Review – Duck and Cover #1 (Dark Horse Comics)

September 4, 2024

3 minutes

Publisher: Dark Horse Comics
Writer: Scott Snyder
Artist: Rafael Albuquerque
Colorist: Marcelo Maiolo
Letterer: Bernardo Brice
Release Date: 4th September 2024

There are a handful of creative partnerships in the world of comic books who, when I see their names on the cover a new series, I simply have to pick it up. And yes, Scott Snyder and Rafael Albuquerque most definitely fall into that category. Their latest offering, on sale this week Dark Horse Comics, markets itself as “a manga-influenced teen adventure set in the strange post-apocalyptic America… of 1955”, and boats a very strong opening issue that lays some confident character groundwork before yanking the rug out spectacularly in the final few pages.

There’s something more than a little Speilbergian about the story of Delmont Reeves (“Del” to his friends), a young man with a lifelong love of cinema who finds himself struggling to find a way to parlay that passion into an escape from the small military town of Schellville, Colorado and the small-minded racists who inhabit it. Using the backdrop of the increasingly tense and fearful early years of the Cold War only ramps up the sense of urgency and xenophobia, and watching Del and his two best friends try to navigate this world would almost be enough of a storyline hook on its own.

This is Scott Snyder though, so there’s always a little something extra thrown into the mix. I’m not going to delve too deeply into the realm of spoilers, as the execution of the shocking reveal is far more impactful if you’re going in relatively blind. However, when you consider that the title of the series is based on a 1952 safety film instructing children about what to do in the event of a nuclear attack, that should hopefully give you some kind of idea what’s coming.

It’s been far too long since I picked up a comic illustrated by Rafael Albuquerque, one of my all-time favourite artists, and watching him work seamlessly alongside his American Vampire collaborator here is an absolute joy. Albuquerque does a great job of packing the emotion and teen drama into the early pages of the book, bringing the sleepy, simmering town of Schellville to the page with a real flair. As I mentioned, the bulk of this first issue is mainy character-focused, but that doesn’t mean Albuquerque isn’t given ample opportunity to cut loose along the way, including during the aforementioned finale which sees the Brazilian artist – alongside colourist Marcelo Maiolo – ramping things up to a terrifying new level.

An intriguing premise flawlessly executed, and a new series that feels like The Breakfast Club meets War of the Worlds, Duck and Cover comes highly recommended. Come for the all-star creative partnership and stay for the A+ storytelling.

Rating: 4.5/5

[PREVIEW ARTWORK – CLICK TO ENLARGE]