AMERICAN MYTHOLOGY MONSTERS #1, from American Mythology on January 31st, 2021, re-imagines classic monsters of myth and legend with modern twists to make your blood run cold.
The Details
- Written by: Glenn Møane, Konstantine Paradias, Michael Gordon
- Art by: Demi Mandir, Ev Cantada, Dan Parsons
- Letters by: Natalie Jane
- Cover art by: Roy Allan Martinez, Arthur Hesli
- Cover price: $3.99
- Release date: January 13, 2021
Is It Good?
We’re reviewing an older issue today, supplied by our good friends at American Mythology because you can never have enough horror comics in your life, and we missed this issue the first time around. So, is AMERICAN MYTHOLOGY MONSTERS #1 worth your hard-earned, American dollar? Yep.
If you’ve been reading our reviews for a while, you know we always place the same caveat in front of anthology books – expect a collection of hits and misses. For whatever reason, editors struggle with ensuring anthologies can have completely different creative teams telling completely different stories while maintaining a minimum level of quality across the board. Why? It’s a mystery.
Thankfully, American Mythology got this one right. We’ll cover each short separately, but know that each of the three stories is well-written, well-drawn, creepy, and maintains an equal level of quality compared to the rest. There isn’t a lemon in the bunch, so if you’re into monsters in a fresh story, this anthology is a winner.
Keep scrolling for a closer look at the covers, or Click Here to jump right to the story description with some spoilers.
What’s It About?
[SPOILERS AHEAD – Click here if you just want the score without spoilers]
As with all our anthology reviews, we’ll describe each short briefly, and point out what worked or didn’t.
The Bite (Part 1)
Prof. Whitney is an adulterer and an abuser of his position of power over the female students he teaches. When his adulteress ways finally catch up with him, he decides to head to the Bahamas for a binge weekend. only to encounter a prostitute whose bite is worse than her bark.
All the shorts in this anthology are the firsts in a collection of three-parters, so you won’t get the full story here. This short has a gory setup, a satisfying amount of schadenfreude for the unscrupulous Prof. Whitney, and solid art.
Parts (Part 1)
Dr. Bridger Torossian is on the hunt for volunteer candidates for his experimental Project Changeling. When Bridger finds an ideal candidate in Quinn, a troubled man who can’t get comfortable in his own skin, Bridger sets out to prove that almost all parts of a man can be replaced. Unfortunately, the most dangerous part of the experiment is Quinn’s damaged mind.
While not a traditional monster story, Parts serves as an excellent reimagining of the Frankenstein archetype, asking if Bridger should have stopped to consider if he SHOULD do a thing before actually doing it. The philosophical concepts are familiar but new enough to add nuance, and the cyber-gore is intense. Bonus points to the artist for at least one flying eyeball.
Safiya (Part 1)
Yousef realizes he’s made a mistake by breaking up with his girlfriend. On his way to making amends, Yousef encounters a hidden figure in a dark alley who makes sure Yousef never arrives at his meeting. A flashback reveals a group of researchers has found the mummified body of Merneptan, a slaughterer of thousands who may not be entirely dead.
Of the three shorts, Safiya is the least clear of the three shorts. You can assume or infer that Yousef is killed by one of the research scientists possessed by Merneptan, but there’s enough in this short to generate curiosity for what comes next.
Keep scrolling for a closer look at preview images of the internal pages, or Click Here to jump right to the score.
Final Thoughts
(Click this link 👇 to order this comic)
AMERICAN MYTHOLOGY MONSTERS #1 gets high marks for telling tales about classic monsters with updated settings that give those legends a fresh coat of paint. Every short is satisfying, and the art is consistently excellent from every artist.
We hope you found this article interesting. Come back for more reviews, previews, and opinions on comics, and don’t forget to follow us on social media:
If you’re interested in this creator’s works, remember to let your Local Comic Shop know to find more of their work for you. They would appreciate the call, and so would we.
Click here to find your Local Comic Shop: www.ComicShopLocator.com
As an Amazon Associate, we earn revenue from qualifying purchases to help fund this site. Links to Blu-Rays, DVDs, Books, Movies, and more contained in this article are affiliate links. Please consider purchasing if you find something interesting, and thank you for your support.