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Killadelphia #7-12
Killadelphia, Vol. 2: Burn Baby Burn
Continuing the critically-acclaimed, sold-out series from breakout star RODNEY BARNES, the writer behind such hit shows as Wu-Tang: An American Saga and STARZ's American Gods, and the artist who redefined SPAWN, JASON SHAWN ALEXANDER!
Adams' battle to reshape the United States in his own twisted vision might have been thwarted for now, giving Jimmy Sangster a moment of respite, but the war for a new America rages on! Now, as Abigail steps out of the shadows, she unleashes a new violent terror upon the city some have renamed Killadelphia. But this time, it's about creating as widespread a web of fear imaginable as she rips the beating heart from the city itself.
Can Jimmy stop her or will history repeat and force him to meet the same fate as his father?
Collects KILLADELPHIA #7-12
Adams' battle to reshape the United States in his own twisted vision might have been thwarted for now, giving Jimmy Sangster a moment of respite, but the war for a new America rages on! Now, as Abigail steps out of the shadows, she unleashes a new violent terror upon the city some have renamed Killadelphia. But this time, it's about creating as widespread a web of fear imaginable as she rips the beating heart from the city itself.
Can Jimmy stop her or will history repeat and force him to meet the same fate as his father?
Collects KILLADELPHIA #7-12
176 pages, Paperback
First published March 31, 2021
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129 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 56 reviews
November 10, 2021
Barnes can't seem to decide where he wants to head the series so it spins its wheels for six issues. I did like the backstories of the vampires, but the story seems to have lost direction in favor of bringing everyone who was dead back. JSA's art while great looking as individual panels has a lot of trouble telling a sequential story. His art requires Barnes to tell the story through words instead of pictures.
November 12, 2021
This volume spends a lot of time on back stories of some of the vampires. What they where doing way back when and how they became vampires. They were really just ok and didn’t do much for me. What they did do was affect the main story and made it move at a snails pace. Also there is some kind of purgatory or afterlife for the vamps so than can come back. Although this volumes was just average, it did have an interesting ending. Plus there was also a short side story at the end about these werewolves from way back they looks like it may tie into the main story. That could be interesting.
July 24, 2021
This volume is trying to do a lot of stuff, picking up all the strands of the story from the first volume, including ones that I thought were done. But no, because they're vampires, and there's an afterlife, no one really seems to go away.
What's here is good, but it's a lot, and it feels a bit incoherent, as we jump from back-story to back-story of the vampires without moving through the main plot. And some of the back stories feel a little redundant in comparison to the first volume, with a couple of the character beats feeling a little... awkward (especially Abigail's love interest). It feels like it could have used a few more pages in the telling, but that's true of almost everything going on here (especially the experiences in the afterlife, which I consider the high points of the volume). This is an Empire Strikes Back style middle volume, leaving on a cliff-hanger and not really resolving any plot threads. The volume also includes a related short OGN about werewolves among followers of Malcolm X, which is interesting if a little heavy-handed in its subtext. But it's the first time I've seen the concept played out, so it gets points for that, even if the plot itself is pretty cliche.
On its own, this book is too convoluted and frenetic for its own good. But I think final judgment really should be held until Volume 3 comes out, and assumedly resolves the standing threads.
What's here is good, but it's a lot, and it feels a bit incoherent, as we jump from back-story to back-story of the vampires without moving through the main plot. And some of the back stories feel a little redundant in comparison to the first volume, with a couple of the character beats feeling a little... awkward (especially Abigail's love interest). It feels like it could have used a few more pages in the telling, but that's true of almost everything going on here (especially the experiences in the afterlife, which I consider the high points of the volume). This is an Empire Strikes Back style middle volume, leaving on a cliff-hanger and not really resolving any plot threads. The volume also includes a related short OGN about werewolves among followers of Malcolm X, which is interesting if a little heavy-handed in its subtext. But it's the first time I've seen the concept played out, so it gets points for that, even if the plot itself is pretty cliche.
On its own, this book is too convoluted and frenetic for its own good. But I think final judgment really should be held until Volume 3 comes out, and assumedly resolves the standing threads.
March 1, 2022
Abigail Adams is a Bad Bitch but must be said she’s got STYLE... 🧛♀️
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September 19, 2021
This one doesn't hit as true as the first volume, but it ends on a heckuva cliffhanger. Ready for the next one!
May 14, 2021
The same problems that plague the first volume of Killadelphia - great art that doesn't work well as sequential storytelling, and a narrative that skips right ahead to the assumption English lit classes will be debating its meaning - continues here. But it's all compounded by a followup that adds little to what has come before, improves on nothing, and peters out in time to shoehorn in a werewolf story we didn't really need.
July 17, 2022
This was actually quite good. After establishing itself in an exciting opening volume We dig into some interesting storytelling segments. There is plenty of fleshing out and now proper page time has been given to the characters. I'm really into this now. The story telling has improved, but also the art looks fantastic and stands out even more than volume 1.
April 6, 2021
The first arc of Rodney Barnes and Jason Shawn Alexander’s Killadelphia ranked among my favorite comics of 2020. It was a breathtaking, gorgeous, layered story that blended absurd-yet-scary horror with gritty, grounded character drama. So, naturally, I was pretty excited to see where the comic would go from there. That first volume ended in a way that opened numerous narrative doors for future stories. And that’s a pretty exciting place for a second arc to find itself. Now, to be fair, Barnes and Alexander certainly take advantage of those numerous avenues—but it comes at the cost of narrative coherence. While the first volume of Killadelphia was something new and exciting, the second volume feels like more of the same—with all of the pros and cons that come with that. The world is explored with more depth, but the narrative is often unfocused, with an ending that’s less of an ending and more of a beginning for another story. There's too much going on and not enough time to explore it with.
Volume 2 of Killadelphia feels less like a story in its own right and more like the setup for a story you’re gonna get in the next arc. Here, Abigail Adams picks up the pieces of her (now fully-dead) husband's plan, deciding to take control of humanity by force, rather than slowly eating away at the outskirts of humanity and living in the shadows. And that’s the gist of it. She has some of her underlings attack prominent Philadelphia people—including the state’s governor and a famous rapper—resulting in Jimmy Sangster investigating the murders. On paper, that makes for a compelling story. And for a while, it is one. But it all kind of falls apart due to a lack of focus. Instead of furthering the main plotline, much of the arc is dedicated to fleshing out the stories of Abigail and her vampire family. This wouldn’t be a problem if those backstories felt more tied into the arc’s main story, especially since a lot of them are very compelling and give Abigail and her vampire family a lot more depth than they previously had. But that’s not really what happens. In one issue, numerous pages are spent developing a character’s backstory who’s almost immediately killed later in the same issue (or at the beginning of the next, I don’t quite remember). Stuff like that makes these diversions feel pointless. Why learn about a character who’s immediately killed off? Now, to be fair, a lot of this is very interesting, so your mileage may vary. It just didn’t work so well for me.
I often complain about comics trying to cram too much story into six issues, resulting in things going unexplored. And that’s definitely something that happens here. There’s a lot of world-building and a lot of character expansion, but it all feels a bit rushed. Jimmy suffers the brunt of this lack of focus, as his arc feels woefully underexplored. He seems to be adjusting to life without his father, even taking over his father’s job. But then, the moment Abigail and her vampires start attacking people, he immediately resurrects his father. And it’s kind of like… why? I mean, the comic does explain this, but it feels like a lot of the previous arc revolved around Jimmy learning to move past his father, so it’s a little underwhelming to see him return to that mindset so quickly. Abigail’s storyline doesn’t fare much better. Abigail’s plan never fully makes sense because the story never really explains what she’s going for. It always exists as a sort of vague “out of anarchy, our new society will rise” kind of thing. And maybe its vagueness is the point, but the comic doesn’t entirely communicate that. Instead, it just feels sort of underdeveloped. And, honestly, given that most of these vampires know of Abigail’s past, the fact that any of them trust her to be acting in their best interests doesn’t quite work for me. This might also be the point, but I still feel like it wasn’t communicated as well as it could’ve been. All of the pieces are there, but they never quite come together for me. In all honesty, if the goal for this arc was to expand upon the various vampires, I wish the comic hadn’t done anything with Jimmy at all. Just cut away from him entirely and really lean into the idea of this being a pause in the action, meant to expand upon the various vampires. But, alas, that’s not what happens.
I think the biggest problem for me is that this is an arc without an ending. This arc ends on the mother of all cliffhangers, without doing anything to bring the story to any kind of a conclusion, and without that ending, all of the pieces don't feel like they properly come together. The sixth issue of this arc feels less like the climax of a story and more like the middle chapter of one. And that’s really frustrating. Had the sixth issue brought the story to a close, it would’ve resulted in an arc that wasn’t quite as good as the first arc, but still enjoyable. Instead, we’ve got something that just feels formless. It’s a lot of (admittedly enjoyable) world-building, the seeds of a plot, and the promise of a satisfying ending. And that’s just… not what I look for in an arc of a comic. It’s the exact reason I don’t read comics as they come out, choosing to wait for arcs to be collected in trade paperback collections so I can read the whole story in one go. For me, a collected volume of an ongoing comic comes with the implicit promise of containing a full story—unless it explicitly tells me that’s not the case (think DC’s Doomsday Clock being split into two volumes). To be fair, this arc ends with the promise of a pretty killer conclusion in the next arc, but that kind of an ending leaves the previous six issues feeling like you'd treaded water for a while. None of this inherently means that volume 2 of Killadelphia is bad. There's a lot here that will please most longtime Killadelphia fans—of which I am one. But on the whole, there were as many things that didn't work for me as there were things that did.
All of that being said, though, there’s still a lot to like about Killadelphia: Burn Baby Burn. Most of what I liked about the first arc is carried over here. The characters are compelling, even if some of them feel a bit underserved. The dialogue is so well-written, razor-sharp, and full of wit. The atmosphere is exactly the same; there’s still that perfect mixture of horror and absurdism. The world-building is excellent and the connection that’s drawn between the oppression of vampires and the oppression these characters felt when they were human is well worth exploring, especially in the context of how easy it is to argue that Abigail is only continuing that oppression. Most enjoyable of all, though, is Jason Shawn Alexander’s artwork. The artwork here remains as gritty and grounded as it was in the first volume, with Alexander continuing to play in a sort of noir nightmare world. The vampires get to be even more horrific this time around, as the violence is more brutal than ever. This is one of those comics that’d be worth reading for the artwork alone, honestly. It’s just really gorgeous work and I continue to appreciate how well Alexander realizes Barnes’s vision.
All in all, I feel like Killadelphia is a title that might be best read as a monthly thing, ignoring the confines of various arcs. As an ongoing storyline, these issues are compelling enough. There’s a lot of cool stuff set up here with the promise of a cracking conclusion to come. But as a self-contained arc, this is a bit disappointing. It’s all set up with no payoff and that’s not really what I look for from a graphic novel collecting an arc of a comic. Reading it this way feels like you've read half a story, whereas reading it monthly probably doesn't result in such a strong feeling. It's more akin to watching a TV show that's gone on a hiatus, where you expect these kinds of cliffhangers. Still, if you’re a fan of Killadelphia, you’re gonna find a lot about this to like. It remains one of the most daring and creative comics being published right now, and I’m very excited to see where it goes in its third arc, given all that happens at the end of this one. Plus, this volume includes a backup story called “Elysium Gardens,” which is all about a group of werewolves and tackles many of the same themes as the main Killadelphia title. It looks like “Elysium Gardens” will directly tie in with Killadelphia sometime in the future, so that should be pretty exciting too. Overall, if you’re a fan of Killadelphia, you’re gonna read this title anyway. And if you’re not, I don’t think this will change your mind, but I think you should still give the series a try as the third arc looks to be an exciting one.
Volume 2 of Killadelphia feels less like a story in its own right and more like the setup for a story you’re gonna get in the next arc. Here, Abigail Adams picks up the pieces of her (now fully-dead) husband's plan, deciding to take control of humanity by force, rather than slowly eating away at the outskirts of humanity and living in the shadows. And that’s the gist of it. She has some of her underlings attack prominent Philadelphia people—including the state’s governor and a famous rapper—resulting in Jimmy Sangster investigating the murders. On paper, that makes for a compelling story. And for a while, it is one. But it all kind of falls apart due to a lack of focus. Instead of furthering the main plotline, much of the arc is dedicated to fleshing out the stories of Abigail and her vampire family. This wouldn’t be a problem if those backstories felt more tied into the arc’s main story, especially since a lot of them are very compelling and give Abigail and her vampire family a lot more depth than they previously had. But that’s not really what happens. In one issue, numerous pages are spent developing a character’s backstory who’s almost immediately killed later in the same issue (or at the beginning of the next, I don’t quite remember). Stuff like that makes these diversions feel pointless. Why learn about a character who’s immediately killed off? Now, to be fair, a lot of this is very interesting, so your mileage may vary. It just didn’t work so well for me.
I often complain about comics trying to cram too much story into six issues, resulting in things going unexplored. And that’s definitely something that happens here. There’s a lot of world-building and a lot of character expansion, but it all feels a bit rushed. Jimmy suffers the brunt of this lack of focus, as his arc feels woefully underexplored. He seems to be adjusting to life without his father, even taking over his father’s job. But then, the moment Abigail and her vampires start attacking people, he immediately resurrects his father. And it’s kind of like… why? I mean, the comic does explain this, but it feels like a lot of the previous arc revolved around Jimmy learning to move past his father, so it’s a little underwhelming to see him return to that mindset so quickly. Abigail’s storyline doesn’t fare much better. Abigail’s plan never fully makes sense because the story never really explains what she’s going for. It always exists as a sort of vague “out of anarchy, our new society will rise” kind of thing. And maybe its vagueness is the point, but the comic doesn’t entirely communicate that. Instead, it just feels sort of underdeveloped. And, honestly, given that most of these vampires know of Abigail’s past, the fact that any of them trust her to be acting in their best interests doesn’t quite work for me. This might also be the point, but I still feel like it wasn’t communicated as well as it could’ve been. All of the pieces are there, but they never quite come together for me. In all honesty, if the goal for this arc was to expand upon the various vampires, I wish the comic hadn’t done anything with Jimmy at all. Just cut away from him entirely and really lean into the idea of this being a pause in the action, meant to expand upon the various vampires. But, alas, that’s not what happens.
I think the biggest problem for me is that this is an arc without an ending. This arc ends on the mother of all cliffhangers, without doing anything to bring the story to any kind of a conclusion, and without that ending, all of the pieces don't feel like they properly come together. The sixth issue of this arc feels less like the climax of a story and more like the middle chapter of one. And that’s really frustrating. Had the sixth issue brought the story to a close, it would’ve resulted in an arc that wasn’t quite as good as the first arc, but still enjoyable. Instead, we’ve got something that just feels formless. It’s a lot of (admittedly enjoyable) world-building, the seeds of a plot, and the promise of a satisfying ending. And that’s just… not what I look for in an arc of a comic. It’s the exact reason I don’t read comics as they come out, choosing to wait for arcs to be collected in trade paperback collections so I can read the whole story in one go. For me, a collected volume of an ongoing comic comes with the implicit promise of containing a full story—unless it explicitly tells me that’s not the case (think DC’s Doomsday Clock being split into two volumes). To be fair, this arc ends with the promise of a pretty killer conclusion in the next arc, but that kind of an ending leaves the previous six issues feeling like you'd treaded water for a while. None of this inherently means that volume 2 of Killadelphia is bad. There's a lot here that will please most longtime Killadelphia fans—of which I am one. But on the whole, there were as many things that didn't work for me as there were things that did.
All of that being said, though, there’s still a lot to like about Killadelphia: Burn Baby Burn. Most of what I liked about the first arc is carried over here. The characters are compelling, even if some of them feel a bit underserved. The dialogue is so well-written, razor-sharp, and full of wit. The atmosphere is exactly the same; there’s still that perfect mixture of horror and absurdism. The world-building is excellent and the connection that’s drawn between the oppression of vampires and the oppression these characters felt when they were human is well worth exploring, especially in the context of how easy it is to argue that Abigail is only continuing that oppression. Most enjoyable of all, though, is Jason Shawn Alexander’s artwork. The artwork here remains as gritty and grounded as it was in the first volume, with Alexander continuing to play in a sort of noir nightmare world. The vampires get to be even more horrific this time around, as the violence is more brutal than ever. This is one of those comics that’d be worth reading for the artwork alone, honestly. It’s just really gorgeous work and I continue to appreciate how well Alexander realizes Barnes’s vision.
All in all, I feel like Killadelphia is a title that might be best read as a monthly thing, ignoring the confines of various arcs. As an ongoing storyline, these issues are compelling enough. There’s a lot of cool stuff set up here with the promise of a cracking conclusion to come. But as a self-contained arc, this is a bit disappointing. It’s all set up with no payoff and that’s not really what I look for from a graphic novel collecting an arc of a comic. Reading it this way feels like you've read half a story, whereas reading it monthly probably doesn't result in such a strong feeling. It's more akin to watching a TV show that's gone on a hiatus, where you expect these kinds of cliffhangers. Still, if you’re a fan of Killadelphia, you’re gonna find a lot about this to like. It remains one of the most daring and creative comics being published right now, and I’m very excited to see where it goes in its third arc, given all that happens at the end of this one. Plus, this volume includes a backup story called “Elysium Gardens,” which is all about a group of werewolves and tackles many of the same themes as the main Killadelphia title. It looks like “Elysium Gardens” will directly tie in with Killadelphia sometime in the future, so that should be pretty exciting too. Overall, if you’re a fan of Killadelphia, you’re gonna read this title anyway. And if you’re not, I don’t think this will change your mind, but I think you should still give the series a try as the third arc looks to be an exciting one.
October 22, 2022
The second arc/volume of Killadelphia has a lot of ups and downs, but for the most part falls kinda short for me. In this second arc (containing issues 7-12) we see Philadelphia’s adjustment to the outbreak/reveal of Vampires, and making sure there’s not another attack. However, with it being comics of course there’s gonna be another attack, and it’s gonna be worse. Abigail Adams leads an all out attack on Philly after the death of her husband, John Adams. Only her plan is to be far more malicious and start an all out *war*. She wants to spread fear and come out from the shadows, and she starts by killing the governor and putting him on a bloody display. She even goes as far as killing famous celebrities live in concert. It’s once again up to Jimmy Sangster to help his city and stop Abigail Adams.
I gotta say for this volume, Rodney Barnes does a very sloppy job with the writing. The new arc starts off kinda solid, but as it goes on it seems like Barnes doesn’t quite have a streamline idea to what he wants this series to be. This second arc didn’t feel like anything special, and honestly was just the same as the first one. Oh, but this time around the attack is more chaotic and violent? WHO CARES?! It just didn’t read well. Barnes also decides to give some background on some characters, but the way he does it is so random. Like you’ll have 2 pages of the normal story, and then the next page or 2 is a flashback sequence of some character’s old life, and how they became a vampire. All for it to then go back to the normal story, but now it’s from the perspective of a different character that we weren’t originally reading from. It’s all over the place, and very badly paced. One thing I did enjoy plot wise was Barnes touching on the afterlife. His premise wasn’t anything too unique, but it was still really interesting to see it touched on. I know there’s still more to go for this series as there's volume 3, and in general the run is still ongoing, so I’ll remain hopeful, but this volume doesn’t get me excited to keep reading. At least not right now.
With all those thoughts you’re probably asking, “then what makes this a 3 star?”. Well it’s obviously Jason Shawn Alexander’s artwork. It is absolutely outstanding and the only reason I don't give up on this series. I’m not sure why, but I feel like his artwork is *even* better in this volume. I loved every single page, panel and disturbing designs. His work on this one captures the chaotic setting *perfectly*. I think it really solidifies him as one of the best in the game right now and I want to see more and more of his work. There’s also amazing colors provided by Luis NCT, and similar to Alexander, in this volume it feels even better than the first.
P.S. You also get a wonderful treat of seeing Alexander’s pencils with Bill Sienkiewicz on inks, with the ‘Elysium Gardens’ backup issue, and it is a delight!
Overall; Not Barnes’s best on writing, but Alexander’s absolute best on artwork. Do with that what you will.
I gotta say for this volume, Rodney Barnes does a very sloppy job with the writing. The new arc starts off kinda solid, but as it goes on it seems like Barnes doesn’t quite have a streamline idea to what he wants this series to be. This second arc didn’t feel like anything special, and honestly was just the same as the first one. Oh, but this time around the attack is more chaotic and violent? WHO CARES?! It just didn’t read well. Barnes also decides to give some background on some characters, but the way he does it is so random. Like you’ll have 2 pages of the normal story, and then the next page or 2 is a flashback sequence of some character’s old life, and how they became a vampire. All for it to then go back to the normal story, but now it’s from the perspective of a different character that we weren’t originally reading from. It’s all over the place, and very badly paced. One thing I did enjoy plot wise was Barnes touching on the afterlife. His premise wasn’t anything too unique, but it was still really interesting to see it touched on. I know there’s still more to go for this series as there's volume 3, and in general the run is still ongoing, so I’ll remain hopeful, but this volume doesn’t get me excited to keep reading. At least not right now.
With all those thoughts you’re probably asking, “then what makes this a 3 star?”. Well it’s obviously Jason Shawn Alexander’s artwork. It is absolutely outstanding and the only reason I don't give up on this series. I’m not sure why, but I feel like his artwork is *even* better in this volume. I loved every single page, panel and disturbing designs. His work on this one captures the chaotic setting *perfectly*. I think it really solidifies him as one of the best in the game right now and I want to see more and more of his work. There’s also amazing colors provided by Luis NCT, and similar to Alexander, in this volume it feels even better than the first.
P.S. You also get a wonderful treat of seeing Alexander’s pencils with Bill Sienkiewicz on inks, with the ‘Elysium Gardens’ backup issue, and it is a delight!
Overall; Not Barnes’s best on writing, but Alexander’s absolute best on artwork. Do with that what you will.
December 21, 2021
I really dug Killadelphia vol 1. It brought new blood (I can’t help it) to the Vampire trope. Ok, I can’t resist bad jokes, but I really did like the comic. Now, Volume 1 was six issues- and I can assume that was probably on purpose- but it was written with a conclusion in mind
So this really feels like a true sequel (and also contains the issues inherent with that.) With John Adams vanquished (at least temporarily) Abigail Adams is the Big Bad.
But this volume struggles a bit. Barnes goes text heavy trying to bring the reader up to speed, but it hurts the pace. It also works against one of the biggest strengths of the series - Alexander’s art.
Now, there are a lot of good things about this book too. Barnes’s strengths from the first issue- characterization, dialogue and character interactions shine through.
Backstories are told which builds the world out some more- though to be honest, these new plot lines are a mix of hit and miss, and not always favorable towards telling an engaging story. The more Barnes tries to tie in historical figures, the less credible the story feels, although the John Adams who pops up here feels more consistent in character than his first appearance.
This volume ends with a cliffhanger after a bit in dealing in the Supernatural (think Ghost Rider) and trying to up the story with extreme violence (neither the former nor the latter seem to improve things for the better, as the best moments in this book seem to be the most human).
The comic ends with a lengthy black and white story called Elysium Gardens, which looks to be tied into the greater Killadelphia story. The plot isn’t much different than the main story though it changes out vampires, John Adams and Philadelphia for werewolves, Malcolm X and Los Angeles. It’s a neat idea which contains many of the same positives and negatives I have attributed to Barnes and Alexander above.
December 18, 2022
The undead Abigail Adams (former First Lady) is leading an army of vampires in Philadelphia after her husband, John, was staked through the heart. Abigail is proving to be even more brutal and bloodthirsty than her late husband. Meanwhile, James Sangster Sr. is enjoying a nice little reunion in heaven with his late wife when Jimmy Jr. calls him back to life on Earth. Seesaw visits Hell and makes a deal with the devil. Flashback to 1962, California, where a young black woman discovers that she is the queen of the werewolves, a.k.a. the Black Panther Party…
Rodney Barnes’s Killadelphia is a fun, gory, trippin’ vampire graphic novel series, with fantastic art by Jason Shawn Alexander. Also some great historical revisionism in this…
Rodney Barnes’s Killadelphia is a fun, gory, trippin’ vampire graphic novel series, with fantastic art by Jason Shawn Alexander. Also some great historical revisionism in this…
July 29, 2023
This rating is more recognition of improvement than intrinsic value.
The plot is way better paced than in vol.1 and this volume naturally leads to another one. There’s still scripting problems though: for instance we get flashbacks on different people. This is interesting if said people are developed when in the present time. What do I care of the prejudice inflicted to some supporting cast with 2 lines of dialogue so far and killed two pages later?
Barnes also reintroduces characters with a rather cheap sleight of hand trick.
Human characters haven’t really grow a personality so far. Vampires and Sangster Sr. asshole attitude clearly got the writer’s interest.
Most of all he tends to writes sentencious lines. Not enough to be really boring but always that close.
But like I said it is better and I sure hope vol.3 will keep this trend.
Alexander still rocks on art.
The plot is way better paced than in vol.1 and this volume naturally leads to another one. There’s still scripting problems though: for instance we get flashbacks on different people. This is interesting if said people are developed when in the present time. What do I care of the prejudice inflicted to some supporting cast with 2 lines of dialogue so far and killed two pages later?
Barnes also reintroduces characters with a rather cheap sleight of hand trick.
Human characters haven’t really grow a personality so far. Vampires and Sangster Sr. asshole attitude clearly got the writer’s interest.
Most of all he tends to writes sentencious lines. Not enough to be really boring but always that close.
But like I said it is better and I sure hope vol.3 will keep this trend.
Alexander still rocks on art.
April 16, 2022
The vampires' first assault has been repelled, so First Lady Abigail Adams tries a more subtle approach (if murdering people in front of crowds of thousands is subtle, I suppose, but it's all relative). With the vampires regrouping, Jimmy turns to the one person he can think of to turn the tide - but his father's meant to be resting in peace, isn't he?
The second arc of Killadelphia pumps the brakes a bit and gives us the slower burn story that I thought we'd start with. Things progress at a much more manageable pace, and it doesn't feel like the story's barrelling towards a conclusion like it did for the first six issues - we've got a long game going now, and that's much easier to get invested in for me personally. While we do retread some old ground a lot quicker than I thought we would in both the hero and villain camps, it's done in such a way that it feels fresh, even if it's only a few issues old.
There's also the first half of the Elysium Gardens back-up story, a monochromatic werewolf tale that weaves through history and sets itself on a collision course with the main plot. I think Jason Shawn Alexander's art does lose a bit of its flair in black and white, especially when it's juxtaposed with Luis NCT's colours in the main story.
Burn Baby Burn sets the stage for a grander story than expected; with some unexpected locales, a more cerebral antagonist, and a cliffhanger ending that will kick you in the teeth (fangs?), this second arc has hooked me in a way that the first didn't. I'm glad I stuck around.
The second arc of Killadelphia pumps the brakes a bit and gives us the slower burn story that I thought we'd start with. Things progress at a much more manageable pace, and it doesn't feel like the story's barrelling towards a conclusion like it did for the first six issues - we've got a long game going now, and that's much easier to get invested in for me personally. While we do retread some old ground a lot quicker than I thought we would in both the hero and villain camps, it's done in such a way that it feels fresh, even if it's only a few issues old.
There's also the first half of the Elysium Gardens back-up story, a monochromatic werewolf tale that weaves through history and sets itself on a collision course with the main plot. I think Jason Shawn Alexander's art does lose a bit of its flair in black and white, especially when it's juxtaposed with Luis NCT's colours in the main story.
Burn Baby Burn sets the stage for a grander story than expected; with some unexpected locales, a more cerebral antagonist, and a cliffhanger ending that will kick you in the teeth (fangs?), this second arc has hooked me in a way that the first didn't. I'm glad I stuck around.
December 5, 2021
In book one, Rodney Barnes tried to set the city (and subsequently the country) on fire. In book two, it’s burn, baby, burn. The Adams family (the original one) isn’t quite done with their plans of vampiric conquest. Only this time, with John out of commission, Abigail steps up to the plate. She isn’t encumbered by her husband’s ideals, she’s much more practical and thus more terrifying of a leader.
Also hot, Abigail Adams is a total babe, way to rewrite history. And in this book, Barnes takes all kinda of fun liberties with the past, utilizing yet another POTUS to do so. Abigail Adams in real life was a very well educated for her time woman, but a babe? Especially after 6 kids? Questionable, questionable, but, you know, all in good fun. Plus, she makes for a very exciting vampire leader and that’s what you’re all are here for, isn’t it? A vampire adventure.
So, is she the one to bring about the bloodapocalypse or will the Sangster team get in the way again? Read and find out.
This book, unlike its predecessor, ends Sopranos-suddenly. It’s also, although featuring the same artist, doesn’t seem quite as stunning artistically, which is just odd. Or maybe that’s just the novelty wearing off, the thrill going and all that. It’s still plenty good and lots of fun, it just doesn’t have that original popping freshness of book one.
It also has a tie-in story featuring a different kind of monsters and their own (also race-related) backstory, which’ll probably feature in book three. Still plenty good and clever for a vampire story. Recommended.
Also hot, Abigail Adams is a total babe, way to rewrite history. And in this book, Barnes takes all kinda of fun liberties with the past, utilizing yet another POTUS to do so. Abigail Adams in real life was a very well educated for her time woman, but a babe? Especially after 6 kids? Questionable, questionable, but, you know, all in good fun. Plus, she makes for a very exciting vampire leader and that’s what you’re all are here for, isn’t it? A vampire adventure.
So, is she the one to bring about the bloodapocalypse or will the Sangster team get in the way again? Read and find out.
This book, unlike its predecessor, ends Sopranos-suddenly. It’s also, although featuring the same artist, doesn’t seem quite as stunning artistically, which is just odd. Or maybe that’s just the novelty wearing off, the thrill going and all that. It’s still plenty good and lots of fun, it just doesn’t have that original popping freshness of book one.
It also has a tie-in story featuring a different kind of monsters and their own (also race-related) backstory, which’ll probably feature in book three. Still plenty good and clever for a vampire story. Recommended.
August 15, 2022
Abigail Adams takes over villain duties after the death of her husband, consolidating power and directing a wave of gory and public assassinations. Jimmy Jr and Jose direct a flamethrower campaign against the largest vampire nests in the city. Jimmy Sr, who committed suicide-by-sun at the end of v1, is somehow back and pondering endlessly again.
The personal stories are well told. The father and son cops working through a lifetime of rancor; a young Philly man who doesn't accept the direction of John and Abigail Adams. But the vampires' new plot is senseless. Adams is presented as this great thinker and visionary, but her plan is basically to Kill All Humans. In a series about vampires and magic and multiple visits to heaven and hell, this was the hardest part to swallow.
Barnes and Alexander revel in the opportunity to show us their version of hell. The mind-warping denizens they design don't quite live up to the nightmares created by Gail Simone's Clean Room but they come within sight of that very high bar. This was a high point of the volume.
Plot points:
The personal stories are well told. The father and son cops working through a lifetime of rancor; a young Philly man who doesn't accept the direction of John and Abigail Adams. But the vampires' new plot is senseless. Adams is presented as this great thinker and visionary, but her plan is basically to Kill All Humans. In a series about vampires and magic and multiple visits to heaven and hell, this was the hardest part to swallow.
Barnes and Alexander revel in the opportunity to show us their version of hell. The mind-warping denizens they design don't quite live up to the nightmares created by Gail Simone's Clean Room but they come within sight of that very high bar. This was a high point of the volume.
Plot points:
May 9, 2021
A fabulous horror story with intense visuals, and sublime writing! Highly recommend as a must read series!
September 27, 2024
There was plenty to like here, but the story kind of stagnated as they introduced new players, explored some backstory, and laid the groundwork for moving forward.
Read
May 11, 2022Continuing the series in which, rather than being a punchline sack of flour, John Adams turns out to have been running an underground vampire cabal in the City of Brotherly Love. Except that he didn't make it out of the first volume intact, and six months on his wife has the reins, her approach being – in Vampire: the Masquerade terms – rather more Sabbat than Camarilla. Which, for the uninitiated, could more succinctly be summarised as: carnage. Although she justifies it as his idealism and belief in liberty and democracy being foolish when, as the presumed 'we' all know, "America is a business." Now the undead are after big, showy targets to emphasise that nobody and no one is safe; the murder of the governor brings in two FBI agents who we're told hail from a special department dealing with weird stuff and are quite blatantly drawn as Mulder & Scully, while a bloodbath at a gig by a rapper surnamed Scott now feels horribly prescient. If anything, race looms larger than in the first volume; there's the old debate between vampires over whether to enslave the humans, and those of them who remember being enslaved tend to be unimpressed by the airy assurances of those too pale to have had to worry about that. Set against such grounded concerns, there are scenes in the afterlife proper, and having Charon appear in person (if he qualifies as a person) when you're only on the second volume of a vampire story feels somewhat premature; even Anne Rice's sprawling cosmos waited four books before having hints of a more conventional life after death presented to her undead, and introducing that sort of metaphysical sprawl too soon can easily sap focus. Still, the afterlife is rendered with the same skill as the blood and urban decay, the glimpses of Heaven in particular providing a real counterpoint both to Hell proper and its approximation on the streets. Yes, at times the increasingly ramified backstory can start to feel like Founding Fathers fanfic, and sometimes the script trips over itself - can a past era really be "the lovechild of the present day", or is this an ancestor/descendant confusion? And side-story Elysium Gardens felt like it was trying too hard to sell a variation on the core series' pitch (werewolves + Malcolm X! Next up: Frankenstein's Eleanor Roosevelt?). But in a time when lots of creators are riffing on America's reckoning with its bloody past, I'm definitely finding this among the more engaging approaches to the theme.
September 17, 2024
Tras el sangriento caos sufrido por el primer ataque vampírico organizado en Phlladelphia. El panorama creativo de "Kilkladelphia" se muestra interesante de entrada en cómo gran parte de esta ciudad y representantes de la Ley y el Orden saben con certeza de la existencia de estas criaturas y un liderazgo en busca de erigir un reinado del terror para estos No-Muertos con el grueso de sus filas conformados por esclavos afroamericanos liberados de las ataduras del hombre y su condición mortal.
Pero el tema es que este segundo volumen, deja en total evidencia el gran interés de Rodney Barnes en adelantar un "Dark Universe" para esta propuesta donde la amenaza vampírica deberá hacer sitio a otras fuerzas oscuras representadas con otras criaturas o entidades incluso de luciferismo literal. Es cierto que en la primera tanda de capítulos se dejó el "insert" argumental de ese "libro mágico". Pero no siento que sea una excusa argumental tan cimentada como para que Killadelphia se convierta en un "todo vale" que vaya a diluir la premisa inicial por auspiciar la fórmula "Monster Mash" de la mayoría de propuestas de terror sobrenatural.
Hasta este punto llega el hecho de que este segundo volumen haga que el protagonismo recaiga sobre todo en toda criatura de la noche. Incluso la que está de la parte "de los buenos", no tiene margen para funcionar en su curiosa dinámica de relación paternofilial post mortem que se entendía que sería el núcleo de la historia. Pero Rodney Barnes parece confiar ciegamente en el potencial gráfico de Jason Shawn Alexander, Luis NCT y las tintas de Bill Sienkiewicz en una curiosa miniserie paralela. Y sí, esta parte de Killadelphia es un gran reclamo para no descartar la propuesta. Pero los cimientos argumentales no dejan mucha expectación por algo más concienzudo en los primeros preámbulos de una historia que quizás podría haber competido con American Vampire.
Pero el tema es que este segundo volumen, deja en total evidencia el gran interés de Rodney Barnes en adelantar un "Dark Universe" para esta propuesta donde la amenaza vampírica deberá hacer sitio a otras fuerzas oscuras representadas con otras criaturas o entidades incluso de luciferismo literal. Es cierto que en la primera tanda de capítulos se dejó el "insert" argumental de ese "libro mágico". Pero no siento que sea una excusa argumental tan cimentada como para que Killadelphia se convierta en un "todo vale" que vaya a diluir la premisa inicial por auspiciar la fórmula "Monster Mash" de la mayoría de propuestas de terror sobrenatural.
Hasta este punto llega el hecho de que este segundo volumen haga que el protagonismo recaiga sobre todo en toda criatura de la noche. Incluso la que está de la parte "de los buenos", no tiene margen para funcionar en su curiosa dinámica de relación paternofilial post mortem que se entendía que sería el núcleo de la historia. Pero Rodney Barnes parece confiar ciegamente en el potencial gráfico de Jason Shawn Alexander, Luis NCT y las tintas de Bill Sienkiewicz en una curiosa miniserie paralela. Y sí, esta parte de Killadelphia es un gran reclamo para no descartar la propuesta. Pero los cimientos argumentales no dejan mucha expectación por algo más concienzudo en los primeros preámbulos de una historia que quizás podría haber competido con American Vampire.
September 20, 2024
Following the enjoyable first volume, the second arc of Killadelphia feels like a repeat of what we just went through. The vampiric former President John Adams and his minions were defeated by our heroes, only for the torch to pass to his wife, Abigail, who represents a more hedonistic and sadistic faction of vampires. Their plan is pretty much a continuation of what Adams planned on doing, just more bloodthirsty. While the first volume briefly examined the legacy of a former president and Founding Father through the lens of vampire mythology, "Burn Baby Burn" takes a hard look at the institution of slavery through which many of our vampire characters lived through. Historic characters like Abigail Adams, Thomas Jefferson and Sally Hemings are featured heavily there and I did find that stuff to be pretty interesting. Unfortunately, the major narrative set in present day Philadelphia is even more of a chore to get through here.
Jason Shawn Alexander's artwork continues to shine though, and it's even tighter in its stylistic approach in this volume.
Jason Shawn Alexander's artwork continues to shine though, and it's even tighter in its stylistic approach in this volume.
September 12, 2021
Creators Rodney Barnes and Jason Shawn Alexander have delivered another killer instalment of their horror series 'Killadelphia'. The story takes place a short while after the events of the first volume. Our heroes are still trying to figure out a way to combat the vampire threat while the surviving villains from the first volume escalate their evil plan.
Barnes and Alexander introduce heaven and hell into their volume and lay the groundwork for other cool supernatural creatures to make an appearance. The characters are well-developed and multi-faceted and the visuals are simply stunning. This is a great series and I'm looking forward to seeing where the story goes next.
My only complaint is the bonus story. I'm a huge fan of werewolves and while the artwork is amazing, the story never gels. Bland characters and a iffy mythology make for a quick skimmed over read. Maybe it will get better as it progresses.
Barnes and Alexander introduce heaven and hell into their volume and lay the groundwork for other cool supernatural creatures to make an appearance. The characters are well-developed and multi-faceted and the visuals are simply stunning. This is a great series and I'm looking forward to seeing where the story goes next.
My only complaint is the bonus story. I'm a huge fan of werewolves and while the artwork is amazing, the story never gels. Bland characters and a iffy mythology make for a quick skimmed over read. Maybe it will get better as it progresses.
November 27, 2023
This one continues with a lot of the previous ideas of the first volume, but I don't think it is as successful. I really liked the look of the afterlife and thought that whole section was the most fascinating. In the land of the living it was all just chaos and Abigail Adams absolutely going wild. It felt more directionless. And while there were still interesting points being made about how slavery has shaped the United States and that oppression is inextricable from the current form of government and power, Abigail's just like but what if we just put ourselves in power. And while that is a villainous idea, it's not an interesting idea. There was still all the beautiful horror artwork and I did actually enjoy that cliffhanger ending so I'm still very much interested in getting my hands on the next trade. There's some build up for what could potentially happen next so I'm hopeful to be super wowed by the next one.
July 28, 2021
Vampires, werewolves .. you get the idea - successful horror comic collection.
Not having read Volume 1, this was a new experience for me but it all becomes clear quickly. The vampires vs humans conflict in Philadelphia escalates and the main characters feature all the way through with numerous flashbacks related to John Adams, Thomas Jefferson etc.. The werewolves aspect comes up in added stories at the end of each comic. The story is reasonably clear and well-told and the characters are generally interesting. I'm not one for the horror genre on the whole but I found it reasonably entertaining. There's another volume to come. I received a copy of this in exchange for an honest review.
Not having read Volume 1, this was a new experience for me but it all becomes clear quickly. The vampires vs humans conflict in Philadelphia escalates and the main characters feature all the way through with numerous flashbacks related to John Adams, Thomas Jefferson etc.. The werewolves aspect comes up in added stories at the end of each comic. The story is reasonably clear and well-told and the characters are generally interesting. I'm not one for the horror genre on the whole but I found it reasonably entertaining. There's another volume to come. I received a copy of this in exchange for an honest review.
November 29, 2021
More of the same: historical vampires (Sally Hemmings and, did I imagine it, Thomas Jefferson?), inner city vampires, police detectives investigating vampire crimes, etc. I'm not really sure what the story here was. There are a lot of interesting (though poorly integrated) flashbacks to the vampires' earlier stories and how they came to be who they are. But overall, there doesn't seem to have been much of a plan for this story arc. And the artwork can vary quite wildly from carefully-composed to very slapdash. I guess I'd read a third volume of this, though I'd hope that it got a bit better, story-wise.
May 26, 2023
Significantly less tightly written than the first volume, this follow up has a lot to say, and some of it is interesting! The reckoning with history and slavery - Jupiter's story is particularly good, although I think it could have lingered a little longer on him - is still compelling, but I don't know how I feel about Sally Hemings' inclusion- Andrews' art continues to be extremely strong. I'll seek out the third and fourth volumes, but this isn't series of the year for me.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 6, 2025
Here’s what I love about Killadelphia Vol. 2. It has absolutely gorgeous, frightening, terrifying artwork. There’s something about the way the eyes of the characters follow you across the page — it’s unsettling and captivating.
The writing is fantastic. There’s no question that Rodney Barnes is in a league of his own; breathing new life into an old trope.
What I don’t love is there’s a serious lack of story. At times, the relationship between James and Jimmy feels forced and disingenuous. I also really didn’t understand the whole point of Jupiter.
And I don’t care what anyone says — no one likes a cliffhanger. Especially a “to be continued…” It’s all bark and no bite.
The writing is fantastic. There’s no question that Rodney Barnes is in a league of his own; breathing new life into an old trope.
What I don’t love is there’s a serious lack of story. At times, the relationship between James and Jimmy feels forced and disingenuous. I also really didn’t understand the whole point of Jupiter.
And I don’t care what anyone says — no one likes a cliffhanger. Especially a “to be continued…” It’s all bark and no bite.
September 20, 2022
This ends on one hell of a cliffhanger. So cruel! I don't know that I'll be able to wait for the library to get a copy of the next volume. In this volume we jump back and forth through time to get the backstories of some key players in this world. We also meet a love interest for former First Lady Abigail Adams that will make your jaw drop! (Don't worry this revelation respects the grittiness of this world. No romance is afoot.) Werewolves are introduced through a mini tie-in issue. GAH...I need to knows what happens next!
May 11, 2024
Definitely feels like a middle chapter in an ongoing series, which I think Barnes acknowledges at the close of this volume. The bonus chapter that introduces werewolves to this world seems compelling but I’m curious why that wasn’t just part of the story the whole time? Or even integrate more directly in this volume? Jupiter’s arc as it currently stands feels a little unsatisfying, and I’m curious how much more of a role Toppy will play moving forward. This was brutally fun, but it also felt like it was treading water a bit with the volume of flashbacks over six issues.
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