Longbox Junk Halloween Horror 2022 Part 1 - Sgt. Rock vs. The Army of the Dead #1

Welcome to Longbox Junk, where I write comic reviews that nobody asked for!

What's that you say? 

I promised a King Conan series review and the title CLEARLY says nothing about King Conan?  

Fear not, Conan fans! That series review is in the pipeline, just delayed a bit.  I completely forgot that October is upon us.  October isn't Conan season. . .October is Longbox Junk HALLOWEEN HORROR season!

That's right, it's that time of year when I take a look at the spooky side of comics, and I try to pack as many of them as I can into the month of October!  So, settle back, turn down the lights, and let's have some Halloween fun!

I'm starting off this Longbox Junk spookathon with something brand spankin' new!

So, before we begin. . .

THIS IS A REVIEW OF A COMIC THAT IS ON THE STANDS RIGHT NOW.  THIS IS YOUR SPOILER WARNING!

Okay? Everybody in that's staying in? Let's do this!

SGT. ROCK vs. 

THE ARMY OF THE DEAD #1

(DC Horror - 2022)

COVER: Gary Frank

NO TIME LIKE THE PRESENT

SCRIPT: Bruce Campbell

PENCILS: Eduardo Risso

INKS: Eduardo Risso

THE COVER:

Ah. . .There's the good stuff! My favorite WWII infantry dog captured in a freeze frame moment of action against a horde of the undead!  It's super-detailed and full of action.  This is the kind of thing that makes me want to buy a comic book!  Let's get inside. . .

THE STORY:

BERLIN: 1944.  As the Allies move in on the German capital, Adolf Hitler becomes more and more desperate to turn things back around.  Operation: Regeneration is put into action.  A mad experiment in returning dead Nazi soldiers back to life, using a combination of chemicals and electricity.  

After an allied patrol is decimated by seemingly unstoppable German soldiers, Sgt. Rock and Easy Company are summoned to HQ for a special mission. . .infiltrate deep into hotly contested enemy territory, find where the re-animated soldiers are being created, find one Doctor Morell (the head of the project), and do what Easy Company does best.

To aid in the mission, Easy Company is issued some experimental equipment, including thermal imaging scopes, and are shown one of the re-animated soldiers. . .but during the briefing, the undead German breaks free and attacks!

Easy Company quickly discovers that the process doesn't just bring the dead back to life but gives them superhuman strength and ability to resist damage.  It takes the combined firepower of the whole squad to bring just the ONE undead German down! 

After seeing what it took to destroy the escaped creature, Rock isn't very confident about their chances on this one. . .

To be continued.

THE REVIEW:

I LOVED seeing this issue on the stands!  Sgt. Rock is one of my favorite comic characters of all, and it's been a while since DC gave us Rock fans anything new to sink our teeth into.  And then, it's a horror mashup with Sgt. Rock versus Nazi zombies? Sign me up!

This first issue is mostly setup for what's to come.  Most of the page space is taken up with various expository briefings, except for a bit of action bookending the issue with the zombie attack on the allied patrol at the front, and the captured zombie attacking at the end.  

Fortunately, in such a dialogue-heavy issue, Bruce Campbell does a good job at capturing a military feel and flavor in the character speech.  Unfortunately, he doesn't spend any time at all on introducing Rock and the rogues of Easy Company, sort of leaving new readers out of the loop and aiming this story at established Sgt. Rock fans.  That said. . .there's 5 more issues, so a little more background may be coming.

On the art side of things, I'm a BIG fan of Eduardo Risso.  Since I read 100 Bullets, I've gladly bought just about anything with his name attached to it.  I love his clean, dark artwork, his spare backgrounds, and his supremely expressive faces.  That said. . .I'm not entirely sure he's the BEST artist choice for a Sgt. Rock story.

Don't get me wrong. . .the art isn't bad by any means.  Risso is a great artist and there are certainly some great moments in this issue.  I just think a Sgt. Rock story demands a little grit, a little dirt.  Risso's art is super-clean and sharp.  Someone more along the lines of a David Finch or the like might have better served the dirty dogs of Easy Company.  But like I said about the story above, there's still 5 issues coming to prove me right or wrong.

CONCLUSION

It's a little strange for me to review a comic before the whole story is out, but I like what I see so far!  Beside the bare fact that DC has decided to throw us Sgt. Rock fans a 6-issue bone, I happen to really like when genres are mashed up. . .in this case, war and zombies.  Yeah, it's been done before, but it's still fun in MY book.

Bruce Campbell does a fine job with writing on this one, giving a good sense of military speech in the multiple briefing/ exposition scenes, but kind of leaves new readers in the dark as to who these guys are.  Without a little background, there's not much to tell the characters of Easy Company apart.

Eduardo Risso turns in a predictably great job on the art, but in MY humble opinion, he might not be the best artist for a gritty WWII story.  His art is just too sharp and clean.  This is the kind of story that demands some dirt.  That said, the art's not bad and Risso fans will definitely want to add this one to their collection.

Overall, I liked this a lot and can't wait to see what happens next.  If you're a Sgt. Rock fan, or an Eduardo Risso fan, then this is a MUST-BUY!  If you're looking for a good zombie/ war mashup, then this one is a good choice so far.  The first issue is a bit full of briefings and exposition, but if I know Sgt. Rock, it won't stay that way for long!

Up Next. . .

More Longbox Junk Halloween Horror fun!

Be there or be square!

Longbox Junk - Mother Russia

Except for the Walking Dead, I'm not really a fan of black and white comics at all.  But when I saw these three new issues sitting on the shelf of my local comic shop for the measly cost of $1.50 each, I HAD to get them.  $4.50 total for 3 new comics? Hell, son. . .the first issue of Doomsday Clock on the shelf at the same time cost me $4.99 by ITSELF!

So I bought these comics based on the cover price and not knowing a thing about what was inside.  Did I get my $4.50 worth? Read on!

MOTHER RUSSIA

ALTERNA COMICS (2017)

SCRIPT, ART, AND COVERS BY JEFF McCOMSEY

ISSUE ONE: NO BETTER FRIEND

The zombie apocalypse occurs during WWII in 1943 is the basic premise here.  A lonely Russian sniper (named Svetlana) holed up in a fortified bell tower's routine is interrupted by the sight of a baby among the walking dead below.  She leaves her safe place and manages to rescue the baby, but is prevented from returning.  They are saved by another human survivor, but he is revealed to be a Nazi officer. 

At this point, I'm thinking that Nazis and Zombies are about two of the most overused villains in ANY medium. . .but surprisingly, there's a lot to like about this comic.

First off, the setting of Stalingrad is a great idea.  Hell on earth made even more hellish.  Second, the art is fantastic.  It's in black and white, but very well done and it doesn't shy away from the gore.  Third, the story moves at a frantic pace due to the sparse dialogue and a "Show, don't tell" storytelling method.

But there's some bad as well. . .the art falters toward the back half of the issue, with a few pages being blurry (probably a reproduction or printing error. . .but still) and some panels looking sketchy and unfinished.  Also, the frantic pace of the book makes it an EXTREMELY quick read.  It literally only took me five minutes to read this comic.  In other words, it's very light on actual story.

All in all, this was a good comic.  There were a few issues, but if you're looking for fast-paced zombie action with an unusual setting and great art at a very nice price, you can't do much better than this.

ISSUE TWO: NO WORSE ENEMY

Svetlana's savior introduces himself as Major Otto Steiner and, after making their way to his safe house, tells her what he knows about the zombie apocalypse. . .which isn't much.  They agree on a plan to put aside their differences and try to make it back to her bell tower, which is a better position with enough food and ammunition to last until winter. . .

This issue slows down the extremely brisk pace of the story for a bit more storytelling about the onset of the zombie apocalypse.  It's still a pretty quick read, but I liked this issue more than the first.  Steiner's description of the collapse of his brigade, combined with the great artwork of the Nazi unit being decimated by the undead is fantastic.

But once again, it's not all good.  The baby is more of a plot device than an actual person , and despite the art being generally great, there are places where it looks rushed and unfinished just like in the first issue.  

Overall, there were a few flaws but I found this issue superior to the first.  As I read it, I was thinking that this story would make a great movie.  The writing and art are both very cinematic in nature.

And finally. . .

ISSUE THREE: BALLROOM BLITZKREIG

During a desperate rush for Svetlana's sniper nest, Major Steiner sacrifices himself so that Svetlana, the baby, and Steiner's beloved dog can live. . .

This final issue was pretty much one long running battle as Svetlana and Steiner push their way through a zombie horde blocking their way back to Svetlana's fortified bell tower.  The art is utterly brilliant and carries most of the weight of the issue as there is very little dialogue.  It's an extra-sized issue, but I could hardly tell because of the extremely fast pace.

Steiner's explosive sacrifice at the end was a bit predicable and the "after credits" epilogue (that looks like it's setting up future stories in the same setting with different characters) seems unnecessary for the story at hand, but those were really the only small things I could find wrong with this issue.  All in all a great ending.

CONCLUSION

I'd definitely say I got my money's worth on this three issue mini.  I've never heard of Jeff McComsey before, but this series was pretty much a one-man show, with him wearing ALL the hats.  His art was cartoony, but detailed at the same time, and a great fit for the story.  The overall impression I got from this series is that the art and the storytelling are both very cinematic and that this story could easily be translated to the screen.  There's an economy of dialogue and a fluid motion to the art that makes me want to keep an eye out for more of McComsey's work.

But be warned. . .that same economy of dialogue and cinematic artwork leads to an EXTREMELY fast reading experience.  It literally only took me 20 minutes to read all three issues. . .and I mean literally in the literal sense.   It only took me 20 minutes to read this series.   Also, there's no character development to speak of and the generally fantastic art does occasionally fail, looking sketchy and unfinished in several places.  

Despite a few small flaws, I'd say overall that Mother Russia is a VERY nice little piece of Longbox Junk and I highly suggest it if you like Nazis, Zombies, or Nazi Zombies.  And really. . .who DOESN'T like Nazi Zombies?

Up Next. . .

How about we tip a sacred cow here at Longbox Junk? 

Batman: A Death In The Family - A.K.A. "The one where Robin gets killed by Joker"

Yeah, yeah. . .I know.  It's 4 issues in the middle of an ongoing run, but at this point it's pretty much considered as a story on its own when anybody talks about it.

Classic or Crap?  Be there or be square!