We Kill Monsters #6 (of 6) (Red 5 – Churilla / Leone / Harkcom / Ellis / Pattison)
Auto-mechanics-turned-monster-killers Jake and Andrew Basher finally discover the source of the monsters plaguing their small town. With Andrew’s ex-girlfriend Vanessa, they must do battle with the most fearsome monster of them all. But will they be able to stop the monsters from infesting the whole world – or is it too late?
With issue #6, the series comes to a close. How sad for the readers. I truly hope this is simply a pause for the WKM fans and there is a second or perhaps even an ongoing series in the works. We Kill Monsters is good solid fun, there really is no other way to put it.
In this finale we get the big reveal and questions are answered – Where are the monsters from? What happened? Who is behind this? Why is there a giant bunny monster and what does this have to do with breakfast cereal? Not that it was needed, but I went back and re-read the previous five issues and it once again impressed me how well constructed this story was. From the first to the sixth issue, the plot structure was solid and focused. The characters were both likeable and understandable, the story revealed enough details to keep a firm foundation, yet hid enough away to keep it interesting. The story was streamlined so that it moved effortlessly between the six issues and will read incredibly well as a trade. And as an added bonus the authors satisfactorily finished this story arc while clearly leaving room for more.
When you talk to people about Brian Churilla’s art, they usually either love it or hate it. His dark-lined, blocky and burly yet complex style isn’t everyone’s fav. I believe he able to convey a great deal of action and emotion in a very minimalist way. While it probably wouldn’t work for an all-drama series, I do believe his art is perfect for a good slugfest and a “fight-for-your-life” scenario.
The bottom line is that We Kill Monsters is a fun series with a PG rating and is yet another example of Red 5 taking a chance and coming out on top because of it.
Issue Grade: A-
Series Grade: A
Back in November I got to talk with the whole WKM crew… check it out here!
