“Adaptid”: A Tense Take On Familiar Tropes

From publisher RuddyWolf Comics comes Adaptid, written by AJ Marsh and illustrated by Alfredo Retamar, Luis Santamarina, and Samrat Das. RuddyWolf describes Adaptid as “a sci-fi horror comic that takes inspiration from classic 80’s horror films such as The Blob, The Thing, and Evil Dead.” Adaptid is the first release by RuddyWolf but shows great potential. As of November 2021, the first two issues of Adaptid are public.

Adaptid “Issue One” opens with what can be assumed to be the titular creature (a Blob-like organism) arriving on Earth via a meteor shower. The creature then proceeds to bond with various living organisms like a parasite. It makes its way up the evolutionary complexity chain and eventually bonds with a rat. We then see four youth around 18/19 making their way to a cabin in the woods in a classic horror movie setup.

From there, the characters as presented as several teenage tropes. The popular jock, his hot but shallow girlfriend, the lovable best friend, and the wise-cracking smart girl with glasses, identify themselves quickly. However, this setup works in Adaptid’s favor. The tone is quickly established by using classic horror tropes that give a sense of eerieness from the get-go. A very prominent Chekov’s gun is highlighted and it’s only a matter of time before things fall apart.

There’s then some backstory to the relationship between the jock Tommy and his best friend Chuck, as Tommy’s sister Sarah explains the history to his girlfriend Evie. Trouble brews as the rat creature attacks the group and latches on to one of the teens. They’re conscious at first but the creature eventually takes control. It attacks another teen with its human host body. There’s a moment of hesitation before the teens are forced to deal with the creature, ending the first issue of Adaptid.

The first issue is a quick and engaging read. The bright colors and frequent close-up panels draw attention to only the most important details of the story. The pacing of the comic creates a tense page-turner. Adaptid pulls you along with the mystery of the creature’s motives and origin. We don’t get to spend much time with the characters before the plot takes off but the story does try to invest you in their relationships with each other. However, it is clearly more interested in the mystery of this alien creature than being a character study.

While the tropes help in setting the tone, they give the issue a slightly predictable nature. The suspense comes from seeing how the characters will react, not from wondering what might happen next. Despite this, the first issue definitely builds intrigue for what the next one contains. Spoilers for issues one and two of Adaptid ahead.

Adaptid “Issue Two” begins with the remaining teens standing over the two pieces of the host body as they call the police. The top of half of the host body crawls out the door ss the group argues over what’s happening.

The creature has proven to be an interesting antagonist but the problem with Adaptid is that it hasn’t established a strong protagonist yet. The remaining friends are trying to survive of course, but Adaptid sets up its conflict without spending much time in these characters’ worlds beforehand. Now, this could mean these characters won’t survive much longer, or that they’ll be developed in more depth later. But at this point in the story, Adaptid relies on its tropes to carry the story. For horror fans that enjoy those tropes, it will be sure to please.

A police officer shows up and immediately draws his weapon at the teens upon seeing the mutilated body. They have no time to explain before the upper half of the host body attacks and bonds with the officer. The hideous creature (who retains physical traits from all of its combined hosts) then attacks the teens, who flee to the basement. Two of them escape, but it corners the third. One runs back, making a heroic sacrifice, but only managing to buy the remaining two a little time and giving the creature yet another host.

This is where Adaptid is at its best: showing just how much of a threat this creature is. It quickly runs through the humans, getting stronger with each one it absorbs. It has no clear weakness as of yet. All the teens ever manage to do is slow it down. There’s a real sense of danger and futility as these characters only delay their impending demise.

In the basement, the final two teens take their final stand against the creature. They manage to injure it and then explode the house with it inside. They walk away from the burning building. There is now one dead cop and two dead minors missing. And as horror fans know, if there’s no body shown, the killer is likely still alive.