Couldn't agree more. But I think that's the point of it right, these stories are for adults who are looking for an adult read, not just us comic book hero lovers but also people who love a good story. I see it as the kind of comic I would recommend to someone who has American Psycho on their bookshelf but has never read a comic book in their life.
Having said that a small girls throat getting sliced isnt everyone's cup of tea!
Distasteful to say the least. I deleted this comic book from my Comixology account. It will never be a Walking Dead. At least with Walking Dead you cared about Rick and the other characters which can`t be said for the characters in Bedlam. I expect Bedlam to be a poor man`s Preacher at best.
The "small girl" scene was quite disturbing. But I took it as a "starting with a bang" shock to show how twisted Madder Red was before the present-day story started ... a scene that tells you "all the rules are off" in this series, but not necessarily indicative of what you'll see every single issue.
And I agree, we haven't met characters to relate to, but then again it's just issue #1 and we have hardly met any recurring characters at all so far.
I think the premise is interesting, but I don't know how you sustain reader interest in this character/premise over the long term. The plot has a "one trick pony" feel to it IMHO. I was sufficiently intrigued by the first issue to pick up the next couple, but for this book to be a long term investment it has to have a long term story.
The one thing that puzzled me was the "super hero"? We really didn't get much of that guy. Is this going to turn into a superhero book at some point? Just my thoughts.