Writer: Ian Edginton
Art: Francesco Trifogli
Publisher: Vertigo
Stories set in a post apocalyptic world is nothing new to comics, in fact they have been around since comics began. Sometimes it’s due to an atomic war that leaves the world in a barren crumbled state ala Mad Max, or sometimes it’s due to a viral outbreak that almost always leads to an infestation of zombies. So what happens when the post apocalyptic world is beautiful and green and Mother Nature has taken back the world that was once hers? What you get is Hinterkind, the new title from Vertigo.
As told through excerpts from a text called the “First Book of Monday” we are told what has happened to our world, once a place filled with skyscrapers and cars zooming here and there, now the jungle has crept in and reclaimed all that once was its. Buildings covered in trees and grass resembling the hanging gardens of Babylon, cars overrun with moss, and wild animals such as zebra, bears and Ligons (that’s a lion and tiger hybrid) roaming freely everywhere. It is a vastly different world than what we are accustomed to in tales where humanity has found itself as the endangered species.
The story focuses on two youths by the names of P. and Angus who fill the (so far) roles of our female and male leads, they live in a colony of survivors in what seems to be the overgrown remnants of New York. Their story is intertwined with the problem that the colony has lost contact with another survivor outpost in Albany. Hence there is the beginning of our tale, that and another plot point that has to do with a literal “tail” and we get the beginnings of Hinterkind. Classic ‘the world has gone to heck and now we must find out what has happened to the survivors while dealing with the dangers that are ever present’ fare.
However, free roaming beasts are not the only danger in this world (as if you thought that was all there was), there are also creatures that I can only describe as a mixture of Tolkien-esque creatures that mated with the failed experiments from the “Island of Doctor Moreau”. We do not know who these creatures are nor do we know at this time who they serve as they do make mention of a “Highness”. These creatures are pretty awesome looking in their depiction and I hope we get more info on who, what and how they are.
Ian Edginton has taken a classic motif and created something new, something that could lead to some pretty fantastic revelations for the characters and the readers alike. He has done what every good first issue should do and that’s draw the reader into a fantasy world and give them just a taste of what is going on so as to make them come back for following issues. There is a bit of fantasy mixed with science that really has the makings of a great title and one that I hope others pick up and give a shot. Add in the art from Francesco Trifogli and you have the recipe for an end of the world story that will be all kinds of different from what you are used to.
4.5 out of 5 nerds
Irwin Fletcher
I'm an LA journalist who really lives for his profession. I have also published work as Jane Doe in various mags and newspapers across the globe. I normally write articles that can cause trouble but now I write for FTN because Nerds are never angry, so I feel safe.
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