Oct 14

Hyde Street #1 will not hesitate to sacrifice your loved ones to Eternal Damnation!

About Hyde Street #1

Writer: Geoff Johns

Artist: Ivan Reis

Inker: Danny Miki

Colorist: Brad Anderson Letterer: Rob Leigh

Cover Artist: Ivan Reis, Danny Miki & Brad Anderson (Cover A), Gary Frank & Brad Anderson (Cover B), Kelley Jones & Brad Anderson (Cover C), and Mike Deodato Jr & Brad Anderson (Cover D)

Publication Date: October 2nd, 2024

Logline:

In every city and town, off every country road and metropolis avenue, if you make a wrong turn...you might find yourself on Hyde Street. But be careful who you talk to and what you do because the consequences make death itself seem like the easy way out. Introducing MR. X-RAY! PRANKY, THE WORLD'S MOST DANGEROUS SCOUT! MISS GOODBODY! AND MANY MORE... out to delight, fright, and say good night. What is their secret and that of Hyde Street? Only they know. For now.

Hyde Street #1 Review:

Building off the already established success of Ghost Machine's imprint with the likes of Geiger, Redcoat and Rook: Exodus; Geoff Johns and Ivan Reis are summoning forth a truly dark and mysterious nether region of reality like few have seen in the world of comic books. A region that dispenses a particular macabre form of justice where the absolute decrepit scum of the earth are conveniently "lost" when the peculiar Hyde Street appears.

In this universe which is equal parts The Outer Limits and Victoria's Lift, Hyde Street arrives with a guide that will introduce the confused and (not so) wayward traveller to the beginning of their untimely end. An ending that comes when they least expect it and is often gruesome in the delivery thanks to the reprehensible talents of Danny Miki and Brad Anderson. Talents which see the characters and would-be their victims leap from the page.

It's with the origin story of marketing guru and capitalism obsessed malcontent, Mr X-Ray, where we learn those other guides of the street are competing to deliver the most souls to utter damnation. With the mysterious and unseen Scorekeeper keeping tabs on their achievements. Much like the establishment of assassins in John Wick would keep tabs on kills.

The brilliance of this first issue lies in its ability to world build in a way which adds an air of mystery but is also succinct in the delivery of its first issue. Hyde Street #1 could easily be a one-shot and then deliver an unending supply of one-shots which further expand on the lore of Hyde Street - much like the Batman and Joker variations in DC's Dark Knights: Metal event. Instead, you're left with this sinister drive that Mr X-Ray will do anything to break out of Hyde Street and back into reality. A drive that will no doubt bleed into an ongoing series of murder and malevolent mayhem.

I'm curious to see just how dark this series goes and just bizarre it becomes with the turn of each developing page. It's the true measure of exactly what a horror comic should be. So far it's kept me continuously guessing and is subverting my own expectations of what I was going to get out of a comic book named "Hyde Street." Just like its namesake, a sudden sip of the potion will turn what looks like a well-intentioned and innocent looking boy scout into a multi-fanged demonic killer. I have no idea where to turn next or what to expect as it rounds the corner for a consequent second and future issues.

Assume the foetal position because if one thing is for certain. Hyde Street is going to leave me a broken, dishevelled, and soulless shell of a man as it's pretty clear that no one in this comic book series is safe. It's bold, shocking, and will not hesitate to sacrifice your loved ones to eternal damnation!

And that's why Hyde Street #1 is definitely My Kind Of Weird.