GUNG-HO VOL 1

"Thomas von Kummant’s artwork is mind-blowing, and that’s an understatement. The book is absolutely breathtaking, unlike anything else on the shelves. It looks so fluid, like an animated film storyboarded out and rendered with the same time and attention as a big-budget animated feature would have. This is a mature readers book, with language and such abound, but it does not detract from the story at all. The action is real, the danger is real, and by the end of the book, we see the consequences are real as well.
Gung-Ho is one of my favorite releases of the year. It’s a breath of fresh air in the comic book world. ABLAZE has something extraordinary here, and I cannot wait for the next volume to begin." pastranimation.com

LIBRARY JOURNAL (STARRED REVIEW) -- After their antics find them exiled from the orphanage where they were raised, teenage brothers Archer and Zack Goodwoody are sent to Fort Apache, an outpost in the middle of a postapocalyptic Europe overrun with ferocious apelike creatures called Rippers. While Archer's brash disdain for authority soon finds him at odds with the settlement's leaders, more level-headed Zack quickly integrates and forms a tight circle of friends among the orphans with whom he spends his days training to battle the beasts that lurk the ruins beyond Fort Apache's walls. French creators von Eckartsberg and von Kummant spend much of this volume exploring how the drama between hormonal teenagers is magnified and complicated by the threat of being eviscerated by monsters and maneuvering a meritocracy in which warriors are afforded special privileges, allowing conflicts within the fort and a growing threat from without to converge slowly for a devastating finale. VERDICT Von Kummant's illustration is stunning and matches the lively tone of von Eckartsberg's script, which puts a new spin on dystopian survival tales in the Walking Dead vein by focusing the narrative around a teenage cast. A refreshingly original, promising start to the series.



This exhilarating Euro-comics take on postapocalyptic survival asks: Is it more of a nightmare to battle hordes of murderous creatures, or attempt to keep rampaging teenage hormones in check? In an unspecified, ravaged country of the near-future, orphaned teen brothers Zack and Archer Goodwoody arrive at Settlement No. 16, aka "Fort Apache," after being kicked out of a succession of other homes. The pair are incorrigible delinquents with two goals in mind-good times and girls-but find it tricky to pursue either in a community that must stay vigilant against "the White Plague," baboonlike animals that mercilessly attack en masse. The boys get to know the settlement's other youth, including a number of alluring young women and the requisite gang of bullies, while testing the patience of the adults in charge (who have their own dramas). Hormonally-fueled mischief ensues, escalating just as the White Plague surfaces. Combining Archie-style teenage shenanigans and rivalries with a Walking Dead narrative arc is a stroke of genius, and the creative team give it their all, with lively animation-inspired visuals and densely designed backdrops. This rowdy volume delivers ample fun at the end of the world. (Nov.)--Publishers Weekly

“Gung-ho is an incredible post apocalyptic action packed ride full with great believable characters, well thought out settings, and to top it off, a coming of age teenage drama. Grippingly told by Benjamin's writing and beautifully illustrated by Thomas, don't miss this chance to watch two master craftsmen at work.” -NIC KLEIN: ARTIST/CO-CREATOR OF DRIFTER, VIKING, DANCER (IMAGE COMICS), AND CURRENTLY DRAWING DEADPOOL FOR MARVEL COMICS.



“Thanks for sending me GUNG-HO. What a beautiful book it is! You'll HAVE to send me printed copies when they're out...please!” - CHARLIE ADLARD, ARTIST OF THE WALKING DEAD (IMAGE)



“GUNG-HO is one of my all time favorite comics. It's an action-packed, visceral and epic story with cool young characters in a jaw-dropping setting. Damn, I wish had come up with this Gem!” -ENRICO MARINI, WRITER/ARTIST OF BATMAN: THE DARK PRINCE CHARMING (DC)