By Wes Craig and Toby Cypress. | Published by Image Comics 2018/19
Artist Toby Cypress was the main draw for me on this. His work is hectic, messy, wonderful and weird. The storyteller, Wes Craig was a complete unknown to me, but he quickly won me over with his story of a small group of shovel wielding warriors, dedicated to the fight against the supernatural evil. In these 9 issues, we're told a tale of the end of the world and of The Grave Diggers Union who fight to stop it. A coven of rich business men, evil witches and warlocks believe they've found their priestess who can bring the dark gods beneath the earth back and bring about a new age. The Grave Diggers Union, has figured out their goal and do everything they can to stop it. While there are twists and turns both good and bad in this 9 issue story, and Cypress' work does not disappoint, the ending was a little predictable. I won't give anything away, but I couldn't help seeing the ending a mile away. So as much as writer Wes Craig won me over with the general tale, he still succumbed to a pretty predictable plot conclusion.
But, putting my petty quibbles aside, these nine issues are quite interesting and fun to read. Toby Cypress's unique artistic depiction of strangeness and doom is absolutely enthralling and I can't wait to see more of his work.
If I could draw any comparisons, it would be to the comic BPRD, published by Dark Horse Comics, starring the likes of Hellboy and Abe Sapien. I would say the tone of the stories and the mood of the art are in alignment with that wonderful sort of comic. I'm not sure if we'll ever revisit the world of The Grave Diggers Union or not, but if there's a chance, I would buy it.
