enemies.

So the reader follows Val, as she is our eyes and ears into this odd world of Luna's. Off they go from one outlandish adventure to the next. At the start Val can't believe this is happening to her, and she is primarily a passive observer who becomes more active as the tale progresses. Luna starts to wonder where the truth lies as the events of his own fantastic story.

A lot of fun, with a slightly old pulp story telling style at the start. Along with Imaginary Fiends, and Motherlands a nice resurgence for the Vertigo imprint.

[Theediscerning · Rating 4 out of 5]

Valentine Richards is fit – despite the old woman's bouffant hair, she looks wonderful, whether falling out of a leafy bikini or swaying in purple jeggings. But the real focus of our attentions is supposed to be the bizarre past and future of her subject, a chap that looked the spitting image of Green Arrow once upon a time, and is now an ageing adventurer, and lead cultist in a cult of, er, himself. Mummified ninja things have failed to kill him, and so have decided to kill off everyone who knew him, thus negating his existence – hence Val's presence by his side as official biographer. No, Boswell and Johnson have never looked like this...

This is a really fun look at the legacy we choose to leave for others – or, indeed, whether we should have that as a concern as we go about our lives. A dated art style (bringing to mind the Golden Age, as the artist's work on The Shadow seems to have leached through to these pages, as well as, of course, vintage Vertigo) nails this as a book of a certain type. But what it chiefly will be remembered for is actually giving us the heights of the picaresque, to a narrative form that really on reflection seems fit for nothing else. Eye-opening and thoughtful, then, and a strong four stars.

[Daniel · Rating 1 out of 5]

It's pretty lame. The premise is seemingly can't-miss: the most interesting man in the world tells his life story on his deathbed. But we immediately get the punchline that the dude is an asshole that's a big fraud without any of the set-up of him actually being awesome. We get maybe half an issue of Antonio Luna being cool and then the rest of the series is a long, sour lecture about him realizing he should've been nicer to people and that he wasn't all the great to begin with. And of course the girl who follows him around documenting him is the real hero and she actually does have an awesome life, blah blah.

It's basically the version of The Adventures of Baron Munchausen that Jonathan Pryce's character would've made if he were the narrator. If you've ever encountered the Broken Pedestal TV Trope--and you probably have, in a half-hour children's cartoon--there's no need to read this rote, boring TED Talk on that very common narrative device.

[Sean · Rating 4 out of 5]

Williamson and Rossmo team up for an incredibly insane adventure about a dying adventurer (Antonio Luna) who wants to make sure his stories are told. He enlists a disillusioned writer (Val) to ghost write for him. His world is full of sex, drugs, violence, and more insanity than imaginable. The story amps of the crazy and plays it for laughs and its funny but the book is also about family, pressure, glory, and more. I was really entertained. Riley Rossmo's art was over the top, kinetic, and fun. Overall, an insane thrill ride.

[Pranta Dastider · Rating 4 out of 5]

The beginning and middle of the story was fantastic, ending was good too. But, between the ending and the middle there was some messy parts! I liked the colouring, and the panelling of this book. Cover design was super-awesome! Characters were unique. At some places sketch could have been better. A few pages were not as vibrant as I would have liked.

All in all this was a short punch, which felt great. It was fun, action packed, confusing, threatening. There were few twists which kept me going until the end.

If you like a fun quick read, this is it.

[Sohan Surag · Rating 3 out of 5]

Val & Luna. I might not remember these and names and their adventures throughout the course of Deathbed but I will remember that I had a good time when I burned through Deathbed in an evening. Riley Rossmo's art was superb and the colors ..oh the colors were reminiscent of a neon signage gone crazy. As for the story, I was surprised to find what started of as a super quirky wild ride had a bit of a message towards the end. Thank you Joshua Williamson.

[Reading · Rating 3 out of 5]

Unfortunately I agree with the sentiments of many of the folks who have read this - it starts off with a 'whiz-bang' but sorta unravels and becomes preachy and repetitive in the last 1/3. The art is wonderfuly stored to the story and there are some exceptional panels and spreads.

I suggest The Weather Man or Shirtless Bear Fighter if you're looking for something a bit zany with a more satisfying arc.

[Jon FK · Rating 4 out of 5]

Incredible colouring with consistent illustration quality and dynamic layouts - a visual feast. This book was a little fantastical and tongue in cheek while serving up its action. It also gets subtly, and somewhat directly, existential with themes of legacy and the meaning of life. It's light-hearted, a little sexy, a little gory, and fun while still delivering a great message that we can learn from. Great book.

[C.Z. Writer · Rating 1 out of 5]

I didn't enjoy this graphic novel in the slightest. Nothing about it added up. No storyline or plot. Just random narratives of drugs, sex, lies, and excess strung together that went nowhere. Mesh Hunter Thompson, Ron Jeremy, Keith Richards, and Jim Jones together, plus adding aliens, werewolves, and mummies, and BAM you've got Deathbed.

It seems as though the students that failed art and writing in school wrote this graphic novel and got an A for effort.

[Dave · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ridiculous and profane, but at its core a reflection on how we are all the heroes of our own story.
My favorite quote "Her first word was 'peace'. Her last words were "What are these ninjas doing in my house?!"
Riley Rossmo's artwork is equally brilliant.
Not for everybody, for sure, but if you get it, you get it.

[Will Cooper · Rating 3 out of 5]

A man on his deathbed hires a ghostwriter to write his autobiography...and then the truth about his insane life is revealed. Funny in places, overall silly and a decent look at whose lives matter and when you should do things for others vs doing things for yourself.

[Marissa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bananas bonkers. Gorgeous, vibrant pop art, throw every idea you've ever had at the wall and it all sticks adventures, and a surprising little heart to wrap it all up. It's like the Pop Rocks of comics.

[Josef Ploski · Rating 5 out of 5]

This has got to be one of the wildest and weirdest rides I've taken in comic from a mainstream publisher in awhile and I enjoyed all of it. It is strictly for a more immaturely mature audience, but you never know where the story will go next and keeps you hanging on and guessing.