Life can be hard … especially when your heroes are the bad guys.
Creative Staff:
Story: Joe Brusha, Ralph Tedesco, Dave Franchini & David Wohl
Writer: Ralph Tedesco
Artwork: Jordi Tarragona
Layouts: 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):
After a harrowing chase by members of Alpha Team, the new trio are finally able to have a semi-calm moment, and yet one of their unlikely crew is too busy munching on a disgusting human tidbit to pay any attention to the discussion, but as Jimmy offers a plea that this snack is keeping the girl placated, his more experienced mentor will not listen as he hastily rips the gruesome meal from angry hands and tosses it out the window. As the confused teen keeps his hands on the wheel, Craig to grabs a bottle from the glove box and splashes tepid water into the crossed diner’s face, shocking her back into sanity and reminding all that she has to fight the urge to drink blood or feast on any body part if she wants to be trusted again, so for now she will remain tied to the chair. But as this now rational woman demands answers and Jimmy attempts to supply the truth, it is the stern teacher who attempts to steer the conversation back toward more important matters, particularly how the person known as Sara was turned into a vampire, and yet her memory is hazy on essential details. While the now enthusiastic adolescent attempts to confirm this loss of retention due to his comic book based knowledge, the incensed driver cannot but seem visibly offended after seeing the ridiculous graphic novel, angrily snatching it from a disappointed boy and urging their guest to continue with her vicarious story in an attempt to learn more details about the night she was turned.
Sara attempts to remember the events from a few nights ago, when she was talked into attending a concert at the pier by her aunt from a self-proclaimed rockgician who she cannot clearly recall his name, to which Jimmy immediately asks if he was Kurt Julius, and while Craig is concerned how he knew the person, the excited boy states the performer is his mother’s favorite and used to be a local legend in the early Eighties. While the middle aged women in the audience were wildly enthralled by this garish performer and hoping he would sing popular cover songs, the confused young woman could not understand the popularity and was more puzzled as her relative attempted to explained in dated terms, only making her more bewildered by this aged attraction. However as his clichéd act expanded by having doves fly out of his melodious saxophone, the absurdity of the act grew more bizarre once he leapt of the stage and began to float above ravenous fans, only to then curiously address Sara by name and extend a hand so allow him to sweetly serenade her above the jealous women. After the gaudy production was finally over, her aunt’s friend gained them access to a meet and greet with the musician, and while the smooth talking artist asked his admirers how they enjoyed the presentation, the young woman was still perplexed how this man knew her as he once again singled her out, only this time isolating her by a wave of his hand and causing all others to fall asleep. With Sara stunned with these sudden collapses and the rotund man somehow appearing next to her without any visible movements, it is only now during her story that this unfortunate victim realizes the source of her problems was Kurt … he was a vampire.
In Summary:
As the wildly energetic antics of Craig and Jimmy finally come to fruition, one cannot but cheer for these likable underdogs doing the right thing for Sara, and immediately detest the vile actions of Alpha Team, or namely testosterone driven bullies Jace and Graham who do whatever they want, thinking their government sanctioned power and explosive tempers allow them to break numerous rules as long as it ends with the extermination of a so-called monster. To believe this series once began as a horror story molded by Joe Brusha, Ralph Tedesco, Dave Franchini and David Wohl is highly questionable if one were to look upon the current narrative, allowing amusingly creative writer Tedesco to craft a tale which both entertains and engrosses the audience with characters which are socially relatable, in both their need to save a girl who found herself under the wrong circumstances and discover a place for themselves among people who do not understand them.
Although readers can readily understand the typical awkwardness of the mentor/student relationship between experienced yet gruff Craig and naive and easily influenced Jimmy, it is the introduction of captivating Sara who serves as a welcomed and understanding buffer between the contrasting partners, all while also being the Damsel in Distress containing a monster’s rage in need of being rescued from rampaging hunters who will not stop until their prey is put down. And yet it is this terror tinged aspect of her character that makes Sara the meaningful focus of the story, being both a victim and the beast these awkward cleaners are trying to isolate from the public, even if she is still a human underneath that shifting persona who can turn if the right circumstances are triggered. Although it is uncomfortably comical to witness how musically dated Kurt changed her, this rotund mass of narcissism who pitifully uses captivated women to massage his ego and feed his hunger, it is the outrageousness of the situation which allows readers to sympathize with Sara’s outcome. Yet the brutal unpredictably of her condition also motivates the audience in wanting to help the poor girl, her current state being through no fault of her own, even as savage urges drive her to try to hurt these new friends. However during her rational moments where she and Jimmy have friendly conversations, we can see she is still a caring person, from accompanying her aunt to a concert which would forever change her to the talk she has with this easily influenced teen to avoid social suicide, revealing this pleasing disposition that makes her both charming and reliable, even wanting to defend a boy she barely knows. And yet uncontrollable urges make this beauty dangerous in the most unlikely of situations, calm at one moment but if she sees even a hint of blood or raw meat, the primal beast is released and we have someone who acts more like a wild dog than a cogent woman, now determined to correct her unwanted life into one where she can live normally before her unsettling changes.
On the opposite end of the spectrum, we have the caustically brusque Craig who acts as jaded teacher for this trio of unlikely heroes, and while it seems absurd that this temperamental man could be caring for someone other than himself, it is his experience which has saved them more than a few times. His calm attitude during times of stress, such as when Sara is enjoying her grotesque meal reveals he is hiding something about his past, lending credence that he knows more about monsters than he is willing to teach Jimmy for the time being. This is especially made clear once this naive adolescent shows the so-called study materials he gleaned information about how recently turned cannot remember the event, comically allowing Tedesco to poke fun of Zenescope itself once the source is shown to be The Monster Hunters’ Survival Guide Volume Two, even though it would have made more sense if the cover were for the first book in the series concerning undead instead of this one discussing cryptids. However there is still an underlying voice of reason within this stern mentor’s lessons, pointing out that Kurt likely has a large entourage of bodyguards than the ones exterminated where Sara was found, even as he mocks the ridiculousness of this vampire’s obvious act to lure in potential victims. But as this young pair find a place to hide, it is the contradictory act of how Craig keeps the book and reads it once he finds a moment to relax, adding to the derisive stance he has for narratives not based in facts, with the double entendre of his words having the same meaning at the act he is performing while perusing the fictional story itself. Even after Craig amusingly outsmarts the muscle-bound morons of Alpha Team, Tedesco finally unveils some of the secrets he has been hiding of this man’s hidden history, having no other choice than to visit a safehouse of his frightening friend and calling in a favor from another, making it appear as if this series will lead into a final confrontation with his past in order to protect the future of his student and their new tragic associate.
With an enjoyable shift in the overall narrative from outright horror to a telling which is more geared toward the maturing relationship between this unexpected trio, it seems fitting to also have a change in the visual team which unveils the mysteries of this unsettling world, permitting artist Jordi Tarragona to entertain the reader with his compelling depictions of these stressed characters, and allowing former series illustrator Guillermo Fajardo to excitingly design how the pages are laid out, combining the formidable experience of these talented imagists. Although some readers may remember Tarragona’s more angular portrayals in prior works, it is these pragmatic depictions which lend more depth to the visceral nature of the story, permitting the actors to fully express themselves due to a more telling reflection of their emotional states, with deeper facial features such as shadowed bone structures and furrowed contours, lending to a more natural and simplistically refined representation of these harried heroes. You cannot but tentatively smile to see Sara greedily feasting on her grisly snack, hunched over shoulders showing the primal frenzy of her hunger, but it is the reaction of a shocked Craig and innocently confused Jimmy which makes the scene, the elder man scolding this alluring woman like he found his normally passive dog with a disgusting meal, and allowing her to respond in matching meaning – with scowling eyes, clenched teeth and telling wrinkles under her orbits and across the stretched muscles of her mouth. One cannot but feel the growing tension within this moment, and the watery wake-up causes the audience to giggle as Sara is stirred back into sanity, and yet while the sultry mahogany of her skin and brunette hair lend to the innocent ferocity of this young woman, this cannot be the same for the paler men within this scene, since Walter Pereyra’s color scheme seems inconsistent during similar lighting conditions, with Jimmy seemingly reflecting more light resulting in a translucent complexion while Craig is shown with a ruddy tones, almost as if he is drunkenly flushed after having a few too many. While the sepia flashback of our heroine being turned takes full advantage of her darker skin to have her stand out among the crowd, this welcomed departure is fleeting once we change back to the present, with the volatility of his flesh tones becoming worse as the story progresses, oddly fluctuating between panels and inside the same, from being overexposed and then changing to a confusing tone due with Jimmy appearing normal and Sara cloaked within shadows from questionable illumination sources. This is a graphical shame since Tarragona’s images create a wondrous reflection of the readable intensity within the story, and yet this welcomed treat is spoiled due to diverting colors which attempt to mirror the same tension, but instead fall short due to their ever-changing vigor from palette to page.
All Guts, No Glory is quickly becoming a delightful turn upon the classic horror story, and while our unlikely heroes may have the odds stacked against them from testosterone driven bullies who will stop at nothing for revenge, it is the welcomed antics of Craig, Jimmy and Sara which drive readers to continue to enjoy themselves within this limited series, making us wonder how they will come out in the end. With outstanding imagery presenting a moving diorama of human morality and unexpected excitement, it is inconsistent coloring which detracts from a complete immersion within this constantly shifting world, and while we may adjust to these visual distraction, the volatility between panels and pages denies us the freedom of this wanted desire. However as we near the closure of this gripping tale, one cannot but hope the shocking revelations revealed behind Craig’s mysteries will lend to what is expected, all while projecting a satisfying finale to those who abuse their power and the ones who are crushed underfoot.
Grade: A-
Rating: T (Teen)
Released By: Zenescope
Release Date: March 09, 2022
MSRP: $5.99
