HYDRA #1, by Zenescope Entertainment on 12/20/23, recounts Regan’s tale of woe when her loyalty to Dagon is put to the test in their search to find Mother Hydra.
The Details
- Written by: Honor Vincent
- Art by: Dario Carrasco, Sergio Arino, Oliver Borges
- Colors by: Leonardo Paciarotti
- Letters by: Taylor Esposito
- Cover art by: Al Barrionuevo (cover A)
- Comic Rating: Teen
- Cover price: $8.99
- Release date: December 20, 2023
Is HYDRA #1 Good?
Honor Vincent gives Zenescope readers a sweeping conflict that pits the Old Gods against the Elder Gods to become the dominant force on Earth in HYDRA #1. Readers with a taste for mythology and Lovecraft lore will find a lot to like in this issue.
Set against the recent Year of Lovecraft arc to free Cthulhu, Dagon uses Hydra as a homing beacon to find the original Mother Hydra, lost at sea thousands of years ago after a conflict with the Elder Gods. When Dagon’s search under the ocean depths leads to the Elder Gods’ new home (and a trap), Dagon gives Hydra a history lesson on the creation of his kind and the war for Earth that’s raged since before the dawn of humanity.
For regular Zenescope readers wondering where this story fits in the battle to free Cthulhu using the Five Keys, this issue doesn’t make mention of where it sits. Since Dagon escaped destruction after the final battle, this likely takes place later since Dagon is not as focused on freeing Cthulhu.
What’s great about HYDRA #1? Readers interested in new facets of Lovecraft mythology will find this issue novel and interesting. Part of Lovecraft’s allure is in the way he treated his horrors as hailing from unknown Time and Space, but readers who wonder where the monsters come from will appreciate Vincent’s reverence and attention to detail.
What’s not so great about HYDRA #1? The drawback of this issue is the lack of a positive antagonist. Vincent uses emotional conflict to portray Hydra as a decent person who got caught up in a series of bad decisions, but it doesn’t play out well enough to make her sympathetic. In short, you have a collection of characters, who are varying degrees of evil, fighting each other, so the stakes carry no weight.
How’s the art? When you see multiple artists in the credits for an oversized comic, that’s a red flag for inconsistency. Here, the red flag is honestly a yellow flag. Yes, you notice the artist handoffs, and the character design for Dagon is severely inconsistent in the first third of the comic, but the handoffs aren’t jarring enough to be a problem.
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What’s HYDRA #1 About?
[SPOILERS AHEAD – Click here if you just want the score without spoilers]
We begin with a brief prologue showing how Dagon and Mother Hydra fought the Elder Gods near the beginning of Earth’s development. Dagon escaped the battle, but Mother Hydra’s soul was ripped from her body and sent into the deepest part of Earth’s ocean.
Now, Dagon leads Tempest and Regan/Hydra on a mission to find Mother Hydra using the sliver of Mother Hydra’s soul resident within Regan as a homing beacon. They swim to the greatest depths and find the Elder Gods constructed a small underwater city where they live in peace and stand watch over the location of Mother Hydra’s soul.
We conclude the issue with a trap, a history lesson, and the price of selfish loyalty.
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Final Thoughts
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HYDRA #1 respectfully expands on Lovecraft lore when Dagon embarks on a quest to resurrect Mother Hydra. Lovecraft aficionados will enjoy the expansive take on the history of the Great Ones, but the story lacks a protagonist you can get behind.
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