Wampus

    (Hexagon, 2006)
™ and © Hexagon

The shape-changing Wampus, looking a little like a half-melted candle, comes to 1960s Earth to destroy civilization in preparation for the coming of its mysterious master. The only one who knows of its existence is French secret agent Jean Sten, who dogs it across the globe, vainly attempting to stop it.

It’s hard imagining why the alien considers Sten a threat, since he’s incapable of even mildly inconveniencing the creature as it commits depraved acts ranging from killing a cabbie to fomenting racial violence to destroying the Statue of Liberty. (To be fair, Sten is also being pursued by his own people; this being the 1960s, his disbelieving superiors feel justified in trying to commit him.)

The art on this “French” (though first published there, it was written and drawn by Italians) comic is pretty basic, but the story is compelling. But it’s also incredibly bleak, reflecting the darker parts of the 1960s, especially during a sequence set in a Hellish New York City that is torn apart by civil unrest.

— S.A. Bennett
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  NotesWriterArtist
#1

January, 2006
Cover Price: $20.95
1 copy available for $20.95 		Franco Frescura, R.J.M. Lofficier, Will EisnerLuciano Bernasconi, Chris Malgrain