Villordsutch reviews Creature Cops: Special Varmint Unit #1…
In a world where a rhino can be gene-spliced with a dog, freakish animals are everywhere, and the Creature Cops have to deal with them! From vicious gator-snakes to cute panda-dogs, these animal cops think they’ve seen it all… until they discover a nest of illegal hybrids that resemble mythological griffins, and suddenly find themselves on the trail of a death cult with even darker plans…
From the pen of Rob Anderson (Rex, Zombie Killer) comes the world of genetically spliced everyday pets for cosmetic gratification, for example Panda-dogs, or pets that have been designed for other purposes like the horned-mastiff which has been bred for fighting – not to mention animals in the wild than have managed to cross breed with the spliced animals so we have Bull-bears. The world is becoming a strange mess and the people who deal with this hodge-podge of furry friends – when it goes wrong – are the Creature Cops: Special Varmint Unit, and their day is anything but slow.
Our first issue concentrates on introducing the main players of the team as quickly as possible, whilst giving us brief glimpses of the creatures that now roam the lands, as well as the people that keep them. Our main focus however is around Kaminski the battered street-wise “mature in the tooth cop”, who drinks – but really knows his job – along with his partner Vasquez who though a rookie, is smart but still has much to learn. We follow them across the city from bar, to station, to impounding of the horned mastiff then finishing off with the surprise behind a door; we’re watching a minor partner/character development grow. Everything in the issue coasts along rather safely bringing this new world to you, until the final pages when the quiet officer Gabby makes rather a grizzly [sic] discovery.
As an opening issue for a new series this is rather enjoyable; it’s not overly exciting, but it is interesting and I’m intrigued to see where the story is going to go. This is only a three-part miniseries so I expect it to break into its stride quickly and I’m looking forward to seeing that from Rob Anderson. The art from Fernando Melek is rather nice to look at throughout this comic, looking clean and well-drawn from panel to panel, and praise certainly is given to the artwork.
If you’re looking for something new and different to try Creature Cops: Special Varmint Unit as this should be the comic you pick up today.
Villordsutch likes his sci-fi and looks like a tubby Viking according to his children. Visit his website and follow him on Twitter.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?x-yt-cl=84924572&list=PL18yMRIfoszFJHnpNzqHh6gswQ0Srpi5E&v=qqtW2LRPtQY&feature=player_embedded&x-yt-ts=1422411861
Originally published January 29, 2015. Updated April 13, 2018.
