Yes, I know, one shouldn’t praise the day before the evening and the series before the second issue, but this first issue has it all. Starts with the scope, wrapped in sturdy cardstock cover we get 48 full pages in best print quality. As soon as you leaf through the pages, you realize that there is a lot of love in this book, in every detail, from the intro in fantasy literature style to the appendix with map and protagonist notes. This makes it easy to let yourself go and immerse yourself in Jason Aaron and Mahmud Asrar’s fantastic bug world. True, they’ve chosen an opening that I don’t always quite like - right into the bug war action before we zoom out again and meet Slade Slaymaker (yeah, that name is debatable, but genre appropriate) and his family - but after just two or three pages, I’m letting Asrar and Aaron do whatever they want for me. Because on one side, Asrar creates (excellently supported by colorist Matthew Wilson) a wonderfully imaginative, multifaceted and imaginative piece of art, with epic page spreads, unique characters and details in which panels I can easily get lost for minutes. On the other hand, Jason Aaron shows us once again why he is one of the best that today’s comic scene has to offer. The story about Slade Slaymaker (mhm, the name doesn’t get any less cliche the second time it’s mentioned), a misfit boy from Alabama with a nerdy love for everything bugs, who lost his father at an early age and has to deal with moving back into the family’s old, tragic-loaded house, together with his single mother - who is trying to cope with all the problems and stay strong for her kids - and his brother - who never got over the trauma of finding his father dismembered by bugs in the basement - is immediately captivating. With a wonderfully emotional and equally captivating mix of coming-of-age & fairy tale, spiced with horror and the very best fantasy comic action. I guess, I don’t need to say much more, because there’s probably no help for anyone who hasn’t yet become curious and wants to get their own dose of perfect escape, i.e. their own copy of Bug Wars #1. It already has vast potential to become one of the highlights of my comic year. PRODUCT EMBED | BUG WARS #1 (OF 6) COVER A MAHMUD ASRAR & MATTHEW WILSON (MATURE)
