Havoc Brigade
Written by: Neal Marshal Stevens
Drawn by: John Bosco
Published by: Studio 407
It is a well known axiom that it’s virtually impossible to come up with a truly original plot. It’s all been done before. Originality is achievable, however, through the method employed to tell the story. Studio 407’s Havoc Brigade, written by Neal Marshal Stevens and drawn by John Bosco, provides an excellent example of how artistic creativity can overcome a rather formulaic story line, especially in the medium of comics and graphic novels.
The setting for Havoc Brigade is Europe in the not-too-distant future, where decades of constant war have turned the physical and emotional landscape into a blasted wasteland, peopled almost exclusively by soldiers and warriors. Enter the HAVOC BRIGADE, an elite platoon of soldiers armed with “Havoc-class battle suits” constructed out of an indestructible prototype material. These heroes are so powerful that they almost single-handedly crush the opposition, ending what previously seemed like a hopelessly interminable war.
Peace reigns, but not for long. When the HAVOC BRIGADE put an end to the war, it essentially put an end to itself. Shortly thereafter, a former heroic leader of the HAVOC BRIGADE absconds with the indestructible battle suits and sets his diabolical plan in motion. Now, our hero, Sergeant Barnes, must stop his former commander and mentor and only other surviving HAVOC BRIGADE member from propelling the world back into the darkness of all-consuming war.
The saving grace, if you will, separating Havoc Brigade from the infinite pile of stereotypical future war comics, is twofold: Bosco’s captivating artwork and Stevens’s knack for writing snappy, snarky dialog.
Havoc Brigade became available for purchase on Sept. 19.
Kevin P. Hanson
kevin@comicattack.net