Take a little bit of Scooby Doo. Mix it with elements of Resident Evil, The Blair Witch Project, The Hellraiser movies, and the Book of Revelation. Do that and you will at least get a taste of what is offered in Escape from Jesus Island. This first issue is a wicked extreme action ride of gore, perversion, darkness, and yes, I have to say it, FUN that packs a powerful punch from beginning to end. From the minds of Shawn French and Mortimer Glum, this story starts innocently enough as we, the reader, bear witness to a group of "meddling kid" activists determined to liberate animals from the Malsum Island testing facility of one ReGen Pharmaceuticals. ReGen is a company that has made billions from the cloning of our beloved pets. Of course, cloning isn't easy and apparently there are some byproducts/failed attempts that push the envelope of human decency. Do you really want your pet Rex at the cost of at least 17 failed Rexs? The folks and followers of STAB (Stop Treating Animals Badly) do not think so and they are determined to expose these horrendous failures for the whole world to see.
Once at the island, the gang find a little bit more than what they expected... let's just say that Malsum Island houses more secrets than just some horribly mutated animals and there may be something more on a biblical scale present. You better fasten your seat belts and make sure that you keep your arms, legs, and heads within the cart, because you might just lose them. This opening issue is one Hell of a ride (pun intended). I had a blast reading it; one truly bloody disgusting blast.
A carnival ride is the best description I can give to explain Shawn French's writing style. Actually, it's a roller coaster in the fog. As we start, we are going up the hill, hearing the clicks of the pull, but everything we see is creepy and distorted. When we reach the top of the hill, the fog clears and what we see is a devastating drop that intensifies with each speed burst of writing. It us well paced and intense.
The same rings true for Glum's art. He teases you early with glimpses of fear and disgust, and then he turns on the light to show that the fog actually lightened the features of the reality. The reality is far worse, graphically and beautifully detailed. Mr. Glum has talent. Both men do, and I can't wait till see where this thing goes from here.
Now this issue is not for the squeamish. It is bloody, it is gory, and it is unrelenting in its pace. But if you can handle bloody disgusting intensity, brutal, yet engaging artwork, and a flare of morbid playfulness, then make the escape from the mundane and take this thoroughly enjoyable ride. You may be freaked out a little, but you definitely will be entertained.
Score: 5/5
Writer: Shawn French Artist: Mortimer Glum Publisher: Wisdumb Productions Price: $3.99 Website