Animosity And A-Bombs: Reviewing ‘Duck And Cover’ #1

The post WWII era of American history is often painted as a time of prosperity and ingenuity, but it is also an era that saw the birth of the Civil Rights movement and a growing fear of Communism, which are two themes Scott Snyder and Rafael Alburquerque sew into their new comic book, Duck and Cover #1. A wonderfully strange and evocative sci-fi yarn that begins as a melodramatic plot set in 1952 but ends in post-apocalyptic disaster for our young heroes.

Duck and Cover #1 starts with an introduction to our main protagonist, Delmont Reeves, a young African-American who suffers from the racial tension rife at that time and which cost him dearly. Following his story, and his growth from adolescence to young adulthood, you cannot help but feel enraged with his plight, but also be astounded by his silent, stoic determination to live his best life regardless and aim to become a film maker. It’s certainly the melodrama Snyder and Alburquerque announce it as, with the promise of more genre mashing in subsequent issues, as told to me in my recent interview with the creators.

Of course, a big part of making this tense, interesting story work is Alburquerque’s artwork and character designs. He smashes it out of the park with his depiction of mid-century Americana and pivots expertly when infusing the more creative sci-fi elements that come later in the issue.

Most people reading this will have grown up with American films and TV, so the fifties-era Americana this series is steeped in is a familiar one, but the inclusion of Del and his friend Ollie Ozawa – a teenager of Japanese heritage – is less familiar. And while both come to harm because of the racism many Americans overtly harboured towards minority groups, this theme, while a big part of this first issue, is temporarily put on hold once the situation changes in the latter part of the book and all Hell breaks loose and Del, Ollie and others have to respond to their new reality.

It’s an oversized first issue cramped with great art and a good helping of narration and exposition that masterfully establishes the various characters and era. So, when the eventual post-apocalyptic mayhem explodes the reader is already well invested in Del, Olly and others we meet over the course of this debut issue. And suddenly, we are thrown into a completely different kind of story than the more socio-political narrative that makes up most of the book. From American Graffiti to Mad Max with just the turning of a page. It really is a thrilling debut issue full of great ideas, characters and art. A marvellous mish mash of genres that draws you in with the well observed and well executed characters, but will grab you by the collar once the bombs start dropping.

Duck and Cover #1 is out now on ComiXology Originals