In this day and age where we’ve seen countless pieces of media about serial killers, from films television to shows and documentaries, no matter how shocking the content can be, it’s hard to really surprise us at this point. It’s also hard to find good horror comics, a medium where the horror must come from an illustrated page. In the case of Image Comics’ Blood Tree, do the creators manage to kill two birds with one stone?
Blood Tree centers on two obsessed NYPD detectives, Dario Azzaro and Maria Diaz, who are on the hunt for a vicious butcher called the Angel Killer, a sociopath who preys on innocent family members of known murderers in order to “purify” the rest of society. As Dario delves deeper into the case, he learns more about what his past and does through some personal demons that will motivate the Angel Killer himself.
Written by Peter Tomasi, who has dabbled into both detective stories (Batman) and horror (House of Penance), Blood Tree doesn’t quite achieve the best of both worlds – its serial killer narrative will be familiar for those who are well-versed in the genre. For starters, the Angel Killer who literally straps angel wings to his victims is not far off from an episode of TV’s Hannibal, where a killer’s victims are posed in praying positions with the flesh of their backs opened and strung to the ceiling to give them the appearance of wings.
The case takes a personal angle for Dario, as his son becomes more and more curious about his possible killings with his pet fish. While the detective in conflict with his son being a possible sociopath is reminiscent of Commissioner Gordon’s storyline from Batman: The Black Mirror, Blood Tree does play into genetics and religious insanity with some dramatic sequences along the way, even if it feels at times like Tomasi is pulling his punches. However, there are enough human moments to save the book from being a cold read, whether it is the partnership between Dario and Maria, or the personal revelations that the former comes to terms with.
Known for drawing issues of BOOM! Studios’ Escape From New York series and co-created “Worlds Apart” with John Arcudi, Maxim Šimić’s art is not one of horror aesthetics. Reminiscent of the style of Chris Samnee, Šimić puts more emphasis on the ink lines, which shows how expressive the simple character designs are. Considering the heightened nature of how the Angel Killer’s actions are, the story seems to give up any sense of realism when the climax leads to a John Woo-like shootout.
Essentially the comics equivalent to serial killer movies from the ’90s, Blood Tree falls short of greatness, but does enough with some interesting ideas.
Join the AIPT Patreon
Want to take our relationship to the next level? Become a patron today to gain access to exclusive perks, such as:
- ❌ Remove all ads on the website
- 💬 Join our Discord community, where we chat about the latest news and releases from everything we cover on AIPT
- 📗 Access to our monthly book club
- 📦 Get a physical trade paperback shipped to you every month
- 💥 And more!
You must be logged in to post a comment.