Vince Hunt & Andy Bloor teased a new release they were collaborating on a while back and one of the perks of this reviewing game is that I sometimes get an early look at titles I was already hyped about.
Things all open with what seems like a relatively mundane tactical move by a heavily armed MI6 squad and while they’re prepared for pretty much anything that could kick off, what they find needs an even more special unit from within the government. Cue the arrival of the trio that make up the MI666 group with a very specific skill-set for tackling the darker elements of the good vs evil divide and we’re thrown into their latest case that means they’ll be saving the world……again.
The combined knowledge of a necromancer, witchcraft specialist & demon specialist is just the right blend for the jobs they face and with another shadowy society to tackle it’s a case of piecing things together to stop those evil bad guys. Their methods are crude & extreme in places but the swagger they have is just the right balance of faith, knowledge & confidence to keep you on their side along the way.
Vince has thrown together a set of tortured souls that are greater than the sum of their parts and while they’re all working through the grim possibilities in their own minds, it’s clear that he’s committed to keeping that team powering ahead on their mission. His narration, dialogue & even the otherworldly voices in the characters heads are planned out nicely to keep things edgy and more than a little disturbing but this lets a weary sense of history seep into their very bones.
Andy’s art manages to capture that all with the very level of detail & darkness that the story demands and it feels like the level of cool & evil that oozes from it is delivered from first page to last. It’s got the Bloor vibe to it that we’ve seen in his work before but there’s something special about the ability to add a rawness to the glimmer of hope in the story that’s surrounded by dark art to emphasize it. Not a beat is missed as the lettering & art mix well to keep things flowing and it feels like the Vince & Andy combo are the best pairing to be working on this one.
A title lives & dies on it’s characterisation & the world they inhabit, and in the case of MI666 it’s got the balance & poise to hit the ground running, chase the evil into the shadows and then give it a good kicking – all in the name of saving the world of course. In the end, the hype I had for this is met with ease as it hits the heights I was expecting and in the course of just the first issue it had me wanting a second, a third, a collected edition and more……so here’s hoping this first outing will lead to more.
Keep tabs on both creators ahead of the 6th June release over on the Twitter links below:
Vince – @jesterdiablo
Andy – @andybloor
9/10
G-Man
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