BEHEMOTH #1 / Story by GRANT SPRUTORE & RYAN ENGLE/ Art by JAY MARTIN / Letters by FRANK CVETKOVIC / Published by DARK HORSE COMICS

Sara is a young woman with dreams. She’s a great cook with a food truck who hopes to hit it big and set up an actual restaurant. At the very least, she’d like to not be living in the food truck and to quit her job at a distribution center. Unfortunately, continual car troubles have eaten up her savings and she’s resorted to offering free food for life to her mechanic, Manny, just to break even.

All that is put on hold, however, after a giant monster attacks the city.

Soon Sara is one of the faceless masses, fleeing certain doom in a bus. Unfortunately, the monster catches them and swallows them whole. Now, Sara must lead her fellow passengers in a struggle to survive.

Behemoth #1 is an inventive story. Usually when the monster eats the hero, that is the end of the story. Here, it is just the beginning. I must give credit to Grant Sputore and Ryan Engle for the idea if nothing else.

However, this first issue is almost entirely devoted to introducing Sara and setting up the concept outlined in the issue summary on the Dark Horse Comics website. It isn’t bad, but the pacing is a bit slow for a monthly comic. Thankfully, what we see here is gripping enough to encourage continued reading.

The artwork also sells this story and invests the reader in its future. Jay Martin manages both intricate details and streamlined action with ease. The titular Behemoth is distinctive in its design, though clearly invocative of the classic movie monsters of yore. The final art and colors are gritty and grim without being obscured by the inks. However, some detail gets lost past the middle distance and some panels are sketchy in a way that feels more rushed than intentional.

Despite the slow boiling story and rough patches in the art, Behemoth #1 does more right than wrong. I suspect it will prove a stronger read in a single volume than as a monthly comic. However, this first issue still offers a strong start and unique idea that will appeal to fans of kaiju and survival horror.

Behemoth #1 arrives in comic shops on January 15, 2025.