American Gothic Press 2015
Written by Steve Niles
Illustrated by Nat Jones
Thursday is the cutoff day for Diamond orders for this series to be in and before I get into the proper review let me just say that this is something you need to order. So when you go pick new comics order this you shant be disappointed. There’s an originality here that only Steve can bring to the story and Nat’s interiors are simply, haunting and breathtakingly done. Fans of 30 Days of Night will adore this series!
Very quickly we see how this series got it’s name as Earth’s resources were rapidly drying up and when the United States started colonizing the Moon they were very quickly followed by China, Russia and India only having the Moon divied up in territories goes against man’s instinct to want more and soon the Moon was no longer a viable option for colonization and finding ways to gather more resources. I loved this opening you don’t get much more oomph than this and it’s completely believable and realistic in what happens here.
But what does it mean for the Earth when those forces up on the Moon are let loose. Damn seriously this is why I love Steve and what he’s able to do with words. Very quickly, concisely he’s able to convey all he needs to and then Nat’s ability to translate that well they really do make an indomitable pair.
Man’s time has come close to it’s end and it’s time for the monsters to rise and claim the planet as its dominant races. For me there are shades of Necroscope here and it’s just perfect how we see the rise of another civilization from the ashes of the old to create something new and what is needed to be done to sustain it. We see a young woman escape from a city and relay what she’s seen there to her rebellious compatriots. I like the dialogue here it really does showcase hope and hopelessness at the same time. It’s strong, dynamic and it leaves a powerful impact on the reader.
There’s another sect of monsters running loose that aren’t as societal as the ones living in a city and they are of the wild. Humans are in short supply and with Vampires and Werewolves wanting to feed on them it’s only a matter of time before they are wiped out one way or another unless something extraordinary happens. Oh btw when we see Nat’s depictions of the different species here if you’re like me you’ll find yourself in awe of it. The leader of the woodland monsters is fierce, nobile and frightening in all the best of ways.
This is only a four issue series so things happen at a fast pace but that doesn’t mean anything feels rushed it’s perfectly paced. Everything we see and read on the page creates this overall effect that draws the reader in leaves them with a sense of anticipation and that desire to see it happen.
Mesmerizing, haunting and full of life this is why we love monster stories!