Paperback 96 pages (August 26, 2005)
Publisher: Titan Books
ISBN: 1845761596
In short, dark, disturbing, gripping and emotive. The killer team of skinhead geniuses comprising of Grant Morrison and Frank Quitely (who did so well of new X-Men and JLA: Earth 2, amongst other things) have produced a tour-de force high-concept gritty sci-fi/ animal story. Three prototype animal remote control super soldiers are due to be decommissioned by the air force
This book really manages to tap the same emotive core as Watership Down, but at a darker more brutal level. You feel for the animals and the horror of their situation, thanks to the rudimentary powers of speech they have and the unappealing portrayal of most humans, but are still incensed and disturbed by the violence they are forced into committing.
Quitely goes into overkill on the artwork, with gruesome freeze frames of violent acts against man and animal shown bringing home the reality of the animal’s situation. Jamie grant’s colourings add an excellent palette, somewhere between film-noir and children’s picture book.
What gets me is that nothing here is very new; animals escaping from military experiments is not a new or particularly great concept, but the level of intensity here in a work with non-human leads is unparalleled. It would make one hell of a movie, if a studio managed not to mess it up, but is still a perfect little gem. One to show people who still ‘doesn’t get comics’. Retards. Titan will release this in August in the UK, but you can get it on import now.
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