Ask For Mercy Season One: The Key To Forever

Ask For Mercy (Collected Editions) #1

by Richard Starkings, Abigail Jill Harding (Artist)

An action-packed and artistically stunning dark fantasy story from Elephantmen creator, Richard Starkings and breakout talent, Abigail Jill Harding, making her series debut. Ask For Mercy is a World War II fantasy horror story in the tradition of John Carpenter's The Thing and Sandman. Mercy is snatched from her own place and time to join a team of Monster Hunters who are actually Monsters themselves, and together they have to take on a Pantheon of Hideous Creatures summoned to our world by Nazi evil! This edition collects all six issues of the first series. Part of the Comixology Originals line of exclusive digital content only available on Comixology and Kindle. Read for free as part of your subscription to Comixology Unlimited, Kindle Unlimited or Amazon Prime. Also available for purchase via Comixology, Kindle and in print via Dark Horse Books.

Genres: Comics, Fantasy, Graphic Novels, Horror, Fiction, Science Fiction

155 pages, Kindle Edition

First published May 8, 2019

About the author

Richard Starkings is a British comics professional, known for writing the hit sci-fi series ELEPHANTMEN and specializing in lettering, thanks to his award-winning Comicraft lettering studio.

Reviews

[TAP · Rating 3 out of 5]

No one trusts Nazis.

A+ artwork. Acceptable storyline.

[Chad · Rating 3 out of 5]

The story of a real estate agent who can create portals back to World War II era Paris where she meets these monstrous human alien hybrids who are trying to stop Nazi alien human hybrids from taking over the Earth. The story is overly convoluted and both the story and art can be muddled. The art is sometimes beautiful, sometimes confounding, particularly in action scenes where I couldn't tell what was happening.

[Cale · Rating 2 out of 5]

Amazing art can only take you so far. But make no mistake, the art here is the star, with the story feeling a bit muddled (and it's in keeping with some of the art style, which, when it goes toward action tends to lots of muddle and chaos). A woman can create portals from the modern day to WWII occupied Paris, and is a piece of a person from another dimension as well. There's a wolf-man, a shape-changer, and Himmler. It's a weird mix of concepts and story that never quite lives up to an admittedly strong first issue. The characters are somewhat confused, the plot points introduce MacGuffins that it then tosses away, and the resolution isn't very fulfilling. And it uses every 'mercy' pun it can, often multiple times, and rarely to good effect. It was still worth the read just to appreciate the art and style, but I don't know that I would want to follow it if it goes forward.

[Jason · Rating 1 out of 5]

I was drawn to this book because I found the cover art intriguing, but sadly, this book was a huge disappointment. Ask For Mercy is the story of an English woman named Mercy who gets tricked into a portal that takes her back to 1942, where she teams up with three shapeshifters (a werewolf who looks more like an Afghan Hound than a wolf, a freaky bug creature, and a woman who seems Native American and transforms into some kind of spirit bull) to stop a possessed Henrich Himmler from opening a portal to another dimension and setting a bunch of evil bug creatures loose on the earth.

The script to this story feels like a first draft written by a thirteen-year-old boy. Our main protagonist Mercy is approached by a super creepy old man who knows disturbing details about her, and despite her actually asking him if he's a stalker, she quickly agrees to follow him to "meet some friends" through a mysterious red door that whisks her to another world. Yes, that's a perfectly reasonable thing for her to do. He immediately abandons her, and she just takes everything in stride as she's immediately attacked by World War II era planes piloted by monsters, but lucky for her the three people standing nearby watching her transform into creatures and come to her aid.

The other three people she teams up with are pretty unlikeable one-dimensional characters. Kasa, the woman who can transform into some kind of spirit bull, seems really catty and takes every opportunity to berate our protagonist and shut her down when she tries to ask questions about her confusing situation, which, when I as the reader would also like to start gathering some kind of clue what the hell is happening or what anything in this story means, is a guaranteed way to make me hate this character.

One huge problem I have with this story is that apparently Heinrich Himmler is possessed by an evil wizard from another dimension who is in turn possessed by a member of an evil insectoid race called the Kroach (yes, because they are like cockroaches...and they are also trying to encroach on Earth...a little too on the nose). The evil in Himmler was enough to open a rift to this other dimension that allowed the evil bug wizard to possess him. Or something. I'm sorry, was Himmler not evil enough on his own that we now need to blame his actions on an interdimensional bug creature? Ugh. No thank you.

The art by Abigail Harding that initially attracted me to this book is utterly incomprehensible in the context of the narrative. It's unfortunate that so much of the action involves evil bug people with dangly tentacles fighting the good bug person with dangly tentacles, and I often had no idea what on earth was going on or what I was even looking at. There's a sequence where the bug shapeshifter Budgie just suddenly dies for reasons that are completely unclear. They go through a portal, Budgie talks about how he doesn't feel well, a Nazi tank rolls through the portal, and next thing I know Budgie is dying and it had something to do with the tank, but it didn't shoot him and it doesn't appear to have run him over either. But the muddled art makes it completely unclear what actually happened. If one of your story's heroes dies and nobody reading it has any idea how or why it happened, that's not good storytelling. What's also funny about this is that Mercy, who up to this point was standoffish and untrusting of these three strange people she's suddenly stuck with, is suddenly emotionally devastated by the loss of a character she's perhaps said ten sentences to. But hey, it's all good, because Budgie conveniently comes back from the dead without explanation, literally appearing out of nowhere and forming a protective armor around Mercy just when she needs him the most.

This book was honestly pretty terrible. Unfortunately for me I picked up three volumes of it during a Comixology sale, so that will teach me for going all in on a series before I read the first volume. I've decided to continue since there are only two more volumes which I already have anyway, but I can't decide if I actually hope it improves or if I want to just hateread it from here.

[Will Brown · Rating 1 out of 5]

Abigail Harding’s incredible art and surreal monster designs can’t save this book. The setting is interesting, but the characters and dialogue are really weak with the main character, Mercy, rarely responding like a human being, and the side characters all being one-note caricatures. Very disappointing.

[Rebecca Crunden]

Mercy is the key to our future.

The artwork in this is really cool! Like, seriously, indescribably EPIC.

Also, Budgie is freaking hilarious.

☆ Blog | Twitter ☆

[Marcelo Soares · Rating 3 out of 5]

Quantos trocadilhos são possíveis com o título de uma história?
Muitos, vários, demais até.
A cada três páginas, alguém pergunta pela misericórdia, ou pede por misericórdia, ou descobre que não adianta pedir por misericórdia.
Essa repetição é bem chatinha, mas a história é bem legalzinha, afinal monstros bonzinhos contra monstros nazistas, não tem como dar errado.
Mercy - Misericórdia em inglês - é uma corretora de imóveis meio falida na Londres de 2018, tomando um café, um carinha com orelhas pontudas convida-a a passar por uma porta vermelha que ela nunca tinha visto antes, ela acaba na França, em 1942, sendo atacada por monstros nazistas. Ela é salva por um transmorfo, Budgie; um lobisomem, Ratmir; uma xamã, Kasa; e, ainda que relutantemente, se une a resistência ao nazismo.
A primeira missão é invadir um castelo onde a Sociedade do Sol Negro - um culto nazista ainda mais do mal - está reunida. O pau quebra, reviravoltas, revelações sobre a conspiração interdimensional com primos do Venom que quer devastar a terra e sobre quem é Mercy afinal.
A história é bem simples, e os constantes trocadilhos deixam ela meio chata, mas a arte é muito legal, especialmente nas cenas mais calmas, parecem pintadas a lápis de cor, com pequenos detalhes coloridos que chamam a atenção; na pauleira, fica um pouco confuso, mas tem aquela sensação de algo de outro mundo que a história parece invocar, o sobrenatural como algo fora da natureza mesmo - lembra um pouco o H R Giger com fortes pitadas lovecraftianas.
É uma boa curiosidade.

[BookishDramas · Rating 4 out of 5]

A high 4.5 ⭐ for me.

This was a blockbuster start to this series, Aliens, timelines, portals, magic, technology and Nazis as villains, what's not to like.


The topic of Nazis as villains is an overused topic with not many reaching the dizzying heights of Indiana Jones although some very tough well written books are out there that pack massive punch.

Exploration of the occult is also a topic that was explored by that state.


Here the topic gets fillip from extraterrestrial aliens who thrive on magic and also an aggressive all consuming species that destroys entire worlds is explored very well and used ingeniously in this 150 pages plus book.


The art is colourful, vibrant and suitably dark for the topic.

Loved the book.

[Brian Lakes · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great Original Title

I really thought that this was a highly original new title. I've never read anything like it. It was a very refreshing story with original characters. The only reason I rated this with four stars was because the art just isn't my cup of tea. Thats not to say it isn't good. Just not for me. I really enjoyed the concept and story. I mean, mix killing aliens masquerading as Nazis and who wouldn't want to read this.

[Vladimír · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dlho som nečítal nič tak vizuálne podmanivé. Kresba Abigail Jill Harding je jednoducho famózna. Príbeh možno nie je úplné terno, ale po prvom zošite som už naň naskočil a spokojne som sa viezol až do konca. A naozaj som mu ochotný odpustiť veľa, keďže tento komiks bol ako prechádza v galérii. Naozaj som si to užil a vrelo vám ho odporúčam.

[Donovan Penner · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ask For Mercy Vol. 1

A little time travel, a little fantasy, and a fair amount of violence. This one didn't quite click for me. The story felt like it took its time getting set up and only started getting interesting the last 10-20 pages. Not a fan of the art style either but I know I'm kind of fussy

[Ronald Weston · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was quite impressed with Abigail Jill Harding's artwork of Ask for Mercy Season One: The Key to Forever; it was stunning, especially as a debut. Too bad that the storyline was a low grade variation of Raiders of the Lost Ark with other dimensional monsters, a change of setting, and a different Biblical reference. Hopefully the next compilation will be of more interest.

[Charles Frierman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not everyone gets Mercy.

Overall, I'd say quite good. It does get a little confusing at times but always seems to clear up. Mercy is a very likable character and I pulled for her, but she is such a mystery it's tricky to fully appreciate her at times. Great fights and good story!!

Favorite character: Mercy
Favorite moment: her wanting to go back to her safe little shed.

[Arianna · Rating 2 out of 5]

Beautiful, inspired art, but sadly the writing doesn't measure up. The dialogue is stilted/old fashioned, the pacing is off, and the character development isn't really believable. We need more of a reason to feel like the characters are bonding and less deus ex.

[Andrew Berman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Recommended

A good story with superb art work. Reads nicely on my fire hd8. I recommend this book for anyone who appreciates adult fantasy and quality art work.

[Mr Douglas Jarvis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice

I loved the water colour style art although sometimes it got a little confusing when busy. A decent story although I felt it failed off a bit towards the end.

[Rio · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 stars.

[Connor · Rating 3 out of 5]

Acceptable but nothing to write shed about

[Sean]

I like Budgie.

The rest was okay.