Behemoth Entertainment 2021
Written by Massimo Rosi
Illustrated by Vito Coppola
In Vietnam, a unit of American soldiers is running an underground reconnaissance using men known as "Tunnel Rats," Colton Jones being one of them. Strange movements and unusual songs had been coming from a nearby mountain causing the men to be sent into the tunnels to search for members of the Viet Cong in hiding. However, inside of the mountain they'll find something they could have never prepared for.
Here is what I love, we’ve seen so many variations when it comes to Vietnam and the war there, conflict my tuchus, and they all kind of focus on some key areas. This one has those elements, it has to it’s kind of expected and the terrain is what it is there’s no escaping that, but it goes that extra mile and incorporates aspects that you don’t expect to find here either. I’ve called Massimo one of his generations greatest writers and quite frankly this is a bloody brilliant showcase of why I’ve said that. How we see one element being tied into various characters that inhabit the book and how the psychology of being there is brought into this is beyond expectation and comprehension. I am so incredibly impressed with the level and quality of storytelling that we see here and with the interiors almost if not quite overshadowing the writing these two gentlemen have created something astounding.
I am in love with the way that this is being told. The story & plot development that we see through how the sequence of events unfold as well as how the reader learns information is presented flawlessly. While yes this is a work of fiction you could easily assume this is taken from one soldier’s journal about the ordeal they faced it’s that eerily accurate feeling you get when you read something and almost think it’s real. The character development that we see here is amazing and it really is through the dialogue that we get to know these characters. It might just be me but when reading this I could feel the emotions, anguish and fear emanating from them and it heightened my experience. The pacing is excellent and as it takes us through the pages revealing the story and the characters it’s easy to get swept up and lost in what is happening.
With the way that this is structured and how the layers within the story emerge and grow like the jungle surrounding them there’s this constant sense of foreboding that puts tension into the readers’ shoulders. That by the way is a good thing because you feel, FEEL, what’s happening and then to see how everything works together to create the story’s ebb & flow on top of that is outstanding.
I can’t believe as a younger man I was such a snob about black & white comics. Vito is my new hero and what he’s capable of doing is mindbogglingly brilliant. The linework is exquisite and how the varying weights and techniques are utilised to bring out the detail work is mind blowing in how well its executed. The jungle is a character in the story thanks to his work and while the greenery isn’t green the variations of life he creates ignites your imagination. Stevenson laying on that table in his y-fronts it is a hell of a wow moment and that’s not the only one we see. The way that the backgrounds are incorporated into the composition within the panels bring us this stellar depth perception, sense of scale and this overall sense of size and scope to the book. The utilisation of the page layouts and how we see the angles and perspective in the panels show one of the most masterfully talented eyes for storytelling.
This is going to be your new favourite series. It is as cerebral as it is violent and authentic to the time, area and the war itself. These two need to keep working together because the symmetry they have going on is major league impressive to me. Behemoth should move right now and keep these two on retainer lol because this is going to blow your mind and rock your world!