Advanced Review: Family, The Turmoil Of Youth, Political Intrigue, And Bombs — ‘Don’t Forget Your Briefcase’ #1

Welcome to the table,

We live in uncertain times. Every day the news cycles feel like one of those View-Masters being clicked far to fast to actually take in much more than a blur of color and a splash of information. Then the next brightly colored cell snaps into place with the click, click, click of chaotic chromatic cacophony of informational overload.

I have a deep rooted fear of nuclear war. I’m sure it stems from all sorts of things including but not limited to the ideology I was raised around, the constant messaging of “end times,” and the seemingly endless stream of childhood memories that, for some reason, had the looming dread of doomsday from atomic annihilation hammered into my still forming brain.

Because of that fear, the prospect of reading a comic that was about the almost mythological “nuclear briefcase” gave me a lot of trepidation. However, I’m endlessly fascinated by the way Eliot Rahal tells a story, and his name on this title made it a must-read for me. I knew that whatever I expected, the book to be was only going to be a small fraction of a much larger tale that would evolve into a brilliant commentary on some aspect of the human condition.

Phillip Sevy lends his artistic talents to this story. His ability to keep the reader locked in on talking head moments is on full display as he renders a library of emotions. These characters’ emotions shift in moments, from rage to remorse, to the quiet come-down after your adrenaline spikes in truly terrifying situations.

So what is the book about? 

In true Eliot Rahal fashion, I can’t quite tell you what this story is yet. What I do know is Don’t Forget Your Briefcase is a layered story. It blends family dynamics, the turmoil of youth, political intrigue, the looming terror of nuclear annihilation, and puppets… yes… puppets… into a brilliantly compelling comic that gives no clear indication where it’s headed. Yet it has me fully invested in the journey.

I think wherever this is going, it’s going to be on hell of a ride. I love the strangeness of Colonel Honken and the fact she calls out being a political prop. I love she has strange hobbies and seems to be wildly capable of whatever chaos is coming down the pipe. I love the unexpected twists and turns that happen midway through this issue that I never saw coming. I love the totally out of the blue twist at the end of this issue that also shook my understanding of what this book was going to be to my core.

I don’t want to rob you, dear reader, of the ride you are about to go on when you pick up this comic. I will tell you that it is one fantastic ride and whatever is about to happen in the next issue will probably continue to be thrilling and fun from cover to cover.

Until next time, I really do think Eliot’s understanding of society, politics, and the human condition is perfectly suited for storytelling in the comic space and it makes me happy that the people in charge of such things keep letting him do what he does so well. This is one of the first books about nukes in ages that has not made me want to barf from anxiety, and that alone is due to the absolutely unhinged level of “What is going to happen next?” that it delivers page turn after page turn.

Don’t Forget Your Briefcase #1 is available now for pre-order and will arrive in your local shop on June 25, 2025.