PROJECT RIESE #1, from Mad Cave Studios on 8/2/23, follows a group of treasure hunters set on infiltrating the underground tunnels built by Hitler’s Nazis in modern-day Poland. What mysteries await?
The Details
- Written by: Zac Thompson
- Art by: Jeff McComsey
- Colors by: Paul Little
- Letters by: Justin Birch
- Cover art by: Jeff McComsey
- Comic Rating: Teen+
- Cover price: $3.99
- Release date: August 2, 2023
Is It Good?
PROJECT RIESE #1, named after Nazi Germany’s real-life construction project of the same name, imagines what would happen if a group of treasure hunters tried to break into the mysterious tunnels looking for gold and other treasures. Zac Thompson’s inaugural issue takes the historical place and gives it a horror twist for a relatively intriguing first issue.
Thompson’s script centers on Sam Safdie and his group of privateers operating in Europe in 1953. Sam gets a lead on the last remaining map of the Project Riese tunnels, showing where the legendary treasure train is stored. When Sam and his colleagues concoct a plan to access the tunnels, they encounter holdover Nazis, booby traps, and more.
What’s great about this issue? If you’re a horror fan, you can’t go wrong with a story about secret Nazi tunnels, especially with the Third Reich’s supposed fascination with the occult. That storytelling well almost never runs dry, and using the backdrop of a historical location and real-life project gives Thompson’s premise a greater air of credibility. Scary stories are always scarier when there’s a possibility they could be real.
What’s not so great about this issue? Sam Safdie, the main protagonist, spends much of the issue deflecting or hiding the truth of what he’s really after from his colleagues, risking their lives in addition to his own. Any sensible person would have abandoned Sam a long time ago with that pattern of behavior, so depicting a group that simply goes along with Sam is hard to swallow. Without a clear connection to show why Sam’s colleagues are so loyal to him to their detriment, their relationships don’t ring true.
How’s the art? Jeff McComsey’s art is decent. As you can see from the sample pages below, the line work is clean, Paul Little’s color palette selection and application are solid, and the character designs are distinctive. McComsey opts to use over-thick outlines, which may not suit every reader’s taste, but that critique is based on preference rather than execution.
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 protracted description of an account by American soldiers who claim to have observed a treasure train entering tunnels underneath Castle Ksiaz, tunnels built as part of Project Riese by the Nazis during WWII. In 1952, Sam Safdie and his band of treasure hunters break into an Icelandic mansion to steal the only remaining map to the Project Riese tunnels that show where the treasure train is stored.
Later, Sam enlists Fritz as an expert code breaker and safe cracker who can help Sam unlock the massive doors that bar entrance to the tunnels. But before the attempt can be made to find the train, Sam concocts a plan to gain access to the grounds of Castle Ksiaz, still under Nazi control. When the truck Sam’s team uses mysteriously breaks down miles from the castle, they use the failure as a perfect cover to approach the castle’s master for help and temporary lodging.
We conclude the issue with a bargain, a puzzle, and a double-cross.
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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PROJECT RIESE #1 begins an intriguing tale of a group of treasure hunters on the trail of lost Nazi gold hidden in a mysterious network of tunnels. The historical backdrop, location, and circumstances give the horror story a creepy air of credibility, and the art is decent enough.
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