Roadkill du Jour is a strange pun of a title for a series about a cursed biker who has lost his gang and been hexed to only eat what dies on the road for eternity. See, roadkill doesn’t just refer to animals killed on the road, and du jour doesn’t only mean the roadkill special of the day; our main character is named Dujour, and his former biker gang was named Roadkill. Alone and tormented by the loss of his wife Vanessa, Dujour rides the back roads of Louisiana eating dead critters and absorbing their abilities while he tries to rebuild his gang and find a way to take Mama Houdou, the magic user who hexed him, down for good; however, the magic queen has her eye on the wayward biker, and she plans to meet him halfway to keep Dujour from ever being able to leave the roads behind.
To be honest I was a little off put by the Kickstarter-only cover art for both issues of Roadkill du Jour, because they featured scantily clad women in provocative poses. The use of sexualized women continues throughout the issues, but it isn’t the only focus of the plot. Both Chaya and Mama Houdou are eye candy and wear incredibly impractical clothing, but they are also powerful and play central roles in how the story will play out; however, if this style of artwork and female characterization bothers you, I recommend passing on this series.
The male characters conflict me less, because they weren’t equal parts pin up and powerful. Dujour even has a soft emotional side tied to his grief over ‘Nessa’s death, and he continually chases will o’the wisps in the swamp who speak to him with his wife’s voice. Papoose, a young Native American boy fleeing his strict family, isn’t developed a whole lot in the first two issues, but he uses his Tomahawk charm effectively and shows real compassion for Dujour when they first meet. Chucklehead, the cursed catfish-man, is cute, disturbing, and just funny all at once, and I love seeing a catfish on a motorcycle!
Aside from the overt sexuality of the female cast, the artwork in Roadkill du Jour is top notch. It’s highly detailed, the animal designs are both cute and realistic, and the variety of creatures in Mama Houdou’s clan is amazing. The color throughout both issues is sharp and adds to the dynamic environment of Dujour and Mama Houdou’s bayou world. I especially liked the misty look of the will o’the wisps that show up to torment Dujour with his wife’s voice. At the same time, the roadkill may be too realistic for some readers because of the great color, so read at your own discretion.
If you’re at all squeamish, Roadkill du Jour is not the series for you due to its violence and vibrant roadkill; however, if you love a good revenge tale with a man down on his luck, trying to beat someone with powers he can’t hope to overcome, this may be your jam. Check out the first two issues, and, if you’re so inclined, mosey over to the Kickstarter campaign for Issue #3. There are some great rewards, including pictures of my favorite catfish-man, Chucklehead.
4 “A hootenanny is a group of weird spirit owl killer things?” out of 5
