Revere #1-3 (of 4)
Writer: Ed Lavallee
Artists: Grant Bond
Publisher: Alias Comics
Review by: Brian Matus
 Reminiscent of an animated version of the film 'Brotherhood of the
Wolf', Revere takes place in Colonial America, where Paul Revere is not
merely a silversmith, but also a monster hunter. When he tells his fellow
Revolutionaries that the recent slayings are being perpetrated by a
werewolf, they are angered by his "fairy tales."
This is when Revere explains that he is a guardian of The Order of the
Silver Star, as was his father and grandfather, all of them "silversmiths
by
trade and by necessity." He also suggests that the colonies are
cursed, going back to the disappearance of the settlement at Roanoke.
Thus, we have the set-up for future storylines, allowing Grant Bond to
do what he likes to do best - draw monsters.
Don’t take my word for it. Check out his website.
http://www.GrantBond.com
There's much more to the story, mostly having to do with the British
soldiers invading towns, fighting with local militia, and trying to
determine the Revolutionaries next move.
Ed Lavallee's writing is tight, setting up characters, conflicts, and
betrayals quickly - but not too quickly, as well as melding fantasy and
historical elements as if they already co-existed.
Grant Bond's backgrounds and atmospheric effects help establish not only
the setting, but also the mood of each scene. His characters remind me
at times of the animated version of 'The Legend of Sleepy Hollow' I grew
up watching, only with a lot more monsters - and a lot more blood. Likewise
the story is much darker, from the monster attacks, to commands like
these from a British General:
"Give no quarter. Fire their homes and barns, slaughter their livestock,
and plunder their food stores. I want no evidence that this town ever
existed.
BURN IT TO THE GROUND!"
"Oh and gentlemen, I almost forgot, be sure and suffer their women
as well. If King George can't tax this rebelliousness out of them, maybe
we can BREED it out of them."
Although I think my favorite line so far is spoken by one of the Colonists,
guns blazing - "Eat lead, you wig wearing dandies!" In fact,
that panel may be t-shirt worthy.
This blurb on the back cover of issue 3 sets up the final issue of the
series better than I can - "Part four of Revere: Revolution In Silver
concludes in an all-out battle at the Old North Church, pitting Rebels
and Redcoats against Werewolves and Harpies. And if that isn't enough,
someone returns from the dead to extract their revenge on Revere."
Yeah, there's more than just Werewolves and Redcoats to Revere. It feels
almost redundant at this point, but...
5 out of 5! Forget "Highly Recommended," just
buy the damn books.
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