By T.W. Worn — It's January again. Another year around the sun. The year is fresh, but once again we find ourselves in the cold and bleak nights of winter. A symbol of rebirth casted against the mute blues and grays of death. A new "us" huddling in a cave for warmth. Will this year be "our year," or will it be the start of the same annual cycle?

Apache Delivery Service #1 is the new title by Matt Kindt (Dept. H, Mind MGMT) a horror story set in the depths of the Vietnam Jungle during the height of the war. A slow, meditative peace about a Diné soldier spending his time in the bush, only to have his understanding of war flipped on him. Apache Delivery Service #1 takes its time in setting up our character. We understand little about him, but the things we know are known well. He feels comfortable in the war, but uncomfortable with his fellow soldiers. Beyond this, and the initial event to the story, Apache Delivery Service spends most of its time setting up the cruel reality of war.

Every year we make promises to be better. A fresh start even though we know we will run out of steam by March, but each year we still make them. We stand in the cold, celebrating another year on this deep space rock, praying for something or someone better.

Tyler Jenkins (Grass Kings, Black Badge) is once again another part of this dynamic team. Having worked together on a number of projects before, Jenkins and Kindt have a well established history that once again proves itself in the pages of this comic. Jenkins' art creates a claustrophobic and hostile environment, giving a busy but not overwhelming setting. It becomes even more impressive thanks to the opening of the issue, where Jenkins sits us in the cold forest of an American winter. Cold and barren. Setting that throws my cave-man-brain into red alert, but in the most exciting way.

Hilary Jenkins also returns to us with this team. One of my favorite colorists, she captures the moods of nature perfectly. The cold Arizona winter in the beginning reflects well with my early memories of living in the Arizona mountains. The lush and vibrant colors of the Vietnam jungles come with a warmth and humidity that can be felt within the pages. The shadows and foreboding eternity of nature, both good and bad, come to life through her colors.

Apache Delivery Service #1 has set up a smart setting, and with that may already be carving a notch for itself as my favorite comic this year, even though we are only five days in. If it stays with its tone and setting, I can see it being on everyone else's as well.

Happy New Year in this dark winter.

Overall: Apache Delivery Service #1 breathes new life into the "horrors of war" storyline, but it is too soon to tell if it will stay as fresh as the story insists. 7.0/10

Apache Delivery Service #1

Apache Delivery Service #1
Writer: Matt Kindt
Artist: Tyler Jenkins
Colorist: Hilary Jenkins
Letterer: Tyler Jenkins
Publisher: Dark Horse Comics
A jungle horror story by Matt Kindt (Ether, Mind MGMT) and Tyler Jenkins (Fear Case)!
Two haunted men are on a hunt in the jungles of Vietnam, searching for clues to a missing treasure trove of gold that was stolen from all over Asia by a Japanese general during World War II. Eventually they find a series of hidden caves in the mountains near the coast. Bodies start showing up--murder victims and mutilated corpses. There is a rumor that the caves and gold are protected by terrifying witches that have been living in the cave system for thousands of years. As our warriors travel deeper into the mystery, they learn more disturbing facts about each other and become paranoid of one another as they get closer and closer to the gold, while, at the same time, a bizarre serial killer is hunting them down.
Price: $3.99
Check Out Past Kindt, Jenkins Collaborations: Grass Kings, Black Badge, and Fear Case