Stillwater #2, “The Greatest Burden”

Stillwater

Lazarus came forth out of the grave! If you live in Stillwater…you will too! Learn how in the book of Stillwater, chapter 2, verses 1-32!

Hey look, it’s written by that Howard the Duck guy, Chip Zdarsky. (Yes, I pointed it out last time too…I haven’t forgiven him yet.)
Brought to life (pun intended) by the one and only Ramon K Perez!

The official plot:

“Daniel West has returned to Stillwater, but his homecoming is anything but happy! What secret is the town hiding from the outside world? And can Daniel save his mother from meeting her fate within The Park?”

Image Comics

NOPE NOPE NOPE! IF Daniel ever left Stillwater, it was as an infant…so this hardly counts as a “homecoming.” We already know the secret, so that’s a rhetorical question…and lastly, how does burying an immortal person for two weeks count as “meeting her fate?” This solicitation writer really earned their pay on this one.

My Impressions:

  • Ah – The Judge! I knew there had to be someone in a seat of power.
  • If the deputies are shooting each other, I can’t wait to meet the sheriff.
  • Who’s the boy scout hiking that kid out of Stillwater…and is that kid even Daniel? Inquiring minds want to know.
Stillwater
If you can’t die…what is it like to be buried alive for two weeks?

Notable Appearances/Events:

  • We get to meet the Judge!
  • See…I told you Tony didn’t matter.
  • Punishment in a small, immortal, town is on display!

Bottom Line: 3 Stars!

Stillwater feels like a CW television show. The writer essentially did a mash-up of Riverdale and The Old Guard, and it works. I don’t see this being a long series if they don’t start introducing additional elements soon. So far so good, but I’m not hooked for the long haul.

Stillwater #1, “I Can’t Protect You, No One Can”

Stillwater

“For the living know that they will die, and the dead know nothing” except in Stillwater, where all those rules are out the window! Perhaps you too can live forever, if you study the book of Stillwater, chapter 1, verses 1-32!

The tale as told by Chip Zdarsky. Okay…hold on…he wrote Howard the Duck! He can’t possibly write horror, can he?
Illustrated by the somewhat untried Ramon K Perez?

The official plot:

“SERIES PREMIERE! Nobody dies. In the town of Stillwater, that’s not just a promise. It’s a threat.”

Image Comics

The original solicitation for Stillwater was quite a bit longer, but I removed the name dropping and award mentions. Seems what we were left with was a couple short sentences. Not sure if it’s good that they hype takes up more space than the actual issue description.

Stillwater
That kid…just fell from the roof of a four story building.

My Impressions:

  • Never grow old, never die…where have I heard that before?
  • I seriously watched an episode of Scooby-Doo last night, that started the same exact way! “You inherited money! Go to a backwater town to get it!”
  • Just enough questions without answers to bring me back for another issue. (Kind of like they planned it that way.)
Stillwater
Well this looks serious.

Notable Appearances/Events:

  • Daniel West (The protagonist)
  • Ted (Deputy Asshole)
  • No one else really matters…especially Tony.

Bottom Line: 3 Stars!

Stillwater is more of a psychological horror than the “zombie” story I thought it would be. There is no doubt that it has some real potential. A town full of essentially immortal people are bound to have some really messed up interactions. Hopefully the writers can play up that component.