Werewolves are one of the runts of the horror liter. There aren’t that many stories about them and when they do show up, they usually take the backseat to vampires and are doomed to be their mortal enemies. “Kiss Me Satan†by Victor Gischler with art by Juan Ferreyra is one of those odd werewolves stories and out there and it’s one that breaks the rules while following others.
In a New Orleans that has a ton of werewolves, Barnabus, a local werewolf hunter,  is being followed by the devil’s henchmen. Meanwhile, the wife of a local werewolf pack leader named Cassian is expecting.
Too bad the kid doesn’t have the Mark of the Lycanthrope which means major bad news for him.
The story is a welcome departure of the traditional werewolf story where it’s basically some werewolf rampaging all over the place or someone turning into one and must find a cure while rampaging all over the place. On the other hand, it’s the cop going against the corrupted kingpin story. To the relief of readers Gischler manages to give the story a modicum of emjoyability with a solid plot that knows what it’s doing and has a solid flow to it.
The characters, even though we don’t know much about them yet, are interesting. They may be the classic cop vs. mobster characters, but they do feel like genuine well rounded characters. With a little tweaking these characters could be some the best characters that defy their clichés.
Ferreyra’s artwork gives the comic a look that screams New Orleans. It manages to combine the two things that define the city: An early French modernist look with the use of watercolor and the macabre. The art brings the comic to life and does give you the sense of being in New Orleans.
“Kiss Me Satan†takes a few tired ideas and makes a comic that is refreshing and an interesting read. Combine that with the art and this comic is worth taking with you while traveling down the bayou.
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