Writers: R.A. Salvatore, Larry Hama, Geno Salvatore & Ryan Schifrin
Artist: Adam Archer
Company: Devil’s Due Publishing

Grab your guns, check your stash of silver bullets and pray that you somehow are able to buckle down and withstand the forces of the night, because if you don’t, then say sayonara to the entire human race, my friend. That in a nutshell is the basis for the story that R.A. Salvatore and Larry Hama, both masters of their own extremely popular genres, have come together to tell. The outcome of said mind-melding is an unabashed adventure romp, one that’s chock full of action and well…You guessed it, more action. A story that blends together the monsters of classic horror, your vampires and werewolves and such, with the somewhat specialized military characters that you might find in say, G.I. Joe. Needless to say, the pairing is a bit over the top at times, but it’s also a grin-inducing spectacle that sure is a heck of a lot of fun to watch.

But before we get into the good stuff, which there is in abundance, let’s first discuss the chinks in the armor. The big one is that the beginning of the story is rushed. The main plot points, the set up and such, are glazed over rather quickly in order to get to the eye candy of the feature, the action. In that regard, there are a lot of similarities to the first Underworld movie, which depending on who you ask, could be a good or bad thing. In the first few pages of Spooks, in an almost staccato like fashion, we have a conflict in the guise of a war, we’re introduced to the majority of the main characters, both good and bad, and are then rushed into an action scene. If they had slowed things down or paced it out a little better, the story would have had more room to breathe and you wouldn’t feel like you were missing something right from the start.

Other than that, the rest of the book and the larger mysteries that are alluded to begin to come together. The good guys, the DOSD (the Department of Supernatural Defense), which feels a little like the B.P.R.D. in a few ways, are fleshed out and feel a little less like the standard military grunts that you’d normally get in something like this, no doubt due in large part to Hama’s involvement. The main grunt, Hector Ramirez feels like a stand in for the Arnold Schwarzenegger-like character of the piece, which in something that has a lot in common with G.I. Joe or any other action movie, is never a bad thing. The bad guys, however, are a little less interesting so far, but there’s definite avenues for advancement that are glimpsed that could make them more appealing. As for the main feast, the action? Well, that’s where this book shines, mainly due to the clear and engrossing pencils of artist Adam Archer.

Mainly known for his work on Friday the 13th: How I Spent My Summer Vacation and a smattering of work on the Heroes comic, Archer has really brought his A game to the table with Spooks. His work feels like a cross between David Lopez and Jesus Saiz, as there’s an easy going-ness to the look and flow of the panels, especially his action sequences, that make what is occurring in each portion of the story that much more exciting and memorable. It’s also nice to see a relatively new artist, one that is still refining his abilities, to already have a talent for giving his characters such a range of emotions and a knack for well executed backgrounds.

At the end of the day, Spooks isn’t perfect. In fact it howls Hollywood Summer Blockbuster at the top of its lungs, something that I can easily envision happening. Really though, it’s seven different kinds of fun, and sometimes that’s all you need a book to be to be enjoyable.

This is an advance review. Spooks #1 hits comic racks 2/13/08.