In THE MONSTER MEN: HEART OF WRATH #1, available from American Mythology on July 8th, 2020, Number 13 is alive! Townsend and Virginia vow to find him to provide the compassion he was denied or put an end to his primal rage for good.
The Details
- Written By: Mike Wolfer
- Art By: Roy Allan Martinez
- Colors By: Periya Pillai
- Letters By: Natalie Jane
- Cover Art By: Roy Allan Martinez, Beezzz Studio (cover A)
- Cover Price: $3.99
- Release Date: July 8, 2020
Was It Good?
Yes, it was excellent.
The previous one-shot, THE MONSTER MEN: SOUL OF THE BEAST, set the foundation for Townsend and Virginia’s trip back to the island as almost an extended (and well-constructed) prelude. Here, readers are pulled directly into the heart of the story with a clearer picture of life on the island, the other players involved beyond Number 13, and the setup for a potentially greater conflict to come.
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The art, consistent with the prelude one-shot, is dark and atmospheric. The cleverest choice with the art is the persistent hiding of Number 13’s face in full shadow. What you imagine is always more terrifying than what’s shown, so by intentionally hiding Number 13’s face, you get the impression his disfigurement is much worse.
The writing here is spot-on for the reproduction of Edgar Rice Burroughs’ writing style and narrative voice. This reads and feels like one of Burroughs’ books come to life, and that’s the best compliment we can pay for this type of comic.
What’s It About?
[SPOILERS AHEAD – Click here if you just want the score without spoilers]
We pick up after the events of the one-shot prelude. Several of Townsend’s men are dead, Virginia is shaken but unharmed after her kidnapping, and Number 13 is out in the jungle somewhere. And somehow he learned to speak German(?).
Townsend and Sing work to fortify Dr. Saxon’s abandoned camp against a repeat attack, but the air of fear and shock still hangs in the air. Despite their best efforts, nobody on the crew is foolish enough to feel completely safe.
Cut to Number 13 as he makes his way through the island jungle carrying the dead body of one of Townsend’s crew. Whether through his primal nature or as a matter of necessity, Number 13 feeds on human flesh. The art team didn’t shy away from the gory details of Number 13’s eating habits, and while the scene isn’t for anyone with a weak stomach, it’s handled well.
On the other side of the island, another (and more active camp) is reacting to the gunshots fired off in the last issue. It’s clear the camp residents have no idea Townsend and Virginia have returned since they attribute the likely source of the noise to a pesky group of pirates that occasionally land on the island.
The camp’s leader, Dr. Vogel, questions the security head about the commission, and he’s given reassurances that everything is under control. During their talk, it’s clear the head of security, Ju-Long, is not entirely transparent about his actions and Dr. Vogel may be a little too naïve about the goings-on around the camp. Right off, you get the impression that the working relationship between these two characters is potentially fragile and could lead to bad endings when chaos is introduced.
Now comes the big reveal of the issue. Ju-Long heads down into an underground jail of sorts. Here we find the cells contain a group of monster men similar, but somewhat different to, Number 13. Ju-Long feeds them raw meat and they devour it like starving wolves.
When Ju-Long leaves, Number 13 sneaks into the underground jail carrying a sack of assorted entrails and body parts ripped from the body of Townsend’s dead crew member. He offers the meat to the other monster men, but they reject it because they don’t consider Number 13 to be one of them.
If there’s one thing this series has demonstrated so far in terms of a message, it’s that the horrors of the world committed by man and monster alike are due to evil examples rather than whether or not somebody has a soul.
We conclude the issue with that message being put to the test.
How Does It End?
Scars are a badge. Number 13’s motives are questioned. A face is revealed.
Final Thoughts
THE MONSTER MEN: HEART OF WRATH #1 goes deep into the Edgar Rice Burroughs lore and blends in the philosophical questions of the original Frankenstein to craft a frightful and thought-provoking start to the series.
Score: 8.5/10
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