Broken Frontier

The series is somewhat similar to the two Jeepers Creepers horror films from a few years ago, in that it involves a mysterious flying beast in a small town picking people off. At first glance it appears to be a rather simple story, but don’t be deceived by Brian Churilla’s cartoon art. The emotional drama generated by Christopher Leone’s script is embodied surprisingly well by Churilla’s work on the page.

Last issue the Basher brothers, Jake and Andrew were on their way home form the local tavern when they were attacked by a big, blue beast. The pair bravely attacked, taking the creature’s head with them, but not before the creature itself took Jake’s arm. Upon being splashed with some of the beast’s blood, Jake’s arm then transformed into a beastly appendage.

In this second issue (of six) Jake discovers that he’s strangely attuned to the whereabouts of the beasts, but also that there’s more than one type. The brothers go to the sheriff for assistance and he doesn’t think they’re crazy, as reports of the beasts have been popping up all over the county. Andrew visits his former flame, Vanessa and discovers not only her new boyfriend, but also the fact that her dad has been taken by a flying creature.

There’s also plot points dropped about Jake’s need to feed on beastly goo to heal his ugly arm, and the existence of eggs. Surely these developments will rear their ugly heads in later issues.

We Kill Monsters isn’t going to set the stands on fire. It’s a pretty straightforward approach, and it’s obvious that the creators are fans of monster films from the ‘80s, but it rises above mediocrity thanks to the character work, and that the story is launching forward at an intriguing pace.