Squatters #1

 

Written by: Eli Mamane
Penciller: Graeme Howard

 

Squatters #1 tells the story of a post-event world where the Squatters (a parasitic wasp) has devastated the human world. There is a juicy, dark feel throughout the story, a latent horror and you feel a sense of deep unease – which is a perfect fit with the story.
We open amongst the ruins of our world, the human remnants floating like so much flotsam in the broken down wreck of society. A small plane ghosts across the sky, delivering a deadly payload for the Squatters while the street denizens don their gasmasks.
The style of the story is a straight forward chronological affair – we are introduced to the world and the characters emerge organically. Often, the most simple methods are the best and here is a perfect case in point. Eli allows the story to develop and this benefits the book. The characterisation is handled well, you are dealing with people here and that helps to bring that nice horror feel to the proceedings. In one delightful panel there is a nod to the classic Alien movie with a bug pod – the atmosphere of the tale is very much in keeping with the tone of Alien, so a cheeky yet worthy reference. Eli Mamane handles proceedings with verve, the pace builds to a satisfying conclusion, one that tantalisingly hints at a deliciously dark fate to come.
Cover artist Paul McCaffrey sets the scene beautifully with the grotesque insect horror cover and Graeme Howard more than matches the opening salvo with a beautifully rendered tale. The scenes are set up well, the backgrounds are nicely done and the action sequences and human interactions are all handled by a quality penciller. The creative team behind this book have pulled off a really solid issue that draws you into the Squatters world, of the itchy, crawling terror. You finish the book wanting to find out what happens next, you need to know more!

Overall Score: 9 out of 10

 

There is a kickstarter campaign for this book (click the photo below) and while it is a creator owned story the production values speak very highly of the team. This story wouldn’t be out of place emblazoned with the Vertigo brand, it really is THAT GOOD! But don’t take my word for it, jump on this book and see for yourself!