ADVANCE REVIEW: The Zoo Hunters #1

The Zoo Hunters #1
Story: Peter Steigerwald
Art: Peter Steigerwald
Letters: Peter Steigerwald and Josh Reed
Colors: Peter Steigerwald
Publisher: Aspen Comics
Release Date: November 5, 2014

The ZooHunters, a new book from Aspen artist/writer Peter Steigerwald, has the makings of a story that is monumental in a universe that is endearingly similar, and at the same time, strikingly alien to our own.

This is a first issue and as is the norm with premiers, the plot can be a little difficult to ferret out. What is apparent is that we’ll be exploring the nuances of the father/son dynamic via the story’s lead characters, the aforementioned ZooHunter Abros Kel and his progeny, Ty. They’ve both overcome some fairly difficult circumstances in their lives and are looking for a fresh start of sorts.

I’m not sure if Steigerwald is purposely trying to make a comment on societal norms, but the fact that Ty appears to be biracial, is a nice touch. A counterbalance to the socially frowned upon (at least in the real world) practice of hunting and capturing wild animals, intergalactic though they may be.

The relationships between characters in the book are complex, to say the least; there are lingua francas, social hierarchies and rites of passage. Again, this is only a first issue, but Steigerwald’s pushing for a Star Wars level of intricacy in his newly formed world.

But enough of that story stuff, let’s get to the meat and potatoes of this course, shall we?

The art in this book is amazing. Seriously. This is probably the most well-drawn and colored book I’ve seen this year, outside of Pirouette or maybe Masumi. High praise to be sure, but no exaggeration; Steigerwald is adept at using the right mix of shadow, line depth and complementary colors in his work. Even if the words were absent from the page, you’d have a great time just flipping through this book and looking at the pictures.

The ZooHunters #1 is a promising debut and let’s hope that the rest of the series expands on this impressive first offering.

By: Adam Cadmon

3.5/5 Stars

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Adam Cadmon

Adam Cadmon is the pen name for a man who has been writing for a few years. Heâ€™s done his share of straight-laced writing, college press, blogging, some other not very glamorous technical writing to keep the bills paid. Itadakimasu.