By Comix
Oh, it’s another one of these. It’s that comic that you’ve read a million times, the one with the group of secretly funded ghost hunters who travel the globe stomping out monsters. We saw it in BPRD, we saw it in Atomic Robo, and in Hoax Hunters, The Intrepids, Justice League Dark, the list goes on and on. So why am I even bothering to stuff down another review about a group of diverse people banding together to stop evil in its tracks via magic and laser guns?
Because S.H.O.O.T. First has something that none of the other comics have, or, lack thereof. They lack faith in what they see. Standing for Secular Humanist Occult Obliteration Taskforce, S.H.O.O.T. has the unique problem of just plain not believing what they are seeing, even as they are shooting a djinn in the face or talking to angels, giving this comic a unique twist on a classic team story.
The comic starts out with terrorist attack in Iran. Originally thought to be a car bomb, it’s soon revealed that a couple of djinns have got loose from their world and decided to wreak havoc on a mosque. Enter S.H.O.O.T., a team of sass-talking Americans and Brits who come down to kick-ass and get names, all while blaming the appearance of the djinn as nothing but dimension hopping assholes. Weird, right? As things get a little tight in the prayer room, a man who had recently lost his faith saves the team by the skin of his teeth before blacking out. Waking up later in an underground facility in Dubai, the team explains to the man (and us) who they are and what they do. I don’t want to ruin it for you about how they work, but this kind of thing goes all the way to the Pope! Tossing in political intrigue and a war to end all wars, S.H.O.O.T. will have you questioning everything you’ve been taught about religion.
All in all, S.H.O.O.T. First is a very good read. The writing is tight and not one to focus on pointless narratives or dead-end plot tools, a true definition of Chekov’s gun. It’s interesting to see the comic attempt to re-analyze our beliefs and whilst some parts, like the guns firing on anger and doubt, is a bit schlocky, it doesn’t overstep the boundaries of good taste. It never insults the reader, just presents things differently. My only real problem would be the characters’ originality which is to say, there is none. There’s a tough, black woman, a snarky, British guy, a short-skirted, white girl; they’re nothing you haven’t seen before. That’s not to say they might not evolve past their roles, but it’s hard to see it at this point.
The writer, Justin Aclin, is not exactly new to the scene, but it seems like the only credit I can find is some Star Wars comics and something called Hero House. Also, blogging. Despite the limited experience, if S.H.O.O.T. First is any indication of what he’s capable of, I’d be interested to see more. Nicolas Selma, his artist is, well, an artist. He’s good at what he does and is very capable at illustrating Aclin’s words, but it’s not much to write about, which is pretty good since I’m a huge stickler for art. I definitely suggest picking S.H.O.O.T. First up; it starts up solid and continues all the way to the end, leaving the reader excited for the next issue.
S.H.O.O.T. First drops Oct. 16 from Dark Horse at your friendly, neighborhood comic shops!