Comic Book Review - Out #1

Rob reviews Out #1...

Out is the new 5-part original series from 2000 AD scribe - Rob Williams. Set within the dying days of World War 2, Out follows Nocona a Commanche code talker who's the latest resident of Neusschzollern Castle - a brutal Nazi POW Camp. 

However, the castle is also home to the Nazi's final desperate act of winning the war. It turns out that they've awakened an ancient evil that Hitler hopes will turn the tide of the war into his favor, but it has to be tested first...

Well where to begin? Out #1 is a terrific opening chapter to this WW2 based horror. Williams utalises that oh-so familiar slow burn writing style to really ramp the tension. These brave souls have already been through Hell, and it's sadly going to get a lot worse as the series continues. Throughout there's small teases of what the Nazi's are planning for these prisoners - the uncovered casket - the hushed conversations - then the semi reveal of the monster at the end. It's certainly different, and yet setting this tale during WW2 somehow adds to the horror. Especially when you consider what the Nazi's actually did to their prisoners, and the stories of Hitler's obsession with the occult. 

Straight from the get go we're introduced to Nocona. As a code talker the Comanche Native American is the Allied nations "ace in the hole". He's fluent in numerous languages which is explained well by his ability to calm a Welsh soldier down from nearly getting them all killed, and the disdain he receives from his fellow Americans, as he speaks and understands German. We also learn towards the issues end that he's also fluent in Polish - which will no doubt come in hand as the series continues.

After the conclusion there's an interview as such with both Rob Williams and series artist, Will Conrad. Its a great insight into the creative process behind Out and its interesting to see what's inspired Williams in writing this tale. Even with out his input you can see that there's traces of Escape from Colditz and The Great Escape. Yet Williams had added a heavy dose of The Thing in for good measure. 

The artwork throughout is superb with Will Conrad bringing some pretty stunning landscapes and character work. The introduction to Neusschzollern Castle is a great half pager that foreshadows the horror that's soon to take place. Character work is also brilliant with plenty of detailed line work. The ending couple of panels is also wonderful as Conrad ramps the horror up a level with the classic wide-eye'd stare, to the "monster" being half revealed. 

All in all, Out is off to a flying start. The tension slowly builds through this opening chapter as Williams slowly moves from Nazi POW Camp to something potentially far worse. While we've not yet dived into Nocona's backstory, he's certainly already shaping up to be a likeable protagonist. 

The horror aspect also works tremendously well within the gothic setting as both the castle and the inhospitable terrain worn offer much in the way of respite from both the horrors within and outside the walls.

Rating 10/10 

Rob Lake - For more comic book and video game chat why not follow Geek Culture Reviews on Twitter and Facebook @GeekCultureRev