Sledgehammer 44 #1
Written by Mike Mignola and John Arcudi
Art by Jason Latour
Colors by Dave Stewart
Reviewed by Steve Seigh (@dead_anchoress)
The Nazis are at it again, it’s up to me and a platoon of good old American boys to be the backup of some questionable, new government project called Project Epimetheus. But what is this strange new project? Is it perhaps a new war tactic? Or maybe it’s a next level tank, one that can fire missiles the size of water silos. Or, could it be … wait … what’s that? Did you hear that? No? It’s like the high pitched “Eeeeeeee …” sound. It sounds a lot like something is falling form the … Oh my God! Move, move move!
All around us there was dust. Dust and the distinct sound of a door being kicked from its hinges. From out of the smoke stepped not a man, but a machine. Looking like something out of Flash Gordon or maybe even The Iron Giant. This hulking robot of a man began to glow. Suddenly, his body let go a tremendous blast of electricity and everything went white. I’ve never seen anything like Project Epimetheus before. He, I mean … its capability for utter destruction knows no bounds. God help us all if it were ever to fall into the wrong hands.
Sledgehammer 44 #1 rocked! And as I’ve just recently delved into the creative world of Mike Mignola, with my first reading of B.P.R.D. 1969, I was eager to check out a #1 issue of one of his latest projects. Sledge-Hammer #1 places you at the heart of a battle, between the United States and one of their most notorious of enemies, the Nazis. With bullets whizzing over head and shattered concrete dust choking your lungs, the smart writing of Mignola and Arcudi meshes perfectly with the art and colors of Jason Latour and Dave Stewart. Everything is on the line and everything is chaos. Just the way it should be.
Another positive about Sledgehammer 44 #1 is that I found myself enjoying not only the bad ass robot action, but also the stories and personalities of the platoon with whom we are following through the story. With so much of the story focusing on Project Epimetheus, I think it would have been very easy just to allow the soldiers themselves to be Nazi machine gun fodder and nothing more. But Mignola and Arcudi have given at least two of these men solid personalities, and believe it or not, the robot might very well need their help. In my opinion, these men lend a great narrative edge to the story and I’m really hoping that some of them live through the end of issue #2.
VERDICT
If you’re already a fan of Mignola and Arcudi’s work than you’ve probably already bought this comic. However, if you’re looking be deafened by the sounds of steel clashing against steel, or perhaps play hide-and-seek with death as you seek cover beneath a demolished hostel look no further. Sledgehammer 44 #1 isn’t just big on bashing in Nazi skulls, it’s big on bashing in the skulls of Nazi robots and so much more. C’mon, admit it, I sold you with that last line, didn’t I? Ammo up and enjoy!
* This review was written while listening to the album Kitsune by the band Marriages. You can check out one of their incredibly head bobbing tunes below:
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QcwPn_2iigc[/youtube]
