When Len Mihalovich – the creator of Section 12 – got in touch and asked if I’d like to cover his comics, I jumped at the chance.

Not least because the Section 12 series – which Declassified is just one part of – has a fascinating history.

You see, Section 12 began in the early 90s; initially published by Dilemma Productions in their anthology series, Dilemma Presents.

In 1997, Section 12 had its own series, published by Mythic Comics; unfortunately, however, when Mythic Comics went out of business, Section 12 was put on hold.

Until more recently; Section 12 is now back – in a pretty big way!

So there’s Section 12 (Flashback), Section 12 (Declassified) and Section 12: Lost Adventures.

Starting with Section 12 (Declassified)’s first issue, I wasn’t sure what to expect – but I really enjoyed what I discovered.

It all starts innocuously enough; a young man named RJ arrives to clear out a widow’s house. Though initially it seems like she’s a hoarder, she soon informs RJ that it was her late husband who was forever bringing home junk from the research lab he worked at.

Ominously, she offers to pay RJ double his fee for the clearance as long as he promises to destroy everything.

RJ agrees, but decides to sell everything on instead – which leads to some startling discoveries and, potentially, a very dangerous situation for RJ and his friends.

There’s barely a wasted moment in this excellent first issue, which moves at breakneck speed in setting up the conspiracy behind Section 12.

I found it to be an incredibly enjoyable read, with an excellent cliffhanger that definitely draws the reader into wanting to see where things go next. I’ve even discovered that a sequence that occurs towards the end of the issue is a direct reference to Section 12 (Flashback) #1 – so there’s multiple threads and series being put in place here, pretty cleverly.

You can check out the first issues for free at Section 12 Comics, but do also check out Lenovations Press if you’d like to purchase further issues, either in print or digital form.

Many thanks to Lenovations Press for bringing Section 12 to my attention.