BUNNY MASK #1 hits your local comic book store June 9th, but thanks to AfterShock Comics, Monkeys Fighting Robots has an exclusive four-page preview for you.
About the issue: A new horror series from the creator of the Eisner-nominated Colder!
Sealed in a cave before the dawn of man, released by a crazed madman, Bunny Mask walks our world once more. But for what dark purpose does she use her unnatural powers? And what’s her connection to Bee Foster, a young girl murdered by her father fourteen years ago? In order to save his life – and his sanity – one man will have to discover the truth of what waits behind the mask.
BUNNY MASK #1 is by writer Paul Tobin and artist Andrea Mutti, with letters by Taylor Esposito. The main cover and “mask variant” are by Mutti, with an incentive cover by Charlie Adlard.
Tobin is the co-creator of the Eisner-nominated horror series Colder, while Mutti has most recently worked on the AfterShock slasher series Maniac of New York.
Check out the BUNNY MASK #1 preview below:
Are you excited for BUNNY MASK? Sound off in the comments!
Godzilla: Monsters and Protectors #2 out this week from IDW Comics gives special attention to the Shobijin. The twin tiny priestesses of Mothra receive a dangerous prophecy of destruction and decide they have to take action. This new installment in the new Godzilla series arrives thanks to Erik Burnham (writer), Dan Schoening (pencils and ink), Luis Antonio Delgado (color), and Nathan Widick (lettering).
Godzilla is sitting in judgment on humanity, and the verdict could spell doom for life on Earth! The Shobijin become aware of this and know they could ask Mothra to intervene… but does humanity deserve Mothra’s help?
Writing
The Shobijin are the main draw of this issue. Especially as Godzilla doesn’t appear except in a vision. Unlike their depiction in the Showa Era (1954-1975 films) these twins don’t talk in unison (well they do for like a panel but not constantly like in the films). Instead, they act more like the version from the Rebirth of Mothra Trilogy, possessioning individual personalities. They have yet to be individually named but one seems to be more cautious, while the other seems more adventurous.
This issue isn’t without its faults though. Cedric is showing his young age and some of his lines of dialogue have a cringe factor to them (see the page below for a perfect example of this). At the same time, Linival Company the corporation seems to be evil for evil’s sake. The main reason the company president wants to destroy Godzilla because it made the company look bad. Not exactly a deep character motivation but this series is supposed to be for a younger audience so some leeway is allowed.
Artwork
The art by Dan Schoening offers an intriguing mix of appealing and striking moments. The appealing comes with the adorable way the Mothra larva is drawn showing it resembling a giant stuffed animal. The striking comes as the twins have a prophetic dream showing Godzilla’s rage and what such a future would entail.
The color by Luis Antonio Delgado adds great emotional effect at just the right moments. One of the best examples of this comes in the final two pages of the issue. These two pages are presented as a splash page with the color offering a perfect lighting effect to showcase something ominous is on the horizon.
The letter work by Nathan Widick offers a great auditory feel throughout the issue. Special attention is paid to make sure specific message boxes distinguish between Cedric’s voiceover and those who are talking. Also, the accurate depiction of the monster roars continues to impress.
Conclusion
Godzilla: Monsters and Protectors #2 moves the story slowly but it still has an entertaining element to it. There are some great visuals in this issue which the Mothra fans will truly enjoy. Hopefully, Kaiju fans are giving this series the chance it deserves because it still has a lot to offer.
Those Who Wish Me Dead delivers a heartfelt story packed with tons of great action. It’s an effective throwback to older action films but does feel slightly unfocused at times with its narrative. The film is saved by its stellar cast, gripping story, and score that feels like a character itself. Those Who Wish Me Dead may not live up to the backwoods adventure it’s based on, but it’s still a fun thriller that can pull at your heartstrings thanks to the creative minds that came together for this film.
This film, while not offering many surprises along the way, stays strong by delivering a great bond between two people looking for peace. A film such as this is right up the director’s alley too, given he has worked on similar projects in the past and directed them to perfection. Those Who Wish Me Dead is directed by Taylor Sheridan and written by Michael Koryta, Charles Leavitt, and co-written by Sheridan. The film stars Finn Little, Jake Weber, Tyler Perry, Nicholas Hoult, Aidan Gillen, Medina Senghore, Jon Bernthal, and Angelina Jolie. It centers on Connor Casserly (Little), a young boy who is being hunted by assassins after his father (Weber) is killed. Connor finds an ally in Hannah Faber (Jolie), a smoke jumper struggling to forgive herself for a forest fire accident that resulted in the death of three boys.
(L-r) FINN LITTLE as Connor and ANGELINA JOLIE as Hannah in New Line Cinema’s thriller “THOSE WHO WISH ME DEAD,” a Warner Bros. Pictures release.
Based on Koryta’s novel, Those Who Wish Me Dead delivers a visceral 90’s style action treat. The writing for this film succeeds for the most part, and minor details for both Connor and Hannah make them a likable pair to follow throughout the film’s short runtime. Hannah’s struggles have caused her to flirt with death, she performs risky maneuvers, has a drinking problem, and suicidal tendencies. Connor has been tossed into the lion’s den after his father’s death, while he tries to avoid the assassins, he ponders his future because without his father his next steps are uncertain. The trust that grows between these two is the heart of this film, and it’s wonderful to witness the look of uncertainty they both have after initially meeting turn to full-fledged trust over time. Hannah is being given a chance to redeem herself, as she does everything in her power to keep Connor safe from the two assassins.
Those Who Wish Me Dead stumbles a bit with its narrative at times when it juggles trying to develop both Connor and Hannah. The film starts being about Hannah, but then it shifts to Connor, so when they come together the focus becomes jumbled. While the events on-screen lend to both character’s growth, it would have been great to get more focus on one particular person. The ambiguous nature of the two assassins and what they are trying to prevent is a nice touch. Though it does seem overly vague sometimes, and the emotional subplots amongst the two leads and the side characters keep this film from growing dull. Jolie’s return to action is great overall, her motherly nature towards this scared boy is felt through the screen during all of their interactions.
(L-r) ANGELINA JOLIE as Hannah in New Line Cinema’s thriller “THOSE WHO WISH ME DEAD,” a Warner Bros. Pictures release.
Little’s performance as Connor is terrific as well and his expressions throughout the film assist in the viewer wanting to see him make it out alive. Sheridan’s direction here makes up for the film’s shortcomings in its character development, as he takes you on this emotionally exhausting ride that starts at a slow pace before maintaining its edge of your seat adventure feeling. The film is shot wonderfully and accompanied by Brian Tyler’s magical score. Tyler’s score swallows the scenery, raises the stakes, and builds on the emotional tale being told on screen.
Those Who Wish Me Dead stays afloat despite its narrative hiccups and delivers a solid action film. The performances from Little and Jolie will be more than enough reason to endure its initial slow start. Sheridan’s previous works certainly opted for more character development, but his direction here filled in those gaps and allowed the film to end up on the positive side. Those Who Wish Me Dead probably won’t impress those who have seen countless films like it, but it’s still an effective thriller that is carried by two fantastic lead performances.
HOME #2 hits comic book stores on Wednesday, May 19th, following the young Juan after his escape from the U.S. border’s detention camp. Last issue detailed the horrific conditions Juan and his mother Mercedes experienced after crossing the border. But the boy discovered hope in his newfound superpowers, which led to his unintended jailbreak.
Readers will find the trials and tribulations of Juan mirror those experience by real life immigrants.
Story
Despite finding a way to escape the facility, Juan is still far from safety. Border patrol officials continually scour the area after hearing rumors of the escapee who blew up a solid wall. Now the frightened child must elude his would-be captors.
The officials’ shock at Juan’s powers reflect our own society’s fear of the marginalized; they fear what they don’t understand.
Writer Julio Anta’s narrative empowers the stories of immigrants everywhere. Rather than focusing solely on the horrific treatment of these people, he highlights the incredible talents and inner strength.
Only time will tell what our hero’s new abilities mean for the character’s future.
Artwork
Anna Wieszczyk’s penciling and ink work provides readers with more realistically proportionated characters than most comic books, adding a sense of realism to the art. It was also great seeing how colorist Bryan Valenza’s bright reds helped place the focus on Juan, our star protagonist.
Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou’s lettering was particularly helpful in distinguishing the different languages being spoken. Using red for Juan’s Spanish dialogue fits well with his coloring, too.
Conclusion
HOME #2 moves this new series forward in an exciting direction. We anticipate the excitement brewing as Juan searches for his aunt.
Do you think other people in Juan’s life have powers? Let us know in the comments below!
DC Comics’ Nightwing #80 is an incredibly fun comic. Especially since it occurs right after a grisly murder. But writer Tom Taylor, artist Bruno Redondo, colorist Adriano Lucas, and letterer Wes Abbott know that the best way to underscore tragedy is by ignoring it.
Writing
As the issue opens, Dick Grayson is informed that a man he tried to help has been found dead. It’s a pretty rough way to start a comic, but you wouldn’t know it from Nightwing #80. Immediately, Dick jumps into detective mode. There’s no time for the trauma to sink in and no soul searching in these pages. Taylor doesn’t spend time having Dick search his emotions. He knows that’s bad writing. Taylor has Dick ignore everything and get straight to making it right. In a way, this makes the trauma of the situation feel even more powerful. One of Dick’s first good deeds with his newfound wealth ends in tragedy. “Did you know him?” someone asks. “Not really,” Dick responds. He gives a brief synopsis of meeting the man. “I’m sorry,” the person says. “We’re getting off here,” is all Dick replies. He can’t think about it and he does what he can to make his own evasiveness as noble as possible.
Art
Redondo does just as much work in making this issue fun. He experiments with a double-paged spread that shows Dick and Barbara moving through Dick’s apartment. He has Barbara appear as a tiny cartoon character at one point. Redondo shows us a step-by-step of Nightwing assembling his baton, looking like something right out of a safety guide on an airplane. Every page pushes the art to new, entertaining heights. But there’s a darkness beneath the surface too. One of the few times Dick actually talks about the murder, his face is obscured. We see him as a black outline, with his domino mask showing in bright blue. Even as a silhouette, he almost looks angry. So, Redondo sprinkles in hints that everything isn’t as alright as everyone is trying to make it seem. Dick is hurting inside and the fun of the issue is making for a great distraction.
Coloring
Just as in the last issue, Lucas colors everything like the sun is setting. Scenes have an orange haze to them. At times, it makes the comic feel both beautiful and a little lifeless. The characters occasionally look pale in the light, like they’re not feeling like themselves. But when Dick runs into some supervillains, everything changes. We see the bright purple power emanating from them, and the blues on Nightwing’s costume look brighter than ever. Lucas points out to us here how some of Dick’s coping is unhealthy. He’s pushing his emotions down and jumping at the chance to distract himself. Even if it means beating up two-bit baddies.
Lettering
Abbott uses the page brilliantly to show the timing of the dialogue. Some word balloons practically overlap each other. Often, they’re followed by a bigger gap between lines of dialogue. It gives us a sense of the rhythm of what each person is saying. But more than that, it makes us feel like these characters know each other well. They’re comfortable butting in and saying what they were thinking. They also know each other’s cadence enough to know when someone is done talking. But that’s only half of what makes Abbott’s lettering so great. The rest of it is his sound effects. Many of them work seamlessly into the art: a “TOK!” behind a villain’s head as it’s getting hit or the “FZZZZT!” of another villain shooting lightning. All of his sound effects are bold, bright, and lots of fun to see.
Not only is Nightwing #80 a blast to read, it shows this creative team gets people. They know how the human brain works. In the wake of a strange and unexplained tragedy, this cast of characters is chipper. They’re all working overtime to avoid thinking about it. Every member of this creative team shows us that. Pick up Nightwing #80, out from DC Comics May 18th, at a comic shop near you!
SPECTER INSPECTORS #4 from BOOM! Studios hits your local comic book store on May 26, but thanks to the publisher, Monkeys Fighting Robots has an exclusive four-page preview of the penultimate issue in the five-issue series. The book is created and written by Bowen McCurdy and rising star Kaitlyn Musto, with art by McCurdy and letters by Jim Campbell. McCurdy creates the cover art for SPECTER INSPECTORS #4, with a variant cover by Erica Henderson.
About the issue: The Spector Inspectors are on the trail of a demon and just met a ghost. The problem is, that’s the good news. It turns out Cape Grace has a whole lot of secrets, and none of those are good.
Brandon Graham, auteur of strange and wonderful comics, ends his latest satirical and insightful science fiction story with “Rain Like Hammers” #5. This final chapter of this outstanding comic is a vast and gorgeous gulf of bittersweet emotions, bringing this series to an end in a way that some will find a bit unusual (if you didn’t already think that of the whole series), but in truth feels like the only way it could have ended.
“On the desert world of Crown Majesty, space butler Brik Blok, Little Monster, and Eugene fend off desert marauders and witness a trial for the fate of known space. Who will be the winner? That’s for the ancient demon-king-judge to decide.”
Writing & Plot
All of the scattered and seemingly unrelated plot points in this series finally all meet together in “Rain Like Hammers” #5, an they do so in deeply satisfying fashion. We finally get back together with our friend Eugene from the first issue, and his inclusion fits perfectly alongside that of Brik Blok and the rest of the cast we’ve met since then. Brik’s isolation in his new body, and his alienation from his old allies, fits perfectly with the loneliness felt in Eugene’s story, and everything comes full circle. The massive and faraway-seeming machinations of those in power play in the background while deep introspection and decision making plays out in the heads of our two main protagonists, which makes for a quiet but beautifully well-deserved ending to this story. Graham’s sense of oddball humor mixed with poignant emotional struggles makes for yet another dynamic and effective script that endears itself to its readers in a multitude of ways. The overhead narration fits in this story as it describes the actions of characters in an unrecognizable setting, and grounds us in this story’s reality. This is a beautiful narrative that we’re given here, and while I obviously can’t talk about what happens, it wraps up superbly both emotionally and in terms of its plot, and it will be something that stays on my mind for some time to come.
Art Direction
As unbelievable as this is to say, Brandon Graham really saved his best work on this series for last in “Rain Like Hammers” #5. The visual range this issue has as it closely examines our characters in their most intimate moments, as well as surveys the landscape as space-faring cities and interstellar gods make landfall, is utterly astounding. Every time I have been taken aback at Graham’s visuals in prior issues was multiplied tenfold in the pages of this final chapter. The tone evoked by the drawings of a barren planet being traveled by a lonely Eugene in a gumball machine-shaped land walker is both soothing and somehow disquieting. The sense of awe I felt once I realized the mountain range I was looking at was actually a massive god-king entity was something I rarely ever feel in any medium. In all honestly though, I believe that the best and most impressive moments were the ones where we got to see the characters up close as they traveled and reflected on their decisions. Brik Blok’s quiet contemplation regarding the how’s and why of his quest for the woman he loves is a genuinely painful moment, all conveyed in the careful and minimalistic detail in his expressions. There’s a melancholic solitude conveyed in every panel in this book, and in all honestly that’s probably how I’d describe the entire series. Of course all of the zany designs and clever little artistic witticisms are still here, but this finale feels so much quieter and more reflective than what came before. It’s a stellar ending that fades out in a bittersweet and beautiful manner.
“Rain Like Hammers” #5 is an emotionally satisfying, intelligent, and poignant end to this brilliant comic series. Brandon Graham reflects on the struggles and societal ills that have created both the larger isuues in the series, as well as the steps that brought both Eugene and Brik Blok to the point in their lives where they are now, and what they decide to do about it. With series-best art and hard-hitting reflective moments, this is an incredible comic that I cannot recommend enough. Be sure to finish this series off when this final issue hits shelves on 5-19!
Check out the cover to MARAUDERS #23 by Russell Dauterman below. You will notice Banshee and Tempo, who are the guest stars of the issue.
MARAUDERS #23
GERRY DUGGAN (W)
ZE CARLOS (A)
Cover by RUSSELL DAUTERMAN
SCREAMING INTO BATTLE!
As new problems face mutantkind in Ireland, the Marauders bring in Banshee for some assistance. Meanwhile…one prominent member of Verendi has their mind changed.
MARAUDERS #23 hots your local comic book shop in August. Banshee (Sean Cassidy) was created by writer Roy Thomas and artist Werner Roth, the character first appeared in X-Men #28 (January 1967).
Oslo is an HBO Original film based on the Tony Award-winning play that’s coming soon from director Bartlett Sher about the back-channel negotiations during the 90s Oslo Peace Accords. Emmy Award-winning composer Jeff Russo creates the sonic soundscapes for the political narrative.
In the early 1990s, the Oslo Peace Accords aimed at achieving peace and fulfilling the right of self-determination for the Palestinian people. The film stars Ruth Wilson (Luther, His Dark Materials) as Mona Juul, a Norwegian foreign minister, and Andrew Scott (His Dark Materials, Fleabag) as Terje Rod-Larsen, a Norwegian sociologist and Mona’s husband. It follows a small but committed group of Israelis and Palestinians whose unlikely friendships helped bring about the talks.
PopAxiom spoke with Jeff about going from rock bands to creating scores for film and television shows like American Gothic, Fargo, and The Umbrella Academy.
Musical Journey
“I’ve been playing music since I was a kid,” Jeff’s journey begins. “It’s hard to put a time on the exact moment I realized I wanted to make music for my life.”
“I’d been writing songs and playing in rock bands all my life,” he continues. Those bands include Tonic and Low Stars. “It wasn’t until about 12 years ago that I wanted to make a go at writing music for film and TV.”
The Band
Adding composer to his skillset came about organically. “Two or three moments happened,” he explains, “In 2000, I was asked to be an actor in an indie movie playing a guitar player because that’s what I was.”
“The director asked me down to the composer’s studio to play guitar on the score and in the movie for some ADR,” he continues, “When I got to the studio, I got to talking to the composer where I found the whole idea of writing for movies and television exciting. That person went on to become one of my best friends, composer Ben Decker.”
Five or six years later, Jeff and the band decided to take a break. “I was handing out with a friend of my wife, Wendy Melvoin (of the duo Wendy & Lisa). She asked me to come down to the studio and hang out and just watch what they were doing. They were working on some TV shows at the time.”
“I watched what they did and basically went to work for them as an assistant,” he says. “Eventually, they asked me if I wanted to try writing a cue, so I did, and I got the bug.”
At first, things were slow, but Jeff juggled creating demos for various projects. “In 2009, I got my first job scoring a television show on my own [The Unusuals]. That’s sort of when everything changed.”
But the band’s not a thing of the past. Jeff’s new bug was composition, but his lifelong bug is creating music with a band. “I still do stuff with the band and some minor amounts of touring and shows. We continue to make music together, write songs, and make records.”
Making Music
Jeff’s credits include many science fiction projects such as Brave New World on PeacockTV, Netflix’s Altered Carbon, and Star Trek: Discovery and Picard on Paramount+. He says he’s “drawn to those types of projects. I enjoy the way those stories are told. I don’t know if science fiction is a deliberate choice. As I’ve done a good amount of sci-fi films and TV, producers and directors know my work in that realm.”
It is also what comes around that pique’s Jeff interest the most regardless of genre. “That’s really the way it goes.”
“There are the occasions,” he says, “where producers like a particular thing you’ve done, and they want that same sort of sound for a different genre altogether. I did a show called Channel Zero, and that was in the horror genre. I wouldn’t say I’ve done a lot of horror, but it was an interesting way to utilize the way I write.”
Jeff writes from a “melodic standpoint. That’s how I roll. This producer thought it would be an interesting idea to utilize that type of writing for the type of story.”
One producer for the Umbrella Academy called Jeff about Vanya’s violin solo in season one. “We talked about creating that piece and how important it was for the soundtrack. “Creating the violin solo for Vanya in that first season was pretty memorable.”
Into The Project
Every film and television project is a unique beast. There are familiar parts and repeated processes, but it’s rarely, if ever, the same from one project to the next. “Like, for real. I’ve done it all different ways,” Jeff says about his process for creating a score.
“The best way for me to get into a project is the script,” he says of his ideal situation. “As soon as I start reading the script and get into the story, music starts to occur to me.
I look for inspiration in the storytelling, the character development, the geographical locations, and how things are described. What piques my imagination?”
“When it happens and it all lines up well, the music starts to write itself early on.”
How much of the process produces unused material? “Not very much ends up on the cutting room floor in Fargo in terms of music. Even when things don’t get used where they were meant to, they get moved around and used elsewhere. Music is an important part of that storytelling, and I would say most stuff gets used.”
“I think I have a particular writing style,” he explains. “I’m not saying that stuff doesn’t get changed around. I’ve worked on movies where I’ve gotten to version twelve of a piece of music. That happens.”
Jeff thinks his tool includes the ability to “figure out how to repurpose things throughout a project so that not much gets wasted.”
Wrapping Up
“I’m inspired by everything,” he says with a lot of joy in his voice. “There isn’t one thing that I look to for inspiration. I grew up listening to Pink Floyd, The Beatles, and all these different types of music that inspired the kind of music that I wanted to make. I listen to film scores, classical music, then turn on some AC/DC and rock out with my kids.”
Jeff’s dream project only needs one qualification: “I always want to work on interesting narratives and a well-told story.”
“The filmmakers I tend to work with are the same, and they want to tell evocative stories,” he explains. “Would I love to work on the next Star Wars? Sure! Would I love to work on some interesting pieces by filmmakers that I love? Yes, of course!”
But he shares that it’s impossible to know what’s a dream project. “I’m currently working on finishing a movie that’s coming out in May. It’s been incredible working on this movie. I’d never worked with the director before, and he’d never made a movie before. So, there was no way I would know that this would be such an interesting thing.”
Russo’s worked on dozens of TV shows, wildly popular shows I’ve already mentioned, but you can add Lucifer, Bull, and Santa Clarita Diet to the mix. But there’s one that’s left a mark. “I would love to do something else along the lines of Legion. That was interesting to me, and I had so much fun creating the music because I had this very big sandbox to play in. Those are the best kinds of projects where I have a wide playpen so-to-speak and can utilize many different tools to get where I wanted to go.”
“I tend to work on a lot of things I can’t talk about,” he says as we get to talking about what’s coming next. “I’m starting to work on season four of Star Trek: Discovery and looking at season two of Picard. I’m working on a big video game. I’ve been working with an artist named Zoe Keating, with who I’ve collaborated in the past. I’m a very collaborative composer and enjoy that very much.”
Oslo releases in May. Is it on your watch list?
Thanks to Jeff Russo and Rhapsody PR
for making this interview possible.
