Creative Staff:
Story: Eliot Rahal
Art: Mattia Monaco
Colors: Matt Milla
Letterer: Taylor Esposito
What They Say:
Pryor has gotten a taste of what it’s like to be special. To be on top. And he likes it. But after trading one spirit for another, the process of possession is beginning to take its toll on his body.
Meanwhile, Ronan has stepped up as Pryor’s manager and exorcist. The life that she has always wanted to live is in sight. Unfortunately, she can tell something is wrong with her brother. And when Pryor finally gets an opportunity for his first break at the big time, he and his sister must decide if another possession is worth it to take the shot.
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers):
As Knock ’em Dead has rolled on, watching what Pryor gets into and how every time things go wrong he ends up basically get promoted is definitely amusing. Eliot Rahal continues to put him through his paces here and as much as Ronan does her best to watch out for the golden goose and the comedy eggs he can lay, the devil inside is just too much. Mattia Monaco captures this kind of descent well with the layouts and designs, especially when he’s talking to the dead within as they have a really special look that works very well. And Matt Milla’s colors are just fantastic, as the few very vibrant moments stand out wonderfully in contrast to the rest of the design. It helps to give it the sharp edge it needs in all the murkiness of Pryor’s life.
With Pryor now hosting Lenny Bruce within him, the two are certainly having some amusing conversations. Pryor is struggling with the whole comedy thing in general and the situation at large, especially as his career is on the uptick because of Bruce. In order to get him to calm down, Bruce gets him on some drugs and alcohol and that leads him to a lot of really bad nights that are just disastrous in trying to keep it all under control. I haven’t read my Lenny Bruce history beyond his actual comedy and situations so I don’t know how accurate that really is, but it’s no surprise that whatever it is that’s inside of Pryor isn’t looking out for him. While I suspect that it is Bruce, it’s probably just a reflection or shard of Bruce with something more sinister being the actual being and just using that in order to set up camp within, to corrupt further and further.
Pryor’s work as a comedian is definitely making inroads for him as he’s proving to be very popular and talented for someone so green. With Ronan handling things well as his manager, both are surprised when he’s approached for a late-night TV show gig with a five-minute set for national broadcast. That has them heading to New York for it and several nights of performances at clubs in order to work things out. But with Bruce inside pushing him to darker places, it’s hilarious to watch it turn into such a disaster for him. But Rahal also puts pressure on through what Ronan brings to things because while he is her brother, she also sees him as a way to survive and earn money if she can manage him – and be his exorcist as needed too.
In Summary:
Just like the previous three issues, there’s a lot of really good stuff going on here and it takes a really interesting and surprising jump at the end that puts Pryor in a whole new pickle. With the next issue being the finale, it’ll be interesting to see how it all comes together and wraps up as a pretty tight little horror story filled with comedy. Rahal and Monaco are really delivering a strong experience here that looks great across the board and is thoroughly engaging to read.
Grade: B+
Age Rating: 13+
Released By: AfterShock Comics
Release Date: March 10th, 2021
MSRP: $3.99