The toxic culture of masculinity has lead to society swiftly blaming the victim. Media pundits and social media always focus on the “extenuating circumstances.” The sheer ignorance and closed-mindedness show how severe the degree of devaluation of women, and even more so female victims, that society at large has accepted. What makes it worse is that many of the detractors are also women. This blind devotion to the patriarchy is distressing. As was illustrated in 2016 in politics, it’s  chronically symptomatic of a societal attitude, as many women voters during the last presidential election questioned whether Hillary Clinton was fit to be President. Many voters cited an outdated reason, “She would let emotions rule her decisions” as a reason to not support her.

This philosophy only aggregates the belief that women should not speak up. Progress much like the arc of justice that Dr. King spoke about is slow but sure. Platforms such as social media have continued to spotlight these atrocities. Men like Matt Lauer and Harvey Weinstein are being exposed while the actions and behaviors like those of Louis CK and Kevin Spacey are now being pronounced as unacceptable. Genre fiction like Handmaid’s Tale shows the effects of ugly patriarchal beliefs. The Twilight Zone‘s recent “Not All Men” took a horror take on how evil this behavior is. In the Simeone Brothers’ Eve Of Extinction, they make a similar take, but this time the ugliness of toxic masculinity turns men into actual monsters.

The story leans into some horror tropes as women are pursued by monsters, in this case men who turn into them. It’s an extinction type event as every man has changed attacking those around them. It’s a fight for survival in this allegorical and timely tale. It’s familiar but has a nice layered spin to it.

Overall, an outstanding entry in the dystopian horror genre, one that is unique and compelling than any in recent memory. The story by the Simeone Brothers is pulse-pounding and well developed. The art by the creative team is awe-inspiring and kudos to them for drawing a realistic description of Vitiligo, a common condition that is rarely depicted in comics. Altogether, a timely and exciting story that gives readers protagonists they would fight alongside any day.

Story: Salvatore A. Simeone and Steve Simeone
Art: Isaac Goodheart, Nik Virella, Ruth Redmond, Maria Nguyen, and Ariana Maher
Story: 9.7 Art: 9.5 Overall: 9.6 Recommendation: Buy