Okay, now we’ve got another request from creator Monty Nero for Death Sentence London a series from Titan Comics. I gotta be honest, this feels more at home on Monkeys Fighting Robots. The only reason I’m doing this review/commentary is because I’m going to be busy covering Mad Cave content. Warning: this will make commentary in relation to events during the Covid lockdowns; this may cause triggers. This includes the most common, spoilers!
Background
London takes places after Death Sentence Liberty, a series with a kickstarter rerelease. In it is an STD pandemic that gives people infected superpowers as well as 6 months to live. That series three main characters include slack rocker Weasel, street artist Verity, and the psychopath Monty. While Weasel and Verity are in government captivity for some tests, they wonder how to best spend their time. Monty meanwhile wants to make the world remember him rather than remain a statistic. Killing people including the Queen and Prime Minister of London, he brands him and the rest of G-Plus positives as terrorists. Sure Weasel finishes Monty for the death of his son but Verity apparently died too.
From (The Other) Monty:
I actually got a chance to interview Monty Nero about what goes into Death Sentence London.
- Q: When it comes to returning to the Death Sentence title, were there any anxieties when it comes to reacting to a pandemic?
- A: No, because I wrote it all before the pandemic. Part of the reason I draw the comic now is because the writing is all done, so I can deal with one element at a time. That said, the similarities between what I wrote and what’s happened in the real world were really shocking. I thought I was exaggerating for satirical effect but the reality was often more horrific.
- Q: Relationships and trying to reconnect with people seems to play a huge part in Death Sentence London. Would you consider these as well as self-reflection as a whole the big takeaway for the series?
- A: You could argue that. Mainly I was thinking about the role of government, and the responsibilities we have to each other and to wider society. We want to be free but we all impact each other, as the COVID-19 epidemic proved. Verity just wants to run around having fun and making art, but she’s not allowed to. We can all relate to that sense of frustration, of feeling trapped.
- Q: When it comes to the new characters (Roots and Jeb) what exactly were the driving ideas to include them?
- A: Jeb is a way into the story for people who haven’t read the story from the beginning. He’s an undercover agent always trying to find out what’s going on, like the reader. And I wanted to write some moody espionage scenes, which Martin Simmonds did a great job drawing. Great action and infiltration, tense and exciting. I came up with an original arc for Jeb’s character, which people may find surprising as it unfolds. Whereas Roots is Verity’s age and in a similar predicament, so they become pals. She becomes a cross between Spider-man and Swamp Thing, as her story develops. Verity and Roots spark off each other. Both are important.
- Q: Just out of curiosity, was there a reason why the villain of Death Sentence Liberty had the same name as you?
- A: In the first book Death Sentence? It just sounded right. I had another name for him for ages, and I’d always trip over it when I was reading it back. It was too on the nose. So Monty just suited him better.
- Q: There appears to be plenty of social commentary in Death Sentence London, not just in regards to a pandemic reaction but also political figures and international relationships. Would you consider any of these to be influenced by the real world?
- A: Well it’s all inspired by the real world. I do a lot of research, into viruses, politicians, and celebrities. And it’s all informed by that, which is how real world events turned out to be so uncannily similar to the events in the comic. You can predict the future pretty accurately if you look closely at the past.
Death Sentence London: G-Plus Lives Matter
After more or less touching on the social lives of ordinary people in Liberty, Death Sentence London goes all in. In a manner almost echoing the Covid pandemics, people are trying to regain some form of control. Only thing is, no one is quite sure how to process all of the outrage Monty caused. With this strong decrease in morale, people are rioting and looting in reaction to the helplessness. And this was before Mayor Boris Johnson… sorry Martin Simmonds uses his likeness to make commentary; Tony Bronson issues martial law. The similarities to Covid outrage are extremely apparent, with everybody in a state of high tension and alertness, nobody knows who to trust. Despite everything revolving around G-Plus, nobody seems to be able to settle back into a normal life; the shootings and civil unrest certainly don’t make it easy.
Lingering Symptoms
Let’s look at our main characters for reference. Weasel is still mourning his son and has lost his only friend in this mess in Verity. Weasel might’ve killed Monty, but he certainly doesn’t feel like the hero everyone thinks he is. Weasel’s son is still dead and his son’s mother still has nightmares about Monty. At the very least, Weasel still has somebody to share his anguish with and play his music. Because despite his actions, he’s still just a regular person going through loss.
Then there’s the still alive Verity who is coming to terms with all of the decisions she’s made. After her close encounter of death, this genuine self-reflection shows what she’s been missing. After so many shallow relationships she could never commit to, Verity has to learn how to love herself. Especially since the government has declared her legally dead and the agency that kept her and Weasel want her back in custody. Verity’s struggles to regain her identity and keep her dignity serves as probably the most intense part of Death Sentence London.
Delta Variant
Now let’s go over a couple of our new characters in the spotlight. Roots has known loss her whole life even before testing G-Plus. Being on the streets is just a way of getting a target on your back in this series, especially with the rise of organized crime. Roots being able to grow plants including marijuana earns her plenty of business friends and enemies. She always has to keep her eyes peeled, especially since despite the power she gets from her business, she seems directionless. Fortunately, the only person with any loyalty towards Roots as a person is her ex-boyfriend.
Now let’s look at Jeb Mulgrew and his unfortunately very relatable situation. He’s an FBI computer specialist, thing is he’s also a field agent. This causes some friction between Jeb and his family who mostly treat him as a stranger. Jeb’s wife is understandably upset with how much responsibility and burdens she puts up with. It seems their daughter has picked up on her mother’s frustrations with Jeb, favoring her uncle over him. While Jeb has done good, he’s constantly taking risks to get that promotion to spend more time with them. Only problem is, he’s not taking the time to relieve their burdens or live in the moment with his family. But that might have to do with the FBI’s ultra-competitive work environment.
Death Sentence London: The Art Of Outrage
This all fits pretty well into the central themes and mood of Death Sentence London. Everybody’s trying to get ahead of their lives before a tragic end comes for them all. The water colors provide a surreal look at people in anguish or anger. Weasel’s phasing powers probably display this the best, like he’s just falling and blending into the background. At least until he actually connects with people or plays music that influences them. Verity meanwhile highlights all of her appearances with her powers and her new title as “Art Girl”. The doodles that accompany her everywhere feel like Verity constantly needing to express herself and be remembered; doodling does have that effect on people.
Roots, always being accompanied by plants have a sense of life to them. After so much death and destruction, it brings life to a barren part of London. Especially when she has to fight off some guy who can make anything he touches deteriorate. Roots has the power to bring life to the city but she has to navigate through her jungle first. With how many people have to navigate through the law-of-the-jungle settings, this is understandably hard. Just ask Jeb whose sterile environments feel lifeless with how everything blends together.
Join The Revolution In Death Sentence London
Death Sentence London looks like it’s going to be one of those series people will solidify in history. The way this series captures the essence of going through a pandemic fits into something to tell our descendants. Of course, it always helps to have some campier aspects like superpowers to remember things a little easier; just ask Verity. Plus reading this in addition to Liberty shows a pretty big epic. All things in consideration, this series so far gets an 8.5/10.