Series: Mortifer

The series

Alright, before we get started on this review, there's one thing you should definitely know. This series is not for children. It is much darker than my usual fare, having themes of violence, insanity, and (occasionally) sex. If you don't like that sort of thing, gtfo skip right on past this one.

While I'm at it, I may as well provide some background information before we get started on the review proper. Mortifer can be found on SmackJeeves.com, a webcomic hosting site. It's one of the longest comics on there, at 1326 pages. It completed its run in July of 2011. Like many webcomics, the art style is a bit sloppy at first, but it improves.

Now on with the review!

Ladies and gentlemen, our protagonists!

Initially, the story stars a trio of mercenaries: Matthew Leftway, a vampire who really enjoys bloodshed; Valentine Leftway, another vampire who moonlights as a male prostitute of all things; and Joey Von Krause, a rather unsettling little man with an eyepatch who almost never stops smiling. They work for a mercenary company named SinTec... whose boss has just announced his retirement. After the mysterious deaths of all of his competitors for the position, Joey is named as the new leader of SinTec. Rather then announce this promotion however, the employees are told that the new head is a mysterious (And fictitious) man named "Mortifer." That accomplished, Joey brings his teammates to his office and informs them that he has grand plans for the company's future...

Meanwhile, an assassination carried out in the first chapter becomes complicated as a key piece of evidence is left behind, leading to a police officer named Samantha investigating Joey. And then there's Joey's past, which becomes more and more mysterious the more we know about it, as well as certain tensions amongst the team that will lead to something more...

And even with all of that, things are even more complex then they seem -- and at the same time, more simple. Joey's plan is merely the header for a massive web of intrigue. And that brings us to the best part of this series: Its twisty plot.

This image has been uploaded in place of any actual twists
so as to avoid major spoilers. : )

It takes skill to do a good plot twist, and Mortifer's author has that in spades. Every plot twist is flawlessly executed (With one notable exception, though that could just be personal preference). And there are a lot of them -- only a few at first, but the frequency increases as the series continues. And most of them are the sort where it makes perfect sense in retrospect -- the best kind.

It's not all doom and gloom, however (Though that is the overarching tone). While the series is chiefly a thriller, there's plenty of humor too, some black, some not.

Overall Verdict: While a bit rough around the edges at first, Mortifer is one of the best-written and under-rated webcomics I have read in a long time.