This is a stand alone story that can be enjoyed all its own while still providing plenty to have me excited for what's to come. Hellbreak looks like another exciting new series from Oni Press, and as far as making a first issue connect with new readers, it does so on every level, including the price. This premiere issue is a packed twenty-eight pages, all for just a single $1. Oni and the creators involved are making it easy for you to try this new series out, and even if it had cost a normal $2.99 or $3.99, I'd have still walk away excited for the next issue! Read Full Review

Hellbreak can at times resemble a blockbuster action movie akin to the Expendables.  Then it pulls back the curtain a bit and reveals that this elite team of soldiers is not fighting Columbian drug lords or Mel Gibson.  Instead, they're fighting the forces of Hell itself, in all its terror.  This is a damn satisfying first issue and you are not going to find a better deal on the comic stands right now. Read Full Review

It's really refreshing when someone can take something like an old myth and give it a clever spin that makes it seem novel. What Bunn has done here is really smart, and I'm ready to go to hell and back with this new series. Read Full Review

This is a strong first issue and I look forward to more excellent writing and art that will continue to lead this series in a riveting direction. Read Full Review

A series like this potentially runs the risk of being too clever for its own good, but the power in its straight forward simplicity (even with a quick Greek Mythology lesson) creates some exciting horror fiction that makes this battle for souls a surefire must read. Read Full Review

Hellbreak #1 is a thrilling first issue that will leave you wanting more. Read Full Review

As I said on this podcast, Bunn was the breakout writer of 2014 for me - and Hellbreak might be his most delightful performance yet. He surely knows how to write people at their worst, and we're all the better for it. Read Full Review

Hellbreak #1 is definitely more action than horror, and it will be interesting to see how dark and disturbing they decide to take things as the series progresses. At this point even if its just a hell-of-the-month exploration Im way into that. You need a balance of light and heavy in your reading stacks, but that doesn't need you have to sacrifice quality to get your action adventure fix. In that regard, Hellbreak delivers Read Full Review

While some first issues would struggle with ten characters, Bunn introduces the entire team, completes the mission and sets up the series without any "To Be Continued" or "Part 1 of X" to string readers along. Furthermore, he devotes an entire page at the end of the issue to the deliverance of a mighty emotional punch in the gut for characters that didn't exist twenty-eight pages earlier. In this "Exorcist"-tinged cross between a prison break movie, a horror-based video game and a science fiction adventure film, the creative team makes "Hellbreak" #1 familiar enough to be dynamically compelling but inserts enough new twists to keep things moving and energized. Read Full Review

Unlike The Activity, the focus here isn't so much on technical expertise and realism, in terms of the operators, as it is on emotional attachment and action. That said, while I did enjoy the book overall, in future issues I wouldn't mind seeing a little more of a detailed approach regarding the team's tactics and procedures. Minor preferences aside, this was a good opening issue and promises to be another hit for Bunn and Oni Press. Read Full Review

This is not the first Bunn/Churilla project and this duo still has all their famous chemistry. Keep 'em coming guys. Read Full Review

Overall, Hellbreakprovides a unique take on the somewhat overdone exorcism trope which, used correctly, has the potential to providenear limitless storyline possibilities as this ongoing series develops. So long as the characters are fleshed out a little in the issues to come, you can count me in with this one for the foreseeable future – something which, given the creative team at the helm, seems all but guaranteed. Read Full Review

Where the issue loses me a bit though is in the central team dynamic, the guys who are sent in to rescue souls from hell. As stated Im not a fan of military type books and, unfortunately,Hellbreak has done nothing to change my mind. The characters all feel very flat with none of them really displaying much personality, instead spouting quips that could be taken from just about any Call of Duty game (or even Gears of War, which this book strangely reminded me of). There is an attempt towards the end to give the leader of the group some development in a last minute twist, but it doesnt spice things up too much and instead feels like yet another clich. Its disappointing given how much creativity Bunn displays in literally every other aspect of the book that this would fall so short. I just hope the dynamic can improve in later issues, but if it doesnt Im happy enough to remain on board for the sheer creativity in the other elements. Read Full Review

Hellbreak #1 is not a bad start to a brand new series, but it could use some work in areas. There's potential here in the story and where it could ultimately go, so it may be a worth look as time goes on. Read Full Review

A strong first issue that promises a lot of weirdness and incredible art to come. Read Full Review

Ultimately, this is a good first issue but it isn’t a great one. There’s some inconsistencies in both art and storytelling that I can only hope get addressed so that we can more fully enjoy the truly original and exciting concept at the heart of this book. Read Full Review

Hellbreak #1 is a fun and well-crafted first issue that takes a very different approach to a story about possessed individuals. The fusion of a military faction running rescue missions with the underworld makes for a solid read. At times, the action scenes do feel a bit stunted in their use of streak-color backgrounds in place of the environment. However, the overall production of the issue and inclusion of a number of threads to establish the larger scope of the series all combine for a satisfying opening issue. Read Full Review