With Los Monstruos #1, James Robinson and Jesus Merino do one of my favorite things in comics or really, any form of storytelling: taking two separate genres and blending them together. In this case, their story is a fusion of hardboiled noir tales and the monsters that populated Universal or Hammer’s classic horror movies. And it works far better than you’d expect.
Los Monstruos #1 takes place in an alternate version of the 1950s, in the city of Los Monstruos. It earns its name from its population, which is entirely composed of creatures from myth. One of those monsters, werewolf Perry Cutter, earns his living as a private eye, chasing down the cases that no one else will. One of those cases involves a human man asking Cutter to find his long lost vampire lover, which draws Cutter into a web of danger and mystique.
Robinson doesn’t waste any time bringing the supernatural elements into play, as Los Monstruos #1 literally opens with Cutter chasing down a gilman who’s kidnapped a vampire child. The police department in Los Monstruous includes a Frankenstein-esque chief of internal affairs and an officer who’s half-fly, half-man. Cutter has a crush on vampire waitress Rosie, who works at his favorite diner…and it’s a crush she reciprocates. By being upfront about the supernatural elements, Robinson helps ease the reader into this strange new world…and keeps them hooked with a hefty dose of character work.
Dark Horse
Another element that’ll keep readers hooked is Merino’s artwork. The sheer level of detail is astounding, from the scales studding the gilman’s face to the sheer number of familiar creatures populating Los Monstruos. (Part of the fun of reading this comic is stopping and seeing what mythological creature shows up – you’ll be surprised.) But Merino really excels at drawing transformation sequences. When Cutter starts turning into a werewolf, panels are dedicated to showing his ears elongating, his eyes turning red, and the fur covering his body as his clothes rip off.
Merino’s artwork is also enhanced by a rich color palette from K.J. Diaz. Various tones are at play here; the bright green of the merman’s skin contrasts heavily with Cutter’s dark brown fur. The sewers are lit with an emerald green glow, while the city above is shimmering with the golden sun that’s abundant in a West Coast city. And the collection of monsters leads to a wide range of shades. The one constant color comes from the grayish-blue used to shade Jim Campbell’s captions, offering insight into Cutter’s thought process.
Los Monstruos #1 is a brilliant blend of hardboiled noir and horror movie characters, thanks to the excellent work of James Robinson and Jesus Merino. If this series keeps it up, I might add it to my “favorites of 2025” list.
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