Creature Commandos #1 is an oddity, but not for the reasons one might suspect. It is not a tie-in to the upcoming James Gunn animated series kicking off the new DCU. It is not a celebrity vanity project, despite being written by actor David Dastmalchian. What it is, quite simply, is a perfectly spooky read for Halloween.
The series centers around the Creature Unit, a unique American military squad made up of monsters. These Creature Commandos are overseen by General Wade Eiling, who is aching to shut down the project. Unfortunately for him, the strange squad of “weird warriors” have justified their existence admirably, though the team thus far has a high mortality rate.
This necessitates a recruiting drive, sending newly appointed squad leader Matthew Shrieve into the field to fill the team’s ranks. They sign on vampire Vincent Velcro and werewolf Wanda Griffith to join the Frankenstein’s Monster called Lucky and a gorgon named Mina Rhodes. Unfortunately, the squad may be doomed to failure before they begin to defend America, thanks to an unseen enemy that threatens the entire Earth.
Creature Commandos comic stands on its own
David Dastmalchian neatly modernizes the classic Creature Commandos comics of the 1980s for the modern age. The characters are comparatively the same, with the only major change being this team having a female werewolf. The core idea of monster soldiers saving the day remains the same, although this comic is clearly set in modern times rather than during World War II. Unfortunately, this first issue devotes more time to introducing its concept than its characters.
However, the artwork by Jesús Hervás is a perfect match to the subject matter. Hervás uses a sketchy style, with lighter inks than is typical of his work. Ironically, this makes for an interesting contrast with the colors of Alex Guimaraes. The color art serves to shade the finished art or highlight the existing pencils as much as it adds visual interest.
Those hoping for a sneak peek of the new DCU will be disappointed by Creature Commandos. Fans of good horror comics, however, will easily be able to sink their teeth into this book.
Grade: 4/5
DC Horror Presents Creature Commandos #1 is now available at comic shops everywhere.
