Killing Pickman

    (Archaia, 2007)
™ and © Archaia Studios Press

When a little girl goes missing, homicide detective William Zhu takes the case and tracks her to the home of Richard Pickman, who seems to be a simple, nice old man. Upon further investigation, Zhu discovers Pickman’s secret—not only is he a kidnapper and killer of children but he is also, literally, a demon. Now, helping the survivors of Pickman’s perversions isn’t enough: Zhu has to find a way to kill him and end his terror forever.

If Killing Pickman sounds like a creepy book, that’s because it is, and artist Jon Rea’s style amplifies this tenfold—much of the book looks as though it’s been drawn by scraping nails across a blackboard, and the effect this produces compliments Jason Becker’s twisted and surprising script thoroughly. Although there’s plenty of tales out there about sick old men and their twisted love of children, it’s very rare that those old men have real ties to the realm of hell—oddly enough, the only other example that comes to mind is Kevin Smith’s run on Green Arrow, and where that was mostly whimsical, bright action, this is about as dark and disturbing as comics come.

— Eric Garneau
Jump to issue:
  NotesWriterArtist
#1

August, 2007
Cover Price: $3.50
5 copies available from $0.99 		Jason BeckerJon Rea
#2

November, 2007
Cover Price: $3.50
5 copies available from $0.50 		Jason BeckerJon Rea