PRE-SAN DIEGO BLOG EXTRA: THURSDAY

Since there won’t be regular site updates while I’m gone at Comic-Con International (there will, however, be updates here), I’m taking this week to do a little bit of advance catch-up on the large pile of books awaiting my attention.

MONSTER ATTACK NETWORK
Written by Marc Bernardin and Adam Freeman
Drawn by Nima Sorat
Published by AiT/PlanetLar

Nate Klinger has the coolest dangerous job in the world. He’s the leader of M.A.N., the organization responsible for protecting the island nation of Lapuatu. What do they need protection from? A variety of giant monsters (or, as the Japanese would say: kaiju) that like to stomp their way through the tiny nation and destroy everything in their paths. Sure, the island has mandatory safeguards in place; for instance, each building is constructed with escape tubes meant to evacuate citizens to safety, quickly. And Nate and his crew are also responsible for quickly rebuilding the mangled infrastructure, too. But Nate’s world is about to get a lot more complicated by three things: the company’s new hire, a nubile young woman named Lana who doesn’t follow orders to his liking; Terry Callow, an industrialist with plans to add more than a bit of new shopping to Lapuatu; and a sudden influx of monster attacks that are coming in groups, a trend which is unprecedented.

How much did I love this book? It’s damned near embarrassing, frankly. Those who know me well know that I would sell my mother for the chance to write any sort of GODZILLA title or series. I think the 90s GAMERA trilogy are the greatest kaiju films ever made. So a graphic novel about people whose job it is to battle giant monsters on a daily basis? God help me.

Of course, it helps that it’s actually pretty good. The script is lively and full of easter eggs for genre fans; in fact, they don’t even have to be giant monsters, as one of the local companies turns out to be Weyland/Yutani of ALIEN fame. The characters are stock roles, but written in such a way as to feel fresh and entertaining. The plot whips along at a very fast pace, keeping the reader active in the story. And Sorat’s Paul Pope-esque art, while confusing at times, does a strong job of depicting most of the large-scale action that matters.

Wisely, the boys leave themselves wide open for a sequel, and I hope to see it. This is AiT’s most entertaining effort of the past few years.

/Mason