REVIEW: Kaiju Score #1

Writer: James Patrick
Artist: Rem Broo
Letters: David Sharpe
Cover: Rem Broo
Editor: Mike Marts
Publisher: AfterShock Comics

“Kaiju Score” tells us the tale of Marco, Palmiero, and “Gina”. Our heroes are at an interesting point in their lives.

Marco is a criminal mastermind that continues to have jobs go awry because he overlooks minor details. Things like forgetting about time zone changes for a pickup and not realizing that UHF and VHF radios are not compatible have cost him millions.

Palmiero is the logistics man that is cursed. He’s had a job where the fake IDs were perfect. The uniforms for pilots were spot on. Unfortunately for him a seagull flew into the plane engine bringing the job to an abrupt halt. In another job he found the perfect explosive to open a safe without damaging the contents. Having a sinkhole open right under where the safe was could not have been foreseen.

“Gina” is a safecracker that is being forced to do a job under duress.

The plan is to hit a museum when it’s evacuated because a kaiju is making landfall. Will Marco and Palmiero get the redemption they desperately are wishing for or will they find themselves in a world of trouble with their financier? Will “Gina” be able to work herself out of the jam she’s in? Time will tell.

There’s an F bomb in the first balloon of dialogue and some violence in this one. I’d say that the kids can wait until they’re older for this one.

Artwork:

.75 Stars

I like how the cover has panels of a lot of the players in this story. It definitely piqued my curiosity.

The artwork on the interior pages was well done. I would have liked a touch more detail on Marco. It didn’t detract from the story though. The portrayal of the gold heist was my personal favorite panel with the panel of Marco and Mujara being a very close second.

Story:

1 Star

When I saw Mr. Patrick posting about “Kaiju Score” on social media I had visions of an offshoot of Pacific Rim or Godzilla. I was thinking that there wasn’t going to be a story that hasn’t already been done; but it was worth the price of admission to find out.

I’m happy to say this was nothing like what I expected. The notion of using a kaiju as cover for a heist is brilliant. The way the concept was introduced was well done.

Dialogue:

1 Star

The dialogue in “Kaiju Score” gives the reader so much information about the characters. There are no wasted balloons that seem to exist for the sole purpose of filling space.

The stories from Palmiero and “Blackie” were especially helpful.

Editing:

1 Star

The way that the lettering was done in this book is very unique. You can feel the energy in the conversations because of it. I like how the balloons are a different color when Marco is narrating.

Mechanics:

.75 Stars

When the book began with a lesson about mullet I was a little leery. Those fears quickly subsided as I fell into the story almost immediately after that. The character development is terrific, especially with Palmiero. I’d like to see more about “Gina” but I like to think that will come in future issues.

“Kaiju Score” easily makes my top ten list of surprise books for 2020. It is well worth the cover price!