Marie Burgau is knee deep in the swampy politics of the Louisiana bayou. She’s pregnant and alone is a place that is notoriously dangerous. Add on top the gators the treacherous poachers and organized crime that hides in the swamps and the mud just sinks deeper. Something funny is going on in The Voice Said Kill and nobody is laughing.
- Written by Si Spurrier
- Art by Vanesa Del Rey
- Colors by John Starr
- Letters by Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou
- Graphic Designer Emma Price
- Editor Eric Harburn
You Can’t Judge The Voice Said Kill #1 By It’s Cover
I want to start at the beginning with this issue. The cover. I went into this story with zero expectations and/or background information. From the cover art my mind went immediately to something tribal, something relating to the jungles of a undiscovered civilization. Then I noticed the gun. My mind changed directions to something with military history. Maybe of tale of brutal colonization. After a few pages in however, those preconceptions went out of the window.
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“Why are you telling us this?”, you may be asking. Well, I, like some others, tend to buy comics based on covers and this one threw me for loop. That can be off putting for some, but I want to highlight that it worked in the best way. Sometimes, being surprised is a good thing. With “The Voice Said Kill” this is the case. The story I got was so much deeper and fascinating. I wasn’t ready for underground politics and bayou culture in rural Louisiana, but I loved every page of it.
Story and Characters in The Voice Said Kill #1
This is a crime thriller plain and simple. We are seeing the pieces of this community move in interesting ways. Larger than life characters drive the story. Marie Burgau is a fascinating protagonist. She’s the lone Wildlife Officer because every one else has food poisoning, or so we think. This puts her in a stressful situation because not only is she in late term pregnancy, she’s dealing with a crime family deep into poaching and moonshine. Si Spurrier has set up the perfect circumstances for conflict!
Next up is the head of the crime family, Mrs. Watters. A redneck Matriarch operating out of an RV. She’s a large woman with anger issues and no give when it comes to her family. She reminds me so much of Kingpin if he was operating out of a trailer park. Your first impressions may be that she’s weak and dumb, but that would first step to an early grave. She want’s Marie to find her missing son Buck, and she ain’t asking.
Hot and Humid Artwork in The Voice Said Kill #1
What Vanesa Del Rey has put together here is nothing short of perfect for this story. Her style is so abstract and enigmatic. It’s the perfect way to tell this ambiguous story of life in this alien like part of the world, the Louisiana Bayou. Lines can seem messy and scribbled, but they become a cohesive work of art. It’s a beautiful way to guide us through such a rigged and dangerous place.
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The color work is the icing on the cake. You can feel the heat and humidity radiating off of the pages. Everything has a haze to it that deepens the environment. It feels to me like watercolor which adds another level of depth and realism. Everything feels organic.
Overall Grade 9/10
The Voice Said Kill takes us on a crazy journey. So many dominoes have to fall for this story move the way it does. It doesn’t feel forced or absurd at all. Much like life honestly. The world building is great and the characters are on point. The art as a whole puts in that bayou and makes us feel every bit of the pressure that Marie Burgau is feeling. This one will require your attention to detail, so focus up for a real treat!
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