If there was ever a more prominent time for a book such as Bitter Root, a book that holds such strong social commentary on current world events, now is it. Since the beginning of the series, Bitter Root is an excellent depiction of the trials and tribulations of the Black struggle. In issue #8, David F. Walker, Chuck Brown, and Sanford Greene cover ground on broken family structures, hardships, and redemption.
The Sangerye family for years has been able to keep the world safe from creatures known as the Jinoo. But evil has evolved. Now the Sangerye must put their differences aside to fight off Jinoo and a new breed of monster called the Inzondo. They’re slowly running out of options and ideas on how to combat the enemy, and that’s just half of the amazing plot that’s packed inside this impressive and informative issue.
Going back for a second about social commentary — in our current society, we are dealing with two critical, eternal issues: sickness and racism. Bitter Root #8 sees the Sangerye family trying to find a cure for a sickness that is doing a lot of harm to a lot of good people, just like COVID-19 in the real world.
Bitter Root also touches on racism in the form of dialogue and signage we see shown in the book. What makes this issue and the series so relevant and significant is that in America, much like in the story, Black people are the most affected by both, especially in urban environments. Every page of Bitter Root #8 does an incredible job of fleshing out those points and displays the hard work these Black characters endure with no credit or reward for their effort.
The beginning of the book involves cops working hand and hand with black people and gives a great identity to what powerful bonds we can create when we listen and work together with one another. While there is plenty of action to keep you entertained it’s the dialogue that hits home in this one. There’s a lot of unforgettable moments with characters baring their souls and just trying to make sense of the chaos that’s happening.
I think Sanford Greene puts his all into every page of this book. The illustrations in Bitter Root #8 pull us into 1924 Harlem and make you feel an emotional connection to these characters. Greene knows how to utilize every single panel and always creates such a powerful page-turner. He has two double splash pages in this book that will simply leave you speechless.
This has been an educational, entertaining, and engaging series so far and it seems to keep picking up steam as it continues. Bitter Root #8 is a lot of fun and adds more depth to an already solid storyline. You should be reading this, and if you’re not, you can grab the trade and catch up. Make sure that you snag yourself a copy of Bitter Root #8 and see what all the fuss is about.
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