Legendary nets the rights to Image’s jazzy monster hunter comic Bitter Root

Last Updated on August 2, 2021

Since the dawn of civilization, a Great Evil has plagued humanity. It has taken many forms, and gone by different names – the Demon, the Monster, the Jinoo. No matter the name, the result has always been the same – the corruption of human souls. For generations, the Sangerye family has fought to save and purify the souls of the Jinoo – humans consumed by hate, infected by evil, and transformed into monstrous creatures. The Sangeryes thought they were winning the war. They were wrong.

Polish your dancing shoes, ratchet up your monster hunting gear, and whip yourself up plenty of Fiif'no – a serum that cleanses the hate from Jinoo – because Legendary has announced that they've purchased the rights to Image Comics' BITTER ROOT, a Jazz Age action comic book series about a family of monster hunters who work together to rid a 1920s Harlem of creatures fueled by hate, racism, and other dark forces that go bump in the night. Created by David F. Walker, Chuck Brown and Sanford Greene with art by Greene and Rico Renzi, Bitter Root made its debut in November of last year, and has been delighting indie comic book readers ever since.

Here's the official synopsis for Bitter Root #1 courtesy of ImageComics.com:

In the 1920s, the Harlem Renaissance is in full swing, and only the Sangerye Family can save New York—and the world—from the supernatural forces threatening to destroy humanity. But the once-great family of monster hunters has been torn apart by tragedies and conflicting moral codes. The Sangerye Family must heal the wounds of the past and move beyond their differences… or sit back and watch a force of unimaginable evil ravage the human race.

Executive producing the project are the series creators – David F. Walker, Sanford Greene, and Chuck Brown, along with Big Machine’s Sean Owolo. Jon Silk and Disney Hall overseeing for Legendary. The debut issue of Bitter Root launched to impressive numbers during its Thanksgiving debut, with the book holding strong as the story's intense action, intrigue, and all out monster madness only having grown alongside the book's popularity among indie comic book readers. Truth be told, it's a personal favorite of mine. In fact, just last night I gushed about the title on my Talking Comics podcast. To summarize, Bitter Root has got style for days, with the characters, narrative, and groovy atmosphere feeling like it's something fresh and new for today's increasingly woke generation of readers. I highly recommend it.