Review by Avi Pollock
Writer: Eliot Rahal
Artist: Phillip Sevy
Colorist: Warnia K. Sahadewa
Letterer: Frank Cvetkovic
Thanks to Mad Cave Studios for the review copy!
20 pages of slow build followed by 5 pages of WTF make this political thriller a pull list must add.
With the rapidly changing world order there’s no better time for a comic book to put a spotlight on the briefcase that allows a President to trigger a nuclear strike. Through talking heads of past Presidents, Don’t Forget Your Briefcase introduces the reader to the ordinary looking briefcase that is the “nuclear football” and the person who follows the President as the “nuclear swordbearer” carrying that briefcase.
If you are looking for capes, costumes, robots, magic, mystical objects – this is not the book for you. Eliot Rahal, Philip Sevy and team are creating a political thriller that feels at the start like a bit of a slow burn but then suddenly has more holy crap moments than you would expect from 24 pages. The story has 2 main storylines. The first follows Colonel Honken, a marine who is one psych evaluation from becoming the holder of the briefcase. Although it looks like she will pass, her conversations with a puppet called Radiation Sickness Steve makes me think she may not be the best choice.
We also meet Katrina Milfer and her son Elmo. Elmo has just been suspended from school for fighting back against his bullies, hitting them with his deceased father’s briefcase which he has augmented with a brick. With no one at home to watch him, Elmo accompanies Katrina to her Communications job at the White House where he gets to meet the newly elected President.
You won’t be shocked to hear that the briefcase Elmo carries looks just like the “nuclear football” briefcase but that’s where the predictability of the story ends. There are 2 major story explosions that go off in the last 5 pages (which I will not spoil) that will make you stand outside the comic store waiting for the next issue to come in.
While the story itself is hard core political intrigue and the page designs well structured for the story in terms of panel layout and storytelling, I found that some of the cartoony art pulled me out of the real world narrative. Some of the characters are just drawn in a way that conveys satire rather than conspiracy thriller.
My review score: Story 10/10; Art 7/10
Don’t Forget Your Briefcase #1 is now available.
Are you going to pick up the comic? Have you already? Feel free to leave a comment below or chat with us on Threads at @theconventioncollective, or Bluesky at @theconcollective.bsky.social
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