Having a child is an imposing enough proposition for anyone, none the less a sixteen-year-old girl. At that age, you’re just hoping to conquer algebra exams and who to go to homecoming with, nonetheless worrying about taking care of a small child. Now imagine if that child is going to bring about the destruction of everything you know and love, which never appeared on any scantron test.
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That’s the premise of Aftershock Comics‘ Babyteeth #1, written by Donny Cates and drawn and colored by Garry Brown. What follows is a story of conflicted love, where more is at stake than just the well-being of one child. Sadie isn’t played as naive though or in denial and is rather pragmatic throughout the whole ordeal. Despite what her quandary means for humankind, you’re still rooting for her, and by proxy her baby. It’s an uncomfortable sort of rooting mind you, but that does seem to be the point of the book in general. Uncomfortable or not, you can’t stop turning the page, and issue #1 easily hooks you for issue #2.
The art of Garry Brown aides the storytelling in the best ways. From his larger than life characters (i.e. Heather) to the city-wide destruction, you are glued to every panel. Even the more solemn moments capture your eye, and he’s able to add just the right amount of eeriness to the proceedings as well, especially towards the end of the book.
There aren’t many characters introduced in issue #1, but Sadie and Heather are already standouts. They compliment each other’s strengths and weaknesses, and it will hopefully be a pairing that continues throughout the series. The possibilities for a series like this are expansive, especially with those last few panels, and seeing how supernatural this series gets will be one of the big hooks for staying with it.
Above all that is a central conflict of what a mother will do for her child, regardless of what that child could become or what they’re destined to do. It’s something most parents can identify with in some fashion, granted not on this type of scale. While there are many questions left unanswered, the answer to “should I give this a try” is a resounding yes.
Rating: 5 out of 5 Stars.
Babyteeth #1 is written by Donny Cates with art by Garry Brown.
Sadie Ritter is sixteen years old, nine months pregnant, and scared out of her sweet nerdy mind. Having a baby that young is tough, but with the support of her loving family behind her, everything should be okay. OH YEAH, and also her baby is the antichrist and it’s going to break open the barriers between the earthly and demonic planes and unleash eternal suffering to all of humankind. Other than that, though…should be fine. From the writer of Buzzkill, Paybacks, Redneck and the break-out hit God Country comes a pulse-pounding new series with art from THE REVISIONIST’s Garry Brown!
Aftershock Comics’ Babyteeth #1 is in comic stores June of 2017.
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