TERMINAL PUNKS Vol 1 Review

Published by Mad Cave Studios, Terminal Punks is written by Matthew Erman, illustrated by Shelby Criswell and lettered by Micah Myers. This collection includes issues #1-5.

The book is available in print and on digital where all good comics are sold from June 2, 2021. Grab your digital copy from Comixology.

Synopsis

Four greasy gutter punk teens are en route to their big show in the big apple, but when things go monstrously wrong and mutant animals are unleashed in the airport, our heroes must put on their combat boots, fly their Black Flag and survive a viral genetic mutant nightmare.

Review

This is my first opportunity to take a look at a Mad Cave Studios title and was certainly a great introduction to their style.

Terminal Punks is a story which follows a small group of wannabe punk rocker friends: Kee Avery, Sway Rattie, D’arby Wilde and Burton B. We join the as-yet-unnamed band as they are set to travel to New York for a performance which could realise their dream of becoming famous. Due to a life changing incident, everything which can go wrong, does go wrong. It all leads back to a shady character named Mr. Hart.

Writer Matthew Erman does a fantastic job of introducing the reader to a new world full of corruption and horror mixed with strong emotion and comedy. The story itself has a Dawn of The Dead feel to it with the band fighting to get out of the terminal alive and mutant animals trying their best to stop them. As you progress deeper into the story there’s a real feeling of anti-corruption that Erman is trying to put across. It works brilliantly and I was fully invested from the start.

To say the least, the relationships between bandmates are tested with some growing apart and others growing closer. It all makes for a gripping story from start to finish.

Artist Shelby Criswell brings out the big guns with the illustrations as each page is a symphony of graphic gore and action with amazing detail (at times a little too much). The colours used are attention grabbing and vibrant. The cover images and, quite frankly, every page is simply mesmerising.

Verdict

I throughly enjoyed the story of Terminal Punks. I felt like I got to know the characters personally as their stories were deep and well written. I felt myself rooting for them to succeed and can’t wait to see where this goes next. A must read for any horror fan.

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