American Mythology Productions #1
Created & Written by Mike Wolfer
Illustrated by Demi Mandir
Coloured by Rodrigo Charles
Lettered by Natalie Jane
American Mythology's all-new line of "Drive-In Frights" begins NOW! For centuries, they have preyed upon Mankind: Vampires. Werewolves. The hideous, supernatural creatures of the night. Now, the monsters of legend are being exterminated, facing certain extinction at the hands of a new breed... The super-beasts, more cunning, bloodthirsty and unstoppable than their predecessors! Only one man has the power to crush the genocidal rebellion and save the Earth's first monsters... One man who is one of their own: Count Eckstein, vampire. But there's no way in Hell that he can do it without the help of a young woman named Sarah, who hides an incredible and monstrous secret that just might save the world!
I have been a fan of American mythology for some time now as they are a small press company who puts out quality work. I am also unabashedly a fan of Mike Wolfer’s for an even longer time than this. Mike has this thing about horror and the supernatural and can transfer that love and appreciation to the page like few others. So it shouldn’t come as a surprise that this new story from him here has this amazing grasp of the unfamiliar, shocking and well horrific creatures. The opening here is sublime to me as it opens up with a group of ghost hunters doing their thing at an abandoned castle where they are accosted. This is exactly the kind of thing that is going to grab the readers attention and make them want to keep going. I immediately wanted to know more.
What happens next well that’s where the story really begins. Sarah is a waitress (in a cocktail bar) at a diner where in walks a mysterious handsome stranger. Eh hair is too long for me but that’s okay. Seriously though I love the way this is structured and how after work Sarah finds herself in a situation that makes it kind of clear that she isn’t your average ordinary waitress. Now I don’t want to use spoilers but the creatures here are amazing and I love how they come across, what feelings they evoke and just how damn deadly they are.
The way this is structured is great and how we see the sequence of events unfold creates an excellent ebb & flow. It is very easy to get caught up in the story as Mike is able to get the readers pulse to quicken and that innate desire to see what is going to happen next occurs. Few can create this kind of feeling or emotion and among them Mike is one of the best. The revelation of who the mysterious stranger is and his connection to all this well that’s something I cannot wait to see explained.
The interiors here are absolutely brilliant to see. The attention to detail is phenomenal and the way that we see is so well done done and the mix of subtlety and bold linework is used to create some of the finest detail work around. From the way we see the clothes to the scales on the creatures it just all has this air about it and with the use of the colours the effect on the reader by creating the tone, mood and feel of what we see is amazing. The utilisation of page layouts and how we see the angles and perspective in the panels shows off a strong eye for storytelling. While page layouts are creative I would still like to see more backgrounds being utilised as when they are they expand the world, the moment and the story beautifully.
Fans of creature features, horror or just plain old fashioned good storytelling are going to want to pick this up. With a nice premise, some great plot/story advancement and some killer characterisation all wrapped up in these gorgeous interiors showcase why some of the better books for storytelling comes from small press companies.