Writer Rob Williams sure does seem to enjoy Michael Mann films. The previous AWA series he wrote – Old Haunts – had a very Michael Mann-esque, crime drama feel, albeit one with ghostly goings-on woven throughout the story. And with Out, we have a World War 2 story with a heavy supernatural element – which immediately put me in mind of Mann’s 1983 classic WW2 horror, The Keep.

Though the mash-up of war story and horror may be similar across both this comic and Mann’s film, however, the two tales are very different. In this first issue, we’re introduced to Nocona, a Native American language specialist – who doesn’t seem particularly accepted or trusted by the Allies, who are supposed to be his allies too – who’s being sent to a Nazi fortress with other prisoners of war. Meanwhile, the desperate Nazis – with the war nearing its end – are making a last ditch attempt to win, with a plan to almost literally raise hell…in the form of an ancient vampire that they seek to awaken.

The setup is superb, with fantastic art by Will Conrad; the writing is – as you’d expect from the ever-dependable Williams – superb too, with nicely done exposition, some great character work and tantalising plot threads dangled throughout the issue. The cliffhanger is an absolute stunner too; I can’t wait to see where we head next on this dark, bloody, grim adventure. AWA Studios -and their focus on quality over quantity – seem to have struck gold yet again with Williams/Conrad’s Out.

Check out a video featuring Rob Williams talking about creating the series below:

Many thanks to AWA Studios for providing me with a copy of Out #1 for review purposes.