Back Issues: "The Exterminators" (2006)Comicbook characters seem to have the best jobs; reporters, billionaires, detectives, mad scientists, Nazis, etc. etc. But what about the other occupations? The trash collectors, the mailmen, and so on? What about the exterminators?!? Maybe being an exterminator doesn't sound glamorous or interesting. It sounds disgusting and terrifying at times! But somebody has to do it.
All 30 issues of The Exterminators have been collected into five trade paperbacks, for easy reading! But five volumes is a lot of reading, am I right? You need to know that you're not going to waste your time when you could be watching TV or fighting rats for money while wearing a Mexican wrestling match. 
[This comic is so cool that it couldn't be contained in scans. These are photos of it in it's natural habitat.] Oh hey, you can get that in this book! Interested now, aren't you?!? The Exterminators is one of the funnier books to come out of Vertigo in a long time. It's full of dark comedy that sometimes borders on unpleasant, thanks to the nature of the job these characters have. Add to that some super evolution poison and things get a bit more twisted. But the sci-fi bugs aren't what makes this a great book. Instead, it's the characters themselves and how they react to the insane situations they find themselves in that makes this a great read. While AJ is bit horrible, the rest of the cast are varied and interesting. We have the likes of Stretch, a shady but likable Texan Buddhist. Sal, a weedy scientist with a violent history. Page, an employee of a literary-themed brothel. We also have Rebecca, the head of the incredibly crooked corporation responsible for Draxx. 
Stretch. Meditating.
Each character is full of stories and personality. They constantly develop and evolve, becoming even more intriguing and entertaining with each new messed up thing that happens to them. For example, the rat wrestling match might amuse you without context, but there's a depressing element to it, too. It's still amusing, obviously. There are plenty of scenes like the aforementioned wrestling. Plenty of “gross out humour” and intense fights with animals. There are Nazis, a black widow infested Wonderland, violent and blue overdoses and even ancient Egyptians. It's a well-written book full of dark humour that's balanced by likable good guys and some real nasty villains. Tony Moore's art is as superb as ever. His work in horror is well known, especially in the zombie genre, and he brings that to The Exterminators. Every animal he draws looks like something from a horror movie, with teeth, fur and antennae all over the place. 
But Moore isn't the only artist on the book; we also have Ty Templeton, Darrick Robertson, Mike Hawthorne and plenty more. In some books, this inconsistency can be a bit off-putting, but each artist manages to bring something new to the book while still keeping the style and atmosphere familiar. They keep the dark, grimy feel alive in Moore's absence. TO SUMMARISE: Wrestling, super roaches, animal guts. All of which is REALLY well drawn. Unfortunately, the book was canceled before it could reach the planned 50th issue. And, as you'd expect, it does feel like it was killed too early. But it's far from a bad ending and Oliver manages to keep it in style with the rest of the book and write a satisfying, if not perfect ending. Regardless, your shelf wants these trade paperbacks. Will your shelf get these trade paperbacks? Or maybe it already owns them? Let us know your thoughts on "The Exterminators" in the comments! 
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