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Loveless (comic book)
Encyclopedia
Loveless was an American Western
comic book
series for mature readers published by DC Comics
as a part of that company's Vertigo imprint
. It is written by Brian Azzarello
and drawn by Marcelo Frusin
, Danijel Zezelj
and Werther Dell'Edera.
in the Civil War
and was captured. After spending time in a prison camp he comes back to his previous home of Blackwater after the North won to find the town under Union
control and his house occupied. Soon after, Cutter is offered a position of sheriff in the town.
The comic's early issues explore the dynamic relationship between Cutter and the people of the town (most of whom hate him), the fate of Cutter's wife Ruth, and the lingering feelings of animosity between North and South after the end of the war.
Since the conclusion to its earlier issues, Loveless has become a comic of greater chronological and thematic narrative. The stories within Loveless, since its inception and especially in its later years center around racism and the grittier realities of American history.
The book had been stated to last about four years by Brian Azzarello in a Broken Frontier interview. In the interview Azzarello also hinted to end the story in the 1940s or so, but the series was cancelled with issue 24 and has since ended its run.
(#1-5, 9-10, covers), Danijel Zezelj
(#6-8, 13-15, 22-24), Werther Dell'Edera (#11-12, 16-21). Frusin previously worked with writer Brian Azzarello for three years on Hellblazer
. Zezelj also had a previous project with Azzarello: El Diablo, a western mini series, that in Azzarello's words "planted the seeds for Loveless".
All three artists have clearly distinct, recognizable styles, colorist Patricia Mulviill ensured a graphic continuity throughout the series.
as the run continues:
Western (genre)
The Western is a genre of various visual arts, such as film, television, radio, literature, painting and others. Westerns are devoted to telling stories set primarily in the latter half of the 19th century in the American Old West, hence the name. Some Westerns are set as early as the Battle of...
comic book
Comic book
A comic book or comicbook is a magazine made up of comics, narrative artwork in the form of separate panels that represent individual scenes, often accompanied by dialog as well as including...
series for mature readers published by DC Comics
DC Comics
DC Comics, Inc. is one of the largest and most successful companies operating in the market for American comic books and related media. It is the publishing unit of DC Entertainment a company of Warner Bros. Entertainment, which itself is owned by Time Warner...
as a part of that company's Vertigo imprint
Imprint
In the publishing industry, an imprint can mean several different things:* As a piece of bibliographic information about a book, it refers to the name and address of the book's publisher and its date of publication as given at the foot or on the verso of its title page.* It can mean a trade name...
. It is written by Brian Azzarello
Brian Azzarello
Brian Azzarello is an American comic book writer. He came to prominence with the hardboiled crime series 100 Bullets, published by DC Comics' mature-audience imprint Vertigo.-Career:...
and drawn by Marcelo Frusin
Marcelo Frusin
Marcelo Frusin is an Argentine artist who works for the US comic book market.-Biography:Frusin's style resembles his fellow Argentine artist Eduardo Risso...
, Danijel Zezelj
Danijel Zezelj
Danijel Zezelj is a Croatian comic book artist, painter and illustrator and author of a number of graphic novels.-Biography:Zezelj studied classical painting, sculpting and printing at the Academy of Fine Arts in Zagreb, Croatia....
and Werther Dell'Edera.
Plot
Loveless was originally about a man, Wes Cutter, who fought for the SouthConfederate States of America
The Confederate States of America was a government set up from 1861 to 1865 by 11 Southern slave states of the United States of America that had declared their secession from the U.S...
in the Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
and was captured. After spending time in a prison camp he comes back to his previous home of Blackwater after the North won to find the town under Union
Union (American Civil War)
During the American Civil War, the Union was a name used to refer to the federal government of the United States, which was supported by the twenty free states and five border slave states. It was opposed by 11 southern slave states that had declared a secession to join together to form the...
control and his house occupied. Soon after, Cutter is offered a position of sheriff in the town.
The comic's early issues explore the dynamic relationship between Cutter and the people of the town (most of whom hate him), the fate of Cutter's wife Ruth, and the lingering feelings of animosity between North and South after the end of the war.
Since the conclusion to its earlier issues, Loveless has become a comic of greater chronological and thematic narrative. The stories within Loveless, since its inception and especially in its later years center around racism and the grittier realities of American history.
The book had been stated to last about four years by Brian Azzarello in a Broken Frontier interview. In the interview Azzarello also hinted to end the story in the 1940s or so, but the series was cancelled with issue 24 and has since ended its run.
Characters
- Wes (Wesley) Cutter
- Main protagonist
- Ruth Cutter (Stokes)
- Takes the name of James Wright
- Jonny Cutter
- Brother of Wes Cutter
- Smuggled weapons from Canada
- Boyd Johnson
- Fought along with Wes under Bill Anderson's command
- 'Bloody' Bill Anderson
- Abram Rivers
- Silas Redd.
- Colonel
- Crippled by Boyd Johnson and lost his leg
- James Foley
- Catholic, unlike most other soldiers
- Promoted to sergeant
- Irish
- Jeremiah Trotter
- George.
- Sergeant
- Killed by Ruth
- Atticus Man
- Black bounty hunter.
- Lord
- Referred as Captain, but probably holds higher position, since he dismisses colonel Redd of his duties
- Punch
- Assassin, hired by Abram to kill Seth, who's been spying for Lawson Company, and later Wes Cutter
- Martha
- Abram's Wife
- Jasper
- Later became a horse racer
- Murphy
- Sergeant
- Helen
- Convinced Ruth to help Jonny conceal smuggled weapons in her house
- Found dead in her bed, her neck broken
- Frank
- Has a pig farm
Artists
The title was penciled and inked by three artists on a rotating schedule: Marcelo FrusinMarcelo Frusin
Marcelo Frusin is an Argentine artist who works for the US comic book market.-Biography:Frusin's style resembles his fellow Argentine artist Eduardo Risso...
(#1-5, 9-10, covers), Danijel Zezelj
Danijel Zezelj
Danijel Zezelj is a Croatian comic book artist, painter and illustrator and author of a number of graphic novels.-Biography:Zezelj studied classical painting, sculpting and printing at the Academy of Fine Arts in Zagreb, Croatia....
(#6-8, 13-15, 22-24), Werther Dell'Edera (#11-12, 16-21). Frusin previously worked with writer Brian Azzarello for three years on Hellblazer
Hellblazer
Hellblazer is a contemporary horror comic book series, originally published by DC Comics, and subsequently by the Vertigo imprint since March 1993, the month the imprint was introduced, where it remains to this day...
. Zezelj also had a previous project with Azzarello: El Diablo, a western mini series, that in Azzarello's words "planted the seeds for Loveless".
All three artists have clearly distinct, recognizable styles, colorist Patricia Mulviill ensured a graphic continuity throughout the series.
Collected editions
They are being collected together into trade paperbacksTrade paperback (comics)
In comics, a trade paperback is a collection of stories originally published in comic books, reprinted in book format, usually capturing one story arc from a single title or a series of stories with a connected story arc or common theme from one or more titles...
as the run continues:
| # | Title | ISBN | Release date | Collected material |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | A Kin of Homecoming | ISBN 1-84576-337-8 | 2006 | Loveless #1-5 |
| 2 | Thicker than Blackwater | ISBN 1-84576-453-6 | 2007 | Loveless #6–12 |
| 3 | Blackwater Falls | ISBN 1-40121-495-9 | September 17, 2008 | Loveless #13-24 |