Babyteeth – 2017-2021 (Aftershock Comics) – Horror, Sci-Fi
Author: Donny Cates
Art: Garry Brown
Series Contents: Babyteeth #1-20
A post-apocalyptic tale of teenage motherhood, Babyteeth asks the age old question: What if your child was the antichrist? As young Sadie Ritter struggles with teen pregnancy, she gets some help from her sister Heather and father, she tries to avoid the upcoming End Times apocalypse.
Fueled by an insane and evolving high concept plot, Babyteeth has intense art to match its exciting premise.
Story:
As if heralding the antichrist and bringing about the end of humanity was not enough pressure, why not add some mysterious cult-assassins like the Silhouette, or warlocks, or demon raccoons? I will keep this review mostly light, as all the sights and surprises of the issues should be discovered on their own.
Sadie gets to be a new parent; however, her experience is not like anyone else’s. She names her kid Clark (after Superman), pleasing her dad who thinks it’s after her great-grandfather. From there, things take a divergent path, as everyone’s life is at stake almost always and the danger is ever-growing.
The forces of the world are at odds over the recent antichrist baby birth, with assassins and shadowy organizations showing up out of the wood work. Both bullets and demon-magic start flying, and the real issue is that baby Clark is having trouble latching… And THEN, when he finally does, he wants BLOOD!
Whatever is a young mother to do? Well at least Dancy Cherrywood might show up at the right time and save the day, but then… what is his deal?? And Marty, the demon-raccoon. He’s pretty useful, but is not a fan of airplanes.
So, here’s the truth. Even if I were to fully explain the plot and its twists and spoil everything about the characters, I would not be doing it justice. It may even sound cool, but it wouldn’t be giving you all the insane creativity of the story, or its absolute rush of energy in every issue.
The pages just fly by, with each issue feeling short as if it were somehow less pages than a normal comic (despite this truly not being the case). The limited number of issues give the tale no chance to stagnate, as it constantly evolves and pushes the barriers of its world building. Expect the unexpected, to say the very least. Twists and turns somehow feel natural despite the originality of the story beats presented.
While the story feels rushed due to its own ticking-clock mechanics involved, it is very well paced and remains gripping from opening pages to final panel. The evolution of the story leaves the reader always looking for more, however it does have a satisfying conclusion.
Despite its topic, there is a ton of heart and a lot of family and life commonalities to gravitate towards and identify with. Almost every issue packs something with heart and compassion, as well as danger and drama with unexpected results. It’s a relatively short read, and totally worth the time.
Art:
The unique art style is a great fit for the kinetic tale, as it is both dark and graphic when it needs to be and endearing at its other spectral end. Somehow even Marty puking up some enemy remnants can be cute, while demon action can be terrifying. It is design-y as well as flashy at times, and always looks in motion to match its exciting scenarios.
The design of the demon elements is very creative, and the distinct style of everything is very cohesive. I don’t think I have run across Garry Brown before this series, but his art is a fantastic fit! This is a good creative team that likely will create other cool stuff in the future.
Reasons to Read:
Babyteeth is one of those hard to describe tales full of most everything crammed together. Despite all the elements included, it gels seamlessly into a bonkers tale of demonic madness and the apocalyptic end of humanity. It explores family, motherhood, and many sci-fi or religious elements.
Similar Titles:
Harrow County; The Autumnal; Saga; Monstress; Gideon Falls