Comics|Review|The End is Totally Nigh #1

The End is Totally Nigh is a horror comic book series created by K. Barrett and published by New York Times best selling publisher, Alterna Comics. Issue one starts as so many good comics do, with a peek at the ending. As you can imagine from the name, there is a good versus evil showdown of biblical proportions. The action swiftly shoots back to where the whole thing started. A priest, a girl and a cowboy walk into a gym… although this may sound like the setup for a joke, it is in fact how the book starts.

A stereotypically cynical priest who both smokes and drinks, perhaps due to the evil he has been subjected to over the years, is assembling a super team of demon hunters to tackle a volatile situation. Among the recruits is a girl named Mary who has an elusive past and perhaps a few demons in the closest of her own. A man called “The Cowboy” who as you can imagine, is a cowboy complete with hat and pistol. What kind of situation would call for this type of ensemble you may enquire? The answer is an exorcism, but not just any old exorcism. This one involves a whole pack of super-demon children that are the henchmen puppets of Lucifer himself.

This book has been done in a classic independent style black and white with inked pages. The level of artwork by Vinnie Rico is superb. The lines are clean and confident and the characters are excellent. Panels and angles are all spot on and the action sequences really shine. The inking is of such a level that the book does not require further finishing, but perhaps it could have looked really standout with a full color treatment. This book has some really great horror moments and doesn’t shy away from blood and guts. I just think they would have looked great in true splatter fest horror colors. This is all personal preference however, and the artwork really is great as it is. Lettering is clear, well placed and easy to read. Never once did I need to re-read any panels to see who was talking to who or what was going on. The writing by K. Barrett is good and the story flows well. The dialogue and interactions between characters could do with a little refinement as it can be a little “cheesy” at times. It does work well with the content however, and makes the book feel like a good horror yarn. The comic is fun without being overly comical. I think horror comics need a little sense of humour to help things flow and flesh out the characters.

Overall I was quite impressed by this title and I am a new fan of the series. I am really looking forward to the next issue to find out where the story is going. You can check out this title and how to order your copy by visiting the Alterna Comics website.

+Adam Cheal