I Hunt Monsters Pocket Manga #01

by Craig Babiar and Rod Espinosa

The Enchanted Seal has been broken Discovering he is heir to the legacy of the Warlock clan, William Warlock assumes the guardianship against the forces of the underworld too late to prevent the escape of the Queen of the Undead and her minions. They are out on a quest to conquer the world, but first they have a score to settle with the Warlock heir. With the help of the sorceress Aarna and the vampire Delilah, William races to recapture werewolves,...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1932453679
• ISBN13: 9781932453676
• Release Date: November 2004
• Publisher: Antarctic Press
• Length: 144 Pages
• Weight: 0.31 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.5" x 5.0" x 7.4"
• Age Range: 13 to 16 years
• Grade Range: Grades 8 to 11

Customer Reviews

A MONSTER SLAY FEST!

Antarctic Press is one of the best kept secrets in the comic world today. They've been putting out fantastic comics for over two decades and were introducing American comic readers to Manga-style stories long before most of us ever heard of the word. I first heard of them in the late 1980's when I was producing my own fanzine on small press comics. Antarctic got their start during the big black & white comic boom of the mid-1980's when dozens and dozens of publishers popped up overnight hoping to find the type of success that books like Cerebus the Aardvark and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles were enjoying. Most of those companies have long since been forgotten but Antarctic has persevered to become one of the top ten comic publishers in the business today. "I Hunt Monsters" is one of Antarctic's wonderful pocket Manga which collects stories that originally appeared in regular comic format. Written by Rod Espinosa with art by Craig Babiar, "I Hunt Monsters" is an action-packed, horror series that is in the same vein as Buffy the Vampire Slayer with liberal doses of humor mixed in. William Warlock is the last of the Warlock clan. For centuries is family has been charged with the duty of holding back the forces of demonic evil that would assault our world. After graduating from high school, William gets a mysterious letter from his father, who he has not seen since he was just a young boy. William is soon off to South Africa where he meets Aarna, the sorceress. Aarna is shocked to learn that William knows nothing of his heritage or powers which can only mean he was never instructed by Aarna's master as was the plan. William thinks the whole story is crazy but soon the magical seal that keeps the demons away is broken as William comes face-to-face with the denizens of the underworld. With the seal broken William must now embrace his legacy and help Aarna hunt down the escaped demons. Fortunately they have help in the form of the ghost of William's grandfather Harkes Warlock, and also a beautiful female vampire named Delilah. William soon learns that he can channel the spirits of his ancestors to help him battle the demons. His grandfather gives him a medallion which can detect the presence of evil and the foursome are soon off to New York to battle an army of zombies that are overrunning the subways. "I Hunt Monsters" is tremendous fun. It's filled with lively yet quirky characters and Espinosa keeps things hopping right from the opening page. An intro page gives readers a quick rundown on whose who in the story. I loved Craig Babiar's art. Sometimes the art in Manga can be difficult to follow but Babiar's panels are very clean and flow beautifully. As an extra, there is a 24 page sketchbook section. This book is a blast! I can't wait to read volume two! Reviewed by Tim Janson

It's Buffy meets Indiana Jones!

From Rod Espinosa, the creator of such storybook manga-styled comics as The Courageous Princess and Neotopia, is this new supernatural action/adventure series. I Hunt Monsters is actually concieved by Espinosa, but mostly written by the series artist Craig Babiar. Here, William Warlock is a young man who after graduating heads to South Africa to find a lead for his missing father. He runs into his old girlfriend, Tayesha. But shortly afterwards, a shamaness named Aarna convinces him to go to an old graveyard where she thinks they might find his father. Leaving Tayesha behind, William goes with Aarna in her flying Volkswagon to the site. There, tombstones start popping up everywhere, and the ghost of William's dead grandfather Harkes shows up and tells him that its his turn to refortify the seal that was placed by his ancestors on the gateway to the underworld. Unfortunatley, they're too late as the demon lord Azmodeus shows up. They get a little help though from the outcasted vampiress Delilah in defeating the demon and sending him back to hell. From this point, the series consists of William travelling the world with his sexy new companions, and eventually Tayesha again, plus the occassional spirit of one of his deceased relatives to help stop more of the monster race from returning to the human world. From either zombies in New York, to werewolves in Canada, William has his hands full. I Hunt Monsters sports a slightly interesting storyline from Espinosa, and great artwork from Babiar. Buffy fans should totally dig it!