Necrotic: Dead Flesh on a Living Body

    (After Hours, 2002)
™ and © 2002

Reminiscent of the Sam Raimi film Darkman, Necrotic is the tale of an archaeologist from the 1920s who became so obsessed with mummification that, upon contracting cancer, he had his trusted companions perform an Egyptian mummification ritual on his body. Flash forward to the present day, and Marshall Vandergott awakes in the present, his body restored but cursed with decaying flesh that must be mummified periodically.

Artist Pat Quinn’s ability to create tension and apprehension in the reader (and his cool mummies) are a welcome treat. He does have trouble with faces, resulting in unintentionally goofy expressions, like the second panel on Page 28.

The story is derailed by an unnecessarily gory finale. The first three-quarters of the tale remind one of old Universal monster movies, with a fascinating love story and great pathos. Then the whole thing is thrown out the window with a disgusting splash page on Page 43. The pages run red with blood from that point. If writers Buddy Scalera and M. Swank had stuck to the mood set in the beginning of the tale, they would have had a winner on their hands. As it stands, Necrotic is only recommended for the strong of stomach.

— Steve Horton
Jump to issue:
  NotesWriterArtist
#1 (Note on back cover says this collects the three-issue mini-series, yet there’s no evidence of those three issues)

July, 2001
Cover Price: $8.95
1 copy available for $3.98 		Buddy Scalera, M. SwankPat Quinn
#1 Variation A (Alternate Cover A by Alan Evans)

July, 2001
Cover Price: $6.95
1 copy available for $3.75 		Buddy Scalera, M. SwankPat Quinn