Gung Ho

Benjamin von Eckartsberg and Thomas von Kummant’s Gung Ho is a remarkable achievement, even by international standards. The end-of-days action series tells the story of a village under siege. A heavily guarded wall is all that separates the inhabitants from the “white plague”: murderous predators known as rippers that have put Europe in a state of emergency. When the rebellious orphan brothers Zack and Archer arrive at the village, the fragile social order is thrown into disarray. The post-apocalyptic story, set in the near future, has a striking visual aesthetic: Thomas von Kummant’s digitally assembled drawings with their bright colours and sophisticated lighting effects provide a plastic look reminiscent of animated films. Rarely has the post-apocalypse ever looked so good. The story itself is entertaining genre fare: action, tension and teen romance are combined with themes including corruption, abuse of power, conflicts of authority, competition and jealousy, woven together by Benjamin von Eckartsberg into a gripping yarn built around skilfully crafted cliffhangers.