The cinematic age of the 1970s brought on many iconic filmmakers. This was the age of George Lucas, Steven Spielberg, Brian De Palma, Francis Ford Coppola, and a host of others that are truly too many to name. Each has made their impression on the zeitgeist. Though they are better known for the films that made them famous, not everyone got to make the movies they wanted to before they broke out big. Years before Martin Scorsese made it big with Mean Streets, he made Boxcar Bertha. It’s now considered a classic but back then was passed off as low budget revenge film.

Some of my favorite movies were the exploitation movies, of that time. They were all in the same vein, and some were from Italy, England, even homegrown here in America. Many of these films were very fantastical. Some were absurd but many of them were really cheesy, entertaining, and rewatchable. Many of the films had the usual tropes. A bystander as the protagonist, the antagonist which is the bad guy who is pure evil, and the beautiful damsel in distress, who the protagonist has to rescue. Matt Garvey and Robert Ahmad The Devil In Disguise is a story with a similar premise is played out, but to elevated standards.

We meet Nate, a young man on his way home from work, as he notices a young woman, scantily clad, bleeding and barely unconscious. As he leaps to his feet to help her, she insists on not drawing attention to herself. As she continues talking, slowly something takes her over, as her pupils go white, and spew a black mist from her mouth, which approaches Nate ever so slowly. Who is this woman and what’s going on? That’s the mystery of the comic about a do-gooder who gets mixed up with a cult who plan to quite literally raise the devil.

The comic is an enthralling mystery which drops the reader in the middle of the action while still defining who the characters are. The story by Garvey is action packed, smart, and interesting. The art by Ahmad is gorgeous, especially the line work and the way he uses colors. Altogether, it’s an excellent introduction to a new twist on the supernatural thriller.

Story: Matt Garvey Art: Robert Ahmad
Story: 10 Art: 10 Overall: 10 Recommendation: Buy