(Titan Comics, 2013)

Review by Brad Gischia

Created, Written, Illustrated – Stuart Jennett
Logo Design & Lettering Assists – Donna Jennett

Time travel has always been a cornerstone of science fiction, so it’s no stretch to find it winding its’ timey-whimy through comics as well.  In Iron Man #149 and #150 Tony Stark battles Dr. Doom and Morgan le Fay with King Arthur, and I recently reviewed Ghost Rider #50 where the Spirit of Vengeance went back to the old west.  You might say, “that’s well trod ground,” or “been there, done that,” and for the most part you’d be right.  But I have one important question to ask you.  Ever seen a grizzled Ally soldier shooting a T-Rex with a Tommy-gun?  Gotcha!  Thus, I give you Chronos Commandos.

First of all I must say, hats off to Mr. Stuart Jennett, the be-all end-all of this book.  His talent, in both the writing and illustrating aspects, have made this book enjoyable to read and to look at, and I think the fact that he has done both so well make the story move along at a speed and with a tone that having two separate artists seldom matches.

The illustrations have a painted quality to them that make them beautiful.  His use of earth tones and fluid lines give a naturalistic aspect to the things depicted in the book and a lifelike quality, but still keeps the tech looking modern.

The story is this.  We’re following a group of WWII commandos led by Sarge, a veteran time-traveler and soldier, through a jungle in search of a competing Nazi team.  Each is in possession of a time-travel machine, and each is trying to stop the other from gaining any advantage that these machines would give.

As the book moves along we watch as the commandos are picked off, until only the Sarge and Grease are alive.  They reach the Nazi machine and Grease is greased by someone the Sarge recognizes, (arch-nemesis teaser here) a man he calls Dieter.

The book ends with a series of explosions and the, introduction of the doc, Albert Einstein, who is running the Allies time project.  I can only imagine that as the series continues we’ll see Sarge battling his way through time, chasing Dieter across continents and blasting away with his Tommy-gun through ancient Rome, the American West, or present-day Manhattan, Mr. Jennett has no boundaries as to where he can drop Sarge.

In 1895 H.G. Wells told the story of a man and a machine traveling through time and meeting the creatures that populated the Earth before and after his lifetime.  Mr. Wells never could have guessed that an entire generation would grow to love his book or that it would spawn such a wealth of creative fiction.  Chronos Commandos is another in a long line of great time-travel science fiction, and has the added advantage of stunning artwork.

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