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Review: Stingers
Zenescope is getting a little out of their comfort zone with Stingers. Not in the storytelling sense because they have well written stories, but in the sense that its one of their few books that isn't being sold by a drop dead gorgeous lady as the main protagonist. With that being said though, it doesn't take much reading to draw you into the story. I should caveat the above statement by saying there is a pretty hot cop in the book, and not in the Gob of Arrested Development sense of the phrase.
Here's the deal with Stingers. An alien race is screwing up their planet and decide that maybe its a good time to move. Using their advanced organic technology they decide to launch "stingers" halfway across the galaxy, stopping at whatever planet they sense life. Unfortunately, Earth gets right in the way. More specifically, Atlantic City, New Jersey. As these stingers awaken on Earth, their sole purpose is to find humans to "sting" (see what I did there?) in the back of the neck and gestate in, allowing their race to live on. Its very reminiscent of Species, just without Natasha Henstridge. That's all good and well, but why do we care? Brian "Hawk" Hawkins. A bounty hunter content with retiring on his last catch, his boss just realizes that he's way too good and pulls the "just one more routine." His latest bounty? A pair of wanna be criminals that end being slightly more than the assignment called for.
Now that we have the story summary out of the way, how about reviewing the actual story? I'm not going to lie there's nothing too dramatic that happens in this issue. And rightfully so, as you can't have a great story without a foundation. There's a lot of setup action here, getting the pieces in place for the struggle that is sure to ensue. The only character we really know halfway well is Hawk, but we also know that his boss, Smitty, is pushy and the new bounty, Zach Miller and Stephen Smith, aren't too bright. And it's Atlantic City, so you know that some debauchery will come along because of the setting too (its always great when the scenery becomes a character). Maybe the aliens have Google calendar or something as well, as they launched their invasion on the cusp of the summer season (meaning plenty of targets).
After reading Stingers #1 we know that things are going to get worse before they get better, and that Hawk seems like he has the moral fiber to want to save the planet. The first issue read very well and has the same slickness that you would find in other Zenescope titles, along with a certain humor that works well with the story. The book has the potential to be a pretty amusing portrayal of what could happen when you put a tough as nails bounty hunter against a race with the will to live. Pick it up and enjoy.
Zenescope is getting a little out of their comfort zone with Stingers. Not in the storytelling sense because they have well written stories, but in the sense that its one of their few books that isn't being sold by a drop dead gorgeous lady as the main protagonist. With that being said though, it doesn't take much reading to draw you into the story. I should caveat the above statement by saying there is a pretty hot cop in the book, and not in the Gob of Arrested Development sense of the phrase.
Here's the deal with Stingers. An alien race is screwing up their planet and decide that maybe its a good time to move. Using their advanced organic technology they decide to launch "stingers" halfway across the galaxy, stopping at whatever planet they sense life. Unfortunately, Earth gets right in the way. More specifically, Atlantic City, New Jersey. As these stingers awaken on Earth, their sole purpose is to find humans to "sting" (see what I did there?) in the back of the neck and gestate in, allowing their race to live on. Its very reminiscent of Species, just without Natasha Henstridge. That's all good and well, but why do we care? Brian "Hawk" Hawkins. A bounty hunter content with retiring on his last catch, his boss just realizes that he's way too good and pulls the "just one more routine." His latest bounty? A pair of wanna be criminals that end being slightly more than the assignment called for.
Now that we have the story summary out of the way, how about reviewing the actual story? I'm not going to lie there's nothing too dramatic that happens in this issue. And rightfully so, as you can't have a great story without a foundation. There's a lot of setup action here, getting the pieces in place for the struggle that is sure to ensue. The only character we really know halfway well is Hawk, but we also know that his boss, Smitty, is pushy and the new bounty, Zach Miller and Stephen Smith, aren't too bright. And it's Atlantic City, so you know that some debauchery will come along because of the setting too (its always great when the scenery becomes a character). Maybe the aliens have Google calendar or something as well, as they launched their invasion on the cusp of the summer season (meaning plenty of targets).
After reading Stingers #1 we know that things are going to get worse before they get better, and that Hawk seems like he has the moral fiber to want to save the planet. The first issue read very well and has the same slickness that you would find in other Zenescope titles, along with a certain humor that works well with the story. The book has the potential to be a pretty amusing portrayal of what could happen when you put a tough as nails bounty hunter against a race with the will to live. Pick it up and enjoy.
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