Saturday 11 January 2014

S.H.O.O.T. First #1-4 (Vol. 1 Angels and Infidels) Review


Writer: Justin Aclin
Artist: Nicolás Daniel Selma

What happens when Angels face off against Atheists? Read on to find out.

The official description from Dark Horse:

The Secular Humanist Occult Obliteration Taskforce exists to defend humanity from gods, fairies, monsters, and the legions of other creatures that survive on human beliefs and fears. If you’ve got a problem with a demon, dragon, or deity, better call SHOOT! Collects the four-issue miniseries, plus an eight-page story from MySpace Dark Horse Presents #35.

Angels vs. Demons is something that has happened in many different types of literature over the years, but Angels vs. Atheists… that's something entirely different and unique. It is this unique concept that makes S.H.O.O.T. First so interesting, as although it's bound to ruffle some feathers, and will probably anger some people, it is this kind of daring nature that I love to see in comics.

Justin Aclin simply amazed me with this wonderful tale. The way that he's taken a religious concept and added it to a fantasy genre story has simply astonished me, with the depth and tone being simply outstanding. I also very much enjoyed the entire development process, and especially how Aclin gave us little pieces that build-up to a fantastic conclusion, whilst also giving us exciting events throughout each individual issue. On top of this Aclin  also showed the reality of how certain people question their faith, as well as how little it takes for people to question or possibly change their believes.

Nicolás Daniel Selma's artwork throughout this story was also outstanding, as despite the style not originally appealing to me, it started to grow on me very quickly. Despite this I really enjoyed his layouts as Selma added so much depth and impact to the story, helping it to flow very smoothly. Selma also added a lot of emotion to the story through the characters expressions, and along with the terrific action sequences he brought Aclin's story to life brilliantly. On top of this the amazing colours from Marlac added a lot of tone and vibrancy to the story, complimenting Selma's art perfectly.

Overall S.H.O.O.T. First is a terrific tale, having a lot of interesting characters. It also has some brilliant story developments throughout with a terrific conclusion that has me looking forward to seeing what will happen next for S.H.O.O.T. First. I'd highly recommend this.

Rating: 8/10


You can pick up S.H.O.O.T. First #1-3 now with S.H.O.O.T. First #4 coming out 15th January and the TPB coming out 14th May.

You can read my exclusive interview with writer Justin Aclin here as well as my full review for issue 3 here.

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