BEAST OF BORIKEN #1 / Script by JULIO ANTA / Art by DANIEL IRIZARRI / Colors by PATRICO DELPECHE/ Letters by LUCAS GATTONI / Covers by DANIEL IRIZARRI, NAOMIE FRANQ & MAX FIUMARA / Published by TINY ONION & DARK HORSE COMICS

2017. Hurricane Maria makes landfall in Puerto Rico. Already suffering from a far lower standard of living than any other United States protectorate, the island becomes the site of one of the biggest humanitarian crises in American history. Naturally, there are those who see the disaster only as a means to get rich…

Eight years later, activist Loli Flores is fighting the development of another resort built on crooked deals and the unemployment crisis. When the ground-breaking ceremony is violently interrupted, Loli and her fellow protestors are blamed. However, Loli discovers the real culprit is something supernatural. And unlikely as it seems, the beast called el Chupacabra seems to be on her side.

Beast of Boirken is the latest miniseries born of Tiny Onion’s True Weird line. For those who have not read the earlier volumes, True Weird is devoted to real accounts of cryptids and monsters. Beast of Boirken is slightly different, being equal parts politics and horror.

Most of the comic is concerned with exploring Loli’s past and motivations while setting up her rival; land developer Simon Hunt. Unfortunately, this second part drags a bit, with hero and villain listing talking points regarding the problems of Puerto Rico today or why big businesses buying the island and exploiting the resources is a good thing. While this is important background regarding a serious issue, it is still overly expository and makes the arrival of el Chupacabra seem tacked-on.

Thankfully, the artwork is interesting, even when the script is a bit dry. Daniel Irizarri keeps things moving visually, even in the most static talking head scenes. And the design for el Chupacabra once we do get to see it is memorable. The colors are also notable, with Patrico Depleche using different tints to denote the flashbacks and modern day.

I suspect that Beast of Boirken will read better collected in a trade than as a monthly miniseries. The pacing issues that are its chief flaw seem to be born of a desire to get the details out so as to focus on the monster for the rest of the series. Fans of cryptid horror and the earlier True Weird volumes will be able to muddle through regardless, but I think this one will evade casual audiences.

Beast of Boirken #1 arrives in comic shops everywhere on July 1, 2026.