Greek Street, Vol. 1: Blood Calls for Blood

Inspired by classical Greek dramas, the series constructs a crime epic following intertwined stories in modern London and most succeeds in channeling the shock value of the original works. At the center is Eddie, the young man whose effort to rediscover his family leads to disaster. There’s also Detective Daedalus, whose murder investigation turns bizarre when the victim returns from the dead as an enraged monster, and organized crime boss Harold Furey and his sons. While Milligan borrows characters’ names from ancient Greek tales, the story is not a direct retelling of any of these. Instead it employs a few of the original plot elements with an overall tone evocative of the ancient Greek tragedies. The often shocking violence and sex of the old plays and myths is presented so as to have the same effect on a modern audience that the original works had over 2,000 years ago. Artist Gianfelice doesn’t shy away from gore or nudity, but his greatest strength is the expressive faces of the characters. Every look of anguish, suspicion, lust, and fear is rendered successfully to draw readers into the story. (Mar.)