American Monster #1 by Azzarello & Doe / Z-View
American Monster #1 is part of an on-going series published by Vertigo Comics.
- Writer: Brian Azzarello
- Artist: Juan Doe
- Colorist: Juan Doe
- Letterer: Juan Doe
- Regular Cover Artist: Juan Doe
*** Beware – spoilers may be found below ***
In a small Midwestern town, a large man with a horribly scarred face gets off a bus, and takes a room. He spooks the locals–nobody knows him–or do they? It’s impossible to say be-cause he seemingly has no face. The man’s intentions remain unknown, until he takes on a corrupt sheriff and the rural crew of racist arms dealers. The town’s impression of the man changes, and he’s seen as a hero…until his real intentions bubble to the surface. The man isn’t there to end the gang, but to take it over. And he’s just getting started.
American Monster is a winner. Not a done-in-one or by the numbers mini-series, American Monster is instead a crime/mystery story created by a talented team. There are a lot of questions set up in this issue and my guess is that as the answers play out over the course of this yarn, they won’t always be what we’re led to believe.
Is the disfigured man, a war hero, a criminal or both? Who blew up his vehicle? Was that bank robbery money the disfigured man flashed? And how does he tie in to the local gang leader who just brutally murdered two people?
Azzarello and Doe make for a great creative team. It’s nice to have a comic with both a high level of artistry in the writing and art. I’m looking forward to more of the same in each issue.
American Monster isn’t for kids or those offended by mature language.
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