Money may be good … but is it worth the problems you bring home?
Creative Staff:
Story: Joe Brusha, Ralph Tedesco, Dave Franchini & David Wohl
Writer: Ralph Tedesco
Artwork: Guillermo Fajardo
Colors: Walter Pereyra
Letters: Taylor Esposito
What They Say:
Unbeknownst to the general population, there are highly trained military teams who bravely protect us from dozens of species of monsters that we don’t know exist!! And then there are the guys who clean it all up… Craig and Jimmy are those guys. And while Craig has accepted his lot in life, Jimmy desperately wishes to one day become an elite monster hunter himself. But when Craig and Jimmy stumble onto a charming vampire named Sara, they’ll be forced to decide if they should risk everything to help save her soul.
Content (please note that portions of review may contain spoilers):
On the outside of the facility, Lockwood Scientific Research appears to be a calm laboratory, however inside the nondescript building there is an outbreak which cannot be allowed to escape, and this is when the monster hunters are called in, to exterminate the zombies who have no qualms for attacking anyone is not their own kind. However as the last of the infected are put down and head researcher Doctor Carey attempts to thank the captain for a job well done, the irate leader warns him not to say another word without a lawyer once the government interrogator arrives, leaving the shocked man to sheepishly ask who is going to clean up this mess. But as the obnoxious men of her crew forcefully retort they are not janitors, the clean-up team of Jimmy and Craig arrive on site even as these testosterone driven soldiers joke for them to do a good job, forcing the respectful woman to reprimand the scornful comments even as she respectfully informs the crew of the messy situation, all while the younger employee looks on in awe as to the bold drive of these admirable people.
But as Jimmy attends class the next morning at Woodland High School, due to his nighttime work the students surrounding his desk cannot but giggle as he dozes off, with the boring lecture erupting into laughter once he falls forwards and cracks his head on the desk, causing the teacher to ask if he was paying attention since they are now having a pop quiz over discussion he had missed. After being bullied by his classmate for failing the test, the exhausted teen visits the office of guidance counselor Mr. Barker, who happens to be one who referred him to Craig for what is supposed to be cleaning houses, all made possible since he is also dating the boy’s mother. And while he may not know the true details of the employment, the man is glad he could help, not knowing the darker nature of what his cousin has Craig involved in for these last few months. However as Alpha team investigates a new report of a nocturnal disturbance that evening, the house they raid is infested by vampires which they easily wipe out, prompting a call to the sanitation team who arrive and begin cleaning up the mess, but as the teenager starts to chop up bodies for searches for more victims, he hears a noise from the nearby closet. While he is surprised to find an unconscious girl inside, that shock turns to horror once she wakes up and bares her fangs at the now terrified boy, stumbling over himself and not sure of what to do in order to save himself from this captivating predator.
In Summary:
When this boldly aggressive story first unfolds, it appears as if the horror driven tale created by Joe Brusha, Ralph Tedesco, Dave Franchini and David Wohl would be another testosterone motivated monster slaughter narrative, and yet writer Tedesco cleverly manages to turn what could have been stereotypical hunt for more dark menaces into something grimly comical, all due to the ignorant simpletons of Alpha Squad who think their daring job is more important than the unwanted clean-up, leading into the underestimated Jimmy and Craig, unlikely heroes of this series. And while most readers cannot resist a good underdog story, it is the manner by which Tedesco constructs the building animosity from the beginning which engenders these supposedly lowly sanitation workers to the audience, especially once we see how the muscle bound and obnoxious Jace with his equally annoying buddy Graham go out of their way to provoke these hard working partners, even as their own captain coldly reprimands these bullies then shows them with respect once she hears her men insulting a necessary need to clean up their mess.
However it is the high regard from Jimmy which makes readers wonder if this teen’s admiration for these monster hunters is worrisome misplaced, and while he may not have seen the obscene hand gesture that Jace gave Grayson, the naive esteem he holds for these swaggering braggarts makes him like any other typical adolescent who lionizes his unfit heroes. And yet when Tedesco reveals the boy is also picked on in school and has to deal with an overly supportive guidance counselor, all to show respect to Jimmy’s mother who he is currently dating, it is this undeniable stress of having to keep secrets from those who encourage him that further which lead to a troublesome burden which someone of his age should not have to shoulder. And yet he considerately will not bother anyone who does not understand the new world which Craig has introduced him to, which leads to more lies in order to protect the secrets which he must keep to protect anyone unfamiliar with the monsters who endanger the innocent, while ironically also protecting his job and the paragons of Alpha Squad he wishes to become. But even if the audience may detest this sincere idol worship of men who are undeserving, after seeing the detestable behavior displayed by Jace and Graham, we have to wonder if Tedesco is hiding something about Craig’s past which involves these monster hunters, since he gave Jimmy their handbook and then shows harsh disinterests once the boy starts quoting it, plus obvious tension between the scowling men, which is countered by genuine respect from the captain by addressing him as Mr. Grayson, instead of some generalized greeting or brushing off the derogatory insults from her men, hinting there may be more to this grizzled man that what is on his shallow surface.
While a synopsis of this interesting title sparks the reader’s curiosity, it is an overly vivid and practically painful opening splashes of color from Walter Pereyra which almost tempts you lost interest due to the visual assault, with nauseating moss green skin and an especially irritating crimson warning light flashing in the background, and while Guillermo Fajardo’s visceral depiction of a zombie with disturbingly detailed textures of decaying skin versus the cold expression of the captain gravitates you back into the story, with a woman who appears to be very serious about her work, it is the comical head explosion that promptly makes you think sensible logic will not work to understand this outlandish series. However while this respectful commander expects surgical strikes upon these monsters, it is the exaggerated reactions from testosterone driven troops which make you immediately surmise a few do not follow her teachings, making the audience detest the maniacal response from a hulking Jace and equally sadistic Graham, their livid pleasure of extending the suffering of these supposedly brain dead creatures, showing the perverse pleasure they get from entertaining the audience, made all the more expressive due to Fajardo’s intense illustrations portraying the violence of the moment, now more subdued once our eyes adjusting to Pereyra’s exuberant usage of red and flashes of yellow.
However it is this violent background which so effectively reflects the introduction of a timid Jimmy and experienced Craig, allowing Fajardo’s carefully laid out panels and telling body language to portray these disparate people, with the cleaners relaxed before seeing the scene and the bully monster hunters with arms crossed asserting dominance over those they consider lower in importance, instantly instilling upon the reader the coming friction, made more conducive due to Pereyra’s now muted palette that places both groups on a level playing field, even after Jace’s obscene gesture and Craig’s smoldering reaction. And yet even after this teenager is exposed to this graphic display, he still keeps a ember of admiration for these supposed valiant monster hunters, until later shown their callous disregard for established rules, allowing for his innocence to burned away once he finally sees that this dark world is no longer black and white.
Although All Guts, No Glory may on the surface seem to be another testosterone driven monster slaughter monster story, it is the naivety of Jimmy with his admiration for bold hunters which allows the audience relate to his childlike innocence, all while a gruff and experienced Craig grounds the reality of the situation to the harshness of what is hidden behind foolish idolization of people who are only doing a necessary job. With expressive illustrations and explosive action, the series sometimes stumbles due to an overly exuberant color scheme, but as the pages transition to a calmer palette, readers can gradually adapt to the rampant ferocity of uncaring monsters in order to understand the truth beneath violence – sometimes humans are worse than the creatures they pursue. But as these unlikely heroes face the cruelest of predators, one cannot but cheer for these unlucky underdogs, running for their lives with a questionable ally in tow, all while hoping they can survive to see another sunrise.
Grade: A-
Rating: T (Teen)
Released By: Zenescope
Release Date: January 26, 2022
MSRP: $5.99
