There’s a lot of intriguing things in I Walk With Monsters #1 but overall it’s a frustrating debut with a lot of potential. Jacey had an abusive past. A mysterious individual took her brother away as strangers visited her home and then disappeared. Years later, Jacey has David, a man who can turn into a beast. The two hunt out men who prey on the vulnerable and deliver justice. The series is an exploration of monsters, those within and those around us. There’s a lot of potential with that. But, overall the debut issue teases all of that with little as far as explanations.

I Walk With Monsters #1 feels like a dream where you can remember some of the details but not the connecting narrative. There’s a lot to it and some interesting chances to explore justice but the first issue dances around its most interesting bits. Writer Paul Cornell opens with a shocker of a sequence and from there hints at Jacey’s past while she and David make their way to their next target.

The concept of a duo luring horrible men into a trap to enact revenge is an interesting one. There’s something to be mined with the concept about doing evil to fight evil. Having a literal monster within doing so creates a wonderful metaphor. And then justaxpose that with a partner who doesn’t and you have an even deeper debate to be had.

While I Walk With Monsters #1 sets some of that up, it generally doesn’t get into that interesting aspect. It’s a set up of an issue that shocks then… just kind of is. There’s hints as far as Jacey’s past. Overall, the issue just kind of takes us from point A to point B. There’s not enough excitement to really create a hook. And that hook is mostly delivered in the teaser text for the series. The closest we get to the meat of the series is an exchange between Jacey and David while they attempt to hitchhike. The discussion dances around what they’re doing. It leaves readers to do a lot of heavy lifting to figure it all out between the present and flashbacks.

The art by Sally Cantirino is interesting. There’s something unsettling about it and that’s helped by the colors by Dearbhla Kelly. The style and how scenes are depicted doesn’t go over the top in scares or gore. There’s something rather normal in the depiction that makes it all the more off. The comic relies heavily on browns, reds, and yellows for the more negative moments while a quieter “safe” moment features blues and whites. It’s an interesting example of using color to set the mood of a scene. Cantirino does an excellent job of teasing things as well. Faces are covered and memories lightly hazy in a way that we all experience.

I Walk With Monsters #1 isn’t a bad start and has a really interesting concept. The first issue though is a very slow setup. It start fast throwing the readers into a murder but from there backs off to a point you’re wondering what the point was. It’s starting a film with an action sequence then spending an hour after standing around talking about what’s going to happen. But, as part of the puzzle to come, it probably works perfectly, that’s the some times frustrating thing about comics. But, we have to judge this on the single issue and as far as a debut, it’s a bit of a slog of a start.

Story: Paul Cornell Art: Sally Cantirino
Letterer: Andworld Design Color: Dearbhla Kelly
Story: 7.0 Art: 7.75 Overall: Recommendation: Read

Vault Comics provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review

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