I have been trying to catch up with this series since the first issue and finally made it. I wish I hadn’t waited so long since I really enjoyed what I’ve read so far of the series. To recap it’s a post-apocalyptic world and some mysterious tech has fallen from the sky and is leading anyone that finds it to New Orleans which is the worst of the worst in terms of a post-apocalyptic area. Sally has a crush on Tommy who is a clueless idiot. He wanted adventure so he agreed to go on the expedition to New Orleans which meant that Sally had to go along as well. In the last issue the group of survivors found themselves in the clutches of… a squiddy culty looking thing. It’s awesome looking trust me on that. The creature induces some kind of shared hallucination in which Sally confesses most of her feelings to Tommy and undresses. They begin to fade out of the trance when one of the remaining Bammas arrives with Mr. Axe and begins chopping away. Sally takes over and ends up back in its clutches, but Tommy finally grows a pair and takes a single barrel shotgun and starts popping heads… because it has more than one head.
What’s absolutely enjoyable about this book is that it follows the zombie rulebook in which everyone is cannon fodder. It’s strange though because so many of the characters seem like they should make it, but writer Victor Gischler kills them off when you least expect it. Okay sometimes you expect it, but even still it can strike at any point in the story which is great.
The other thing to note about the story is that it’s sexual in a playful way. At no point has it come across as rapey or male driven fantasy humor. At lot of that is due to the fact that most of the sexuality is coming from Sally or the Bammas in some cases. It will honestly make you laugh instead of cringe and that was frankly really refreshing to read in a comic book.
Sally as a character is crazy as shit, but I love her. I’m sure Gischler’s intent is to make her come across crazy and she has proven that over and over, but she’s also funny as hell. The story is kind of ridiculous especially if you put yourself there with them and Sally is that voice that says, “You’re right, this is ridiculous.” She’s self-aware, but it works to keep the story from being heavy. Then there are these great moments when she proves she’s just a young girl seeking the attention of the man she has a crush on. It makes her adorable which is good because the rest of the time she’s a crazy good killer.
To say that the art is amazing is an understatement. This is not a cover book, which is to say that the interior art is different from the cover. Nope, the cover art and the interior art are both by the talented Tazio Bettin. Bettin’s artwork is photorealistic, but then also very stylized. It’s weird because I feel like there’s no vocabulary to describe his style or the atmosphere that it creates for this world.
His action is awesome; from axes to gunshots, everything is easy to follow, but also entertaining as hell to see. The character designs are incredible and there’s a range for their structure and design. Sure the women all tend to have about the same breast size, but at least it’s proportional to their body frame. Even more impressive is that Bettin colors the book as well which is a huge factor in the look of the series. The colors are bright and cheery; not what you’d expect from a post-apocalyptic world and it’s honestly better because of it. It makes the story stand out and really it makes Bettin’s art shine.
A lot happens in this issue so if you’ve been looking forward to it, you won’t be disappointed. I don’t know if the team is going to stick the landing or not, but I do know that for four issues they’ve delivered a funny and entertaining story. If you missed out on the series in the beginning like I did then do yourself a favor and get the back issues.
Score: 4/5
Writer: Victor Gischler Artist: Tazio Bettin Publisher: Titan Comics Price: $3.99 Release Date: 10/29/14 Format: Mini-Series; Print/Digital