Advance Review — Small Town Hijinks And Giant Extra-Terrestrial Mosquitos In ‘Skeeters’ #1
by Brendan M. Allen
“Welcome to Kankakee, Virginia. Even the name sounds like something you’d catch from the football team’s captain after screwing his brains out on prom night.” That’s how Skeeters #1 opens up, and that super cheesy quip sets the tone perfectly for this love letter to campy horror film. As co-writer Kevin Cuffe stated in advance press for the title, a B-movie parody sometimes makes for an A+ comic. Cuffe and co-writer Bob Frantz lean hard into B-movie tropes with a script that’s just corny enough to invoke the best examples of schlock horror without feeling forced or overworked.
If you’ve read any of my previous comics reviews or if you’ve watched Cullen Bunn, Anton Kromoff, and I bickering about ranking the entries in long-running horror franchises, you know I love getting back to basics. Things don’t need to be overly complicated. Don’t pull too hard at the thread, lest you unravel the whole damned blanket.
Giant extra-terrestrial mosquitos. Redneck cops. A hardworking exterminator and his dim-witted conspiracy theorist partner. Overacting, science-y sounding stuff, gore, and hokey sets. I’m here for it.
Kelly Williams’ art evokes Tom Savini in the best possible way. When you see what’s left of a mangled body lying in the swamp, it’s easy to imagine a team of crew hands just out of the shot operating syringes connected to the tubing that makes blood ooze and piles of flesh pulsate.
I love how quick and dirty this is. Don’t get me wrong. It’s also fun when creative teams take the long road. There are times I’m reading an issue and see a callback to a setup from two years back and it lights me up. That kind of storytelling has its place. Not here, though. Gore splashing off the page and splattering the camera lens. Wipe it off and set up the next shot. B-Movie Creature Feature production at its finest.
Keep an eye on that Mothman worshipping exterminator. I have a feeling he’s going to be the key to this thing.
Mad Cave Studios’ Skeeters #1 is scheduled to hit the spinner racks on December 6, 2023.
Summary
Giant mosquitos. Redneck cops. A hardworking exterminator and his dim-witted conspiracy theorist partner. Gore splashing off the page and splattering the camera lens. Wipe it off and set up the next shot. B-Movie Creature Feature production at its finest. I’m here for it.