Brandon Borzelli's Geek Goggle Reviews
We Stand On Guard #1
Image Comics
Vaughan, Skroce, Hollingsworth & Fonografiks
"We Stand On Guard" is a fantastic opening issue. For a mini-series that is centered on the what-if scenario where the United States invades Canada, the comic book steers clear of politics and long-winded exposition. Instead, Vaughan uses the forty pages to focus on one character's perspective as she watches the invasion as a small child and the fallout as a young adult. The book is a great read backed up with great visuals. Don't pass this comic book up.
Amber and her brother Tommy watch their world come crashing down in the opening pages as their country, city and home are horribly invaded by the United States. The reader gets a good idea of the political landscape but the visuals are what drives this home. Amber is watching the TV broadcast that shows the aftermath of a drone attack on the White House. Before they can come to any conclusions Holy Hell is unleashed on their lives. It's a powerful few pages to open the book.
Amber then becomes a young woman and she is wandering the woods alone when she comes upon a American robot-dog. She is rescued by a Canadian group called the Two-Four. The characters that make up this group are Chief, Highway, LePage, Dunn, Qabanni, Hungry and Booth. The group has a general distrust for Amber but before that has a chance to play out they fall into a sticky situation.
The closing few pages are as powerful as the first few pages as Amber is put to the test in a fairly emotional ending. This comes at the conclusion of a six-page sequence that contains nothing but stellar visuals. The book ends on a tremendous note.
Skroce takes this story to another level with the artwork. With nearly a third of the comic book containing nothing but visuals (no dialogue, caption boxes or sound effects), the artwork takes center stage and rises to the occasion. The art is heavily detailed, finely inked and beautifully colored. The comic has a setting in the woods with snow and that allows the details of the characters and battle to pop a little more and it works really well. The details when Amber's home is invaded are absolutely chilling and might be the best in the comic book. Vaughan paired himself with a superstar for this comic book and it shows.
"We Stand On Guard" has all the makings of a classic series. The opening issue stays away from politics and heavy dialogue and sticks to a few characters and their perspective on the United States invading Canada. The comic book opens with a powerful sequence and ends with a thrilling string of events. At forty pages you get plenty of comic book for your money and all of it is highly entertaining. This is your chance to get in on the ground floor of what looks to be something special. I highly recommend checking this comic book out.
5 out of 5 Geek Goggles
