Skip to Content

Chaos!: The Chosen is a Lukewarm Venture Through the Supenatural

Chaos!: The Chosen is a Lukewarm Venture Through the Supenatural

ChosenOneShotCovRaney

Chaos!: The Chosen #1

Writen by: Michael Moreci

Artist: Ivan Rodriguez

Colorist: Rohvel Yumul

Letterer: Marshall Dillon

Published by Dynamite Comics

 

As October dies down, it is important to remember the spooky elements of the holiday. Creatures like witches and vampires, people who are stuck in a beastly form, others transforming into grotesque creatures, and outcasts from society. These ideas are all present in The Chosen from Dynamite Comics.

From its outset, the comic sets the protagonists as outcasts. The fact that they are not normal human beings isn’t enough. The art and character designs show that many of the female characters dress either using a bargain bin or with outdated concepts of style. It’s perfect hipster bait. Of the two male characters, one is perpetually transformed into a hulking green brute while the other can transform into a differently colored brute and is a bit pudgy while slothing around in baggy pants and a hoodie. The worst thing about the characters is that they all blend together. They are best described as a group: as teens with attitude. The only thing that sets them apart is the Wiccan’s uncertainty in her spell-casting ability and various  trite one-liners that come from the cast. The VW Microbus they drive around in has more character than them, simply because of its sole ability to have survived in its apparently excellent condition. Everyone takes turns driving it so the Volkswagen cannot even be identified with one person so much as the whole group.

The plot is also horribly uninspired. The Chosen a.k.a our protagonists, are trying to put an end to a trio of witches who are Layout 1terrorizing normal people. Their method: A skull containing vast magical powers. It is as simple as that. A macguffin fetch quest occurs where one of the female characters has uncertainty about her powers, but is able to pull out a victory right in the nick of time during the final fight with the witches.

The best part of this book is Ivan Rodriguez’s art. Each character prominently stands out. Each scene displays enough grit to show that each character is somewhat of an outcast. However, each location is definitely its own, such as an on-the-road truck stop or an elaborate church. The colors for the special effects where magic is used stands out with the supernatural sparks, waves, and colorful auras that audiences have come to know.

Sadly, this comic suffers from a far too typical story, characters, and effects. While the art makes this comic worth reading, it does not save the book from how stale its subject matter really is.

[wpchatai]