Dept. of Monsterology: Monsterology 101

Dept. of Monsterology #1

by Gordon Rennie (Writer), P.J. Holden (Illustrator), Steven Denton (Colorist)

The first trade paperback in this highly praised ongoing comic book series. We've committed to publishing at least six years' worth of these incredible stories.

Featuring the first 4 comic issues, the prologue comic strip (as seen in USA Today), plus a new origin story 'The Trouble With Harry.'

'Investigating the forgotten corners of our world, one monster at a time.'

That's the story in a nutshell, however, it doesn't tell you just how action packed, funny, and surprising the story really is.

Gordon has written a wonderfully captivating romp that is a real page turner, that leaves you clamouring for more. Coupled with PJ's engaging artwork, all four issues of Dept. of Monsterology are a joy to read.

The first story arc introduces us to ancient monsters from the depths of the ocean, crystaline creatures from the caves of Eastern Europe, undead armies from the catacombs of Northern China, and the Department’s deadliest rivals of all...

Genres: Comics, Graphic Novels, Horror, Fantasy, Urban Fantasy, Adventure, Supernatural

128 pages, Paperback

First published September 25, 2014

About the author

Freelance writer for over 20 years – When he’s not being ungainfully employed as a BAFTA-nominated video games scriptwriter, he keeps himself busy writing comics, novels, screenplays and Doctor Who audio plays. Comics work includes Predator, Judge Dredd, Rogue Trooper, Missionary Man, Necronauts, Caballistics Inc and Absalom, and Dept. of Monsterology for Renegade.

Reviews

[Jayson · Rating 3 out of 5]

(B+) 78% | Good
Notes: A quirky, droll tonality, the art's like indie city, written witty, it's a pity nearly all its personalities are superficialities.

[Anne · Rating 3 out of 5]

Halloween Buddy Read with the Shallows.



I almost DNF'd this one after the first 2 issues. The characters were bland for a comic that has the word mosterology in the title and the plot was just spinning its wheels. Nothing was grabbing me. It seemed like a generic group of special people deal with the paranormal parts of our world story.



Now, because it was a buddy read and because I was looking for something a little monster-y for Halloween, I just decided to power through it.
And I'm glad I did.
After the Chinese vampires and the body-snatching siblings entered the picture, things really picked up. Honestly, the last issue with the professor who ends up a brain in a glass jar should have been put in as the first issue of this volume. Or something. Anything to spice it up a bit and get your attention.



The art? Well, I thought it was sort of ugly and boxy in spots, but some of the pages looked very good. I can't decide.
All in all, I was interested enough to snag volume 2 and see if this goes somewhere cool.

[Chad · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm a sucker for these pulp inspired stories of monster hunting. This has something of a BPRD slant if it was run by a college for research expeditions. The only thing that kept me from liking it more was the stodgy dialogue. There were probably too many characters introduced for an opening salvo as well. That being said, I did like it well enough to go ahead and read the 2nd volume.

[Alan · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have a large soft spot for pulp inspired science fiction/fantasy. Modern incarnation of that type of comic story telling include Hellboy and Atomic Robo. So perhaps I went into this series with my hopes a little too high, as this is an average not an outstanding read.

The basic concept is great. Dunsay College fields three teams of experts to investigate the unknown. Each team's name is a pulp easter egg. Team Carnacki (after the occult detective) specializes in the supernatural and includes a mystic, a supernatural being and a magician. Team Challenger is inspired by Arthur Conan Doyle's Professor Challenger as they seek out the cryptozoological and lost civilizations. Team Carter, I think is inspired by Edgar Rice Burroughs' John Carter, and when we finally get a peak at their backstory maybe Stargate.

So easter eggs for fans who enjoy them (like me), pulp inspired concept and teams that can cover just about every fantastic concept that can be thought up. Should be a sure fired winner.

The reason I'm tepid about this title is the characters. The issue might be too many characters to covers in the five issues collected here. Hellboy gives the reader Hellboy, and the various BRPD members for the reader to invest in, as an example. Rennie's story is fine, and it can be enjoyed like a old time Saturday at the movies serial, but the character investiture s for me ended up being zero, not enough to like or hate any of them.

[Mike · Rating 2 out of 5]

Bog-standard “here’s our team of outcasts-cum-action-heroes” intro, doing its world-building with too much tell, not enough show. Doesn’t have my attention in the first couple of issues - I actually heard myself wondering, “does this every get to the actual story, or is this entire thing just backstory?” Almost as bored as Anne was - mr maybe more because I think she made it further before throwing in the towel.

Sad to have to shit on a new writer with what Might’ve been an original premise, but just DNF, and not sorry about it.

Another tale brought to you by the Shallows' spooktober buddy reads

[Alexis · Rating 3 out of 5]

Recommendation rundown: If your style is pulpy, action-heavy, ensemble adventures drawing heavily on legend and a healthy dose of Lovecraft, this might be your type of read.

This just scraped into a three-star rating. Parts were really fun. The story revolves around a university department devoted to studying the strange and unexplained and protecting the world from various creepy crawlies generally denied by the public (think Hellboy). The department fields three teams to carry out their mission, one based around more physical threats (We've got fish-people fights! Come on down.), one focused on the paranormal, and one looking past the earth into UFOs and such (a team which disappeared without a trace about 50 years ago).

The concept and aesthetic had me, but the writing suffered from character tropes that failed to engage. I didn't really care about the characters (with the exception of Samwi, who was a highlight). There were some twists that intrigue me about where the larger story is going, but right now the teams seem pretty separate, and their stories come across as a little episodic. Also, as mentioned, make sure you have some tolerance for pulp (personally, I don't mind pulp, but just be aware).

I do tip my hat to the references. A troll-like member of one team is named Dr. Trondheim in a nod to Slavic mythology, a character makes a quip about underwater ruins looking a little, "non-euclidean," etc.

Did it intrigue me enough to keep up with the series? I don't know. Maybe if I can get it on sale.

[Ανδρέας Μιχαηλίδης · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think it's been around a year since I got this at the Malta Comic Con, signed by the amicable PJ Holden. At the time, in the whirl of days at the con, I saw steampunk, Lovecraft and pulpy adventure all wrapped into one, so I said "sign me on". I wasn't disappointed.

The comic is in the vein of all of the above, held together by a concept similar to League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, only more sciency. There are literally tons of references from other sources, past and modern, from the team names (Carnacki, Challenger, Carter), to the artefacts, to Professor Wilmington's "Big Daddy" Bioshock Body.

In fact, at times there references may get to be a bit much, but you know what you were getting into. On another note, I really like the choice of villains, stand-ins for much that is wrong in our world: powerful octogenarians with too much money, shadily made (or outright grabbed), too much self-indulgence and an annoying tendency to cheat death - especially in a world where magic is real and they get to steal other people's bodies for their own amusement.

If I have reservation about this comic, is that it falls into an expected trope that has become rather tiresome: nothing is as it seems and the whole supernatural element is literally EVERYWHERE, one crisis after another, with no one ever getting the wiser, outside of these teams. In this day and age I find it's a bit of a stretch.

[Ron · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thanks Hoopla and my local public library for allowing access to this title! This volume reminds me of a cross of Owl. Indiana Jones and Lora Croft. You have three teams based from an obscure academic institute supported by a trust fund that investigates crypto sightings, environments and/or treasures. In this volume the readers sees the adventures encounter Chinese vampires, dinosaurs, lovecraftian creatures and a very vicious enemy. A fun read. I will have to check if there are further adventures available!

[Trike · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was rooting for this to be at least a 3-star read, but ultimately it doesn’t coalesce nor does it stick the landing. The sketchy characterization and disjointed storytelling hamstrung it from the jump, and it never overcomes that. The fact there is no resolution to any of the stories really hurts it. There are a lot of hints about this and that, but nothing definitive. All in all it feels like an extended prologue.

[Andy Luke · Rating 3 out of 5]

Enjoyable but occasionally difficult, Rennie's script calls for the colourist to set down in dark scenes: the ocean's depths, caves, old museums and this can make for a difficult read in print esp. in Winter, when this collection should be read.
Holden gives us a succession of monstrosities, at times approaching Fabry-esque beastly-ness. There's delightful amount of world building on display, suggestions the authors know a lot more about this universe than they're telling.
Dept. is a fascinating concept: all the other worldly things in and out of the sandbox, hunted by an academic faculty. Sags a little in the middle through incoherency, but redeems itself by turns as gripping, imaginative and well-executed.

[Wendy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love this take on the paranormal genre.

[Corey Timmins · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am liking this book more on each read.