The Exterminators Volume 1 Bug Brothers

The Exterminators had me at page one, when main character Henry James started wondering about "Nature's Banana Skin" and the pests out there waiting to rub out humanity 'cause of the big black stain we've left on the planet as a species. This book is so good that I immediately stopped reading once I got to page 2 and went out to buy the next two trades as well. 'Bug Brothers" has everything you want out of a good Vertigo comic: Nail-biting action and graphic violence (Like AJ, one of the most disgusting characters ever written, impaling a rat with a throwing knife, or Henry ripping out a vicious raccoon's guts), deep moralizing diatribes (Stretch, a Buddhist exterminator exclaiming: "The path to personal divinity requires first that one accepts one's own vile and reprehensible nature") and a good mystery (like what the deuce is that scarab key and the locked box of suspicious Egyptian origin?) All of these elements plus the catastrophic mutagenic effects breakthrough bug poison Draxx is having on Los Angeles roaches make for some pretty good storytelling and apocalyptic events. Throw in a few brilliantly written characters (Henry and his corporate girlfriend Laura) as well as the rest of the sickos at the Bug-Bee-Gone Extermination company and you've got yourself a winner. Cheers, Simon Oliver, keep writing and I'll keep reading. And Tony, your art rules, dude!

If you haven't read "Exterminators" then this is your chance. Turns out roaches are actually going to destroy the world and it's up to the exterminators to take care it. It's dark, disgusting, hilarious and enthralling. Of all the comics on the market this is the one I get most excited for every month. I enjoy it over "Y: The Last Man", "Ex-Machina" and even all of Bendis' work. It's a really great comic that will keep you guessing and shock you time and time again. Lots of great cliffhangers. DON'T WAIT! READ THIS!

This first volume in The Exterminators series has everything -- from raunchy banter to existential musings, conspiracy-driven storylines to action-packed, pest-pulverizing sequences. The writing accomplishes the difficult but necessary task of fully inhabiting the speech patterns of its wildly diverse characters: Henry James is reflective, Dr. Saloth is geeky, and AJ (most memorably) is cynically foul-mouthed. The artwork is at turns intimate (lots of indoor scenes) and fantastically grotesque, with some of the full-page scenes really testing one's shock-capacity. What makes The Exterminators unique in this regard is that some of its most horrifying, stomach-churning scenes involve average, lower-class people living among vermin, rodents, and pests of all shapes and sizes. Such scenes touch a nerve because they seem so utterly, yet unbelievably, "real." All in all, between writer Simon Oliver and artist Tony Moore, this collection marries original storytelling and breathtaking visuals in a deeply engaging way. A great read for mature comics and graphic novel fans.

I admit, the premise really isn't all that attractive, but after reading the first chapter, all my doubts were erased. It's like Twin Peaks. Great mystery, very suspensful, and I must say - gripping. I picked it up because of Tony Moore's art, which I loved in The Walking Dead, but the writing was remarkably captivating. Definitely not disappointed. One of my favorite reads this past year. Highly recommended.

The quality of the story and artwork in this series is great! As a previous reviewer noted, it could almost find itself up there with Transmet if it continues. If you're looking for a comic series with intrigue, worldly cynicism and insane infestations of our six-legged friends then read this now!