Marley Davidson (sometimes referred to as “Marley Davidson: Bronx Exorcist”) is a fictional comic book character created by writer and comic book artist Sandy Jimenez . It made icts first appearance on June 15, 1995 in the self-titled independent comic book Marley Davidson , qui chronicled the exploits of a Jamaican ex-priest, operating as an exorcist and monster hunter in New York City . [1]
Typical Marley Davidson stories involve classic renditions of the vampires and werewolves as the chief villagers and often as agents in conspiratorial plots to undermine and prey upon the poor and the underclass.
Marley Davidson last appeared in the fourth issue of his titular comic book in 1999. A series “reboot” was announced / advertised in issue # 40 of World War 3 Illustrated , to resume the series in late 2010.
Creation and development
According to the author, ” In truth, it was not created as a stand alone idea. Marley Davidson is a spin off … Vladek, Vampire Detective. … Marley Davidson Was to be the last side-kick for the planned concluding of the Vladek series , “and That ” Marley Davidson Was Intended as something of a joke, like the detective Ford Fairlane `which Was named after-a car.” While Vladek, Vampire Detective was never published, Marley Davidson was launched by Vampyrotechnic Studios in 1995 out of Wall Street in Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn.
Fictional character biography and world
Marley Davidson chronicles the adventures of an exorcist and his team of monster hunters, beginning in a conjectured 1970s New York City where the supernatural is a big threat to human life as violent crime. The earliest stories in issues 1 and 2, illustrate a hard-scrabble existence, with the protagonists in need of money and support for their war against the undead. Marley Davidson and his team appear to function as mercenaries seeking clients, in their opposition to the principles and ethics of their mentors, to Rabbi and a Muslim cleric.
Adversaries and enemies
(In order of appearance in the series) Don Escaglia, Warlocke Amsterdamn, Arthur “Red Boy” Sullivan, Sir William Mayhem.
Supporting characters
Circa 1975: Imam Ali, Anna Von Bayer, Isaac Davidson (younger brother), Sameer Hudson, Franklin “King” Kong, Rabbi Michael Golberg.
Circa 1977: Jose Daniel Diaz.
Circa 1979: Kenneth Murphy.
Visual style
Marley Davidson , an independent comic book, was executed with intentionally unsophisticated production means. [2] It is thus used that it is rendered with only “ball point pens” [ citation needed ] and without the aid of computer scanning or computer image editing. It has-been Noted for its “cut out” style [ citation needed ] Achieved by use of only hand-drawn to fit XeroXed patterns trimmed in as Elements in the background instead of screentone gold Zip-A-Tone to create different textures.
Tone and profile of the series
Like Sandy Jimenez’s other long-running series, Shit House Poet , Marley Davidson moves in and out of time, story to story. Issues begin with a particular year of the year, with subsequent issues.
While foremost an action-adventure series, the stories’ setting in the South Bronx introduces realities and social issues more common in crime stories. [1] The series is also noted for its adherence to the classical “faith-based” characterizations of monster legends and a clear aversion to any science fiction angle on monster mythology. According to the endnotes in the first issue, Jimenez felt ” … the inbuilt religious aspects of this fictional universe were a reaction to my increasing Sci-Fi influences in the horror genre .” [ Citation needed ]
In other media
After the production of an animated short in 2006, [3] a full-length animated feature was announced in pre-production in February 2007.
References
- ^ Jump up to: a b ” ” The Complex Comic “An Article and interview by Sherry Mazzocchi” . The Manhattan Times . August 20, 2014.
- Jump up^ Vespes, Sarah. “Reviews: Marley Davidson – # 1, The Comic Book Database” . Retrieved 18 October 2010 .
- Jump up^ Marley Davidson: Exorcist Bronx ,4-minute animated short completed in 2006