From Vertigo Comics, writer Justin Jordan (Spread), artist Ibrahim Moustafa (High Crimes), colors by Jordan Boyd and letters by Josh Reed – comes the serial killer spy thriller Savage Things. Here’s my review of issue 1.
Twenty-five years ago, a secret government organisation kidnapped children and trained them to be agents of chaos, designed to foment unrest and execute enemies of the state around the world. When these cold and unfeeling creations proved too difficult to control, the powers that be exterminated their kill squad with extreme prejudice.
Savage Things is the genre mash-up you never knew you wanted, but it’s the one you damn well needed. Writer Justin Jordan has been putting out some of my favorite comics for years now, including Luther Strode, Spread, Dead Body Road and more. Savage Things just might be his masterpiece. The debut issue kicks off with a flashback to a small child burning something in a field (chances are that’s an animal), before heading home to discover an agent who is there to recruit him into a new program run by the United States government. This kid is named Abel – and he’s important. You’ll get to see him as an adult later on and he puts Jason Bourne to shame in an explosive issue-closing action sequence with phenomenal art by Ibrahim Moustafa.
The program in question, as we will learn in this same issue, is one that takes in a slew of disturbed children, who all have the qualities of a future serial killer. The next step, is having these kids train to be vicious murder machines in order to unleash their sick and twisted desires for death and eliminate enemies of the USA at the same time. Everybody wins!! Lesson one – “stab this guy” – Less two — I won’t reveal that one, but I will say – holy shit guys. This book is not pulling any punches, if anything it’s lighting said punches on fire and swinging until everything is dead.
The colors are gorgeous too, so props to Jordan Boyd on delivering there. Savage Things feels like classic Vertigo to me – back in the glory days of 100 Bullets and Preacher. There’s just something so disturbing and magical about this concept that Jordan has come up with and I’m absolutely in love with it. What if – just what if – James Bond didn’t just beat up the bad guy, but then he dissected him and wrote bloody messages all over the walls too? People, we have a genuine horror thriller for the ages with Savage Things. Don’t miss it.
Rating: [star rating=”5″]