Comic Book Review: We Kill Monsters #1

Secret hideout. Check. A mission to save a family member’s life? Check. Monsters? Check. Monster trucks? Ya know it. Hooked? Yep. Me, too. “We Kill Monsters” is great. 

I just finished reading the debut issue, though it originally appeared in May 2009. The comic is published by Red 5 Comics. I read my copy on my iPhone, via the Comixology application (which I’ve also pimped here), as it just debuted for free via that platform. It’s the story of two brothers, Jake and Andrew Basher, who discover that the world is infested with monsters. When Jake is attacked by one of the monsters outside a bar, Drew saves his life by using the glowing blue fluid that leaks from the monster’s brain. The flip side is that unless Jake has a constant supply of the “Monster Juice,” he’ll die. 

And there’s fertile ground here. Jake and Drew are mostly humble guys (at least, that’s how they are painted in the opening issue). So, how will all this killing affect them? Where are the monsters coming from? Why Jake and Drew’s town. I’m looking forward to getting Issue #2 simply because I breezed so quickly through the debut. 

The story by Christopher Leone and Laura Harkcom (who also did some work for SyFy Channel before it changed its name) is fantastic. It’s a great premise and there are some touching moments along the way before the blue blood starts to spill. The set-up to get from two humble brothers to two monster killers is very good, too. Jake and Andrew feel like two people who are well fleshed out along the way. 

The art is well-drawn by Brian Churilla. He captures the moods well with the pencils and inks. His lines are crisp and dynamic; there’s a sense of motion about each page. Ronda Pattison’s colors also set the tone for the emotions as the story moves from family friendly into monster bashing.

Admittedly, I’ve been looking for a replacement in this genre since Michael T. Gilbert’s version of “Mr. Monster.” So, “We Kill Monsters’ does the trick. Further, one can see a lot of promise for “We Kill Monsters” through other platforms, like TV, movies or a video game (which makes the most sense).

“We Kill Monsters” available on iPhone and in comic book stores. The Web site is here, with news updates here.

(The reviewer, Jason Tudor, is an American author and illustrator who lives in Europe. He currently publishes the Web comic “Brothers in Virtual Arms” and the online space opera/farce “Galactic Milk.” Visit his Web site at http://www.jasontudor.com for more.

2 Responses to “Comic Book Review: We Kill Monsters #1”

1. comiXology says:

   02/09/2009 at 12:13 am

   We love that people are reviewing using our iPhone app!

   You can download We Kill Monsters on our iPhone app called “Comics.”

   http://itunes.com/apps/Comics

2. Lord Shaper says:

   02/09/2009 at 5:12 am

   Great Review and good to see that the iPhone app is working out for you.