Herd issue 1.
Written by Geoff Richards.
Art by Peter Habjan.
Colours by John Charles.
Letters by Rob Jones.
Published by Floating Rock Comics.
The Story - ‘Homo-Vampyrus were the most deadly humans ever to evolve. Stronger and faster than their hominid cousins, they quickly became the dominant species amongst the great apes. They feasted upon their relatives with no remorse, hunting Homo-Sapiens to near extinction.
HERD tells the story of this time. When starvation and disease ravages Vampyrus society. When charismatic leaders present radical solutions. When a single band of Sapiens refuse to be a herd and instead become a tribe.’
The Review - I got sent this as a COVID19 freebie by Geoff and had seen the cover about previously but hadn’t got round to ordering a copy. So very kind of him indeed.
The cover has a bold image that is totally representational of what happens inside this opening issue, albeit it in a somewhat spoilerific way. It also begins to show the reader the faux historical ‘accuracy’ and design work that totally fits in some excellent narrative building.
As this is an opening issue you get a lot of setting up but I’m glad to report that this doesn’t affect the pace of the storytelling and the action/horror elements. This is a world where the mass population is getting out of control and the supply of food is dwindling. A clever projection of our current situation into this fantasy environment perhaps but this is done with a clever twist. The food supply is the Homo Sapiens and their blood and the population control needs to be enforced on the growing Vampire population. Strict rules have been enforced about controlling the slaughter of men and women so as to continue the ‘blood’ lines. To defy these laws does not end well.
I also love the fact that the creative team have opted to show the Homo-Vampyrus in the full light of the day. They make a bold and brawn statement from the first panel. The are both Barbarians and yet also you begin to see the strings of intrigue that develop. The encampment of humans in comparison has the feeling of North American indigenous people before the Europeans arrived. They live within the natural world with wolves as pets and there’s an amazing sequence where they fight a Grizzly.
The art has a touch of the Richard Corbin about the fantasy elements that I was immediately drawn to in both line and layout. It really does contain a polished style and the colours work well. The bursts of action and violence have a genuine flair to them that kept me glued to what was happening. Peter Habjan deals with the savage moments exceptionally. I could easily see this published as a European style album.
My only small criticism is that it felt a little short and that £2.99 seems a tiny bit high for a digital copy - oh well, I suppose that’s less than the Big Two are charging at the moment!
Head over to their website and get your own copy http://floatingrockcomics.co.uk/my-shop/
You can find the writer online here at his Kickstarter page and it looks like issue 2 is any day now https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/floatingrockcomics/herd-issue-2-and-1 You can also find him on Twitter @FloatRockComics
You can find the artist Peter Habjan here https://www.artstation.com/peterhabjan
Many thanks for reading.
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