Publisher: TidalWave Productions
Writer: Andrew Shayde
Artist: David Martens
Colourist: David Martens
Release Date: 24 March 2017
Price: $3.99

Robert E. Howard’s less famous creation, after everyone’s favourite barbarian, Conan that is, Solomon Kane forms the basis for Monsters Among Us: A War of Witches (one shot). The po-faced, Puritan hunter of evils doesn’t feature in Monsters Among Us: A War of Witches but the story picks up after Kane’s regime has crumbled.

The monsters Kane so assiduously imprisoned are on the loose and a motley trio of urban legends are rounding them up and returning them to their rightful home to live happy ever after, safe from the persecution of mankind. We have: Aura, a barely dressed white witch; Mothman, a disgraced angel cursed by the Devil and Choop, a chupcabra, literally a “goat sucker” who is cute as the dickens despite the blue, scaly skin, the claws and the tendency to snack on anything and everything.

Despite the premise that monsters are just misunderstood and should be left alone, a monster mag needs a Big Bad and in Monsters Among Us: A War of Witches the Devil himself provides one in the shape of the one, the only, the original Blair Witch! Sent to claim Mothman as the Devil’s servant or to kill him, whichever is easiest, Blair looks set to give our intrepid trio a hard time, but even big time witches need to beware the “goat sucker” as Mothman and Blair’s scantily clad opposite number, Aura tell the Devil just where he can go – oh, wait, he’s already there, but you know what I mean.

Solomon Kane would probably frown on the whole thing, but then he never was noted for his sense of humour and, with monsters as the good guys it’s hard to know where a series like Monsters Among Us: A War of Witches (one shot) could go next, but the chemistry between Aura, Mothman and Choop is enough to make you root for Andrew Shayde and company to try anyway.

Monsters Among Us: A War of Witches is a decidedly different monster story and well worth a look for that reason alone.

 

 

Reviewer: Gary Orchard
Reviews Editor: Steve Hooker