In Review: Abominable Glory by Martin Hayes and Chris Askham

Abominable Glory - Cover

Written by Martin Hayes
Art by Chris Askham
Letters and Designs by Bram Meehan
Cover by Matthew Soffe
Published by Markosia 

“In a snowstorm all soldiers look the same….like fresh meat.

The Story: A World War Two aircraft crashes in the Himalayas in 1943 with a Japanese scientist/spy on board who has information that could win the war for the Allies. Hours later, a British rescue team heads out to find them – and a team of German soldiers, also after the Japanese. Both sides trek through the harsh mountains whilst complaining and moaning about the mission and the cold.  Slowly, they circle each other whilst investigating the wreckage.

Violence erupts between the two teams as one finds the head of the aforementioned scientist next to a large (and bare) footprint. Escaping into a nearby cave the Brits find something unexpected, large, mysterious and violent…

 

Abominable Glory – Flyer

 

The Review: Look. With a title like this book has there’s no real secret that it’s an Abominable Snowman/Yeti story. It really has that late 1950s, early 1960s horror movie feel to it with added gore, swearing and masturbation jokes in the mix.  It has that horror movie feel akin to Dog Soldiers and Outpost, too.  It’s also got a meanish streak of humour in the mix (was that really a Yeti blow job joke? – I’m trying to blank that one out). Mix all that with the Fortean influences that writer quotes in his afterward and you’ve got a really fun horror read.

Whilst the monsters of the title give this book its motif and genre, it’s the interactions between the soldiers and the effects of the environment that lift Abominable Glory above the average blood-soaked, shock inducing horror book. The black and white artwork is perfectly realised and Chris deals with the moments of action outstandingly well. At 80 pages, it’s a perfect length for a self-contained story of this kind and I highly recommend this to horror fans.

Abominable Glory is told with some interesting themes of war and the differences between soldiers on opposing sides. The whiteness of the snowmen (and women) however seems a little on the nose when it’s relished by an Aryan ex SS German Military officer, but it speaks to the wartime enemies differences well and with depth. It’s also got a great ending that I won’t ruin for you.

• Read a five-page preview of Abominable Glory here on downthetubes. The graphic novel is currently available to pre-order at amazon.co.ukamazon.com – and direct from Markosia here

Abominable Glory is getting a launch at the upcoming London Super Comic Con (14th-15th March). Pop over to www.londonsupercomicconvention.com for details or follow them @LSComicCon The creators will be signing at the Markosia booth between 10.00 and 12noon on both the Saturday and the Sunday.

• You can find more details about this book and others that Markosia publishes at www.markosia.com and follow them on Twitter @Markosia

• You can find the writer Martin Hayes, whose previous projects include the graphic novels Project Luna: 1947 and Aleister Crowley: Wandering the Waste at www.paroneiria.com or on Twitter @martinhayes

• Chris Askham, who has illustrated for Siti’s Sisters, Zarjaz, and DogBreath can be found at www.chris-askham.blogspot.com or on Twitter @chrisaskham

• Bram Meeham can be found at www.brammeehan.com or @BramMeehan

• The cover artist Matthew Soffe can be found @mygrimmbrother

Many thanks for reading.



Categories: British Comics, Featured News, Features, Reviews

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