Now that the school year is back in swing for both my children and I, we've all begun adjusting to mommy's travel schedule for work, and balancing my debate coaching, cub scout den leading, and everything else we have going on, I figured it was time to start blogging again, and holy crap am I excited about what I'm reviewing today (I should just rebrand myself "Mad Cave Studios Fan Account")!
It is easy to say that spooky/horror/thriller has easily become my favorite genre of comics across the past couple of years. Two of my absolute favorite series of recent have been: "Lonely Receiver" and "I Breathed a Body" both by Zac Thompson. When I saw that Zac was writing a book for Mad Cave Studios, I knew I had to get eyes on it ASAP!
Nature's Labyrinth #1 (Mad Cave Studios)
By: Zac Thompson, Bayleigh Underwood, Warina Shadewa, Rus Wooton
FOC: October 10th Release Date: November 2
The book opens with eight individuals whom are "absolutely flourishing" in the opening phases of accepting an all-expense paid cruise who may not know what the road ahead has for them. But as an outsider, we know strange things are afoot at the Circle K as the guests are actively criticized for drinking, and other exhausting exploits while on the cruise.
Of the eight characters, we get a little bit of insight into "the Shield" whom is actively keeping tabs on her fellow cruisemates and the staff, and when we see them in their cabin, we can see a back riddled with scars. We definitely are left with more questions than answers.
Second is "the terror" whom we eventually learn was convicted of weapons trafficking, is quite famous with the crew because he has a podcast where he details everything that has happened to him ( again, we are left with more questions than answers).
As the passengers are going about their day, there is an announcement where the captain desires everyone's attendance at a special breakfast in his quarters....and from that point on...the shit hits the fan. All I can say is the slight taste of the Labyrinth is very intriguing and with what is revealed in the final panel, I'm quite certain that the "game" is about to change for everyone.
Who should buy this book?
First, if you are a fan of any of Thompson's prior work, you will love this series. While it may not have the AMAZING body-horror (yet?!) from titles like I Breathed a Body or Come into me, you can definitely feel the spooky vibes from the master of the game and the nature of the labyrinth itself. If you are a fan of the action and energy from his work on Cable or Ka-zar the character development and invitation of gameplay in the labyrinth itself seems in the same ballpark. I'm confident if you've enjoyed any of his work, you'll be hooked by issue #1 in the same way I am.
While I don't think I've checked out Bayleigh Underwood's other work like It Took Luke or The Last Champion, I can definitely say that I am on the hunt for any title they've touched because the art in this book perfectly nails the vibe on each page. Each character is constructed in a unique manner that makes you wonder if their appearance will foreshadow their actions. I will have nightmares with the captain's face in it. Finally, the environmental details of both the ship and the labyrinth itself fully draw you into the world this team has constructed.
I absolutely cannot wait to check this full series out, and it has definitely been added to the pull list! (If anyone who went to SDCC was lucky enough to grab one of those exclusives...name your price!)