Christos N. Gage, Tomás Zorello, and Diego Rodríguez introduce us to the monster slaying team, the last line of defense against the cryptozoological attacks that threaten us in this volume published by Moztros.
Deadly whippersnappers, forest witches, giant spiders, big feet…monsters that fill Stephen King’s dreams and star in our nightmares. What if they lived in the real world? Then one must be ready to stop them. If you’re looking for some supernatural action, Moztros’ latest idea comes in collaboration with Bad Idea, Monster Killer Squad…
Cryptozoological attacks
Until now, life on our planet was relatively stable. Yes, terrible wars, bloody epidemics, moral degradation and many other evils may be worse than any HP Lovecraft story, but at least we know that everything has an earthly explanation. Well, there are so-called paranormal things from time to time, things that have no explanation and have spawned myths and legends for centuries, but they are very isolated cases. But what happens when you stop being like that?
That’s the question that Christos N. Gage, Tomás Zorello and Diego Rodríguez try to answer with a story of violence and evil. When a new threat emerges, someone is responsible for neutralizing it, and that’s where the Monster Slayer comes in, an Avengers-like world where nightmarish creatures lurk around every corner…
Bad anti-heroes
Gage wears a John Carpenter hat and builds a team that’s good at killing monsters. With a completely inappropriate charm, a great bad attitude and zero goofiness, our protagonists are going to give us a huge amount of super action; There we see them distributing fuel without censorship.
In their first mission (the first one we see here, rather) they have to face off with some white label Pennywise clowns who are a piece of cake for them. And we know them well there, it must be said. “Monsters have nightmares about us” sounds like a phrase taken from a good tacky action movie director’s manual from the nineties.
Commander Joan Stockard is her very own Nick Fury, Charity is the team’s hotshot, Javier is the armor-clad equivalent of The Rock, Jude is the young priest and cookie of the establishment, and Edgar is the character you control. Any next-gen futuristic first-person shooter, with some secrets from the past. This is the core of these mercenaries.
In addition to facing a pack of sasquatch and vampiric demons in this plot, the authors took the trouble to give the characters enough space to develop, establish relationships between them, and learn something about their past lives. If we only limit ourselves to uncontrollable activities, it makes them more three-dimensional than they are.
Without complex entertainment
This self-contained volume (a practice Moztros regularly indulged in) is perfect for the reader who doesn’t want complexities, whose quality is gradually reduced to avoid long stories, and who just wants to have fun and enjoy without too much pretense. Gage isn’t trying to write new Guardians, but he’s just interested in making something for fans of this type of story. The objective has been achieved.
As for the graphic department, anyone who’s read their own Conan Ray knows what they’re in for if they put themselves in Giorello’s hands. Here we see a very different aspect of the Cimmerian adventures.
Published by Moztros in hardcover, Volume 112 is in full color and page size is 17×26 cm. And the US edition includes all four issues of the Monster Kill Squad limited series as well as the covers of all the included issues and a section with extra material at the end. It has a recommended retail price of €20.90 and goes on sale in June 2024.
Monster killer team
A forest witch might rob travelers, a killer singer might eat your children, or an evil spirit might haunt a couple just for fun. However, these incidents were rare, easily covered up, and quickly turned into myths or legends, more laughable than terrifying.
But who’s laughing now? In the past three months, cryptozoological attacks have been increasing, and Arcane has become a daily occurrence. Monsters of all shapes and sizes attack at will and without mercy, but honest citizens have had enough of such nonsense. It’s time for the killer gang to take action! This super team is a special government unit that brings together the most dangerous villains on the planet. The most deadly and brutal ones have the chance to eventually blow the brains out of every creature that walks, crawls, flies or hides in the shadows.
And if it doesn’t have a brain, even better: that’s why they have weapons. Christos N. Gage (The Avengers), Thomas Zorello (Conan Ray) and Diego Rodriguez (Hellblazer) tell a story of witches and ghosts, demons and the undead, goblins and ghosts. There have always been monsters in the world. But now there are also villains to save them, and that’s what Monster Slayer does and it does so well.
Authors: Christos N. Gage, Thomas Zorello, and Diego Rodriguez.