Two GI Bros Crash on Paradise Island During Monster Hunt in Ravage: Kill All Men #1

RAVAGE: KILL ALL MEN began as a Kickstarter campaign under the Cautionary Comics banner. It was loudly heralded and brought with it high expectations, due to the gravitas lent to the series by writer Chuck Dixon who joined Benjamin Henderson in crafting the story. The dynamic and sexy cover by Geebo Vigonte and Lorenzo Thellier D'Auzers also no doubt moved units to the success of the crowdfunding campaign.

Since then, the title has shifted its masthead to Fanatic Comics, and is getting a second "redux" printing through an Indiegogo, which is still in the offing.

So lets dig into this offering, both external and internal, and deliver the breakdowns.

As far as shipping goes, RAVAGE: KILL ALL MEN utliizes the industry standard Gemini Mailers, which keeps the book flat and mint during transport. It's also bagged and boarded, and the bag is adhered (lightly) to the cardboard to prevent shifting. This is on top of the secondary material, bagged and boarded separately, which includes a magazine-sized print (on heavy board) as well as an equally sturdy reproduction of the same print in a smaller size with a 2021 calendar. On the flip side, you get a bookmark using art from the cover, as well as a die-cut character sticker and a coaster, both of which bear the same quality hallmarks as similar items Critical Blast itself purchases from StickerMule.com.

This leaves us then to the story itself, which should be the main reason anyone buys a comic book.

The overarching plot is solid, if not familiar in several areas. Two G.I. bros, Indiana Jones and Allan Quatermain -- aka archeologist Manny and big-game hunter Randall -- are brought together when Manny finds proof that a Kong-sized black panther exists on a mysteriously uncharted island. They fly there using Randall's claptrap plane, following an entirely incidental and needless run-in with smugglers, and end up making a crash landing on the island, where they are soon taken prisoner by an all-female tribe of warriors, who have plans for them beyond the prurient.

The interior artwork by Jimbo Salgado, colored by Bryan Arfel Magnaye, is serviceable if lacking the depth and expression of the characters on the cover. The story, while straightforward, has a number of places where I'm distracted both by the depth of the two male protagonists as well as some of the physics involved and decisions made. The plane has a twelve-hour flight capacity, but shortly in they lose one of the engines and spend eight hours traveling onward to the island on the remaining engine rather than turning around for repairs. One wonders if they did the math to realize they wouldn't have enough fuel to make the trip back from the island, thus making this a one-way trip for both of them. But I digress...

Once captured in the jungle, bound, and marched at spearpoint, the men are singlemindedly focused on one aspect of their peril: "Boobies." Despite there being zero invitation from any of the warrior women, who are openly antagonistic, and with painful death a high-probability, Manny and Randall can only think about scoring, which was an unnecessary distraction from the adventure; it's not even humorous, were the intent to make RAVAGE: KILL ALL MEN the comic-book equivalent of WILD WOMEN OF WONGO meets KONG: SKULL ISLAND.

The issue ends with some hint of what it is the women need from these men. While they refer to the men as "male scum" they are also deemed "worthy" enough to replenish them with their seed, so that they may garner enough strength to leave the forests -- and the beast that lives within it -- that imprisons them there. This is, apparently, a twenty-year plan being hatched, unless there's a magic incubation period that will speed the process along.

The package has the promise of being more than it is, and a second issue is being prepared for the 4th quarter of 2020. Fanatic Comics has also acquired the talent of Mike Baron to co-write their second title, OFFWORLDER, also slated to begin crowdfunding in 2020.