HUNT. KILL. REPEAT. #1, from Mad Cave Studios on March 1st, 2023, unleashes a dystopian future for humanity when Zeus and the Olympian gods rain destruction on humanity to ban all technology and reassert themselves as rulers of the world.
The Details
- Written by: Mark London
- Art by: Francesco Archidiacono, Marc Deering
- Colors by: Lee Loughridge
- Letters by: Rus Wooton
- Cover art by: Ryan Kincaid (cover A)
- Comic Rating: Teen+
- Cover price: $4.99
- Release date: March 1, 2023
Is It Good?
Interesting. I went into HUNT. KILL. REPEAT. #1 completely cold, and I have to say, I’m pleasantly surprised. Kudos to Mark London and Mad Cave for endeavoring to grab the reader’s attention in the first issue with a killer concept, strong character work, emotional impact, and mountains of conflict. This issue embodies the level of creativity and attention-grabbing effort comic lovers should expect to see in every #1 comic.
Mark London’s impressively-crafted script centers on a reappearance of the Olympian gods, led by Zeus, to reclaim Earth under their sole dominion. Faulting technology for humanity’s lack of faith in the gods, all tech is banned, and humans are forced to live a life of servitude and worship under the gods’ heel. Now, one of the gods has chosen a quiet life among the humans, leading to more family drama than a The Bachelor episode filmed in a Real Housewives backyard without permission.
Metaphors aside, the situation gets very ugly – gut-punchingly ugly, giving the protagonist, Artemis, enough motivation and emotional fuel to light up a small city. It’s very clear from the first few pages that London’s character work is phenomenal. You immediately understand the distinctive voice of each character, so when the conflicts kick in, you know precisely where each character is coming from, what drives them to make the choices they make, and how one character’s actions affect everyone else.
That said, this issue works beyond just character development. For a double-sized issue, the pacing moves like the wind, the dialog feels natural, and the plotting is surprisingly complex. On that last point, an event happens midway through that forces a break in the story, shifting the narrative and amplifying the conflict tenfold. You won’t see it coming, but when it happens, the story hits you with an “Ouch! things just got much worse” feeling that you’re going to remember.
That’s the key. Readers remember a story when it hits hard. This story hits hard, so that automatically makes it a success.
Regarding the art, this is our first exposure to Archidiacono’s pencils, and its excellent work. The line work is clean and polished, elevated by Deering’s also excellent inks. Loughridge’s coloring application is, likewise, excellent, but the color palette is a little too muted in certain panels. In the future, it would be helpful to see a little more pop and contrast in the color choices.
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]
We begin with a brief but brutal prologue showing Zeus and the olympian gods waging a one-sided war against humanity. Zeus blames technology and humanity’s arrogance for their faltering faith, so he subjugates the entire planet, banning all modern technology and weapons.
Later, we catch up with Artemis the Hunter, who chose to live among the humans. She falls in love with a mortal named Julian, and Artemis is soon due to give birth to a demigod. One day, Artemis is summoned to Zeus’s palace for what she thinks is a simple meeting, but she soon learns the gathering is meant to expose her pregnancy to the rest of the gods as treason and blasphemy.
When Zeus confronts Artemis over her mortal choices, the meeting becomes violent and deadly. The issue soon turns to grief, rage, loss, and a new fight waiting to begin.
Keep scrolling for a closer look at preview images of the internal pages, or Click Here to jump right to the score.
Final Thoughts
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HUNT. KILL. REPEAT. #1 is an impressively strong start to a unique story about the Olympian gods coming back to take over the world. London’s concept is imaginative, the character work is outstanding, the plotting and pacing are top-notch, and the artwork is excellent.
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