The animals thought, spoke, and took revenge. The dust has settled and the blood has dried, but a new force is rising in the West, ready to help Animal-kind seize power in the dark new world to come…
Spinning out from Marguerite Bennett’s hit new series ANIMOSITY witness the devastating effects of “The Wake” and how it affected other parts of the world on that terrifying day!
Animosity: The Rise #1
Written by: Marguerite Bennett
Art by: Juan Doe
Lettered by: Marhsall Dillion
Published by AfterShock Comics
Writing
Truthfully, this was my first exposure to the Animosity concept. But as it is a one-shot, I thought it would be a great way to be introduced to the world being built in those pages, and I was right. The set up is simple enough; animals have gotten REALLY smart and have turned against us humans. It’s a call back to those great 70s animal attack movies, but with a distinct and modern, almost punk rock attitude and humor. That writer Marguerite Bennett tells this one-shot from the perspective of the animals is a great plus, and that aspect is what feeds and creates much of the humor in the book. Scenes with normally “cute” animals graphically murdering humans (and other animals) is quite a bit of fun. It walks dangerously near silly territory, but it never goes off the rails. The writing is tight enough to create a decent narrative that is very well paced. There is also an obvious larger story unfolding; something this one-shot offers only a glimpse of. It is not a perfect “done in one” but it’s a pretty good one.
Art
Juan Doe does a good job of matching the pacing of the writing. He also draws some really good animals. His panel layout also flows very well. He also is able to convey a decent amount of emotion with deceptively simple, almost cartoonish, humans. It’s all pretty sleek too. If there is one thing lacking a bit, it’s in the background details and settings. It seems like most of them are nondescript and nothing in the background stands out much. It doesn’t exactly take away from the story, but specifics there would have added a lot for me. There is a nice “design” feeling to the book, though. It looks and feels modern, with some really good use of coloring without going overboard on the digital gloss.
Conclusion
AfterShock Comics is offering some unique comics, and Animosity: The Rise is a great example. It is not a perfect comic book, but it is original, has personality and most of all is a fun, quick, well-paced read. Check out for something that’s a bit off the beaten path.
