Comic Book Review: Midnight, Mass: Here There Be Monsters #1
by R.J. Carter
Published: January 25, 2004
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Midnight, Mass:
Here There Be Monsters #1 |
"Arturo" |
John Rozum
Paul Lee |
Vertigo |
$2.95 US
$4.50 CAN |
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For more information: Vertigo Comics link |
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Midnight, Mass: Here There Be Monsters follows in the tradition of Buffy, The Vampire Slayer in that monsters (and the dispatching of the same) is done with only a very light touch of drama and horror. Yes, it's creatures of the night and things under the bed creeping out in the still hours to kill you, but it's also the story of a married couple--Adam and Julia Kadmon--who work together, desperately in love with each other, and struggling for those precious spare moments away from the job to be with one another. Their job: monster slaying; and there's no shortage of monsters. It's Night Breed meets Hart To Hart.
The creatures in this miniseries find themselves united under the leadership of a tentacle-headed beastie named Magellan, who inspires them to collaborate toward the achievement of one goal:
Magellan: At night, while they sleep, we will enter their homes, through the passages beneath their beds.
Our intangible members will enter their places of business through keyholes and the cracks under the doors.
The slaughter will be quick and with almost no resistance.
Once we take care of the few who roam awake, the town will be ours.
If they try to force us out, we can get inside their tanks, we can destroy their planes, we can kill their men.
We can stop wandering and sleeping under bridges and rocks, and eating their garbage. We will have heat, electricity, and running water. We will have food to eat, and beds to sleep in.
We will have a place we can call home.
The older, more experienced monsters aren't all that afraid of armies--they're afraid of the Kadmons! The younger monsters, however, don't share the same fear, particularly a young beast named Arturo who has already known the safety of living in a house. He starts things early, taking a house for himself, savagely dismembering the little girl and her parents who live there (this is a Vertigo title, after all--just because it has a lighthearted overtone to it doesn't put it off-limits to some gore and language.)
 With one of the more engaging plotlines in comics today, John Rozum's supernatural investigators will have you on the edge of your seat and leave you wanting more. Paul Lee's realistic style is evocative of Paul Gulacy (in the human department) and Gene Colan (in the monster department.) It's the perfect blend of writing and artwork to make a great concept into an even greater series. Not to be missed.
In stores Wednesday, January 28, 2004.
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