Kill or Be Killed Vol. 1 – Ed Brubaker/Sean Phillips

After surviving a suicide attempt, Dylan is approached by a Demon who credits itself with saving his life.  In order to continue living, Dylan must seek out and kill one person per month, one person who deserves to die due to the lives they lead.  Dylan is skeptical but the month comes to a close, he finds himself on death’s door battling an unknown illness.  So when he quickly recovers following his first kill, he decides he has no choice but to keep moving forward.

To be honest, I was worried early on that this story was going to follow some sort of Incel douchebag given Dylan’s moping over his best friend Kira hooking up with his roommate, but I should have known Brubaker better than that.  This isn’t that kind of story as it’s more to help with the set-up and add some stakes down the line.

As always, the artwork is on point.  I’m a big, big fan of Sean Phillips and I’m so glad these two found each other all those years ago and continue to collaborate to this day.  Phillips’ realistic style mixes so well with Brubaker’s propensity for no-holds barred violence.  Elizabeth Breitwiezer’s coloring provides a muted style that keeps the series grounded in reality.  Kill or Be Killed keeps things gritty and messy as Dylan tries to find his footing in leading this new double life.

I put this one down and immediately raced over to my neighborhood comic shop and picked up the second trade paperback, so if that’s not an indication of how much I enjoyed it, what are you looking for?