We Only Kill Each Other #1 feels like it’s a bit of a reminder of our history that we should be reminded of for today. Set in 1938, World War II looms over the United States. While we might think we rallied to take on Nazis and fascists with ease, the reality is that they had a lot of sympathizers on American soil. Some of the resistance that fought the Nazis here at home were the Jewish-American gangsters who put aside their differences to take on the threat they saw coming. This is the story of two gangsters, rivals thrown together to realize they hate Nazis more than each other.
Created by Stephanie Phillips and Peter Krause, We Only Kill Each Other #1 kicks off with a story fans of gangster tales will appreciate. We’re introduced to Jonas Kaminsky and Levi Solomon, two individuals who are full of clichés and stereotypes that make their type of characters interesting and engaging. One is a hot head firebrand willing to start a fight in a bar. The other is the more thoughtful boss who’s deeply religious but has no problem putting a gun to the head of someone during Shabbat. There’s an interesting mix between the two that when they eventually come together should make for a lot of entertaining moments.
But Phillips and Krause also make sure to take the time to present the threat Kaminsky and Solomon are going to face. In a very well done scene, we’re slowly introduced to the Nazi threat. It’s not just through a speech but also violence that’s somewhat shown. Krause takes the very smart direction to both show and not show the violence of a crowd beating a would-be assassin screaming “Kill the Jew”. It punctuates what’s happening but at the same time also allows the imagination to run wild with the specifics.
Krause’s art is solid like that. With color by Ellie Wright and lettering by Troy Peteri, the comic does a great job of hitting those key moments. An individual is killed after spilling some info with the gory details left off the panel. The crowd beating an individual. A fight that we see only as it’s about to begin. There’s a lot of engaging moments that does a solid balance of delivering the right beats and showing the reader just enough.
We Only Kill Each Other #1 does a solid job of reminding readers that there was a Nazi threat here on American soil. It wasn’t a clear rally to defeat them during World War II. Much like today, there was sympathizers who would bring their hate to our soil. Much like then, this series seems like it’ll remind us that we need to stand up to defeat them and it won’t necessarily be a pretty battle.
Created by: Stephanie Phillips and Peter Krause Story: Stephanie Phillips Art: Peter Krause
Color: Ellie Wright Letterer: Troy Peteri
Story: 8.0 Art: 8.0 Overall: 8.0 Recommendation: Buy
comiXology provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review
Purchase: comiXology – Kindle
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Source: Graphic Policy
