''Bitter Root'' is an

American comic book An American comic book is a thin periodical originating in the United States, on average 32 pages, containing comics. While the form originated in 1933, American comic books first gained popularity after the 1938 publication of ''Action Comics'' ...

series, co-created by

Sanford Greene Sanford Greene is a comics artist. He worked for publishers like Marvel, Dark Horse, Image and DC Comics. He created the webcomic ''1000'' (written by Chuck Brown) and ''Bitter Root'' (co-written by Brown and David F. Walker). Greene already won ...

Chuck Brown Charles Louis Brown (August 22, 1936 – May 16, 2012) was an American guitarist, bandleader and singer known as "The Godfather of Go-Go". Go-go is a subgenre of funk music developed around the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area in the mid-197 ...

and

David F. Walker David (; , "beloved one") (traditional spelling), , ''Dāwūd''; grc-koi, Δαυΐδ, Dauíd; la, Davidus, David; gez , ዳዊት, ''Dawit''; xcl, Դաւիթ, ''Dawitʿ''; cu, Давíдъ, ''Davidŭ''; possibly meaning "beloved one". w ...

. Published by

Image Comics Image Comics is an American comic book publisher and is the third largest comic book and graphic novel publisher in the industry in both unit and market share. It was founded in 1992 by several high-profile illustrators as a venue for creator-ow ...

, the series is set during the Harlem Renaissance and follows the Sangeryes, a family of monster hunters who attempt to cure creatures rather than killing them. The series was a critical and commercial success, and the rights to the film adaptation were acquired by

Legendary Pictures Legendary Pictures Productions, LLC (doing business as Legendary Entertainment or simply Legendary) is an American film production and mass media company based in Burbank, California, founded by Thomas Tull in 2000. The company has collaborated ...

Plot

The series is set in 1924 and follows the Sangerye family, legendary monster hunters who have been almost wiped out by an attack prior to the events of the series. The remaining members of the family band together to hunt down monsters which plague the city of New York. Ma Etta Sangerye, the family matriarch, developed methods of curing monsters using her botanical knowledge. The protagonist, Blink Sangerye, chooses to fight monsters rather than practicing potions and medicine as women traditionally do. This causes friction between Blink and Ma Etta, who wants her to conform to tradition.

Development

Brown and Greene initially came up with the idea for a story involving monster hunters in the

Harlem Renaissance The Harlem Renaissance was an intellectual and cultural revival of African American music, dance, art, fashion, literature, theater, politics and scholarship centered in Harlem, Manhattan, New York City, spanning the 1920s and 1930s. At the t ...

. They wanted to combine elements of early 20th century African-American culture,

voodoo Voodoo may refer to: Religions * African or West African Vodun, practiced by Gbe-speaking ethnic groups * African diaspora religions, a list of related religions sometimes called Vodou/Voodoo ** Candomblé Jejé, also known as Brazilian Vodu ...

and

film noir Film noir (; ) is a cinematic term used primarily to describe stylish Hollywood crime dramas, particularly those that emphasize cynical attitudes and motivations. The 1940s and 1950s are generally regarded as the "classic period" of American ' ...

. They chose the era because they felt the era embodied both "incredible artistic and cultural growth" as well as institutionalized racism, which provided opportunities for conflict. Greene and Brown later brought on Walker to help them develop the idea, including the characters and background of the series as well as its title. Walker had previously collaborated with Greene on ''

Power Man and Iron Fist ''Power Man and Iron Fist'' (originally ''Luke Cage, Hero for Hire'' then ''Luke Cage, Power Man'') was an American comic book series published by Marvel Comics, featuring the superheroes Power Man and Iron Fist. Publication history ''He ...

''. The series was released in November 2018.

Reception

The series was a commercial success upon release, with a second printing being ordered two days after the first issue's debut. It also received positive reviews from critics.

ComicBook.com The following is a list of major assets that are owned by Paramount Global. Paramount Pictures Corporation (Film) * Paramount Pictures ** Paramount Home Entertainment ** Paramount Television Studios ** Paramount Pictures International ** Param ...

gave the series' first issue a positive review, praising the series' distinctiveness, characters and handling of complex themes related to hatred, bigotry and violence. Hugh Sheridan of ''

Bleeding Cool Bleeding Cool is an Internet news site, focusing on comics, television, film, board games, and video games. Owned by Avatar Press, it was launched by Rich Johnston on March 27, 2009. Avatar Press also publishes an associated magazine, ''Bleeding ...

'' described the comic book as a "fun action adventure", praising Greene's "kinetic and distinctive art" as well as the comic's writing. In 2020, it was nominated for the Golden Issue Award for Best Ongoing Comic. and the Dragon Award for Best Comic Book for ''Bitter Root''. That year, it won Best Series at the

Ringo Awards The Mike Wieringo Comic Book Industry Awards, commonly shortened to the Ringo Awards, are prizes given for achievement in comic books. They are named in honor of artist Mike Wieringo and they were founded by the Reisterstown, Maryland-based Cards ...

. It won the

Eisner Award The Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards, commonly shortened to the Eisner Awards, are prizes given for creative achievement in American comic books, sometimes referred to as the comics industry's equivalent of the Academy Awards. They are named in ...

for Best Continuing Series in 2020 and 2022.

Adaptation

The film rights to the series were acquired by

in March 2019. In October 2019, it was announced that

Ryan Coogler Ryan Kyle Coogler (born May 23, 1986) is an American film director, producer and screenwriter. He is a recipient of four NAACP Image Awards, four Black Reel Awards, a Golden Globe Award nomination and an Academy Award nomination for Best Pictu ...

Sev Ohanian Sevak "Sev" Ohanian ( hy, Սեւակ Օհանյան, born June 2, 1987) is an American film producer and screenwriter. He is best known as the co-writer and producer of the films ''Searching'' and ''Run'', as well as executive producer on the fi ...

and Zinzi Evans would direct the film. In 2021, it was reported that

Regina King Regina Rene King (born January 15, 1971) is an American actress and director. She is the recipient of various accolades, including an Academy Award, a Golden Globe Award, and four Primetime Emmy Awards. In 2019, ''Time'' magazine named her one ...

was attached to the project as director.

References

{{Image Comics Comics set in New York City Horror comics Fantasy comics 2019 comics debuts Image Comics titles Eisner Award winners for Best Continuing Series African-American comics