IDW has numerous successful comics based on toylines from the 80s: GI JOE, Transformers, My Little Pony, and Godzilla. All of these have established fanbases in part because they’ve been on television and/or toyshelves almost continuously for the last 30 years. What’ll happen when they try to work their magic on a shortlived toyline most people forgot about?
Written by Bobby Curnow
Illustrated by Valerio Schiti
It’s just another average day for Bliss, an ignored linguist at the Department of Defense. However, when Bliss unlocks the secret translation of an ancient scroll, terror rains from the sky…in the form of Battle Beasts! Unstoppable creatures armed to the teeth, the Battle Beasts are determined to make Earth their own personal war zone. Nothing can stop their merciless carnage. Nothing except perhaps a gentle word from the one woman who can understand them – Bliss!
“Battle Beasts” starts off by embracing its silly premise. On some distant beast world, groups of oddly-grouped anthropomorphic animals fight each other because hey, why not? It’s just what they do. There are hints of ancient civilizations and modern kingdoms, but Curnow doesn’t waste time with exposition – he jumps right into the fighting. After establishing personalities for the core cast of battling beasts, the attention shifts to Earth. At the Department of Defense, some scientists are trying to open some recently discovered “unbreakable metal spheres.” Why? It’s the DoD, that’s why. Helping the cause is Bliss, a hyper poly-linguist who works by herself to crack the unknown language on the scrolls found with the spheres. Why is she working alone? At this point, it’s best to just role with the crazy events.
Bliss deciphers the writing, which turns out to be an operation manual for the spheres, which are really ancient weapons from the Battle Beast culture. Activating them acts like a beacon, bringing the crazed critters straight to Earth almost immediately. They wreck some havoc in short order, and Bliss and her brother find themselves allied with the only three beasts who aren’t interested in violence for the sake of violence. Instead, they’re on a quest to bring peace to their race. Along the way there’s a lot of fun, all ending in an this-is-only-the-beginning fashion.
While not deep, subtle, or in any way literary, Curnow delivers a fun book which is solid and consistant in its storytelling. The worldbuilding is compelling, which is especially surprising given the distinct lack of exposition he uses to craft it. Through flashbacks and quiet scenes, he reveals the characters and setting in a natural way. So long as you don’t think too hard about what’s happening, everything makes complete sense – there’s never a moment which will defy your suspension of disbelief. Read as a whole unit, the chapter breaks are very obvious. There’s no stuttering, but each one begins with some kind of flashback sharing more about whichever character will be narrating said chapter. They aren’t the smoothest transitions, but they’re far, far from the worst.
The art is bright, clear, and exciting. The splash pages with dozens of unique character designs are dazzling, and you’ll never be left wondering who’s who. You may be confused by the surroundings though. There’s more than one instance where the scenery seems to rotate around the action. In the first fight sequence, a mountain vital to the action seems to change position from panel to panel. There are also some odd panels where the direction of a punch and the direction of the guy who was hit seem to be at odds. While this is slightly distracting, Schiti makes up for all of it with his depiction of the big bad at the end using the super weapon. The effects he uses are…creepy.
There are no bonus features to discuss, save a very short cover gallery. The original four issues were availible for $4 each, and this collection will cost you $2 more. Unless there’s a shortage of the back issues at your LCS, it’s hard to recommend this collection over buying the monthlies. It’s also hard to recommend the book as a whole, at least for now. As noted above, the ending isn’t a finale. The spine of the trade is missing a subtitle or “vol 1” tag or any other marker indicating a sequel is on the way. For now it’s a browse, but if you see anything about another forthcoming series, this book is worth a shot.
Final Verdict: 6.5 – You’ll want more, but be disappointed if it never comes.
