Curse of the Vessel #1
writer- Michael Leal
penciler- Mike Wilson
Curse of the Vessel is a supernatural crime thriller created by Michael Leal and Danny Kelly, with words by Michael Leal and art by Mike Wilson. Vince Faustino is a mob enforcer sent to push an old man out of his occult shop. When the old man refuses, things get crazy. Vince wakes to find himself in a strange motel room wrapped in bandages. Under those bandages, a bizarre symbol tattooed on his chest, serving as a beacon for spirits of the dead to possess his body and do as they see fit. Of course, when they leave his body, Vince wakes with no idea of what's happened or who has taken over.
Curse of the Vessel is a fun ride. Whenever Vince wakes from a possession, he finds himself in strange places. Unfortunately for him, he's still close to home, which means that he has to answer for the consequences of the spirits' actions. This is the best part of Curse of the Vessel. Spirits doing good through the body of a criminal are bound to get the attention of either rival criminals or Vince's actual bosses. And spirits doing bad are going to bring the law down on him, or once again, the wrath of Vince's actual criminal bosses. It's just SO-MUCH-FUN!
I think this book has a lot of potential to make a great series. Given the limitless possibilities of which spirit can possess Vince's body, whatever they do could actually shape Vince into a more sympathetic character. Through finding evidence of what his body has been up to, he could discover that he's been helping people and somehow redeemed for his past crimes. At the same time, he could wake up one night to realize that he is the new local crime boss. This what makes Curse of the Vessel such a blast, and such a great idea for an ongoing title.
Curse of the Vessel reads almost like a gritty violent pulp-fiction novel. It's definitely well thought out and intelligent, and with every step the main character takes, suspense builds and we're left waiting and looking around each corner for something unknown to jump out and grab him. Michael Leal does not disappoint us.
By the way, Leal is no slouch when it comes to writing. He's been published several times in Bela Lugosi's Tales From the Grave, Commander X Adventures, and his Curse of the Vessel #0 won the Small Press Idol in 2010. Right now, he knows exactly where he wants to go with Curse of the Vessel and is amongst one of the hardest working comic book creators in the industry, using Kickstarter to get his book to a hungry readership.
Of course, Leal isn't doing this on his own. Penciller, Mike Wilson and colorist, Michael McElveen work together to whip up a visually clean and beautifully illustrated world of crime and sorcery around Vincent Faustino and that strange sigil tattoo.
So, check out Curse of the Vessel from Danger Comics and Michael Leal. It is a fun, fast paced, gorgeous comic, and you are going to love it! I found Curse of the Vessel on Kickstarter, but by now it's all over the internet and waiting for you! Get it!