Comic Review: Strange Nation #1
Posted By Leo Johnson on October 16, 2013
Cryptids, urban legends, conspiracies and more are brought to light in Strange Nation, MonkeyBrain’s newest book from writer Paul Allor and artist Juan Romera. Following Norma Park as she loses her mainstream journalism career over a crazy conspiracy, it mixes crazy tabloid stories with character drama to make a unique story full of crazy creatures and insane conspiracies.
Strange Nation #1
Norma Park loses her newspaper job when she uncovers something too insane and crazy for print, so she’s now forced to work for Strange Nation, a supermarket tabloid specializing in the hard to believe. Working for Strange Nation, Norma is learning new skills and uncovering new mysteries, all while disappointing her parents. Throw in a gorilla-headed mystery man and an old celebrity who faked his own death, and you’ve got the sort of team Norma needs.
Strange Nation #1
Paul Allor blends conspiracies and character drama into a story that’s at times hilarious and other times quite serious. The opening scene of Sasquatches punching cultists sets the tone well for the book and things only get better from there. Norma is a character who the reader instantly likes, while Gorilla Headed Joe and a man who may be Elvis only add to the charm of the book. With the strength of the characters, Strange Nation is already off to a great start.
Strange Nation #1
Juan Romera has a style that really works well for this book. He’s able to capture everything from a gorilla-headed man to someone dressed as a ladybug, but makes it look such a way that it doesn’t feel out of place next to the bun-headed Norma Park. It strikes a fine balance between realism and cartooning that will surely do the comic well as the story delves further into the crazy and unknown.
As with most every MonkeyBrain book, Strange Nation is high quality work. It’s even more exciting as it’s Allor’s first book that will be more than a one-shot or short story, so he’s able to play with a large world and scope. The book will be available each and every month on Comixology for just 99 cents, a deal that can’t be beat.
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