Wednesday, June 25, 2014

REVIEW: Holocaust Rex Book 1: At the Cursed Gates of Koch by Karl Wills & Timothy Kidd



Above: The cover of Holocaust Rex Book 1: At the Cursed Gates of Koch by Karl Wills & Timothy Kidd. Copyright Karl Wills & Timothy Kidd 2014.

The latest tijuana bible to roll off the ComicBook Factory press is Holocaust Rexa medieval fantasy comic by Karl Wills and co-writer Timothy Kidd (Came the Dawn).

After exploring space and superhero misadventures in Connie Radar and Princess Seppuku, this is a genre gear shift for Wills, who is more than up for the challenge. His trademark clear line work and attention to detail here is a treat, creating an immersive world - from the prop details (swords, armor), to appropriate buildings and extras, it's all there along with authentic rotting corpses and flies!


Above: Unlettered preview page from Holocaust Rex Book 1: At the Cursed Gates of Koch by Karl Wills & Timothy Kidd. Copyright Karl Wills & Timothy Kidd 2014.

We enter with the story already in motion: Rex is in pursuit of an unknown quarry. His journey is increasingly paved with death, as he encounters a plague victim and then a graveyard, before reaching the quarantined Gates of Koch. Plot wise, we only get a few scenes to chew over, but as with every ComicBook Factory production it's the staging of these scenes that continue to entertain, with expertly drawn body language and actions selling the gallows humor - of which there's plenty to enjoy here.

Volume 2 is already in the works, so I'm looking forward to discovering more about the mysterious Rex (why is he seeking doctors from Nasso? Does it have something to do with his stitched up torso?) and the kingdom of Koch - there's a very handy map on the back of this issue to help you get the lay of the land.

Holocaust Rex Book 1: At the Cursed Gates of Koch by Karl Wills & Timothy Kidd is available to order from the ComicBook Factory HERE for $9.95NZ. Also remember to join the ComicBook Factory Facebook HERE for a sneak peek at Book 2!

- AK!

No comments:

Post a Comment