A barbarian, a chainsaw-wielding koala and a necromancer walk into a house…
No, that’s not the start of a joke – it’s a scene from Monsters Are My Business (And Business is Bloody) #1 written by Cullen Bunn with art by Patrick Piazzalunga, the beginning of a new miniseries set in a post-apocalyptic fantasy landscape. The first half of the book is a textbook example of how to introduce a new book. Within those first few pages, writer Cullen Bunn introduces the main characters and their quirks, gives a quick backstory on the world (most notably “The Boglands”) and even throws the characters into a rollicking battle with a massive magic-enhanced squid.
Barbarian Tanner Grisholm (you better call him Griz or he’ll rip your head off!) wields an axe that’s nearly bigger than he is and he’s the narrator of the story. He dresses like a biker from the 1970s, loves to kill and destroy but can be polite and sweet to those he likes.
Chainsaw-wielding psycho koala Cuddles can only speak in grumbles and Cuddles never met a monster he didn’t want to slice and dice.
Necromancer Hillary (Griz calls her “Hilly”) has little patience for Cuddles and Griz’s antics. She’s like a combination of Spock from Star Trek and Dr. Herbert West from Re-Animator. She’s analytical, always serious and obsessed with extracting secrets from the dead using a variety of spells and arcane potions. And like any great necromancer, she worships the darkest gods. There are hints dropped in one scene that these gods might make an appearance in upcoming issues, so watch out Griz!
It’s interesting to see a world that was plunged into Armageddon through magic rather than a zombie plague or nuclear war. If I see one more book, movie or show where the world’s overrun with zombies I may grab a chainsaw and go full Cuddles. One complaint I have with the issue, though, is that I couldn’t tell how widespread this disaster is. Is it only affecting the East Coast of the USA or is it worldwide? The book never defines the scope of the disaster, focusing on the Boglands, which is an area plagued by monsters and dark magic, where the staunchest people (including Griz, Hillary and Cuddles) have stayed to protect their homes while most other people fled for safer areas.
Patrick Piazzalunga and Marco Brakko’s art and colors burst off the page, especially in the fight scenes. Piazzalunga draws everything large and manic, with Griz dominating every scene he’s in with his massive bulk. It’s a more playful version of Jack Kirby’s style that works well for this book.
I really enjoyed the interaction between the three main characters and it’ll be fun watching them tear up the Boglands in future issues. I also look forward to exploring more of this world that, like a great bar of dark chocolate, deliciously mixes the sweet and the bitter.
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