This is a signed issue that I believe I picked up at a con, but I'm not sure which one. It's been sitting among the unread comics pile for quite some time.
Title: The Serial Squad!
Date: 2007
Publisher: Bad Place Productions
Writer: Paul E. Schultz
Artist: Paul E. Schultz
Letterer: Mike Indovina
Editor: Jonathan Hodges
Cover: Paul E. Schultz, Dawn Broadway
Back Cover: Jay Fife
Set during World War II, this 40-page (plus a "making of" essay) b/w standard-format comic is crammed with dieselpunk fun. The basic premise has a group of actors who play heroes in the movie serials recruited by the military to do an elaborate publicity stunt, accompanying a force of US Marines to take out a remote Nazi research station while a film crew gets footage of them "in character".
Of course, things go horribly wrong, and the actors, equipped with real-life versions of the gimmicks that they used in the movies, must take on the mission themselves, facing not only enemy forces, but forces from beyond Earth.
I love the slogan on the front cover: "World War Two just became a two-world war!".
This was pure fun all the way through. I'm a huge fan of the serials of the 1930s and 1940s, and the characters nicely nailed a whole range of serial archetypes, with influences ranging from Captain America to the Shadow to Nyoka to the Rocketeer, not to mention a significant nod to the work of HG Wells.
The book has a big cast, and it does feel crowded in places, and a bit rushed once the action gets going. I was left feeling like I wanted more time and space to get to know the characters better.
That said, this is an enjoyable fast-paced adventure with a clever concept and a good grounding in nostalgia.
Rating: 7.5/10
Title: The Serial Squad!Date: 2007
Publisher: Bad Place Productions
Writer: Paul E. Schultz
Artist: Paul E. Schultz
Letterer: Mike Indovina
Editor: Jonathan Hodges
Cover: Paul E. Schultz, Dawn Broadway
Back Cover: Jay Fife
Set during World War II, this 40-page (plus a "making of" essay) b/w standard-format comic is crammed with dieselpunk fun. The basic premise has a group of actors who play heroes in the movie serials recruited by the military to do an elaborate publicity stunt, accompanying a force of US Marines to take out a remote Nazi research station while a film crew gets footage of them "in character".
Of course, things go horribly wrong, and the actors, equipped with real-life versions of the gimmicks that they used in the movies, must take on the mission themselves, facing not only enemy forces, but forces from beyond Earth.
I love the slogan on the front cover: "World War Two just became a two-world war!".
This was pure fun all the way through. I'm a huge fan of the serials of the 1930s and 1940s, and the characters nicely nailed a whole range of serial archetypes, with influences ranging from Captain America to the Shadow to Nyoka to the Rocketeer, not to mention a significant nod to the work of HG Wells.
The book has a big cast, and it does feel crowded in places, and a bit rushed once the action gets going. I was left feeling like I wanted more time and space to get to know the characters better.
That said, this is an enjoyable fast-paced adventure with a clever concept and a good grounding in nostalgia.
Rating: 7.5/10
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