Review: Last Hunt Issue 1

The Last Hunt (1 of 4) (Amigo Comics)

This book is suggested for Mature Readers due to course language and horror themes.

Words: Hannu Kesola & Ken Janssens

Pictures: Paul Moore Colours: Beth Varni

A merchant cargo ship is on a routine interplanetary machine.

Due to unforeseen circumstances the ship has to stop for repairs.  The vessel and its crew have to spend a bit more time planetside than they would like.

An ominous and unexpected encounter on the planet sets in a motion a sequence of events which can only lead to terrible things for the ship and its crew.

You know the story right?  Chances are you’ve seen an Alien movie or three in your lifetime.

So what makes the Last Hunt from Amigo Comics different? How does it play with the genre tropes and trappings of science fiction horror?

The writing team of Hannu Kesola and Ken Janssens introduce us to the hard working crew of the cargo ship Razgon as they prepare touchdown on the surface of the Planet Earth. The Earth of the 22nd Century is a poisonous desolate place rendered uninhabitable by a great war some 150 to 200 years ago.

The crew have landed on the site of current day New England on a routine cargo run to collect munitions and ordinance for their military employers but there are things waiting for them. Things which have waited and watched for centuries, dead but dreaming waiting for the right moment and the right prey.

The suspense builds and the tension moments over the two dozen pages of this first issue before a surprising last page twist which is a clear sign post to the Highway to Hell which is surely just around the corner.

The art is the real star of this first issue as the scene is set, the story begins to unfold and the realisation begins to set in that not everyone will be leaving the Planet Earth alive.

The real superstar of this is the art by Paul Moore and colourist Beth Varni.  Moore has previously worked on The Planet of the Daemons, another historical horror series from Amigo and Vani is also currently collaborating with Kesola on Kesola’s biker crime series Blood Skulls and Chrome from Rats and Crows.

They effortlessly capture the banal mundanity of life onboard the Razgon contrasted with the deep shadows and rich greens and greys of the Earth. It is a style reminiscent of Jock’s work with Scott Snyder on Wytches or Michael Lark’s work on Daredevil or Gotham Central.

This is a strong first issue which creates atmosphere, intrigue and that growing sense of dread that something truly terrible could happen at any moment.

The Last Hunt Issue 1 will be available from the Amigo Comics store from the end of July, you can get the latest updates on their blend of horror, history and sci fi comics by following them on Twitter.