4 out of 5

For years, I waited for the price of the third issue of the second Damned miniseries – Prodigal Sons – to come down from the triple-digit stratosphere.  Flash forward to when Bunn and Hurtt have kicked off a new Damned ongoing, and the second arc – of three issues – is also named Prodigal Sons.  Hm…

It is cool that the way that Bunn set up his narrative of the demon-cursed to die, come back, and die again Eddie – imaginatively set in a spirit- and magic-tinged New York during prohibition – is flexible enough to allow stories written now (same team, colored by Bill Crabtree!) and then (black and white!) to sit side by side, so let me more directly solve an oddly spoken-not-aloud mystery: this is a reprint of that older Prodigal Sons, just colored by our series colorist.  As such, let the rating reflect how much better at this stuff old Bunn was versus the new Bunn; or, at least, how I preferred his writing style then, given that he knew how to shut up and let his story be told by his very capable artist, and only give us the dialogue that we actually need to understand this world and characters.  The result?: Another freakin’ hoot, a la Damned, volume 1.

We’re introduced to Morgan, Eddie’s brother, first via flashback as the brothers witness what’s likely their origin story when their da makes a deal with the Verlochin, and then in the present, when Eddie coerces Morgan to watch over him while the former plucks through the nether world a’searchin’ for mum.  Morgan is reluctantly swept into some wonderful action – most of issue 2 and 3 – when his protection skills are indeed required when the frustrated mob sends thugs to dispatch the soul-displaced Eddie.

Tussles; we learn a skosh more about why Eddie might be wrapped up in all this, and if – to new readers of the ongoing – it seems like Gehenna Club business is  much more in the background, well now you know: this story initially came out years back.  But: you’d otherwise have no clue!… except, as stated, the style is a bit different from modern day Mr. Gabby Bunn.

Admittedly, Prodigal Sons is very slight compared to Three Days Dead; it’s much more action one-liner stuff, and lacks the moral quandaries kicking around the (original) preceding issues.  But its short, exciting antics are the best kind of distracting entertainment, cinematically pieced together by Hurtt, colored with usual grace by Crabtree, and… mysteriously not openly explained to be reprints, but, hey, you saved me dollars on over-priced originals and gave me a great readin’ time.