Many Baby Boomers have nostalgia for the 1950s saying it was a safe and pleasant time to live. These people completely ignore the Red Scare and the threat of a third World War, this time with the Soviets. Writer Scott Snyder and artist Rafael Albuquerque created a comic that sees this type of reality and then some called “Duck and Cover.”
It’s the 1950s and Delmont “Del” Reeves has dreams of being a movie director. He also has dreams of leaving his small town and moving to Hollywood, especially after he loses his eye to a local dog and is constantly bullied by the high school bully. That all changes after he, his friends Ollie and Junior, the bully, the bully’s girlfriend and a greaser girl survive a nuclear blast from the Soviets. Now they must endure a post-apocalyptic world where the Soviets have enslaved Americans.
The plot is decent as well as the execution. The character introductions are fine for Del and his friends but the other characters feel lacking. The reader will only care about Del and his friends at the end of the first issue. The other characters can all die horrible deaths and the reader won’t bat an eye. Of course, the use Soviets taking over the USA in the 1950s isn’t anything new but when you see what happens it appears that there may be something far more sinister going on.
The comic is described as “manga-inspired.” most likely due to it being about a bunch of teenagers trying to save the world. The better term would be “shonen” since this comic is sci-fi and appears aimed at teenage boys. Beyond that, it reads like the typical sci-fi comic.
The artwork looks nothing like manga. It looks more like Western sci-fi comics, especially the last few pages. Granted, the artwork has merit. The character designs are nice, the colors are used wonderfully and the post-apocalyptic world looks scary.
The first issue of “Duck and Cover” has a decent story with half the cast being likable and the other half ho-hum and some amazing art. Calling it “manga-inspired” is a stretch since there’s barely anything resembling manga here.
