EHMM Theory #2 from Action Lab Entertainment

EHMM THEORY Vol.2 #1
Writer(s): Brockton McKinney
Artist Name(s): Larkin Ford
Cover Artist(s): Larkin Ford (reg), Jerry Gaylord (var)

Action Lab’s underground hit series returns! Time-jumping assassin monkeys, an evil military
super-force, and paranormal ex-lovers plague Gabriel Ehmm and his blood-bound talking feline Mr.
Whispers in this eye-smashing, brain-messer of a sequel entitled ;Everything and Small Doses. Features
a variant cover by Jerry Gaylord, limited to 1,500 copies!Â

Review

EHMM Theory is the story of Gabriel Ehmm, an unassuming young man who discovers he is linked to the access of alternative universes by blood. Together he and his talking kitten, Mr. Whispers, attempt to discover their true origins and shape the path of their future.

The plot of this issue is very confusing and at times I was not sure what I was reading whilst starting off with a torture scene you are quickly removed from that to dream sequence that does not flow well in terms of this narrative. As the book is about alternate universe hopping and time travel, this could benefit from a recap page to help the reading get back into the action. Stories such as this do have the tendency to over complicate things sometimes which can leave the reader confused from issue to issue. As the book progresses things get a little weirder with robots, talking cats, explanations of “brane” jumping and a healthy dose of black humor, which did have me chuckling whilst reading but, at times can fall flat. The use of swearing is something that I think needs to be toned down in this book, it seems like it is their as it is meant to add shock value for shock values sake and doesn’t serve the story or really create believable dialogue (although having a talking cat say “muddafuck” does bring a few wry smiles.)

Illustrator Larkin Ford, adds a touch of indie magic to the script, but unfortunately struggles between pop art playfulness and a small-press, heavy-inking style that never quite goes one way or another. While it serves the purpose of bringing Mckinneys words to live, it’s a bit unremarkable on its own. I found the lack of background work in a lot of the scenes, to be a bit distracting. Whilst in context of the story the characters were meant to be in sparse military base, having them flat against all white backgrounds, in some cases made them look like they were suspended in nothing,

EHMM Theory is a book that I think will find its niche and carve its own following out and with such a complex tale shows Action Lab’s is not a company to take chances. If you enjoy complicated tales of the macabre with a heavy dose of black humor this book is for you.

Matt Deery

Author Profile

Matt Deery

Matt Deery is an avid comic reader from the UK, relatively new to the writing scene but, enjoying being part of the Comic Crusaders team and getting to talk about some the books that I adore. Will read almost anything Marvel, with Spider-Man and Iron Man being my all time favorite comic book characters and has recently found a love for Image and Valiant books and generally anything Sci FI or Espionage related. Check out my twitter @brujah69ad if you want to stop by and talk comics, video games or movies!