"THE DENIM DEVIL" Is Fashionably Freaky (REVIEW)
Image: November Street Press
From the independent label, November Street Press comes a darkly quirky and gruesomely funny tale of murder, aspiration, and the insanity that blurs the lines between them. Created by Zach Carter and Jared Yanez, this 5-issue series is about a wannabe serial slasher, the titular Denim Devil, who has yet even successfully to injure anyone other than himself. Instead, he is a local laughing stock and public embarrassment to the town of Vanglerton. The town is effectively owned by the Vangler family, who cling to power despite their crumbling denim manufacturing empire.
When a series of grotesque murders starts claiming the upper management of Vangler Industries, the police are frustrated by a lack of clues or solid leads. Considering the family’s and the company’s reputation, the list of suspects could be anyone in town. The police are quick to dismiss The Denim Devil, much to his frustration, which spurs him to prove he really could be a credible threat if he could just find the right victim. Meanwhile the media, with an almost bloodlust fervor, can’t get enough of the progressing murders or the paranoia and panic from the public.
This story came out way more unique than expected and a hell of a lot funnier once you get the rhythm and feeling they are going for. This is very much a character-driven story with an ensemble cast of distinct and larger-than-life characters (though none so cartoonish as the Denim Devil himself). The first thing to note is that every character is an idiot, but they are all uniquely stupid. That isn’t to say they are annoying, it is more often what makes them entertaining to read. They each have their signature blind spot or arrogance that causes them to undermine their actions, further hampering the ongoing investigation.
Additionally, at least half the main characters are insane. The Denim Devil himself is one of the obvious examples, however, anyone working for Vangler Industries management is the kind of crazy that is usually born from existing above the law. The CEO especially has gone full ‘Howard Hughes’ and has secluded himself in a penthouse filled with specimen jars.
The artwork contrasts this by playing as grim and grounded as possible. Every scene is drawn with a consistent foreboding and creepy atmosphere with heavy black lines and shadows over everything. The murder victims are shown in full graphic detail. The heavy lines accentuate the creases, lines and wrinkles in every person’s expression, which keeps everyone looking either intimidating and disturbing or exhausted and fearful (depending on how they’ve been characterised in dialogue). This works extremely well to heavily contrast and compliment the over-the-top and silly humour of the story. For example, the almost cartoonish fumbling of The Denim Devil wouldn’t be nearly as amusing if the whole scene wasn’t lit and staged like a scene out of a Halloween film. Additionally, the murder mystery itself is framed seriously so the heavy art style can still bring gravitas to those moments as well, even while the police keep stealing food from the crime scenes and fumbling over procedures.
The dialogue is well structured and you can clearly hear each individual character’s voice through distinctive nuance. The flow of conversation is well written and paced, whether for humour or drama, and their script is nicely structured to keep the pace up but not so complicated that you have to re-read anything just to keep track of things.
This bizarre dark comedy has a great mix of the weird, the horrific, and the grounded elements that can really make it a stand-out title for horror miniseries. There is a good balance of each element, with nothing overshadowing or underperforming. Though the first few pages took a little bit to warm to, it was just coming to grips with the style and the intent the creators were going for. Overall this was a great read that should stick with you, especially once you see how everything ties together. You also won’t look at a pair of jeans the same way again.
The Demin Devil, issues #1 to #5 can be purchased from https://novemberstreet.com/the-denim-devil/ with links to their Etsy store for physical copies and merchandise.
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