Issue 1 is the first issue of Bitter Root and was published November, 2018. The first issue is included in the first collected edition, Bitter Root: Family Business.
Plot Summary[edit]
Opening in Harlem, 1924, Ossie and Ruby leave a nightclub late at night. They decide to walk through the park on their way home, but find they are being followed by an unlikely force. The following day, the police visit the Sangerye family having caught the force following the couple. Samuel, one of the officers explains how he finds the work the Sangerye's do disconcerting , and cites that their dabbling in the "mumbo jumbo" is odd.
Inside of the Sangerye shop, Blink talks with Ma Etta, remarking that she doesn't like that the officers just bring the Jinoo to their shop unannounced, but Ma Etta remarks that they are lucky the police are helping them otherwise there could've been two more casualties the previous night in the park. Blink becomes distracted mid-conversation, however, by the sounds of Cullen and Berg battling with a Jinoo on the roof. Ma Etta refuses Blink's request to help them, citing that her position as a woman is in with the herbs and spices.
On the roof, Berg watches as Cullen struggles to wrestle with the Jinoo and administer the serum, which cures Jinoo. Despite Cullen's repeated requests for help, Berg remarks that he must learn to do it independently, but Berg continues to mock Cullen's attempts. As minutes pass and Cullen continues to struggle, Blink defies Ma Etta's orders to stay put and heads up to the roof. She is able to contain the Jinoo and administer the serum in a timely manner.
Unbeknownst to the two, Doctor Sylvester and Miss Knightsdale have been watching through the use of a crow on the roof. In their laboratory in San Juan Hill, they are attempting to concoct their own version of the serum but their efforts seem futile. Dr. Sylvester tells Miss Knightsdale not to lose faith in their efforts, and injects himself with the serum. As he temporarily achieves a vision, he cites that they need the assistance of the Sangerye family to fix their serum given their knowledge of the roots.
Meanwhile, an hour later in St. Nicholas Park, two officers witness Berg, Cullen, and Blink trying to dispose of the healed Jinoo under the guise of night. They are confronted, but complexities arise when a Jinoo attacks them — this Jinoo, however, is much larger and different than one they have seen before.
In Mississippi, a cult of men circle a man in the forest and a noose hangs above. The man is accused of sexually assaulting a white woman, and therefore is set to be hanged for the crime despite pleading that he is innocent. The ritual is interrupted by Ford Sangerye who arrives seconds later and kills the cult members.
Characters[edit]
Sangerye Family[edit]
Recurring Characters[edit]
Other Characters[edit]
- Ossie
- Ruby
- Zitto
- Samuel
- Unnamed Man