CAPTAIN AMERICA #3 hits your local comic book store on November 29th, but thanks to Marvel Comics, Monkeys Fighting Robots has an exclusive four-page preview for you!
About the issue: Misty Knight has uncovered a string of murders with seemingly supernatural origins – and Captain America’s been marked as the next target. Something about the crime scene strikes Steve as familiar…but can he find the connection between the murders and his past before this mysterious new threat finds him?
The issue is by writer J. Michael Straczynski and artists Jesús Saiz & Lan Medina, with colors by Matt Hollingsworth, and letters by Joe Caramagna. The main cover is by Saiz.
Check out our CAPTAIN AMERICA #3 preview below:
Are you reading CAPTAIN AMERICA? Sound off in the comments!
Dark Horse Comics’ Giant Robot Hellboy does it all. It has the pulpy action-packed thrills of a kaiju match coupled with Hellboy‘s trademark mythological depth. Writer Mike Mignola, artist Duncan Fegredo, colorist Dave Stewart, and letterer Clem Robins yank us back into the fray with this issue, but they balance the chaos by hinting at meaningful truths that are hiding just beneath the surface.
About the Issue (from Dark Horse):
While Hellboy’s robotic counterpart battles giant monsters on a faraway island, the scientists running the mission scramble when things at the lab get more than a little out of hand.
Writing
People have often said that comic books are today’s version of mythology. That’s never been more true than in the case of Mignola’s Hellboy Universe. His stories have subtly intertwined over the course of its decades of publication. Lobster Johnson, the Black Flame, the Hyperboreans, and even Frankenstein’s monster all tell us a little more about each other. From the dawn of creation to its final moments, no story is truly insulated in this sprawling world Mignola has masterminded. Except a story about Hellboy controlling a mech suit to fight monsters on an abandoned island, right? Surely there’s nothing deeper going on there? Guess again.
Mignola separates Giant Robot Hellboy #2 into two different narratives. The first is as simple as it gets. We see the titular robot beating monsters into a bloody pulp. It’s all sound effects and explosions. There’s no dialogue at all. The second narrative is a little more mysterious. The shadowy corporation that has kidnapped Hellboy — who may be somehow related to our friends at the BPRD or perhaps their UK counterpart — have sent one of their agents into an abandoned building to look for clues to what’s going on. The agent’s handlers piece together scraps of information to try and make sense of what they’re seeing. But they know more than they’re telling us. Mignola feeds the reader details sparingly, keeping the stakes high and the mystery intact. But what he does tell us shows that he has big things planned for the final issue, and this series has more going on that what first meets the eye.
Art
Fegredo’s art is atmospheric and dynamic. When he places a scene in an abandoned office, you almost want to brush the cobwebs out of your way as you follow along. And when he draws a battle sequence, the detailed carnage and destruction has you wondering if you should run for cover before reading more. But there’s something even more brilliant about Fegredo’s action scenes than the riveting displays of power. Instead of getting lost in the mayhem, Fegredo guides us through it with a play-by-play of images. We see Hellboy’s mechanical avatar pulling his fist back in one panel and then it making contact in the next. The giant lizard he’s tangling with picks him up by his arm and leg first, and then throws him into a mass of rocks next. This “setup then payoff” style of visual storytelling gives us a sense of the momentum of these brawling bodies and helps us track the development of the fight clearly.
But Fegredo doesn’t just use this technique to make the combat comprehensible. He also uses play-by-plays in the more peaceful moments we encounter. One character inhales from his cigarette and exhales smoke in exasperation right after. Another character pulls a document from a file cabinet and then we flip perspective to see her reading it. Time moves very slowly in this issue. You get the sense that you’re seeing every second of what’s going on. Every action is followed by a reaction, turning these tumultuous pages into something we can understand.
Coloring
Again, Stewart keeps the color palette in this issue relatively pale. The insides of the lab where they’re holding Hellboy are shown in faint hues of blue, grey, and red. Even the more action packed scenes of the giant robot throwing punches tend to stick to muted greens, browns, and blues. The moments that stand out to us are interesting though, because they highlight something unexpected. The first time we notably see saturated warm colors is when the robot lets loose some explosives into his monstrous foe. Hellboy, with the help of lab technicians who are running his weapons systems, doesn’t back down. He rains more explosives down on his crippled enemy, resulting in a river of warmly colored red blood pouring from the monster’s hide.
There’s another scene where the reptilian titan sits in the middle of raging orange and red flames. He looks pitiful rather than terrifying. Stewart actually has us questioning the pages of this book on a much deeper level. Are we really on the side of the people trying to beat the big lizard? Or should we be on the side of the poor animal whose home has been visited by a technological invader?
Lettering
Robins’ placement of sound effects, which populate most of the pages of this issue, are interesting. Instead of placing the sounds of gunfire or missiles at their point of impact, Robins often has their sounds closest to where they’re coming from. And so, the giant robot is the one that’s most often surrounded by the “BRAPAPAP” of bullets flying or the “FWOOOSH” of rockets blasting, while the beasts he’s up against tend to be accompanied by the sounds of their own screams. One looks to the sky where big, green, block letters spell out the “SCREEEEEEE” of his death cries. Even in the details as subtle as this issue’s letters, we’re asked to reconsider how simple this story actually is.
Verdict
Giant Robot Hellboy is a ton of fun, but it’s also so much more than that. It delivers more colossal cage matches than you’d dare hope, while slowly teasing out themes and connections to a much bigger story. Do not miss this brilliant new issue, Giant Robot Hellboy #2, out from Dark Horse Comics at a comic shop near you!
The premise is simple: read one comic every day for the entire year. It seems like a simple task but there is no way that I read 365 comics last year, even if you count the individual issues in collections. So, this year, I am committing myself to this reading challenge, in the hope that I can broaden my reading habits and fully engage with my favourite hobby again.
This week is a little different to my usual trawl through the week’s reading. I was lucky enough to give a talk at the Comics Forum 2023 comic conference in Leeds. My talk was based on the visual representations of Frankenstein within a collection of comic book adaptations. In preparation, I obviously read a bunch of comics but instead of going through each one, I thought I would share an edited version of the talk itself. Therefore, I present:
The Constantly Evolving Frankenstein: Changing visual representation through multiple comic book adaptations.
Frankenstein is a great work of literature and has been heralded as the first work of modern Science fiction. It has also become a sprawling transmedia text, spawning theatrical performances, radio plays, film adaptations, experimental performances, and of course, a host of comics ranging from direct adaptations to modern re-tellings. The characters, especially the creature, have been appropriated into other works, such as the robot replica monster created to battle the X-Men in the Marvel comics, and over time there has been an evolution of the narrative and all of the elements associated with Shelley’s original.
Universal Frankenstein by Andrew Swainson
Frankenstein or The Modern Prometheus, written by Mary Shelley, was first published in 1818 with a second English edition in 1823. This second edition was prompted by the success of a stage play based on the novel, Presumption: or, the Fate of Frankenstein. This was followed by a single volume third edition, which was published in 1831 and had been heavily edited by the author herself. With a big budget film version released in 1931, and a sequel, The Bride of Frankenstein, following in 1935, there were already a number of versions and adaptations of the novel around when the comic industry turned its attention to the property.
In 1939, DC’s Movie Comics #1 included the first comic book version of the characters, although this itself was an adaptation of the third Universal Frankenstein movie Son of Frankenstein. The images that make up the panels were taken directly from the movie, like a photo-story, with only small elements illustrated to simplify the images for a comic publication. Backgrounds and extras were removed and replaced by flat color fields or large areas of text. This comic reinforces the visual decisions made by the movie director and costume designers, paying Shelley’s original little attention. By this time Boris Karloff’s appearance as the creature had been a marketing phenomenon, with a wide variety of merchandise available. Even today the visuals depicted in the early Universal movies resonate with audiences who may not have seen those films. However, it is not just the creature’s appearance, but sets and elements of the narrative that have become part of mass recognition, detached from the original source.
Son of Frankenstein page from 1939’s Movie Comics #1
The influence of previous media can be seen in the first original Frankenstein comic adaptation, Dick Briefer’s New Adventures of Frankenstein, first appearing in 1940’s Prize Comics #1. The comic strip started out as a horror comic, evolved over time into a humour strip but eventually returned to horror in the 1950s. The most interesting aspects of the first issue, a loose adaptation of the novel, are the visual representations of locations and characters but also the acknowledgement of influential sources outside of the novel.
The creature is a large, disfigured, brute with an instantly recognizable flat head and scarred face. The appearance is clearly reflective of Karloff’s appearance in the movie series and the silent anger that features in panels of violence also calls back to James Whale’s 1931 movie. After several pages of seemingly mindless violence, Briefer gives the creature a voice, turning him from the typical ‘grunter’ monster that was part of the mass media adaptation up to that point, into a more thoughtful creature. This final two-panel twist breaks the standard representation of the creature from that time. Frankenstein’s creation was portrayed as a mute, unable to communicate in any way except through violence but Briefer returns some agency to the character, which was a major element of Shelley’s original novel.
Frankenstein as visualised by Dick Briefer
Unfortunately this brief recognition of the complexities from Shelley’s book wasn’t to become a feature in the comic book adaptations until much later. Throughout the 1940s and up to the 1970s, further representations of Frankenstein’s creature would reiterate the monstrous aesthetic from the early adaptations. Even when the character is adapted into superhero comics, such as the short lived Dell publication Frankenstein, and Marvel’s The Monster of Frankenstein, the creature is something to be feared — a horrific monster. It is also during this period that the name Frankenstein becomes more closely related to the creature himself and not the creator. In Dell’s superhero comic for example, Frankenstein is the name of the monster and his creator is simply known as The Doctor.
By turning our attention to setting and scenery instead of character, the changes to the novel can be clearly seen. Comics are a visual medium and the metaphors and similes of the novel are translated into imagery and visual symbolism. In issue 30 of Creepy, published by Warren Publishing, the story Piece by Piece written by Archie Goodwin with art by Joe Orlando, starts with a splash page with Uncle Creepy, the narrator, on the left and a ‘mad scientist’ leaving over a body on a table on the right.
Title page for Piece by Piece in Creepy #30 by Warren Publishing
Despite Piece by Piece not being an adaptation of Frankenstein directly, the image resonates with the readers. One look at the page and you instantly know what is going on, no background knowledge is required. It is the archetypal ‘mad’ doctor in his lab. From that single image we know that the scientist has built himself a creature from the body parts of the dead and brought him to life via some dangerous scientific means.
This image is instantly recognizable as the creation scene from Frankenstein; however, the lab, the life-giving electricity, and the gothic surroundings are all additions to Shelley’s original novel. The description of Victor Frankenstein’s laboratory and the effect of the events that happen within it help the reader to understand the character and his reactions; however, the design and visualization of the lab has changed drastically across adaptations.
The humble abode where the scientific breakthrough is made barely gets a mention by Shelley. There are not descriptions of elaborate workshops full to the brim of scientific gadgetry or even science fiction machinery and yet a simple Google search for “Frankenstein’s Laboratory” will bring forth a vast array of complex machines, jars and bottles filled with unexplained liquids, just like the scene from Piece by Piece. There is also, always, an abundance of electricity. The ‘spark of being’ that Victor mentions almost in passing in the novel becomes a literal bolt of electricity in a number of adaptations; for example see the Tops adaptation of the film Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein from 1994.
Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein published by Topps Comics
The elaborate lab motif was a very early feature of stage productions, although the comic book versions started out a bit more true to the novel. Classic Comics #26, published in December 1945, was a reductive adaptation of the novel, produced for educational purposes and with the intention of attracting younger readers to classic works of fiction. The writer, Ruth Roche, followed in the footsteps of theatrical performances of the text and edited down or removed large sections of the story while maintaining a fidelity to the original material. Huge sections of the novel have been reduced and presented on a few pages or even in only a handful of panels. Towards the end of page five, the bottom tier shows the studious scientist at work in his lab and just like in the novel, it is an unassuming setting. In the fifth panel, nothing of the background can be seen, instead the image and the text focus entirely on Victor’s obsession. This type of visualization is a technique often applied in comics to draw the reader’s attention to a specific element of the narrative. By removing the background, the reader’s attention is 100% on the character.
Page six creates the atmosphere present in the novel and maintains the normalcy of the rooms without relying on spectacle. There is nothing outlandish in the visuals and the first panel on the page could be any workroom or loft space. Artists Robert Hayward Webb and Ann Brewster are not creating the superhero experience that has become associated with comics in the modern age, instead they are focusing on atmosphere through a sense of realism. The setting is minimal, and only visible as a full room in one panel, but the design and layout allows the artists to engage the reader in the same way that the novel does. Fear, revulsion, and mental imprisonment all coexist on the page.
Classics Illustrated #26
The design of the laboratory in the Classic Comics version does not embrace the extravagance of other visual adaptations of the novel. One argument against comics being accepted as literature is the visual aspect that they employ and that they favor images over text, but in Roche’s adaptation, the reduction in the plot does not mean a reduction in the meaning. The art takes the signifiers of the novel and gives them visual representations without unnecessary embellishment. In James Whale’s 1931 movie adaptation the scenery is ostentatious and elaborate, mimicking the emphazised horror aspect of the story that Boris Karloff’s creature represents. The movie is about spectacle and was intended to shock its audience. Its success at the box office not only allowed for numerous sequels but it also produced a merchandising frenzy that spread the visual imagery of the movie far and wide. Elements of the movie became part of the zeitgeist and instantly recognizable by the public.
One aspect, the scientist’s lab, has influenced many adaptations and parodies that followed. The influence of the movie can be seen in print as early as 1945 in Dick Briefer’s horror/comedy comic Frankenstein. In the creation sequence, the body of the creature lies atop a large table in the center of a vast stone walled room. The scene is dressed with large electric machines with pipes and cables filling the backgrounds of the panels. The layout leads the viewers eyes down through the page to the creature. In contrast to the Classic Comics adaptation, the attention is given to the creature and the materials/machines used in its birth. The scientist, in Briefer’s version, is the epitome of the mad scientist trope. He is excited and exhilarated by his discovery and not at all despondent or repentant like Victor in the novel. The labs in both Briefer’s comic and Whale’s movie are full of wonder and imagination but also uncertainty. They both embrace the fear of the modern, with machines that can create life as well as bring destruction. Both of these examples embrace a visual excitement not found in Shelley’s novel but has become a mainstay in the history of the adaptations.
One of the most famous sequences of the novel is of the creature’s education. In the middle section of Shelley’s novel, the Creature takes over as narrator and relates to Victor the circumstances surrounding the emergence of his intelligence. “Through this crevice a small room was visible, whitewashed and clean but very bare of furniture,” the creature explains, what lies before him is a restricted and contained view, similar to a static film made with a static camera or a series of comic panels. The images that pass before him act as guides to language and emotion and this is how comics work to tell stories. Writers such as Thierry Groensteen stress the importance of the relationship between different panels and the images that they contain, just as in literature Structuralists concentrate on the meanings of objects and theatre designers place great importance on the mise-en-scene. The Creature’s view through the peephole is reminiscent of a theatre audience staring across the threshold of a stage into the fabricated world unfolding before them. Everything on that stage and in view serves some purpose in informing the reading of the scene and the characters. Transposing this to a comic page, the layout of the page and the decisions regarding stage dressing is just as important as any other visual medium. Where the Son of Frankenstein from Movie Comics #1 failed to successfully set the scene, the Classic Comics version succinctly captures the poor, working family.
In two short pages, Webb and Brewster set up the family dynamic, the Creature’s ability to help unseen, the education that the creature undergoes, and the final horror as the family turn on the Creature in disgust. This is achieved through a strong image and text synergy with the caption boxes detailing the Creature’s broadening mind and the props providing signifiers for the relevant stimulus. The ability to layer the signs and signifiers across visual and textual elements allow the artists to relate the same themes and narrative as the novel but in a compact format.
Gris Grimley’s Frankenstein, a page from the creatures tale section
In Gris Grimly’s Frankenstein, the author tells the Creature’s story through silent, at first, comic panels. This technique allows Grimly to show the emergence of the Creature’s intelligence through the act of visual learning. More so than the Classic Comics approach, the concept of seeing is important to Grimly’s version. Although the Creature features in several panels, the majority of the comic strip is viewed from his point of view. The reader peers through the crack in the boards to spy on the family as they entertain each other. The representation of language at this point is incomprehensible because the Creature himself does not understand it so in turn the reader is denied understanding. The view of the world is also very much from the Creature’s point of view with the introduction of objects that, at first, he doesn’t understand. The backgrounds are simplistic, a few lines to represent the wooden boards of the walls, allowing the focus to be on the characters and these new objects. Each of the small panels contains only what is needed to reflect a single emotion or idea. Minimalism is the key.
In modern adaptations, the main concepts of the novel have become the driving factor of Frankenstein stories rather than the recognizable visuals. Dean Koonz has transformed Frankenstein into a modern day serial killer, harvesting internal organs for transplants in order to prolong his life. In this interpretation, the creator and monster have become one and the same.
Over at Marvel comics, the Punisher was briefly re-branded as Franken-Castle, a revenge-driven killer whose torn body is reassembled to resemble the classic monster appearance. The sense of misjustice the creature in the novel feels is overlaid onto the Punisher’s misguided sense of justice and the narrative allows the comic to draw these comparisons between modern super-vigilante action and Mary Shelley’s examination of nature versus nurture.
Victor LaValle’s Destroyer is a modern take on Frankenstein, positioned more as a sequel than a direct adaptation. It focuses on the relationship between creator and the created, drawing on the legacy of each. It was praised at the time of release for its commentary on race relations, demonstrating how the narrative can be repurposed to fit different agendas. Frankenstein lends itself perfectly to this form of storytelling, where the central character, the creature, is a representation of the other, an outcast, someone who does not fit into society. If handled correctly, this otherness can be used to confront social viewpoints and challenge preserved normality.
But what does the examination of a transmedia text like Frankenstein tell us about a) the text and b) the adaptations? With such a rich range of versions to choose from and compare, it becomes apparent that you can find something to fit into whatever theory of study you wish. There are examples of pure entertainment (Marvel’s version), creator indulgence (Gris Grimly), and educational merit (Classic Comics). The original novel has earned a place in literary history and is often the focus of literary study and the adaptations have become as relevant in their respective media. Each of the comics mentioned here have something to say about the original text and touches on the themes addressed by Mary Shelley. The techniques used by the artists and writers of the comic adaptations are varied, and the visual influences are drawn from different places and mediums, but their goals are aligned: they still show respect for the source material and, through adaptation and the desire to walk the fine line between fidelity and creativity as discussed by writers such as Linda Hutcheon, they attempt to bring the concerns of the original to new, and wider audiences.
(Comic counts for our daily read, numbers 306 – 312: Movie Comics #1, Prize Comics #1, Classics Illustrated No. 26, Gris Grimley’s Frankenstein, Victor LaValle’s Destroyer #1, Creepy #30, and Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein #1. Plus James Whale’s 1931 movie, the original novel (third edition) and a host of other media adaptations)
Kamala Khan is one of the more recent heroes to be introduced by Marvel Comics, and she made her Marvel Cinematic Universe debut even more recently in the Disney+ miniseries Ms. Marvel. With the character making her cinematic debut in The Marvels, now is a good time to look at the TV series.
Kamala Khan (Iman Vellani) is a Pakistani-American teenager living in Jersey City. She’s a Captain Marvel fangirl, a skilled artist, and has a dominating mother (Zenobia Shroff). When Kamala receives a bangle from her grandmother, it unlocks her powers and she becomes a local superhero. However, her powers gained the attention of the US government and people from another dimension.
Since the events of Avengers: Endgame, the MCU needed some flesh blood. Some of the major characters have left the franchise, and Kamala Khan offered something different since she’s young and from a different background than most superheroes. The series can be described as a superhero’s origin story if it was directed by Gurinder Chadha.
The comparison to Chadha is due to her filmography. She’s best known for making Bend It Like Beckham, and many of her films have focused on second-generation immigrant families, culture clashes, and coming-of-age. Ms. Marvel featured all of that. Kamala had a similar story: she was a typical teen with American sensibilities, like her clothing, but her family was more traditional. Kamala’s mum was telling her to get her head out of the clouds and not bother with this superhero nonsense.
Ms. Marvel dealt heavily with the Muslim experience in America. One of the villains of the series was Sadie Deever (Alysia Reiner), an agent for the American government. Ms. Marvel shows the prejudice that Muslims suffered in post-9/11 America and the scrutiny they endured. It was a fresh perspective on the superhero genre and in American media.
The other dramatic thread in Ms. Marvel was Kamala’s journey of self-discovery. The series spelled this out early when Kamala met her school’s guidance counselor and he sets her an assignment to think about what she wants to do with her life. Kamala also learns of her family history, particularly her great-grandmother (since the bangle belonged to her), and Kamala’s mother wouldn’t talk about her. Kamala learned the truth about what happened to her great-grandmother during the partition of India, which gave the series its emotional heft.
Ms. Marvel can be compared to Spider-Man: Homecoming and, to a lesser extent, the DCEU’s Shazam. All of them were teenage-centric superhero stories. Tonally and visually, Ms. Marvel was similar to Spider-Man: Homecoming due to them both being lighter in tone, having high school drama, and the visual style. Kamala and Peter Parker would probably be friends if they met. Both characters sought to impress their idols, since Peter wanted to attract Tony Stark’s attention and become an Avenger, whilst Kamala was a big Captain Marvel fan since she was the one who changed the tide of the battle against Thanos. Kamala and Billy Batson had emotional stories about their identities. Kamala had to practice using her powers like Billy did in Shazam, and other characters in the MCU (i.e. Iron Man, Ant-Man, and Doctor Strange). Kamala was an artist in the series and her drawings were shown during the opening sequence and when Kamala described her plans. This felt like the end credits to both Spider-Man: Homecoming and Shazam, which also had that high schooler style of art. Ms. Marvel was rated a 12 in the UK, the equivalent to PG-13. This is standard for a Marvel project, and it was a soft PG-13. Children below the age of 12 could watch the series without much trouble.
The issues that affected Ms. Marvel were the same other Marvel Disney+ series. Firstly, it had a story that could have been told through a film instead of a TV series. Ms. Marvel was a standard origin story that the MCU has done before but had extra subplots to help pad out the run time. Ms. Marvel felt much smaller in its scale and production values. It was notable that most of the action took place in community centers, hallways, and at a train station with no one else around. It looked more like an Arrowverse or a Marvel Netflix show. Ms. Marvel had underwhelming villains. This has been an issue that afflicted many MCU projects. The main villains are The Djinns who were from another dimension and were threatening to destroy the mainstream MCU Earth, but the urgency and sense of danger were lacking in the show. The series needed a superpower menace but didn’t know how to use them.
Kamala was a likable character who led a likable series. The lead character and her journey gave the series a lot of heart. It was an enjoyable and sweet miniseries even if it was on a small scale.
DRIVE LIKE HELL #2 hits your local comic book store on November 29, but thanks to Dark Horse Comics, Monkeys Fighting Robots has an excluisve five-page preview for our readers. The book is written by Rich Douek, with art and colors by Alex Cormack, and you will read letter work by Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou.
About the issue: Looks like Bobby and Dahlia are home free! Chased down the backroads by a pack demon cops, they’ve made it to the Reverend Roscoe’s Roadside Revival, somewhere no self-respecting hellspawn would be caught dead or alive. The only thing is, the Rev isn’t exactly on the up and up with the big man upstairs. And Bobby’s new car seems to have a mind of its own.
CAPTAIN MARVEL #2 hits your local comic book store on November 22nd, but thanks to Marvel Comics, Monkeys Fighting Robots has an exclusive four-page preview for you!
About the issue: BOUND BY THE NEGA-BANDS!
When cat burglar Yuna Yang set out to steal the legendary Nega-Bands, she was looking for a quick paycheck. What she got was a free ticket to the Negative Zone and permanent entanglement with Captain Marvel! Permanent until death, that is. And it doesn’t look like Yuna’s gonna make it to old age – not with new villain, the Omen, hot on her tail and hungry for the Bands’ power! Alyssa Wong and Jan Bazaldua establish a new status quo and a cosmic mystery with shocking revelations!
The issue is by writer Alyssa Wong and artist Jan Bazaldua, with colors by Bryan Valenza, and letters by Ariana Maher. The main cover is by Stephen Segovia and Romulo Fajardo Jr.
Check out our CAPTAIN MARVEL #2 preview below:
Are you reading CAPTAIN MARVEL? Sound off in the comments!
The premise is simple: read one comic every day for the entire year. It seems like a simple task but there is no way that I read 365 comics last year, even if you count the individual issues in collections. So, this year, I am committing myself to this reading challenge, in the hope that I can broaden my reading habits and fully engage with my favorite hobby again.
The last few weeks have been hectic; busy, busy busy. My day job has been horrendous and I have been working on something else that I will get to in a minute. I think it’s about time I found a way to make my comics research pay (insert smiley face here).
As Halloween approached, I delved into some of my old horror comic favorites and finally got around to finishing Marvel’s Fear Itself. On November 9th, I gave a talk at a comic conference held by Comics Forum in partnership with Thought Bubble (one of the best UK comic conventions). My talk looked at Frankenstein adaptations, so some of the reading fit in perfectly within these two weeks. Next week (week 45) will be dedicated to the Frankenstein comics though, so come back then for some old school adaptations.
So, without further ado, how did I fare with the ending of Fear Itself?
Fear Itself book 6 Credit: Marvel Comics
Comic Number 293: Fear Itself Book 6
It’s moody reconciliation time. This issue is packed with pep talks and magical weapons for all.
There is a touching two page moment where Spider-Man tracks down Aunt May in the destruction of New York; Thor and Odin have a father/son bonding moment; and, of course, Captain America makes a sterling speech about standing up to the enemy.
This is one of the better issues in the series, but it is still very fragmented: it’s all plot, no story. Due to the nature of the narrative, the events of the other comics have an impact on the central story, much more so than previous event stories, and this makes it difficult to read just the main title. The artwork is sufficiently apocalyptic and world shattering and the snippets of story that Matt Fraction includes are strong, emotional scenes for the characters involved in them.
Unfortunately, by this point, the good work that the creators are doing has to fight against a number of missteps in the previous issues and also the tie-ins. Like the heroes in Fear Itself, the readers and the creators seem to be fighting a losing battle, and are now just praying it all comes to an end.
Journey Into Mystery #628 Credit: Marvel Comics
Comic Number 294: Journey Into Mystery #628
The saving grace in the Fear Itself story! Kieron Gillen and the various artists who worked on this title since the Fear Itself story started were putting out one of the best Marvel comics at the time. Even with the forced link to the event story, Gillen was able to craft a beautiful, non-superhero comic that did all of the things that a good superhero comic should do. The central character, Kid Loki, is a superbly crafted character who easily carries this comic, but also is the star of the Fear Itself story line, even though he barely features in the main title.
I would still recommend this run of Journey Into Mystery to people and just tell them to ignore the fact it’s linked to the event story. You don’t need that in your life, but you do need this.
Invincible Iron Man #509 Credit: Marvel Comics
Comic Number 295: Invincible Iron Man #509
We already know where Tony Stark is going to end up, we’ve read Fear Itself Book 6, but — to be honest — this is probably the best tie-in issue of Invincible Iron Man since the story began. Stark has to face his demons, something that is handled in a surprisingly mature way, considering how a lot of this story has been presented so far. And, in contrast, Pepper is forced to face the consequences of her actions, setting up where the comic will go after the Fear Itself story-line comes to a close.
I actually enjoyed this issue more than I expected/remembered. But is it enough to read the rest of Matt Fraction’s run?
(dramatic pause)
I’m not sure yet. (Disappointing conclusion.. Speaking of which..)
Fear Itself book 7 Credit: Marvel Comics
Comic Number 295: Fear Itself Book 7
Somewhere near the beginning of this story, I’m sure there was a reference to a prophecy that Thor would defeat the Serpent, take seven steps, then fall. This kind of happens in the conclusion to Fear Itself, except not in a satisfactory way. For a start, Thor doesn’t take seven steps. It is implied he does, but how hard would it be to find a way to illustrate one of the central elements of the narrative? Seven, small inlaid panels, each indicating a foot step?
Of course, I may be wrong, I may be misremembering the prophecy, or missing some other point to the story. And that is my main problem with this conclusion. Because it has been such a long, difficult, ride to get to this point, the ending is unsatisfactory. The heroes beat the villains, obviously, no surprise there. But that’s kind of all that happens.
You can describe the comic as cinematic because it has that end-of-third-act feel from the Marvel Studios’ Avengers movies, where the spectacle of the fight is more important than anything else. Even Thor’s death isn’t an emotional sequence because you don’t have time to adjust from the fight scenes to the character work; it all washes into one.
And, finally, we get 16 pages setting up a number of other comic titles, none of which I bought so I can’t tell you if they are worth reading.
I went into my re-reading of Fear Itself quite excited for some high level superhero action but quickly realized that the lack of character hampered the main plot. I 100% believe this would be more enjoyable if I had all of the tie-ins, like I do with Civil War, but as a standalone series of seven comics, Fear Itself is disappointing.
Planet of the Apes and Dracula Lives #88 Credit: Marvel Comics
Comic Number 297: Planet of the Apes and Dracula Lives #88 (UK weekly comic)
And so the horror begins.
As a big fan of The Planet of the Apes (not convinced? Check out earlier posts here), I own a decent sized bundle of the old UK Ape weeklies from Marvel. In 1976, the comic merged with another of their weeklies, Dracula Lives, to form one of the best comics ever to grace newsprint.
Along with the Apes story, this issue includes part of a Man-Thing comic by Steve Gerber and Val Mayerik and, of course, Dracula himself. The story, “A Halloween Holocaust!!,” is a reprint from The Tomb of Dracula #41, and sees the vampire hunter Blade and friends confronting the lord of the undead in his home on Halloween night.
Written by Marv Wolfman and drawn by Gene Colan and Tom Palmer, the story is a classic Marvel confrontation issue. The heroes come face to face with the villain but circumstances stop them from killing each other. There are always circumstances. Meanwhile two children dressed as Spider-Man and a scarecrow witch come Trick or Treating. The ringing of the doorbell provides a distraction inside the mansion allowing the struggle to turn in favor of Blade. Although a cliche, this is a perfectly executed gag by Wolfman and the punchline spoken as the children walk away is charming. The Dracula series written by Wolfman combines all aspects of the Marvel comics in well crafted tales so that no one aspect takes over. It’s horror, comedy, and superhero comics all rolled into one.
Marvel Zombies 2 #1 Credit: Marvel Comics
Comic Number 298: Marvel Zombies 2 #1-2
Written by Robert Kirkman, king of the zombies, and illustrated by Sean Phillips, artist extraordinaire, on paper this comic should be outstanding. The first Marvel Zombie series was fun, ridiculous, and entertaining. This is not.
It takes the stupidity of the Marvel Zombie concept and merges it with the monotonous, survival elements of The Walking Dead. The artwork is okay, with the cover art being infinitely more appealing but the story lets the whole thing down. It fails to bring the fun of cheesy zombie tales, and doesn’t connect with the more hard core survival stories. It falls between the gap of these two formats and, as a result, isn’t compelling enough for the reader. I had planned on reading the entire 5 issues but I stopped after issue 2.
This is a fun little comic focusing on the villains of the 2000AD world. Judge Death is there, mocking the DC universe with a story entitled The Judge Who Laughs, as is Slaine in another short, over-drawn adventure (there is so much going on in each panel it’s difficult to read). The weirdest tale is The Last of the Hellphibians. A ridiculous story by The Feek and Henry Flint with an amusing gag ending that feels like it should be more insulting than it is but they pull of the joke rather well.
Worth the 99 pence cover price, just for a laugh and a giggle.
And then we move straight into Week 44 with..
Horrocide #1 Credit: IDW
Comic Number 300: Horrorcide #1
A tasty little treat of short horror stories written by Steve Niles and illustrated by several different artists. This comic has a refreshing mix of stories with a couple of science fiction tales, a zombie revenge tale, and, the best of the bunch, a creepy killer next door narrative.
The final story, Neighborhood Creep with art by Ben Templesmith, is unnerving, creepy, and the perfect Halloween tale. It’s one to tell around a campfire on a dark night. Two boys challenge each other to take the shortcut home and venture near the creepy neighbors house. The yard is empty, the house inviting. Do the two kids dare to enter? The twist is brilliantly executed and the artwork atmospheric. A great way to start the week.
Seep No More Published in Shock SuspenStories Vol 2 by Dark Horse Books
Comic Number 301: Seep No More (from Shock SuspenStories #8)
The first of many classic EC stories I’m reading this week. I’m picking certain stories to highlight, not full issues, but each EC story packs more in 7 or 8 pages than most modern comics.
In this modern retelling of Edgar Allan Poe’s The Tell Tale Heart, writers Bill Gaines and Al Feldstein change the setting to a more humble abode but crank up the gore. Artist George Evans creates a wonderful cast of expressive characters who, to be fair, tell the story without the heavy text captions but this is EC, this is how it was done.
A murder is committed and the guilt pushes the killer over the edge. As he tries to cover up the blood seeping through the ceiling, where he hid the body of his neighbor, his actions make him suspect number one. Will he manage to keep on top of the pools of blood dripping into his bedroom and avoid the nosy landlady or will the police detectives catch him in the act of cleaning up?
The twist will be obvious to today’s audiences, but it is also a classic. This version is well presented and the decent of the central character into madness is excellently portrayed through the artwork. Evans’ facial expressions really sell this story and make it worth reading, even though you know how it will end.
Revolver Horror Special Credit: Fleetway Publishing
Comic Number 302: Revolver Horror Special
It’s Halloween! My favorite time of year and the perfect excuse to read horror comics (not that I need an excuse). There are many traditions surrounding Halloween: carving pumpkins, trick and treating, reading Revolvers Halloween Special. You don’t do the last one? You should. You really should.
Revolver was a short-lived, British anthology comic published by the 2000AD comics group. It was a sister comic to Crisis, and contained a host of experimental new comics. The Halloween special is no exception. Each story is different in style and pacing but they are linked by the horror element that sits at the center of each one.
I’m not going to go through the stories contained in this 80+ page special, you need to try and source this comic so you can discover them for yourself, but I will drop some of the names involved in this 1990 publication:
David Hine, Shaky Kane, Annie Parkhouse, Mark Buckingham, Garth Ennis, Mark Millar, and Neil Gaiman, to name some that you may recognize. It is the home of great British creators, producing some of their most interesting work because there were very little constraints put on them from the editors and publishers.
Revolver remains one of my favorite comics and this Halloween special is one that I never tire of reading. I’m going to request that I be buried with it so that I have something good to read when I return from the grave each year and hang around a in graveyard…
Carrion Death Published in Shock SuspenStories Vol 2 by Dark Horse Books
Comic Number 303: Carrion Death (from Shock SuspenStories #9)
A man tells the reader his story of being handcuffed to a dead body and trapped in the burning desert. The vultures are circling and it’s only a matter of time before he becomes their next meal. How does he escape to tell his tale? You must know the story by now, you know how EC works, and this is one of the more famous stories, featuring in the television series as well as numerous reprints.
The artwork by Reed Crandell is scratchy and grotesque. The central character has a constant expression of fear on his face and it’s just seven pages of expectation; waiting for the horrific end you know is coming. Your only glimmer of hope is that the victim is also the narrator, so we know he must survive, right? It’s years before American Beauty will be released, making the ‘after-death narration’ a thing, so there is no reason to think that the poor guy is going to escape somehow.
Although, he had just robbed a bank, murdered a guard and then straggled a police officer. It doesn’t look good for our narrator at this point.
Creepy #30 Credit Warren Publishing
Comic Number 304: Creepy #30 (published by Warren Publishing)
Warren Publishing printed a variety of horror anthology comics. Their heyday was in the 1960s but there there is still a market for the type of work they published. Creepy was a black and white magazine style comic with several short stories, following in the footsteps of EC’s horror range with Uncle Creepy as the host, introducing a number of the stories. Just like EC, and other horror anthologies, there were a host of famous artists and writers submitting their work. In this issue you will find work by the likes of Ernie Colon (DC and Marvel artist), Joe Orlando (EC artist who also worked on a number of DC’s horror titles), and Archie Goodwin (writer, artist, editor, and all-around famous person).
The comic strips in Creepy tended towards great set ups with quick, and often, unsatisfying endings. Both Mind of a Monster and Drop In fall under this category. They both have intriguing build ups but both end with a twist that does the lead up an injustice. However, The River by Johnny Craig is beautifully presented. The narrative is simple with a payoff that isn’t ostentatious and plays to the strengths of the story. The artwork is superb with excellent layouts and storytelling. One page spread has the two central characters walking down a flight of stairs having a conversation. The conversation is important for setting and characterization but Craig doesn’t allow it to become pedestrian, instead he turns a single, large panel into a clever manipulation of space and time.
The other interesting story in this issue, Piece by Piece, I will talk about in next week’s post, for reasons that may be apparent.
Sucker Bait Credit: Fantagraphics Books
Comic Number 305: Hook, Line, and Stinker! (from Sucker Bait)
Graham Ingles was a master of horror comics. His artwork was a perfect fit for certain EC titles as Al Feldstein noted in an interview about the artist, reprinted in Sucker Bait: “We just stuck Ingels into the horror books and it didn’t take us very long to realize what had happened – that Ingles was Mr. Horror himself.”
It’s difficult to know which of his stories to pick out and highlight, there are so many really, really good ones. So, start at the beginning of the book. This story, originally published in The Vault of Horror #26, is a perfect example of Ingels’ work. The pacing is deliberately slow, building the tension page after page. His attention to the characters and how they act in the scene gives the story depth, engaging the reader. And then, the final panel, is crammed with horrific images; a disconcerting body hung on the wall, a horrified reaction from one character, and the distorted glee of another.
This is a master class in horror comics and easily demonstrates why Graham Ingles had the nickname Mr. Horror.
In Gratitude… Published in Shock SuspenStories Vol 2 by Dark Horse Books
Comic Number 306: In Gratitude… (from Shock SuspenStories #11)
Something slightly different to end the week. Not entirely different, as it is EC again, but this comes from one of their moralistic stories, known affectionately as the “preachies,” and is a story that has been written about in several academic papers and books. In Gratitude… was written by Bill Gaines and Al Feldstein (as so many were) and illustrated by Wally Wood. The story follows Joey, a G.I. returning home from the Korean war after losing his arm in a grenade attack. His friend and fellow soldier, Hank, leapt onto the grenade saving Joey’s life but losing his own. Back at home Joey decides to go and visit Hank’s grave but this is where his world begins to unravel.
In Gratitude… is a story about racism. Hank was black, a fact hidden in the narrative until the final page (although you can guess that’s the twist fairly quickly) and the story contrasts the treatment Joey receives on returning home with the way that Hank’s body is treated. Hank has no family so Joey asks his parents to have him buried in their family plot. However, once the town discover that Hank was black, they bully the family into choosing a different burial place. In the end, at a celebration put on by the town for Joey, the soldier stands in front of his peers and expresses his disgust at the way his friend, and fellow war hero, has been treated in death. The story ends with the town silently creeping out of the town hall, leaving Joey alone and in tears.
There is an element of subterfuge both in the narrative and the comic. Hank’s identity is hidden in shadows and smoke during the flashback sequences so that there is no way to see his skin color. And the story as a whole is disguised in a similar way because it looks exactly the same as the other stories in the comic. The same structure, similar layouts, and the same presentation as any of the other horror or crime stories that EC put out. But this one carries with it a very strong message, and not one that readers would have often seen in comics in the 1950s.
It is a bold story and a bold statement by the editorial staff at EC. They proved they were willing to tackle difficult subjects and stand up for what they believed in. They didn’t do it very often, but when they did, they produced some outstanding stories. For an in depth look in to ECs “preachies,” I would recommend the book EC Comics: Race, Shock, and Social Protest by Qianna Whitted.
Join me next week for a slightly different post, looking at several different Frankenstein comics.
Punisher #1 hits comic stores this week. Marvel has a tough task in front of them. They have to replace Frank Castle and reel in new fans. This has been done before. Miles Morales replaced Ultimate Peter Parker. Nick Fury Jr. replaced Nick Fury. Success is possible, but the story and the character need to be done well enough to engage readers. Writer David Pepose’s introductory issue pulls you right in. Joining Pepose on the issue are Dave Wachter on pencils with Dan Brown on colors and Cory Petit on letters.
WRITING
Pepose is up to the task this week in Punisher #1. He introduces us to Joe Garrison. Joe’s story is similar to Frank Castle, but there is a difference. Garrison is joined by a friend called Triple-A. This is a cool character that helps Joe out with tech. So think of Oracle for Batman or Q for James Bond. This is an interesting touch for a punisher to have. Pepose makes Triple-A likable right off the bat. The character provides some clarity and comic relief when needed. In this debut issue, Pepose establishes that Garrison is an intelligent character. Through his sense of direction, and ability to track criminals and his ability to improvise while in a fight we get an idea of how good Garrison is. Finding hollow points in train tunnels and finding where the Sokovian is are one of the many examples Pepose uses to flash Garrison’s skill and intelligence.
Pepose also gives us a sense of how devoted Garrison is. He’s a man who has a goal of revenge, and this is made clear when he takes on several body guards for the Sokovian all at once. While he is out manned he is not out gunned. His determination and willingness to do whatever it takes is shown in these panels. Garrison will use anything at his disposal to get revenge. This will range from a bottle of alcohol to a lighter. Garrison will even put his body on the line as he takes damage from bodyguards to complete his mission. He’ll then use their own weapons against them and others as the fight continues. For an introductory issue, Punisher #1 is fun and intriguing. Joe Garrison seems like a fine character that you want to read more of. Pepose did a great job of giving the reader just enough to keep them hooked for next issue.
ART
The pencils by Dave Wachter fit the type of story being told. In the earlier parts of the issue, Wachter uses a lot of shading to keep Joe’s appearance hidden. This is seen when Joe goes to the bar looking for the Sokovian. Wachter shades his entire face for all of the interaction. Wachter uses hatching and cross hatching on Joe’s face at several times throughout the issue to provide some grittiness and texture to the character as well. There is also a closeness with this book in certain panels. This is an issue that introduces several new characters, so it makes sense to give the reader close up panels to get a good look at them. The way the panels are set in certain pages gives us a sequential view of some of the action. This is made clear on the pages where Hyde transforms. Wachter show us an image of his chest expanding and his shirt ripping. The next panel shows his muscles enlarging. Then the classic back expanding. All of these panels take you step by step through the transformation and give the reader everything they want to see. There is also a fight page where Garrison takes on the Sokovian’s body guards. Wachter uses this page layout almost like a role of film. It’s sprawled out across the page and gives us Garrison hit by hit as he fights off villains.
The colors by Dan Brown have the task of complimenting the pencils and setting the tone for the book. Brown nails this perfectly as his moody colors really pop on a dark issue like this. When Joe uses his rail gun to hit criminals with body armor, Brown lights up the page with a vibrant blue streak. While dark tones and colors essentially rule the issue, there is a brief flashback sequence that Brown uses much lighter colors for. This breaks up the monotony of the same palette for the issue. Brown excels at making the colors appeal to your emotions. In the flashback sequence, you do feel lighter and happier. The colors have everything to do with that.
LETTERING
The letters by Cory Petit have their fingerprints all over this book. Sound effects are everywhere, and they’re placed in just the right spot. As Joe goes to use one of his big guns, Petit puts a small “KLK” as the gun locks in and a larger “VRRRRR” as the gun heats up. There is a lot of dialogue in this issue, so Petit had to place his word balloons in the right spot so they don’t interfere with the pencils. As the Sokovian talks with Hyde, Petit places his word balloons above all of the characters heads so everything is visible. When Joe is driving his motorcycle down the street, the narration is placed on his left hand side where it can be easily read. All of these little touches that Petit applies matter in the enjoyment of the book.
CONCLUSION
Punisher #1 is a fun issue that should bring in new fans while keeping older ones. David Pepose writes a good script that gives us a new character who seems interesting. The art department had a big hand in making this book a success. Their work and love for the material shows on the page. Punisher #1 is available at a comic shop near you!
SPINE-TINGLING SPIDER-MAN #2 hits your local comic book store on November 15th, but thanks to Marvel Comics, Monkeys Fighting Robots has an exclusive three-page preview for you!
About the issue: Peter Parker finds himself in the most terrifying haunted house possible. Who took Peter’s powers? Who took Peter’s friends and family? Who stands the best chance at taking Spider-Man down PERMANENTLY?!
The issue is by writer Saladin Ahmed and artist Juan Ferreyra, with letters by Joe Caramagna. The main cover is by Ferreyra.
Check out our SPINE-TINGLING SPIDER-MAN #2 preview below:
Are you reading SPINE-TINGLING SPIDER-MAN? Sound off in the comments!
IMMORTAL THOR #4 hits your local comic book store on November 15th, but thanks to Marvel Comics, Monkeys Fighting Robots has an exclusive three-page preview for you!
About the issue: SUMMONS OF THE ALL-FATHER!
On the dark side of the moon, God faced Goddess – and that was only the beginning of Thor’s troubles. But as his many foes gathered to destroy him, the Odinson had one final trick to play… This is the story of THE IMMORTAL THOR…and the Summoning of the Four.
The issue is by writer Al Ewing and artist Martín Cóccolo, with colors by Matthew Wilson, and letters by Joe Sabino. The main cover is by Alex Ross.
Check out our IMMORTAL THOR #4 preview below:
Are you reading IMMORTAL THOR? Sound off in the comments!
