Customer Reviews

The Exterminators Vol. 1: Bug Brothers

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I admit, the premise really isn't all that attractive, but after reading the first chapter, all my doubts were erased. It's like Twin Peaks. Great mystery, very suspensful, and I must say - gripping. I picked it up because of Tony Moore's art, which I loved in The Walking Dead, but the writing was remarkably captivating. Definitely not disappointed. One of my favorite reads this past year. Highly recommended.

This is the story of exterminators and their position on the front lines against a growing menace. Our main character is an ex-con who has been given a chance as an exterminator by his mother's new love interest who happens to be the founder of the company. In the field as a newbie he sees some unusual stuff. Their main weapon against cockroaches is a chemical that could cause a severe problem. In a poor section of the city where no one can afford exterminators, the roaches have changed. They are pretty harmless unless exposed to a rare chemical that just happens to be a main ingredient in the roach killer. Compassion drives our hero to perform a job for a young woman living in this neighborhood. Suddenly the roaches are a bigger problem.

There have been times in history when nature has risen up from the lowly creatures to swat down mankind including the recent theory that plague carrying fleas brought down the Roman Empire. We are approaching one of those times now. The signs are here and the Scarab has been sighted. Bugs are going to humanity's big enemy again and these exterminators are looking at ground zero.

How bad will it get and can these killers of bugs avert the coming tragedy? This volume does not answer these questions but it does an excellent job of setting the strange and getting the action moving at a fast pace. There is a lot of foreshadowing for future volumes but the first battle is fought to its end in this volume. Basing a series on exterminators is interesting although I expect most of the bug killers bear little resemblance to any reality (some of these guys are real characters). I am looking forward to the rest of this series. Check it out.

The Exterminators had me at page one, when main character Henry James started wondering about "Nature's Banana Skin" and the pests out there waiting to rub out humanity 'cause of the big black stain we've left on the planet as a species. This book is so good that I immediately stopped reading once I got to page 2 and went out to buy the next two trades as well. 'Bug Brothers" has everything you want out of a good Vertigo comic: Nail-biting action and graphic violence (Like AJ, one of the most disgusting characters ever written, impaling a rat with a throwing knife, or Henry ripping out a vicious raccoon's guts), deep moralizing diatribes (Stretch, a Buddhist exterminator exclaiming: "The path to personal divinity requires first that one accepts one's own vile and reprehensible nature") and a good mystery (like what the deuce is that scarab key and the locked box of suspicious Egyptian origin?) All of these elements plus the catastrophic mutagenic effects breakthrough bug poison Draxx is having on Los Angeles roaches make for some pretty good storytelling and apocalyptic events. Throw in a few brilliantly written characters (Henry and his corporate girlfriend Laura) as well as the rest of the sickos at the Bug-Bee-Gone Extermination company and you've got yourself a winner. Cheers, Simon Oliver, keep writing and I'll keep reading. And Tony, your art rules, dude!

I really liked this book because of the amazing artwork that was found within the pages as well as the awesome storyline that is being set up. When you read this book, it is almost like you are there with the Bug Be Gone crew. I am a fan of these type of books. It almost reminds me a lot of the movie Ghostbusters. Each character in that movie and in this book have a certain quirk that makes them unique and fun to watch. As with the Ghostbusters, The Exterminators have their own little awesome toys and such that helps them battle the pestilence that is found in their city.

It is said on the cover of this book that "Vertigo is the HBO of the comic book world and proves this more than ever with THE EXTERMINATORS. ... Outstanding!" - Washington Examiner

I find that this is true. It would be really cool if HBO DID pick up on this series and make it into a tv show. One can almost visualize it being that way.

So what are you waiting for? PICK IT UP!!!!

If you haven't read "Exterminators" then this is your chance. Turns out roaches are actually going to destroy the world and it's up to the exterminators to take care it. It's dark, disgusting, hilarious and enthralling. Of all the comics on the market this is the one I get most excited for every month. I enjoy it over "Y: The Last Man", "Ex-Machina" and even all of Bendis' work. It's a really great comic that will keep you guessing and shock you time and time again. Lots of great cliffhangers. DON'T WAIT! READ THIS!

The quality of the story and artwork in this series is great! As a previous reviewer noted, it could almost find itself up there with Transmet if it continues.

If you're looking for a comic series with intrigue, worldly cynicism and insane infestations of our six-legged friends then read this now!

This first volume in The Exterminators series has everything -- from raunchy banter to existential musings, conspiracy-driven storylines to action-packed, pest-pulverizing sequences. The writing accomplishes the difficult but necessary task of fully inhabiting the speech patterns of its wildly diverse characters: Henry James is reflective, Dr. Saloth is geeky, and AJ (most memorably) is cynically foul-mouthed.

The artwork is at turns intimate (lots of indoor scenes) and fantastically grotesque, with some of the full-page scenes really testing one's shock-capacity. What makes The Exterminators unique in this regard is that some of its most horrifying, stomach-churning scenes involve average, lower-class people living among vermin, rodents, and pests of all shapes and sizes. Such scenes touch a nerve because they seem so utterly, yet unbelievably, "real."

All in all, between writer Simon Oliver and artist Tony Moore, this collection marries original storytelling and breathtaking visuals in a deeply engaging way. A great read for mature comics and graphic novel fans.

If you like more edgy stuff, not superheros in spandex. Get this book, these are the kind of comics that will move to the forefront if they are exposed to a wider audience. Well written, drawn, thought out.........great read...

Great start, to what's turning out to be a great series. I just reviewed the second book, and realized I never reviewed the first.

If you're sick of spandex and capes, this is a great read. This, Ex Machina, Y: The Last Man, and DMZ are definitely the books to read.

even though i loved the book, i really hate the quality of print and the paper. colors are dull and paper is recycled toilet paper quality. why is it most publishers print their book in high quality and Vertigo rips people off? these books should cost less than usual decent quality books from other publisher.