Publisher:  IDW Publishing
Writer/Artist/Whatever else he can think of:  Ben Templesmith
Release Date: 6th August 2014

After the astounding first issue of this series, you’d be forgiven for thinking that Templesmith would take it down a notch here but you’d be so very, very wrong.

Instead, we jump right back where we left off with the Squidder trying to find his bounty (?) to continue his quest for vengeance. At its core, the story is nothing new; post apocalyptic/man on mission/man saves girl/man decides to keep girl around and seems to get some humanity back as a result. However there’s something about Templesmith’s approach that makes it feel incredibly fresh.

The fact that we are treated to teasing glimpses at just who our lead is and what he’s been through in his troubled past keeps the reader interested in what is otherwise an old school wild west rescue/redemption story. The writing is fluid and structured in a way that makes the art of the book shine through and take centre stage, which is probably to be expected as damn can this guy draw!

The art style is straight out of a Geiger-like nightmare, complete with dark, oppressive colours highlighting just how grotesque some of the characters are, with a restrained use of bold, bright colour in the quicker paced, more violent panels.

The only downside I can think of is that sometimes Templesmith tries to put too much on the page and as a result some of the details get lost in the smaller panels. But other than that minor niggle, this is the start of what could be an incredible SciFi/Horror book that if done right could be around for a long, long time (i.e. hopefully a lot longer than just this four-issue miniseries).

As a side note, fans of the art should definitely be checking out both Templesmith’s and 44Flood’s Instagram accounts where there are daily posts of awesomeness!

Rating: 5/5.

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The writer of this piece was: Chris Bennett
Article: And Now For Something Completely Different
You can also find Chris on Twitter.