Armageddon Patrol

By Glenn Carter

Title: Armageddon Patrol

Publisher: Alchemy Texts

Writer: John A. Short

Artists: Simon Ecob/Alex Paterson/Paul Moran/Craig John/Chris Askham/Stephen Prestwood (depending on issue/story)

Relevant Websites: http://www.alchemytexts.com – publisher’s website.

Pricing/Availability: Prices are £2.70 in Great Britain, $3.50 in the United States and $5.25 in Canada. Buy this using mail (an order form is available from the publisher website) or from conventions and so on.

Issues read: 1, 2 and 3, Life and Death Special, Fatal Mistakes Special


Summary:

The comic follows the missions of a mutant squad – each member having special powers of some sort or another, which has been assembled by the US Military to fight in the Vietnam War.





Presentation:

Color covers, black and white interiors, comics size.


Audience:

Much of the content is unsuitable for children, so this comic is pretty much mature only. The general audience would be someone that likes superheroes, but wants to see them done in a more original context than the norm. It’s like a cross between Full Metal Jacket and those endless comics about superhero teams.


Artwork:

The artwork varies with the artist. In some of the stories I like the artwork more than others. Generally, though, the artwork is consistently up to a good standard. At times it is better than others and I particularly like the work of Stephen Prestwood and Simon Ecob.




Writing:

Much of the writing is gritty and mission based, although, there are light hearted and humorous moments in the course of events.

Really it has good writing throughout. The dialogue is believable given the situation and stays pretty consistent, stylistically speaking. For kind of gung ho action plots, it is fairly gripping and the writer is not scared to do something a little different, and take the story off in interesting directions.


Overall:

While not perfect, Armageddon Patrol has plenty to keep the reader entertained. It is easy to pick up and read and get into, so it’s worthwhile giving it a go.