Cry Havoc Vol. 1: Mything in Action Review
Image Comics
Cover by: Ryan Kelly
Writer: Simon Spurrier
Artist: Ryan Kelly
Colorist: Nick Filardi (London), Lee Loughridge (The Red Place), Matt Wilson (Afghanistan)
Letters: Simon Bowland
Design: Emma Price
Review by Insha Fitzpatrick
Cry Havoc takes the myth of the “monster inside you” and turns it on it’s head with grace and complexity that leaves you begging for more.
Cry Havoc tells the story of Louise Canton, but people know her better ask Lou. She’s a street performer trying to make a living the best way she can until one night something goes terribly wrong. She’s attacked by something supernatural that she can’t quite explain. Not only is she attacked, but it’s found a place inside of her lying dormant and then coming out at the first times.Cry Havoc takes the life of Lou and divides it into three parts. The beginning, the middle and the end. Even though all of these stages of her life are mixed up, the tale told between them is almost impossible to make up.
Cry Havoc had me hook immediately. The structure of this story really captured me because I’ve never seen a comic laid out like this before. You start at the end, you move into the beginning and then shown the middle. This is the structure of the story throughout, mixed and matched, but way too damn good. Simon Spurrier takes the reigns of writing this story and I am epically blown away by this approach to this book. Simon mixes the myth and horror of facing demons in and outside of yourself. Louise has to deal with a creature inside her (literally and figuratively), but has to face the outside creatures that are all around her. This story also lays out the horrors of war in the most creative way possible that seem so realistic among the settings. There’s so much you can say about the meaning of Cry Havoc too, but it all comes down the ideals and philosophy that forms the myth inside. It’s like your own personal philosophy.
Ryan Kelly flawlessly draws this comic and is masterful at his work. The character designs for each of the characters in this book are absolutely flawless, especially when they change into the “monsters” they become. With Ryan’s art, you need some pretty spectacular colors to make it pop. Another interesting piece about Cry Havoc is that they have three different colorists for each of the places they travel. Nick Filardi (London), Lee Loughridge (The Red Place), Matt Wilson (Afghanistan) completely slay their pages and keep the colors very true to their location. Matt Wilson is one of my favorite colorist so seeing his work always brings a smile to my face, but with Nick and Lee with him,it’s an even cooler piece of work.
Verdict:
BUY IT! Cry Havocis one of my favorite comics of the month. The mixture between the myths of what truly makes a monster really fucked me up, but in a great way. Pick this comic book up. It’s confusing at first, but trust me, you don’t regret it.
