‘The Case of the Bleeding Wall’ TPB (review)

Written by Kasey Lansdale & Joe R. Lansdale
Art by Daniele Serra, Tom Napolitano 
Published by Dead Sky Publishing
Available 8/28/24

Whether or not you keep up with horror and fantasy fiction, the surname Lansdale sits atop The Case of the Bleeding Wall.

That name, belonging both to the legendary Joe R. Lansdale and his daughter, actress/author/musician Kasey Lansdale, should be enough to win your interest.

But back to Joe R. Lansdale! What hasn’t he worked on?

TV, film, comics, you name it; that mix of sardonic, supernatural and Texas grit is undeniable.

Hap & Leonard, Bubba Ho-Tep, and he wrote some of the best episodes of Batman: The Animated Series (“Perchance To Dream” and the Jonah Hex-starring “Showdown”) as well as The New Batman Adventures’ most infamous one, “Critters.”

I can say undoubtedly that yes, this comic holds enough interest on its own, Lansdale or no. And I’ll also say your mileage may vary, as mine did, on enjoying the book’s tone and style.

Dana Roberts, investigator of the “supernormal” (not supernatural or paranormal), is hired for a job in Italy to investigate the titular bleeding wall. She presses Jana, a fan of her work who attended her book signing, into service alongside her. That the client is an ex-lover, and his ex-fiancee is missing? Well, that just adds to the stew.

Daniele Serra (Hellraiser, The Crow) has a talent for atmospheric art. For this old soul, I see strains of Scott Hampton and Mike Mignola. I do wish the art were a little less sketch-like. The thick black lines across so many characters’ faces as shadows makes everyone look like they were brained in the skull with a stone, but perhaps that was the vibe intended.

The MacGuyver-like details of how Dana spellcasts and ghostbusts are great storytelling. For instance, Dana subdues a demon by sucking it into a Coke bottle. And I enjoy the scenes of Dana and Jana discussing the case, while dropping details of their lives and personalities along the way. All of that made me want more interiority of these characters in order for them to jump off the page and live beyond the action depicted. Not backstory, exactly, but more than the archetypes of seasoned, jaded pro and cocky neophyte.

I think of ‘90s Vertigo comics, and there’s something to be said for more narration or dialogue in scenes. It gives us something extra amid depicting all the action and plot moves. The first issue gives us that, as Dana tells a horror story of how she became a “supernormal” investigator.

(Also, not for nothing, but having the two main characters be named Dana and Jana kept messing with the reading voice in my head. Are their names pronounced DAY-na and JAN-a? DAN-a and JAY-na? DAY-na and JAY-na or DAN-a and JAN-a? Why do this to the reader?)

The climactic final issue’s plotting jumps between humor, scares and action nicely. Serra’s art in the final action sequence at times loses me in showing what’s happening beat-by-beat, like they’re running out of pages. And places where we could use some full-on, gory, phantasmagorical death and destruction, Serra just adds more ink, while the Lansdales add more quips and snark rather than drama.

If that’s your vibe, you’ll enjoy this. It’s not entirely mine, but this would make a fun TV show, that’s for sure.