THE ZOOHUNTERS #1 Review

Is this an epic adventure or a straight failure? Read on to find out.

The official description from Aspen:

Abros Kel is a ZooHunter—a man who is hired to capture animals for zoos on alien worlds. He and his young son Ty have lost everything due to a tragedy, and together this uncomfortable pair set out into the stars to train Ty as a ZooHunter. Along the way they encounter scores of alien life-forms on far away worlds including Qaurec—an unscrupulous rival ZooHunter who is hunting Abros down. Can Abros and Ty stay one step ahead of his villainy and prove successful in their quest?

This is a comic book that carries family at its core. You can easily ebb and flow with this personal tale that knows tragic loss but also carries a spark of wonderment. And it’s within that context where this product finds footing. It sets the stage for a franchise ready to embrace its next entry while building up its cast.

Peter Steigerwald pens a script that focuses in on two members of the Kel family following a brush with a planet-wide plague. The text is slow moving but there’s so much honesty in the written word that the burgeoning relationship between father and son plays out in just the right way to ensure attention. Add in a decent set-up with a promise of adventure and the entire release feels like a title on the verge of greatness, it just has to step out beyond the threshold of its current limitations.

There might be moments where the written word feels a bit sluggish but the art’s really where this title gains a stronghold. As Peter Steigerwald pulls double duty delivering panels that are bound to dazzle even the most discerning fanboy or fangirl. Each page builds worlds that feel ripe with science fiction but leave enough room for character interaction. I have no complaints about the visual side of an outing that happens to pack quite a bit of promise.

The ZooHunters #1 is a comic with some off moments here and there but the groundwork is set for what’s bound to be one of, if not the, best original ideas to come from this company. And that’s saying a lot for a publisher that has hits like Damsels in Excess, Executive Assistant: Assassins, Fathom, Soulfire and Lola XOXO, need I say more? This one comes recommended.