Nottingham #6 restarts a Mad Cave Studios title on April 6, 2022 that is now available at comic stores for pre-order.
Nottingham Background
In late 12th century England, the grizzled Crusades veteran Sheriff Blackthorne of Nottingham tries to help who he can. With the Merry Men stealing the people’s taxes, Blackthorne tries to find their leader Robin Hood. Who, despite his loyalty to King Richard, is more than willing to betray allies like Lady Marian.
Nottingham #6 Layers of Intrigue
David Hazan takes an interesting new direction in comparison to Nottingham’s last volume. With a cast of characters that could turn on each other at any point, readers are glued to the page. Political and ideological tensions are felt throughout the pages as everyone is scheming to get the upper hand. With Blackthorne and Robin working together, the readers can’t help but wonder who will come out on top.
It’s Getting Darker
Shane Connery Volk continues a gritty aesthetic to match the dark atmosphere of Nottingham. The facial features and body language look especially grim from the angles in which characters present themselves. It’s like one person is always trying to assert their dominance. Luca Romano’s coloring really helps in these circumstances, especially with shading. The dark coloring of Blackthorne feels frightening but not dominating, in contrast to his haughty adversaries.
But for all of those advantages, there are are a few quirks that look odd. Take for example, Marian’s swaying hips in what’s supposed to be a serious announcement, or a panel’s background suddenly becoming black in a bright room. These can take readers out of the compelling story.
Justin Birch’s lettering meanwhile remains eye-catching by reflecting the moments’ moods. Some panels get so filled with word balloons, the words can feel heavy. Other times the SFX emphasize how small actions can make differences, like how a kick can knock a deadly assailant away.
Where Do You Side in Nottingham #6?
Nottingham #6 brings readers back into a compelling story about tenuous alliances. With different sides trying to dominate one another, it’ll be interesting to see who comes out on top. Nottingham #6 is out from Mad Cave Studios on April 6th.
I have a confession to make. I have not read Tom Taylor and John Timms’ Superman: Son of Kal-El. I’ve heard great things, seen awesome previews, interviews, and more. And now, with Nightwing #89, Superman: Son of Kal-El is higher on my reading list than ever. Writer Tom Taylor, artist Bruno Redondo, colorist Adriano Lucas, and letterer Wes Abbott bring these series together in spectacular fashion. It makes you wish “World’s Finest Sons” was a whole series, rather than just a short arc.
Writing
Taylor’s script is earnest and heartfelt. He brilliantly explores the power of fathers and friends in this issue. And though in many ways we’re taking a break from the events of Nightwing, we’re learning so much about the character. Dick Grayson is a big brother, through and through. Taylor gives him every opportunity to show how good he is at looking out for those in need. And Taylor sets the scene for this kind of issue perfectly, by starting the chapter off in a time gone by, when Dick showed kindness to a young Jon Kent. Beyond the sincere moments of connection between characters, the funny quips, and the witty banter, there’s a mystery at the heart of this story. Taylor gives us just enough to be itching for all the answers in that next issue.
Art
Have I gushed enough about Redondo’s art at this point? Because I doubt I have. Redondo nails every beat of this issue. He can be wonderfully sincere in one moment and then laugh-out-loud goofy the next, but he sets each mood naturally. There are many panels that “bleed” into others in this issue. The hand of someone in one panel stretches across the gutters into the panel next door. This gives each page a feeling of wholeness. You’re not just seeing individual images, but one big picture that’s being painted by Redondo. The effect is both eye-catching and playful.
Coloring
There’s a great shift in the coloring of this issue. Lucas’ Metropolis looks nothing like his Bludhaven. Metropolis is bright, colorful, and full of life. You could say that about Lucas’ Bludhaven too, but there’s a warmness to the color palette that makes the whole city feel a little less ominous. Lucas also repeats certain story beats in his coloring, playing on thematic repetitions. In one scene, we see Dick and Babs talking. They’re in Dick’s apartment, the lighting is a soft blue that makes the scene feel intimate. When Superman visits his boyfriend Jay, the color palette is almost identical. Lucas is drawing out similarities between the lives of Dick and Jon. It makes you all the more excited for their team-up.
Lettering
In one of the opening scene of this issue, Superman talks to a hologram of his father in the Fortress of Solitude. As they talk, Abbott letters the dialogue so the word balloons almost seem to hug one another. You can hear how much Jon wishes his father was there, but you can also see how lifelike the responses seem to be. But as the scene ends, their dialogue no longer shows up in the same panel. It feels like they’re giving each other a wide berth. And when Jon ends the conversation, saying something to himself, the word balloon is right in the center of a giant panel. You can see the loneliness he’s feeling in the fathoms of space around his dialogue.
DC Comics’ Nightwing #89 is a ton of fun and it will make you want to immediately catch up with Taylor’s other series, Superman: Son of Kal-El. This partnership feels like it could go on for thirty issues. Hopefully someday we get to see something like that. But for now, you can get your fix by picking up Nightwing #89 from a comic shop near you!
The Requin is a horror thriller starring Alicia Silverstone (Clueless, Batman & Robin) as a woman fighting her life when stranded at sea and surrounded by great white sharks.
Written and directed by Le-Van Kiet (Furie), The Requin (French for shark) follows Jaelyn and Kyle, a married couple, on a tropical vacation in Vietnam. Jaelyn’s dealing with the trauma of a miscarriage, and the trip is a way for her to heal. However, when a storm hits, the couple’s bungalow is ripped away from the land and washed out to sea. Kyle’s injured in the process, and Jaelyn must do whatever she can to keep bloodthirsty great white sharks from turning them into snacks.
PopAxiom spoke with Matt S. Bell, the traveling cinematographer, about becoming a cinematographer, living on the road, and making movies on the water.
On the Road
Matt is a rare cinematographer who lives out of an RV, driving from set to set. “It takes a certain personality, but it’s just my dog and me, and we love traveling.”
“I had an apartment I don’t care about, and half the time,” he explains, “I’m in a hotel somewhere for a movie. So, I thought I needed to leave a set and go wherever I wanted. So, I got an apartment on wheels. Then, a few months later, the pandemic started, so it kind of turns out I got into that at the right time.”
Before hitting the road as a director of photography, Matt grew up in Louisiana and did many other things. “I was a hockey player for about 19 years of my life. In college, I didn’t know what to do, but everyone told me to study engineering, so I did.”
“I switched my major seven times until I found photography,” he admits. “But during that time that I was switching, I was also playing music. But it turns out I’m not that great of a drummer. So a much better friend replaced me. But, of course, I wanted to remain in the group, so I picked up the camera.”
Matt attended the University of Louisiana at Lafayette. “During my time in the arts program, it became clear to me that motion picture is where I wanted to go. My photography was very story-driven. So I’d write little short stories and create photos around those stories.”
“I started reaching out to productions,” he says after graduating in 2012. “One got back to me; it was American Idol. I was like, ‘yes, this is it, I’ve done it!’ I got to that set, and I had no idea what I was doing. I showed up with my polo tucked into my jeans. I was a sore thumb on day one. But it was evident that this was the direction that I wanted to go.”
About The Requin
Matt had just finished a three-picture deal when “… I got a call from producer Aaron B. Koontz. We’d discussed working together, but it hadn’t worked out. He offered me the chance to work on this Alicia Silverstone shark film.”
“I have a background in making these niche horror movies,” he shares, hinting at some of his other shark-related films like Ozark Sharks and Santa Jaws. “I read the script, and it was exciting. A lot of great action sequences.”
The Requin, unlike most of Matt’s other shark films, was an indie film and not attached to a network. “So, we could put this together based more around a three-act structure and make it more cinematic. We could do sweeping one-shots and shots that start in close on Alicia then pull out to this vast open sea. We try to get away with that on network features but due to strict editorial guidelines where we’ve gotta cut stuff down to make it fit.”
“Something like Santa Jaws that’s made for SyFy,” he explains, “is structured around commercial breaks. So, the script is broken into eight or nine acts. Every 5 or 10 pages is an act break which is crazy fast for building up tension. It’s hard to let shot sit and marinate. So, the idea that we could let the frame linger was very exciting to me.”
Matt and director Le-Van Kiet hit it off from the start. “My first phone conversation with Kiet was two or three hours long. After that, we just hit it off talking about movies and ideas for The Requin.”
“We knew going in that it was a big script for the budget we had, but that was exciting for both of us,” revealing that it only motivated the filmmakers even more. “I could hear the passion in Kiet’s voice, and that only made me even more passionate.”
Lighting map from Matt S. Bell
Shooting On Water
Matt is an expert of sorts when shooting on the water though there’s no science. “You can’t walk outside and block on the water — not really. So we used our phones to shoot conceptual storyboards. It’s tough to prep a water movie. It’s hard to practice without going out and doing it. But that’s dangerous.”
“Water is so heavy,” he continues. “It’s hard to move around, and you have to waterproof everything. It’s easy enough to waterproof a camera, but when it comes to getting the shot you need, that part is super-hard to achieve.”
Of course, every film project is a unique beast to figure out. “In a perfect world, you’re on a hydraulic set that you can move around through programming. We’d be dry, indoors, and lighting it exactly how we want it.”
“We ultimately ended up in an outdoor, Olympic-sized swimming pool,” he shares. “It was lakeside and at an RV park, so my home wasn’t too far. But, unfortunately, it was December too, and it wasn’t a heated pool, so we had to heat that ourselves.”
Filming next to a lake included some other environmental effects. “Also, the amount of weather we got from being lakeside was surprising. A lot of whipping winds coming off that water. It was harder to control things the way that we wanted.”
Wrapping Up
The Requin is available on Amazon Prime and for rent on YouTube. Matt says he’s “a very story-driven cinematographer. So, my ultimate goal is to move into the director’s chair. I’ve done a few commercials and shorts. I want to be involved in and understand the different roles in a film. I think if you want to be a director, you should get to know the different stresses that affect every department.”
“I just did a psychological dark-comedy called Half Lives with Fran Kranz,” he says about upcoming projects of which there are many. “I’m excited for that one because, from a photography standpoint, I was able to venture out and use weird lenses and techniques. Many techniques that are considered ‘wrong’ like ‘jumping the line.’ We did a lot of that for various reasons. That was director David Bush’s idea.”
Is The Requin on your watch list?
Thanks to Matt S. Bell and Projection PR
for making this interview possible.
AVENGERS #56 hits your local comic shop on May 11th, but thanks to Marvel Comics, Monkeys Fighting Robots has an exclusive first-look at the book!
About the issue: JANE FOSTER TAKES THE SPOTLIGHT!
She once famously wielded Mjolnir as Thor, Goddess of Thunder. Today, she guards the worlds of the living and the dead as the winged Valkyrie. Now, those two versions of the same mighty hero somehow find themselves face-to-face, in a desperate bid to save the soul of Jane Foster.
The issue is by writer Jason Aaron and artist Javier Garrón.
As the solicit text states and the cover below shows, this issue of Avengers promises the meeting of two Jane Fosters: Thor and Valkyrie, both identities co-created by Aaron. The cover also teases a connection to Marvel’s JUDGEMENT DAY, this summer’s Avengers/X-Men/Eternals crossover event.
Get your exclusive first-look at Garrón’s cover for AVENGERS #56 below:
Are you excited for Marvel’s JUDGEMENT DAY? Sound off in the comments!
ARCADE WORLD: ZOMBIE INVADERS hits your local book store on February 22, but thanks to Simon & Schuster, Monkeys Fighting Robots has an exclusive preview of the new middle-grade adventure series for our readers.
The book is written by Nate Bitt, with art by João Zod.
About ARCADE WORLD: ZOMBIE INVADERS: Travis and Journey are two best friends who live in a town that’s been taken over by video games. Journey West is a high score legend and an absolute gaming champion. Not only is she unbeatable, but she always sets out to finish what she starts. And it’s all thanks to her handy survival guide, a secret notebook where she keeps all of her game notes and cheat codes.
But when the Zombie Invaders video game comes to life and the notebook gets destroyed, Journey and Travis are really put to the test. Now they are dealing with zombies, an evil hooded shadow, and lots of brains. Can Journey and Travis combine their brains and dead-ication to finish the game? Or will the zombies stand victorious in this grave new world?
The latest adaptation of Death on the Nile doesn’t offer anything new to the whodunnit genre. It’s not very engaging early on and only gains momentum when the deed is done. Once the investigation is brought to a close, the tension that was building is stepped on by a flat ending that felt too quick. Death on the Nile isn’t bad, but I don’t think I’d revisit this movie over other whodunnits anytime soon.
Death on the Nile is a follow-up to Kenneth Branagh’sMurder on the Orient Express. Knives Out was a breath of fresh air for this genre and Death on the Nile is just a well-done but forgetful addition. Its jam-packed cast of stars isn’t that interesting in these roles, unfortunately. Everyone is doing their best for the most part, but the characters remain dull and bland.
The film centers on Hercule Poirot (Branagh), as his vacation on a river streamer turns into a hunt for a killer after a honeymoon between two lovers is put on hold. Gal Gadot stars as Linnet Ridgeway-Doyle, one-half of the prestigious couple. Her spouse, Simon Doyle, is portrayed by Armie Hammer. The chemistry between the two is nonexistent and their acting here was questionable at times. Death on the Nile also stars Russell Brand, Tom Bateman, Annette Bening, Ali Fazal, Letitia Wright, Emma Mackey, and Sophie Okonedo.
Michael Green pens the script for Death on the Nile and it includes some of the blandest characters to watch caught in a murder investigation. The film does a great job at making everyone out to be a suspect, so that’s where it’s able to retain your attention for the most part. Linnet’s luxurious life is made out to be a threat to her family and other associates joining them on this adventure. Poirot is the only character that can be stomached at times since he is representing the audience.
Death on The Nile makes you question everyone’s potential motivations, so naturally, the film’s detective becomes the most relatable and interesting figure. Before the investigation, far too much time is spent getting to know these people. Character development is an important aspect of a story, but the absence of the murder investigation makes the first half difficult to endure. Linnet and Simon are boring characters, which makes spending time with them frustrating.
On a more positive note, there are some breathtaking shots featured throughout. The setting of Egypt holds your attention more than the one-note characters. Branaugh’s follow-up remains afloat mostly due to its visual appeal and the strong second act in between. Performance-wise, Mackey was the standout from this ensemble outside of Branaugh. She stars as Jacqueline de Bellefort, Simon’s former romantic interest.
Mackey impresses as this emotionally unstable woman and eats up every scene she is featured in. I’d say Jacqueline was the most interesting character out of the group of suspects. The aspect of not knowing if she’d go off the deep end only amplified interest in her. Gadot’s performance was acceptable, but her delivery isn’t always the best, which only puts another dent in the uninteresting nature of Linnet.
The film seemed to lack energy that could retain your attention for nearly two hours. Poirot truly is the most engaging character when Jacqueline isn’t present, and the rest feel like distractions. Branaugh captures your attention quite well in the second act, which is where the story is at its best. Pacing begins to get better, and Branaugh’s acting is so commanding in this role.
Death on the Nile is fine for what it had to offer but felt like it could have been a lot better. It felt stuck in a shift that wouldn’t let it be more than just a well-done film. It’s not shocking with its reveal, and that’s fine, but the aftermath is what kills the tension that had been built up prior. Death on the Nile is fun when it wants to be and features some strong technical aspects, but it’s never consistently good and often took itself too seriously.
HULK #4 hits your local comic book store February 16th, but thanks to Marvel Comics, Monkeys Fighting Robots has an exclusive four-page preview for you.
About the issue: “SMASHSTRONAUT” part 4 of 6! As the mystery behind the Hulk’s shocking new status quo deepens, Banner has piloted the Starship Hulk to an alternate Earth – one where Thunderbolt Ross is president, and he has an army of gamma-powered monsters under his command. Get ready for a surprise-filled, all-out brawl that only the insane minds of Donny Cates and Ryan Ottley can bring you!
The issue is by writer Donny Cates and artist Ryan Ottley, with inks by Cliff Rathburn, colors by Frank Martin, and letters by Cory Petit. The main cover is by Ottley and Romulo Fajardo Jr.
THE HEATHENS #4 hits your local comic book store February 23rd, but thanks to AfterShock Comics, Monkeys Fighting Robots has an exclusive four-page preview for you.
About the issue: Death is not the end for those that are already dead. How many Heathens remain, and will they be enough to take down the Ripper and their followers?
The comic is by writers Cullen Bunn & Heath Amodio and artist Sami Kivelä, with colors by Jason Wordie, and letters by Simon Bowland. The main cover is by Kivelä and Wordie.
Check out the THE HEATHENS #4 preview below:
Are you reading THE HEATHENS? Sound off in the comments below!
DC Comics’ Batman/Catwoman #10is pure chaos. All of the slow, intricate threads have lead to one big, messy ball of violence. Writer Tom King, returning artist Clay Mann, colorist Tomeu Morey, and letterer Clayton Cowles bring this series to a fever pitch. Anything can happen now.
Writing
The timelines in King’s script, three threads set in different moments of Selina’s life, are more interrelated than ever. Often, King has a character ask a question in a scene. The scene cuts off, interrupted by another timeline where another character almost seems to be answering that same question. King uses this to make sure we’re paying attention. At one point, the end of one of Catwoman’s lines feels incredibly disturbing, until we see she’s talking to someone else in another time. Some of this script, however, does feel almost like a tantrum. Characters scream into each other’s faces, grasping at anything they can say that would be hurtful. It feels like a firehouse of information and dialogue being blasted across the page. Some lines hit hard, others just miss the mark. And after 27 pages of punching and yelling – something that’s entirely out of character for King to write – the stakes begin to slip away. This issue feels messy and a little unfinished. Though, with characters like these, it’s quite possible that that’s the whole point.
Art
Mann really emphasizes Selina’s power in this issue. With one important exception, Selina is either looking straight out at her opponent or looking down at them. She’s above them, they are powerless beneath her. She hunches over Joker, ready to rain fists down upon him. She even looks down her nose at her own daughter. But while this points to Selina’s power, it points to her own dysfunction too. She actually sees herself as above all of this. Mann often depicts her standing on one side of the page, arms crossed and looking unimpressed. When someone finally has the upper hand and towers over her, she looks up at them, furious and small. Mann tells us so much about who Selina is by what he shows us in her fights.
Coloring
Morey gives each scene, or timeline, its own specific coloring. One scene is cast in the light green glow of a toy shop, and later the red of the Christmas lights outside. Another scene is washed in the soft pink of the Iceberg Lounge’s neon sign. The third scene is colored in a gentle blue, set during a cold winter night. The red is interesting. It begins by creating a Christmasy feeling, matching the red of Joker’s Santa suit. But it quickly starts to feel more like the scene is characterized by bloody violence and fury. The pink has a similar effect, as Selina fights her daughter. In a way, the pink lights remind us that this is Selina’s little girl that she’s trying to beat up. But it’s the gentle blue color that’s the most interesting of all. As Selina fights the Joker, she’s getting nothing out of him. Her punching isn’t relieving any of her stress, his tormenting of her is met with matter-of-fact retorts. The scene, though actually violent, feels sterilized and unemotional. It’s just another day for these costumed hooligans in Gotham, and that’s exactly why Selina wants to break the cycle. It’s the normalcy of it that disturbs her the most.
Lettering
Cowles gives his sound effects so much character. The “SLASH” of nails slicing through the air is written in thin white letters that cut across the page. The “CRACKKCLICK” of a toy boat shattering against a wall is written in letters that look like they’re falling apart. When Joker is tossed onto a pile of display case Christmas presents, the “KRAANKKK” sound effect he makes is shown in big, hollow letters. It makes you feel like you can hear that the boxes are empty as Joker’s body hits them. Cowles is constantly coming up with new ways to make you hear this comic in your head. It’s fantastic.
DC Comics’ Batman/Catwoman has been slowly getting to its big climax for a while now. Issue #10 might just be it. While the script for this issue feels a little unrefined, it’s true to these characters. We’ll have to wait and see how much comes of this issue, and how much of the big picture we’re still missing. Pick up Batman/Catwoman #10, out now at a comic shop near you!
Comics in pop culture are unavoidably tied to the idea of “heroes.” The nature of heroism, whether one can truly be a “hero,” which hero could heroically pound another hero into the dirt… Power tends to go hand-in-hand with comics “heroism,” and Juni Ba’s Monkey Meat is a series focused on a corporation so powerful, it’s made a production line out of heaven itself. So how does the comic fantasy of righteous power fare in the face of absolute corporate greed? Well, not to give too much away. But not so well.
WRITING
Continuing the anthology format of the first issue, Monkey Meat #2 focuses on a young nerd named Haricot, sent to Monkey Meat Island by his parents to try and find a job. Though after a violent run-in with two monkeys in sharp suits, revenge becomes his priority. The power he needs for that vengeance comes from a chance meeting with a god trapped in a soda can. One sip and he transforms into a twisted imitation of his favorite manga hero, a character styled after, of course, the Monkey King. Branding his drive for vengeance as a form of “justice,” Haricot begins his hunt for the ones who wronged him. All bringing him into conflict with a certain groundskeeper from the first issue…
That first issue of Monkey Meat focused on island inhabitant Thaddeus Lug making a deal with his people’s conquerors, inadvertently drawing him into a life of never-ending slaughter. Here, Ba uses newcomer Haricot as a critique of people who take a “monkey see, monkey do” attitude towards their favorite area of pop culture. Haricot feels frustrated with his lot in life, but lacks perspective, causing him to frame his mundane struggles as righteous struggles against evil. Thaddeus’ return helps drive this home, as Haricot’s frustration pales in comparison to Thaddeus’ never-ending torment.
This could all be fairly heavy, and in some ways, it is. But Ba keeps a solid sense of humor running through the issue, making it closer to the tone of a Tales from the Crypt-style cautionary tale than an out-and-out tragedy. When Haricot proudly declares himself a hero, a bystander in the background shouts “Nah, man. We hate u!” A twist in the last few pages involves a monkey dressed as Darth Vader. Ba is clearly having fun with this book, and it’s hard for the reader not to get swept along.
ART
Juni Ba has a simple, expressive style well suited to showing the emotional tantrums of a teenager. Since Haricot idolizes a manga hero, this issue takes a different approach from the first by presenting itself in mostly black, white, and grey. But the god trapped in a soda can introduces a piercing yellow to the color scheme, and further supernatural events create more bright yellows and oranges. Beyond just being a manga reference, the black and white works as a way to show Haricot’s dreary everyday before he’s introduced to the excitement his superpowers bring him.
That excitement spills over into stylized fight scenes, as Ba goes wild with speedlines and hand-lettered sound effects that spill out from the point of impact. Hands glow with power, beams of energy crash, characters shatter the earth.
But the character who ultimately holds the power in this issue doesn’t resort to any of these shows of might. Ba just gives him a suit with an unearthly fade from white-to-black and a cool smirk.
VERDICT
Monkey Meat #2 continues its ruminations on power by showing how the misguided power-fantasies of a child can lead to something far more sinister. Seeing how connected the first two issues of the anthology have been, I’m curious to see if the further issues continue to build on one another. Wherever it goes, I’ll be excited to see Ba draw it.
