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Epoch #1
Publisher: Top Cow
Writer: Kevin McCarthy
Artist: Paolo Pantalena
Cover: Paolo Pantalena

Werewolves, gorgons, and demons! Oh my!

After following a lead regarding a recent string of murders, Detective Jonah Wright’s life takes a pretty significant change. It seems the person he was sent to speak with was visited by someone or something else who ends up attacking the police officers. Before the creature makes his escape, several lie dead and Jonah has had a fist punched through him. His partner, Michael, shows up and gives chase as the battle takes to the skies, and only one of these guys is making it out of this fight alive.

Whenever names like Michael, Gabriel, or Jonah appear together I assume that there will be some type of biblical references in the title. Well, Epoch does have angels and demons, but it also has a slew of monsters and one exciting story so far. McCarthy starts this issue off by taking us a few weeks back in the past, which gives us the information needed that sets this story up. Most of the action is in the first few pages before it shifts to more of a detective story, but that’s where most of the meat is anyway. There’s a pretty good balance of real world and supernatural action that goes on, and McCarthy does a good job setting up for the second issue by the time you see the last page.

I don’t think I’ve seen Pantalena’s work before, but it’s very capable of carrying a story from beginning to end. It’s always refreshing when an artist doesn’t rely on splash page after splash page to impress the reader. There’s a story here and his panels convey it on each page. Though at times caption boxes and even various panels got in the way, the guy certainly impresses.

By the issue’s end a murder is left unsolved, a truce has been broken, and a man realizes that monsters are very real. McCarthy and Pantalena want your attention and they’re on the right track to getting it. Epoch is a five issue mini-series that should be quite a fun ride for fans of the supernatural who don’t mind a little police drama thrown into the mix.

Infinite Speech
infinitespeech@comicattack.net