Gung-Ho Sexy Beast Issue 1 by Ablaze Publishing Worth a read?
Scene setting
Civilisation as we knew it has ended thanks to an extinction-level event known as the “White Plague”. The world has become a danger zone, where survival is only possible within fortified towns & villages.
The main characters are orphaned brothers Zach and Archer Goodwoody, a lovable pair of mischievous teenagers. In this opening issue of the latest story arc, they have just arrived at Fort Apache, and about to learn the colonies rules. The area outside the compound walls may be a deadly environment, but there are risks inside too.
Gung-Ho Sexy Beast General Info
Gung-Ho Sexy Beast (Vol 1) Issue One
From Ablaze Publishing
Published 01/2021
Format: Colour Comic
Cover Price $3.99
Writer: Benjamin von Eckartsberg
Artist: Thomas von Kummant
Cover Artists:
Daniel Clarke
Uwe Heidschotter
Thomas von Kummant
Nic Klein
Genre: Teen Dystopian Horror Think Archie Comics but darker – much darker!
Translation by Ivanka Hahnenberger
Originally Published by Editions Paquet France
Initial Impressions
Gung-Ho: “Sexy Beast” issue one is nicely illustrated and although it would be better to have read the earlier issues first it is not too much of a problem, as the story is sufficiently well written for you to get a feel for the characters straight away. Plus, the threat the settlement is facing becomes evident pretty quickly.
Without putting too many spoilers in the colony is suffering from a shortage of supplies, resulting from a major cargo theft and the fear is that they are about to face a major attack. They will not be able to defend without the missing items. The story is pretty fast-paced and there is some nice bits of humour thrown in to lighten the otherwise quite dark narrative.
So Is Gung-Ho Sexy Beast Good.
The short answer is yes. We liked issue one and would describe it as a cross between the Archie Horror titles & The Walking Dead so it should have quite a wide appeal. Being translated there are instances where the language is slightly clunky, but it doesn’t detract at all.
Interior art © Ablaze Publishing
The painted artwork is great and has that European feel to it – as would be expected. It may be a little bright for some tastes given the story genre but we felt it was in keeping with the humorous undertones. Story-wise it set up the story nicely cramming quite a lot into 20 pages, and it was left on a nice cliffhanger. We have pre-ordered the next three issues in the series which speaks volumes.
There are as seems the norm nowadays multiple cover variants including a couple of retailer incentives which are nice but pricy.
Image © Ablaze Publishing
Collecting Prospects
The whole Gung-Ho series deserves a wider audience than it is likely to get and thus probably won’t be hugely sought after in the resale market. This would change if it gets optioned for a TV series, and we could see ourselves watching it if it was to ever happen. Overall if you are buying in the hope of a future profit look elsewhere.
Reader Rating
Our rating on this issue is a solid 8.5/10, and if a quick burst of dystopian comic reading appeals you should go pick up a copy.
