INTRODUCTION
Matchsticks Issue #1 is a 32-page black-and-white comic book, the first issue of an unlimited series. Making it particularly noteworthy is the fact that it's also a supplement compatible with Eden Studios' Unisystem games -- WitchCraft and All Flesh Must Be Eaten, in particular -- with Unisystem stats for characters, new powers, and new creatures featured in the issue appearing in the back.
That being the case, I'll first take a look at the story and art, then at the book's utility as a Unisystem supplement.
THE STORY
Matchsticks might best be described as "Kung Fu" meets "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" by way of Robert Rodriguez and Quentin Tarantino.
Nicholas Gaunt is an American who ran away from home at age 16, moving to Hong Kong and studying Wing Chun kung fu under a semi-stereotypical aging martial arts master named Lee Ho Foot while working as a mob enforcer. When Foot is killed in a mob hit and Gaunt himself barely escapes a drive-by shooting thanks to Foot's estranged zoot suit-wearing Triad nephew Ma Fat, Gaunt and Ma Fat set out to destroy those responsible. What Gaunt doesn't expect is that his ultimate adversaries aren't gangsters, but vampires.
Writer Dan Masucci seems to want to move the story along as quickly as possible in this first issue, making it seemed rushed in places. For example, Ma Fat's revelation to Gaunt that vampires exist boils down to:
On the other hand, the issue does manage to delve into Gaunt's background, introduce a fairly interesting mystery, and end with a satisfying slugfest -- not too shabby for 32 pages.
THE ART
I'd describe artist Francis Hogan's style as "pseudo-manga," like a grittier, less stylized "Samurai Jack". Hogan excels at conveying motion with minimal or no use of blur lines, the objects seemingly caught by high-speed photography -- a useful skill for an action-oriented comic like this one. Although the images drift into cartoonish territory here and there, overall the art creates a tense mood of impending danger and barely restrained power. (Except, of course, when the danger is present and the power has been unleashed.)
THE SUPPLEMENT
As previously mentioned, this issue features Unisystem stats for all relevant characters: Nicholas Gaunt, Ma Fat, Shu Feng (this issue's "Big Bad" vampire), Lee Ho Foot, and the typical "goon" vamps. Also included are two new chi techniques: Ghost Form, which allows the martial artist to become insubstantial, and Chi Travel, which is a line-of-site teleport.
Two things limit the utility of these stats, however.
First, while the stats are billed as being compatible with any Unisystem game, they strongly rely upon All Flesh Must Be Eaten and its Hong Kong action supplement, Enter the Zombie. What's more, at least one power is a modified version of a Tao-Chi power featured in The Mystery Codex for WitchCraft. So, while the stats are compatible with any Unisystem game, you'll need at least three books to get full use out of them.
And second, the stats include some noteworthy errors, including a complete lack of skills for Nicholas Gaunt and Shu Feng and the apparent duplication of Shu Feng's attributes for Lee Ho Foot. (Or is the elderly martial artist supposed to have a Strength of 6 and a Dexterity of 3?)
On the upside, the game stats do illustrate how All Flesh Must Be Eaten can stretch beyond zombies, especially when combined with Enter the Zombie.
CONCLUSION
I can't really say that Matchsticks breaks a lot of new ground in its first issue, aside from the Unisystem tie-in. However, it covers familiar territory with enough style to pique my interest, and the game stats are a nice bonus. It's definitely worth a look if you enjoy supernatural ass-kicking, and doubly worth it as an idea mine for your All Flesh Must Be Eaten/Enter the Zombie game.
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