Turf

With a mix of mobsters, vampires, and aliens, TURF seems like a dream come true for any geek. It would certainly make for a tremendous blockbuster film. As to how it succeeds as a comic, however, I’m a bit conflicted.

The plot involves a group of vampires seeking to take over the mob turf of Prohibition Era New York. Mob boss Eddie Falco stumbles upon and befriends an alien who has just crash landed on Earth. Together, they seek to rally the remnants of the mob and a frightened citizenry to combat the vampires. It’s a good, solid, story that covers all the bases, but it does so in a way that has been employed many times before. We have a brother versus brother power struggle in the vampire clan. We have an unlikely romance between the ‘good’ brother and a Lois Lane type reporter. We have the locker-room speech made before the final attack on the vampires. Great for a movie, but comic readers want just a bit more.

  At times, we get just that. Particularly in the form of a corrupt policeman who is one of the most vile characters to appear within the pages of any comic in years. His ‘origin’ scene is particularly horrifying, partly because of the cheery way the artwork is presented, providing a surreal contrast to the brutality it conveys. As to the art work, Tommy Lee Edwards is an incredible talent and I’ve long admired his style. There are scenes here, however, that are a bit confusing, and had me stop to try and figure out what was going on. Never a good thing in comics. Is it worth reading? I’d say so. Will you want to read it again? I’m not so sure.

The Turf HC, which collects issues 1-5 of the series, is published by Image Comics, written by Jonathan Ross, with art by Tommy Lee Edwards.

Reviewed by T-Shirt Joe