In MONSTROUS: HEARTBREAK AND BLOOD LOSS #2, available from Source Point Press on June 30th, 2021, a monster-hunting cyborg and his robot sidekick are enlisted to help a Siberian village deal with a werewolf infestation. However, not all is at it seems.
The Details
- Written By: Greg Wright
- Art By: Alexander Mortarion
- Letters By: Justin Birch
- Cover Art By: Alexander Mortarion
- Cover Price: $3.99
- Release Date: June 30, 2021
Was It Good?
It was goofy and weird.
Monstrous is an anthology series in which every issue is a stand-alone story, but the connective tissue relies on horror elements set in a vaguely Victorian age. While the first issue focused on a ghost pirate love story (read our MONSTROUS: HEARTBREAK AND BLOOD LOSS #1 review to see how that turned out), here we’re dealing with steampunk cyborgs and werewolves. It sounds like a cool idea on its surface, but the execution is not as successful as the first issue.
The story takes a big twist mid-way through that turns the original premise into a very different story. It’s more accurate to say the story drifts into comedic farce territory but the humor is more nonsensical than funny. You can see where the creators were going with it, but the big twist doesn’t make much sense other than everyone is “crazy.” If you can accept the craziness at face value, the story relies on the humor to carry it through, and well, the humor doesn’t always land.
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“What about the art?,” you ask. Mortarian’s style relies heavily on thin, sharp lines for the shading and contours. In some panels, the thin penciling works well for the lead cyborg, Hans, due to the mechanical nature of his body. In other panels where controlled curves are needed, the character anatomy tends to be distorted and inconsistent. Specifically, Dr. Lupus’ facial proportions and the positioning and size of her facial scar morph almost from one panel to the next. On the one hand, the inconsistent anatomy could be perceived as projecting a dream-like quality to the story, but it’s more likely the art needed more time in the oven.
It’s not terrible art, but the issue would have been served with cleaner, more consistent line work.
Let us know if you agree in our MONSTROUS: HEARTBREAK AND BLOOD LOSS #2 preview.
What’s It About?
[SPOILERS AHEAD – Click here if you just want the score without spoilers]
Hans, a monster-hunting cyborg, and his sidekick robot crash their rocket ship on the outskirts of a Siberian town. Hans is part of an organization specializing in hunting monsters, and he’s been summoned by Dr. Lupus to help her town eradicate a werewolf infestation.
Hans’ robot sidekick, Glitchy, has a unique quirk where its memory gets reset every time it takes a blow to the head. Glitchy’s quirk comes into play as a running gag throughout the issue.
Dr. Lupus meets Hans in the woods, and she explains she specifically requested Hans because his cyborg body would prevent him from being infected by a werewolf’s bite. Simple setup, simple premise, and we’re on board so far.
When Hans gets to town, it’s clear something isn’t right. Nearly every townsperson they meet, regardless of their job, is also a “doctor.” Without much more than a suspicious feeling, Hans and glitchy head out to search for werewolves with Dr. Lupus.
On the hunt, Dr. Lupus appears to twist her ankle and asks the hunters to take her back to her captain. Back at her place, Dr. Lupus puts the sexy time moves on Hans, but he’s completely confused by her advances, as are we. Although Hans is part human, he’s really just a robotic body with a brain floating in green liquid. Yet somehow, Dr. Lupus had decided Hans is her true love, and here’s the big twist…
There are no werewolves. The entire setup was simply a trick to get Hans to come to the town so Dr. Lupus can be her lover man.
This turn raises so many questions that would take a mad scientist’s evil genius plan to make sense. How and why did Dr. Lupus conclude a brain controlling a robot body was the man for her?
A second hunter, Katarina, arrives at the town looking for Hans. It’s not clear why she came looking for him in the first place, but Dr. Lupus is instantly jealous, presuming Katarina is here to “steal” her man. Katarina finds Hans strapped to a giant machine where Dr. Lupus is injecting mind control drugs into Hans’ brain jar. How Dr. Lupus managed to capture Hans and get him into the machine is also unclear.
Dr. Lupus captures Katarina… somehow. But it’s Glitchy to the rescue! Glitchy frees Hans and Katarina and a multi-page battle begins involving giant mechs, shrink/embiggening rays, hybrid animal men, and portals. We conclude the issue with a big bang!
How Does It End?
A time machine doesn’t work as planned. Rocket go BOOM! Hans doesn’t mind filling in the blanks.
Final Thoughts
MONSTROUS: HEARTBREAK AND BLOOD LOSS #2 is a weird farce willed with mad scientists, monsters, and strange inventions. The story is certainly inventive but the humor doesn’t quite work and the inconsistent art needs some work.
Score: 6/10
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