Tramps of the Apocalypse #1 (Dark Horse, 2025)

There's nothing worse than seeing a bland version of something you REALLY enjoy. Shame. 

TRAMPS OF THE APOCALYPSE #1, with the script, interiors and cover art done by Alice Darrow, with interior and cover colors done by Hugo Blanc and letters by Frank Cvetkovic.

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Hello, and welcome to First Issues now, the weekly show
posted daily about only the newest first issues released by
insert comic company. Here this week, I'll be looking at
the comics release for the week of August sixth, twenty
twenty five. Well, with a title like that, I swear
it's something that I would have backed on Kickstarter before,
and yet here it is under Dark Horse. So let's

(00:21):
check out Tramps of the Apocalypse number one with the script,
interiors and cover art done by Alice Darrow with interior
assistance and the cover colors done by Hugo Blanc and
letters by Frank Sekovic. How do I properly discuss this delicately? Now?
I will try and be positive and I kind of
am I am the target demographic for this sort of genre?

(00:44):
Sort of? I say sort of, because Yeah, something called
Tramps of the Apocalypse with a premise that three busty
women are driving through the post apocalypse in their beetle
with a scarny, nerdy guy sounds just like the dumb
be movie fun that I am absolent slutely the guy
for I am here for it every day. Oh and
they also get attacked by a muscled up guy in

(01:05):
a gimp harness saying he's going to make his master
proud again, exactly what I'm looking for here. It's great,
even the art I think isn't bad, even if it
does come off like a webcomic that got a comic binding,
since these panels are pretty big with not a lot
to fill the void. It's the problem with going solely
black and white with minimalist art like this that can

(01:28):
really give off a coloring book feel more than a
comic book feel. But then again, that's also where I
sort of lose anything else to scrounge positively about this.
The art is paint by numbers, simple, with only a
couple moments where it feels like more than ten minutes
was put into a panel, and it looks decent. It's
not an ugly book, on the other hand, though it's

(01:49):
also a very bare book visually, with the same bareness
in the dialogue. I don't mean that they don't use dialogue,
though they do, but so much is said in this
book without anything actually being said, and not in that
fun Dave Mammott way. There's a couple of lines you
can read that you know they're supposed to be humorous
and a joke, and maybe if it was being performed

(02:12):
it could work, But it just falls flat reading it
on the page, there's not enough comedy to make the
gag about the virility Spray not working on their wimpy
random guy feel like a gag like it's supposed to.
I will be honest, and I am totally open to
being called a pig here, But if you're going for
the B movie shlock, feel that this really feels like

(02:33):
it wants to have, especially with that title, especially with
how some things go. You need that made for TV's
un sexy sexy cheesecake that made them great rentals to
begin with. But I think that's where the book loses
me personally. It is not bad, and I say that
if you get a chance to read it, go for it.
But the book honestly loses me because it has a

(02:55):
great setup and a great premise for a top tier, fun,
stupid book, and you have Joe Dematto guys hunting for
a dude being protected by three busty babes the world
and the feel almost writes itself if you've even just
seen cinema snob reviews of these types of films. But
it doesn't. It feels like a first draft, and not

(03:16):
the fun kind of first draft where you go too
over the top and you have to reel yourself in,
but the other kind where you had a single idea
that would make for a good five minute joke, but
you can't get enough material to flesh it out to
twenty pages. It'd be the most understandable way of why
it doesn't feel like it's reaching for anything. It's not
as iriverind as it should be. It's not as over

(03:37):
the top as it pretends to be, and honestly, it's
just kind of beige. It's just there man. So yes,
my official verdict is sadly ignore it. It has very
little worth engaging with. And I was truly willing to
meet this even ninety percent of the way. I won't
ever say don't read something if you're interested in it,
just so long as you understand that there's nothing I

(03:58):
can see worth it. And I'm not saying you should
waste the money on it, but maybe I'm wrong. Let
me know what your thoughts of this issue is over
on Facebook at the Comic Archivist, or Twitter at AGC
Underscore does it All? And on Blue Sky at agac
does it all without any underscore. Don't forget to like, share, follow,

(04:20):
and do all the stuff that I'm being told is
so important to continue doing these more than anything though,
Stig Golden Inklings