Trevor Hogg takes a look at the four-part miniseries where saving the world from all hell breaking loose is just part of job for the scorching hot Apocalypse Al…
All too often, private investigator Allison Carter is the only one who stands between the rest of us and the end of the world. In her biggest and most dangerous case to date, Apocalypse Al must fight her way through a collection of some of the biggest lunatics this side of the abyss: mad prophets, techno-wizards, cybervoids, dead but still nagging relatives, undead boyfriends, zombie cops, trolls, and machine gun toting imps. See for yourself the horror awaiting her on the other side of the happiest place on Earth…which may also be the very last place on Earth for her and all of us.
When it comes to dealing with demon worshippers, Allison Carter does not hesitate in firing a series of bullets at them along with some stinging sarcastic remarks. The routine of having to dealing with paranormal activities is nothing unusual for the sexy and quick witted heroine who is carrying on the family business which has been going on for generations. A new assignment is given to Carter by former LAPD detective who happens to be a member of the walking dead as well as the messenger from a shadowy group known as the Committee. A mysterious individual has gotten hold of the Book of Keys to unlock the doorway to Hell and if successful he will bring about the end of the world.
Following the path of destruction resulting from the nefarious plan unleashing nightmares, elder worlds and other dimensions, Allison Carter starts to piece together the whereabouts and identity of the person of interest whom she seeks. A homeless man who is insane and has the ability to envision the future assists Carter in providing a location; arriving too late she gets swept away into a nightmare which takes the shape of being a temp in a legal office. Reality happens to be literally a toilet bowl flush away. Matters get even stranger when the forces of Hell make contact via the Ultimate Darkness because too much time and effort has been spent putting together their own apocalypse to have it occur before the designated date.
J. Michael Straczynski is definitely having a lot of enjoyment creating supernatural adventures for his female protagonist who is a kindred spirit to the sassy and ingenious Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Veronica Mars. Hollywood and Disneyland get lampooned along with Walt Disney who has a fatal encounter with certain enraged mouse. Sid Kotian has created a buxom redhead who would give Mary Jane Watson some serious competition and he takes full advantage of exhibiting her sultry physique. Along with the eye-popping assets of the leading lady, colourist Bill Farmer has chosen a vibrant colour pallet which at moments glows right off the page. Troy Peteri gets to have some fun with the lettering from the scroll narratives to the word sound effects which echo the Batman TV series from the 1960s. Needless to say, if the end of world had to be prevented I am certainly glad that Allison Carter is on the case.
The Adventures of Apocalypse Al, Vol. 1 which collects issues #1 to #4 arrives on May 28, 2014.
Trevor Hogg is a freelance video editor and writer who currently resides in Canada.
Originally published May 7, 2014. Updated April 12, 2018.
