Aftershock Comics Reviews: Obsolete, Midnight V., Mary S., Dark Red, Dark Ark, Killer G., Anim.
Reviews on the following Aftershock comics in the order I read them:
- You Are Obsolete (1)
- Midnight Vista (1)
- Mary Shelley Monster Hunter (5)
- Dark Red (7)
- Dark Ark: After the Flood (1)
- Killer Groove (4-5)
- Animosity (23-24)
Individual series information can be found here
You Are Obsolete
Issue: 1
Rating: 4/5 stars
Hm. it starts out with an intriguing premise, and it can either get better or start plummeting.
A reporter named Lyla is down on her luck and is offered a random job about children on Muhu, of the Estonia Islands. The kids are tech-savvy--are in fact a “revolutionary technological development.”
And they are CREEPY. Adults fear turning 40, and I’m sure the kids kill them off for whatever reason. They’re controlled by the devices (even more so than society already is). And they know everything a person says or does.
The people on the island (adults, at least) have super eerie, wide grins.
Midnight Vista
Issue: 1
Rating: 3/5 stars
In 2002, a boy named Oliver Flores goes with his stepfather to get ice cream. After a weird experience with the radio, both go missing.
Flash forward to present day, when Oliver is found naked wandering the streets. He HAS aged and seems to be holding up well...despite the horrors he faced at the hands of aliens.
And the aliens are back.
The art was good, but the story was mediocre for the first issue. I will definitely keep reading though.
Mary Shelley Monster Hunter
Issue: 5
Rating: 4.5/5 stars
This was a creepy, though predictable (albeit, not in a bad way) end to the series. I think the worst thing is that there is the potential for more of the story to be told, but I do understand why it wasn’t.
Mary learns the hard way of how dire the consequences are when a person tries to play God.
Adam is quite terrifying and a force to be reckoned with.
One thing I love is how Mary tries to convince others how dangerous modern science is. The same can be said about us these days.
Dark Red
Issue: 7
Rating: 3.8/5 stars
I have to laugh at Stu at the beginning.
The werechild is adorable. I feel so bad for her. And then I worry for Evie.
Black makes me think of Akasha from the Vampire Chronicles.
McCobb is interesting.
The end is creepy.
Dark Ark: After the Flood
Issue: 1
Rating: 3/5 stars
I like the flip between “then” and “now,” to see how Shrae ended up here.
Shrae learns that an ancient city named Gohorth must be destroyed. And there he finds a baby--Khalee, I believe.
Now, Khalee is sent to bring Noah’s ark to the dark “world” their own ark found.
My feelings about Kruul are still at odds. His cub would be cute if I liked the art.
Killer Groove
Issues: 4-5
Rating: 3/5 stars
3.5 issue 4 & 2.5 issue 5.
In Issue 4, we learn about Jackie’s, Lucy’s, and Raul’s pasts. There is a lot of back and forth between past and present, and only the muted backgrounds are there to differentiate between the timeframes (for which I’m glad, otherwise it’d be super confusing).
Things really come to a head at the end.
In Issue 5, Lucy talking back to Jonny is fantastic, because he makes me want to vomit.
The end is very fast and super anticlimactic. This could have stretched for three more issues at least.
Animosity
Issues: 23-24
Rating: 4.75/5 stars
Not a 5/5 because of issue 24 events.
CAN YOU ALL STOP MAKING ME SOB?!
Issue 23: The girls being able to hold their babies is precious...but page 3 is so sad with the graves.
Jessie’s caravan is heading to CA where Adam is, and the way the first few pages portray their journey and some side stories of characters is neat. I like that Jessie is still learning like she was in school.
Ben is hilarious; I love Zarza. I love all the core animals for what they work to do for Jessie’s birthday, and not knowing how to celebrate. I was looking forward to that.
Potter’s story made me cry.
Issue 24: What an AWFUL beginning! I was hoping that Jessie, Sandor, and Zarza would get to the clearing in time, but nooooo. Why should I expect such leniency from Bennett in an “Animosity” book?
My chest hurts from this issue. It’s depressing and painful and heartbreaking. Poor, sweet Ben. Why did Potter go to find him and not stay back?
The turmoil Mittens is in is very real.
The only thing I actually liked with Issue 24 is that the moon of The Shallows pages is so bright and beautiful.
- You Are Obsolete (1)
- Midnight Vista (1)
- Mary Shelley Monster Hunter (5)
- Dark Red (7)
- Dark Ark: After the Flood (1)
- Killer Groove (4-5)
- Animosity (23-24)
Individual series information can be found here
You Are Obsolete
Issue: 1
Rating: 4/5 stars
Hm. it starts out with an intriguing premise, and it can either get better or start plummeting.
A reporter named Lyla is down on her luck and is offered a random job about children on Muhu, of the Estonia Islands. The kids are tech-savvy--are in fact a “revolutionary technological development.”
And they are CREEPY. Adults fear turning 40, and I’m sure the kids kill them off for whatever reason. They’re controlled by the devices (even more so than society already is). And they know everything a person says or does.
The people on the island (adults, at least) have super eerie, wide grins.
Midnight Vista
Issue: 1
Rating: 3/5 stars
In 2002, a boy named Oliver Flores goes with his stepfather to get ice cream. After a weird experience with the radio, both go missing.
Flash forward to present day, when Oliver is found naked wandering the streets. He HAS aged and seems to be holding up well...despite the horrors he faced at the hands of aliens.
And the aliens are back.
The art was good, but the story was mediocre for the first issue. I will definitely keep reading though.
Mary Shelley Monster Hunter
Issue: 5
Rating: 4.5/5 stars
This was a creepy, though predictable (albeit, not in a bad way) end to the series. I think the worst thing is that there is the potential for more of the story to be told, but I do understand why it wasn’t.
Mary learns the hard way of how dire the consequences are when a person tries to play God.
Adam is quite terrifying and a force to be reckoned with.
One thing I love is how Mary tries to convince others how dangerous modern science is. The same can be said about us these days.
Dark Red
Issue: 7
Rating: 3.8/5 stars
I have to laugh at Stu at the beginning.
The werechild is adorable. I feel so bad for her. And then I worry for Evie.
Black makes me think of Akasha from the Vampire Chronicles.
McCobb is interesting.
The end is creepy.
Dark Ark: After the Flood
Issue: 1
Rating: 3/5 stars
I like the flip between “then” and “now,” to see how Shrae ended up here.
Shrae learns that an ancient city named Gohorth must be destroyed. And there he finds a baby--Khalee, I believe.
Now, Khalee is sent to bring Noah’s ark to the dark “world” their own ark found.
My feelings about Kruul are still at odds. His cub would be cute if I liked the art.
Killer Groove
Issues: 4-5
Rating: 3/5 stars
3.5 issue 4 & 2.5 issue 5.
In Issue 4, we learn about Jackie’s, Lucy’s, and Raul’s pasts. There is a lot of back and forth between past and present, and only the muted backgrounds are there to differentiate between the timeframes (for which I’m glad, otherwise it’d be super confusing).
Things really come to a head at the end.
In Issue 5, Lucy talking back to Jonny is fantastic, because he makes me want to vomit.
The end is very fast and super anticlimactic. This could have stretched for three more issues at least.
Animosity
Issues: 23-24
Rating: 4.75/5 stars
Not a 5/5 because of issue 24 events.
CAN YOU ALL STOP MAKING ME SOB?!
Issue 23: The girls being able to hold their babies is precious...but page 3 is so sad with the graves.
Jessie’s caravan is heading to CA where Adam is, and the way the first few pages portray their journey and some side stories of characters is neat. I like that Jessie is still learning like she was in school.
Ben is hilarious; I love Zarza. I love all the core animals for what they work to do for Jessie’s birthday, and not knowing how to celebrate. I was looking forward to that.
Potter’s story made me cry.
Issue 24: What an AWFUL beginning! I was hoping that Jessie, Sandor, and Zarza would get to the clearing in time, but nooooo. Why should I expect such leniency from Bennett in an “Animosity” book?
My chest hurts from this issue. It’s depressing and painful and heartbreaking. Poor, sweet Ben. Why did Potter go to find him and not stay back?
The turmoil Mittens is in is very real.
The only thing I actually liked with Issue 24 is that the moon of The Shallows pages is so bright and beautiful.