Sneha Jaiswal (Twitter | Insta | FB | GoodReads)
Snyder’s horror spin on H. G. Wells’ War of the Worlds?!
Usually, 30 page comic book issues feel too short & abrupt to me, but this was fantastic! Created by Scott Snyder and Rafael Albuquerque, the first issue of comic book series “Duck and Cover” takes us back to the 1950s. The story starts off by introducing readers to Del, a young boy who makes home movies with his friends, loves cinema & dreams of making it big in Hollywood as a director. Little does he know, that his dreams will have to be put on break due to a diabolical World War III like situation!
Set in a small American town, Del has it hard because he is a Black American & one of his closest friends is also bullied often for being Asian American. But the racial hostility the kids face becomes the least of their concerns when their school is bombed. It was very easy for me to be invested in the tale due to protagonist Del, who was very relatable due to our mutual love for film and storytelling.
Scott Snyder’s story is backed up by Rafael Albuquerque’s vivid and lively artwork, which add a modern and gritty touch to this retro sci-fi dystopian tale. Scott and Rafael have teamed up in the past for the dark gothic comic series “American Vampire”, which is an epic bloody fictional adventure; so it looks like they might just be able to repeat their success with “Duck and Cover” too. Towards the end of the issue, there’s a scene that looks straight out of H.G. Wells’ “The War of the Worlds,” which is one of the best dystopian novels ever written. It remains to be seen how Del and his teenage classmates will survive in a post-apocalyptic America since the first issue just sets the groundwork for the primary theme. It’s going to be crazy teens versus giant killing machines.
The action-packed chapter has really set my hopes up for the rest of the series. So I am going for 5 star rating for now. This was a total page turner since it combines a bunch of my favourite genres – horror, historical fiction, dystopian fiction and film fandom.
You can read “Duck and Cover” on Kindle Unlimited.
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Also Read: The Madman’s Library – Book Review (audio version below)
