They are at it again. Nguyen and Lemire reunite for a tale of…boredom? No much more than that because Little Monsters tells the tale of the last remaining children left on earth. The kicker is they’re vampires. The creators of Descender, Ascender and most recently Robin and Batman come together to weave a tale of eternal childhood, piggy backing on themes from Lord of The Flies. Issue #1 is a haunting, exemplary work from two of comics greats.
Written By: Jeff Lemire
Art By: Dustin Nguyen
Released on: March 9, 2022
Story
The who, what, where, and when are all accounted for in issue #1. The why, well that’s coming. Little Monsters #1 introduces us to the children. We get the setting, but what we’re left asking ourselves is why? Why are these kids here right now? Why are they waiting, are they expecting someone or something? Issue #1 felt a bit like a prequel issue, a prologue per say but an introduction that needs to happen before the mystery is further revealed. It helps with ease of read to have the story unfold like this. For readers of the space operas Descender and Ascender you know that having an introductory issue to this world from Lemire and Nguyen works well. And if you’re new to this team you will find a story crafted with patience and care.
The children are mostly bored throughout the first issue. Don’t assume the idea of them being bored is a bad thing and the pacing is still great. By the end of the first issue we find out the simple nature of the children’s daily activities aren’t so simple. A “big bad” is coming and from previews and covers for future issues it looks frightening. Frightening is coming, but with issue #1 there is a lack of action. Until then it all comes down to caring about the characters.
Art
Nguyen has a style. The craft, the expertise CANNOT be denied. But much like anything it all comes down to personal preference. As much as I love the books Nguyen works on, his art style, the water colored-brushed style is not my favorite. With Little Monsters #1 the style is different…and it basically comes down to the lack of color in the series. Overall we’re getting a B&W story, but with color accents. IT WORKS!! Pencils from Nguyen are tight and precise. Shadows are a thing of perfection, and going forward if we were to get different settings and landscapes, Nguyen will no doubt impress with those.
Upwards of 5 plus characters in the first issue and everyone beautiful. All the children have there own look and style. A major player in this story is innocence and Nguyen builds up that look in the children. We feel for them almost instantly. Caring about characters on art alone is a skill not many artists posses. Nguyen is good enough that it doesn’t take long to care about the children and hope that nothing bad will happen to them.
Overall Enjoyment
I knew I would like it, but I didn’t know I would like it as much as I did. Lemire and Nguyen have crafted a story and a world after only one issue, that has Little Monsters to be one of the best series of 2022.
Score: 9.5