Gung-Ho: Sexy Beast #1

Gung-Ho: Sexy Beast #1

Ablaze Publishing 2021

Written by Benjamin Von Eckartsberg

Illustrated by Thomas Von Kummant

Translated by Ivanka Hahnenberger

The return of Gung-Ho! “Sexy Beast” picks up a few weeks after the events in “Short Circuit”, where at Fort Apache, the situation is more tense than ever, as the threat posed by the rippers adds to an increasingly difficult life for the colony. Kingsten briefs the fort council on the situation following the stolen goods from the train. The colony is running out of supplies, heavy weapons and ammunition, and so it is decided to ration even more. She orders a team to be set up to find the stolen delivery in the danger zone. She also asks Bagster to put pressure on the government again for help. She believes a white wave is coming, a big attack from the rippers…

This really is one of my favourite series and while the first arc introduced us to the last stop for the brothers we’ve seen them settle in among others their age and find ways to work around the system that’s already been in place. The adults here are basically horrid, despicable people so you have to keep an eye on what they say and do because it’s like watching folks with mythomania and pseudologia fantastica and if you’ve ever met someone with this issue you’ll understand. So as we watch how things unfold there is this gripping sensation to the proceedings that you don’t want to escape.

I am immensely enjoying the way that this is being told. How we see the story & plot development through the way we see the sequence of events unfold as well as how the reader learns information is presented exceptionally well. With how the book is structured and how the layers within the story start anew as well as continue from previous arcs it is really keeps the reader informed and glued to the pages. So if you’ve not yet read any of this that’s okay because this too is new reader friendly and you’ll be able to understand what’s happened before easily enough. The character development continues to impress and as we see the characters act and react to the situations and circumstances they encounter we see them more and more fully as real people. The pacing is superb and as it takes us through the pages revealing the twists & turns along the way while also setting up this arcs main story it’s great to see what kind of adventure we’re in for.

The interiors here are rather lovely. I know it’s computer generated and yet it still has this wonderful feel to the work that makes it stand out from just about everything else. There is such wonderful imagery that the linework and the use of colour that just brings this to life like it’s a world without hard edges and can be something of a paradise at times. I love the way that we are able to see feelings and emotions come through the pages and how the mood, tone and feel of the moment are essential to how the reader sees the story. The utilisation of the page layouts and how we see the angles and perspective in the panels show a masterful eye for storytelling. The colour work is beyond amazing and to see how the various hues and tones within the colours being utilised to create the shading, highlights and shadow work is stupendous.

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I love the dynamic in this book, how the adults and teenagers live their separate and somehow parallel lives with the young children running carefree but knowing that there is always a danger around every corner. This more than just living a life in a dangerous time and you have to find those subtle nuances that really create the layers of subtext that we see. You’ll find those you connect with and those that you might not understand but altogether this is one of the most interesting books you are going to encounter.