Writer G. Willow Wilson and artist Nick Robles, along with colorist Mat Lopes and letterer Simon Bowland, return with another chapter of their outstanding addition to the Sandman mythos in The Dreaming: The Waking Hours #8. This issue sees Heather After, Ruin, and Jophiel take a trip to the land of Faerie (some more reluctantly than others), and what results is quite possibly the most outright entertaining issue of this series thus far. With a hilarious and well, sexy script and staggeringly incredible artwork, this is a masterwork of a comic issue and possibly the best single issue of 2021 so far.
“Heather After has a theory about just where Ruin’s lost love might be found…but the realm of Faerie is a dangerous place under the best of circumstances, and as Ruin, Heather, and Jophiel will quickly find when they cross between worlds, the circumstances there have changed quite a bit!”
Writing & Plot
G. Willow Wilson has been firing on all cylinders during this run, so when I say that her script on The Dreaming: The Waking Hours #8 is some of her most impressive work yet, I’m saying quite a bit. The different personalities of the angel Jophiel, the naïve nightmare Ruin, and the confident sorceress Heather. After are all written to clash and bounce off of one another, and it makes for some of the best conversational dialogue I’ve ever read in a comic. The humor in this issue is outstanding, and every funny bit lands with a chuckle. The latter part of the issue with the group’s arrival in Faerie makes for the most hilarious yet ominous moment in the book, blending humorous sexual comedy with that classic Sandman mythological subject matter and dark magics. Indeed, there is a growing dark undertone to this comic that carries along as Dream follows the trio’s trail, making for a layered and complex read. This mix of whimsy, humor, and threatening auras is pure Sandman magic of course and is the exact sort of thing one would expect to see in a book sprouting out of Gaiman’s universe. However, it’s not since Gaiman’s original Sandman that this world and this cast of characters has been so damn delightful to be a part of.
Art Direction
The phenomenal Nick Robles, the artist behind the first 6 issues of The Waking Hours, finally makes his return here for issue #8. While the fill-in artists have done amazing work, I’d almost forgotten what I was missing when I saw Robles’s pencils again. His thin, delicate linework allows for so much intricate detail and animation on every panel, and everything springs forth on the pages from the décor of a coffee shop to the fur of a burly minotaur. The animations for every character, both main and random extra, are full of individual life, and the personalities of each person come through perfectly. Robles may indeed have my pick for my favorite drawing of Dream of the Endless (maybe, at least for Daniel, if not Morpheus). Robles’ originality and vision construct page layouts is once again an awe-inspiring experience, as he once again eschews traditional formats and directing for images that organically bleed from one image to the next. Panel borders hardly seem to exist, and when they do, they are unnoticeable – but nothing ever feels cluttered. Mat Lopes’s colors once again work immense wonders into this saga in the Sandman Universe, offering an incredible array of tones on every page. I admired the opening orange sunlit scene in a coffee shop on the first couple of pages for a few long moments before moving on. This is a pretty tame scene compared to Lopes’s coloring of Dream and the Dream realm, Faerie, and numerous mythological beings and the luminous colors they exhibit. It’s just such simple moments are rarely given such beauty in this or any medium. Simon Bowland’s lettering is as grat and consistent as it’s always been, with the character-themed fonts and pitch-perfect bolds and italics on every page. The Dreaming: The Waking Hours continues to be one of the best-looking comics on stands right now.
The Dreaming: The Waking Hours #8 is a stupendously clever and witty comic. G. Willow Wilson’s script offers up a ton of personality and heart, as well as some of the funniest moments ever seen in a Sandman comic. The visual work is once again outstanding, with Robles’s pencils and Lopes’s colors creating a world that can only be described as the height of visual work in the comics medium. Be sure to grab this newest issue when it hits shelves on 3-2!
THE EXPANSE #4 hits your local comic book shop on March 17, but thanks to BOOM! Studios, Monkeys Fighting Robots has an exclusive five-page preview for our readers.
The limited comic book series’s final issue is written by Corinna Bechko, with art by Alejandro Aragon, Francesco Segala drops the color and Ed Dukeshire’s letter work. W. Scott Forbes worked on the main cover, Tigh Walker and Will Sliney created the two variants.
About THE EXPANSE #4: The series is set between the fourth and fifth seasons of the television show. Bobbie and Avasarala make their final moves in the battle to save humanity, but any victory may come with a cost neither of them is ready to pay.
We live in exciting times. On the heels of DC Comics’ Future State, many creative teams are creating series that lead up to Future State’s events. The Swamp Thingis one of those series. Writer Ram V, artist Mike Perkins, colorist Mike Spicer, and letterer Aditya Bidikar are playing with our expectations in this issue. They are filling these pages with doom and gloom. But their characters, all new to the Swamp Thing mythos, read like old friends. They’re immediately familiar, full of life and plans for the future. So, even though we know we probably shouldn’t get invested in these doomed folks, this dastardly creative team gets us caring right off the bat. DC Comics’ The Swamp Thing #1 is the start of your next heartbreak. Minor spoilers ahead.
Writing
V doesn’t do much in terms of introducing our characters. Instead, he keeps us guessing. Levi, who it seems safe to assume is the protagonist, is returning from a trip home to India. He’s clearly recovering from whatever happened over there. But V doesn’t tell us what that was. He doesn’t give us Levi’s life story. V just puts Levi on a plane and fills his head with nightmares. It’s intoxicatingly mysterious. The only character V gives us details about is the Pale Wanderer. The Pale Wanderer is a being of legend. Characters at a crime scene swap ghost stories, building up the terror we feel that the Wanderer could be around any corner. When the Wanderer finally shows up, V does something that sends chills down the spine. He gives the creature a voice. This force of nature, that seems inhuman and ghostly, wants to chat.
In giving us lots of details about our antagonist, and keeping the cards close the vest about our protagonist, V ups the stakes. If Levi, whoever he is, ends up facing off with the Pale Wanderer, will he make it out alright? The answer: we don’t know. But knowing so little about Levi makes him a puzzle we want to solve. Though, occasionally, V does slip into exposition mode. Jessica, Levi’s friend, tells Levi why he was sent back to India. It feels like dialogue that’s aimed at the reader, not Levi. Levi knows why he went home. But V still obscures so many of the details of this story. And he’s setting up a cast of characters who soliloquize and share their hearts with one another. That’s just who they are. It’s the tone V is creating. In the midst of mystery, these characters have their hearts on their sleeves.
Art
Perkins is just as much of a culprit when it comes to hiding the answers. In Levi’s flashbacks, Perkins makes us feel as though we’re caught between important details. The long, slender panels feel like half a picture. We see angry faces, crowds gathering, but we don’t get to see why. It’s infuriating and exciting, all at once. Perkins never lets us think, however, that he doesn’t know the answers. Every panel feels haunted by a deeper knowledge. It almost reads like Perkins is drawing these pages with a heavy heart. He knows the chaos he’s drawing his characters into. As the plane Levi’s on passes through dark clouds, Perkins makes them look like tentacles trying to grab ahold of the plane. Even seemingly innocuous images of trees feel like omens of death and destruction.
This all culminates as Levi runs to the bathroom. Perkins twists the panels, making them look lopsided and warped. It’s hard not to feel ill looking at those panels. Perkins so brilliantly replicates the feeling of dizziness in these pages, that it’s best to read this comic sitting down. Every inch of this issue is terrifying but beautiful. Perkins will lure you in to this story and then scare the crap out of you.
Coloring
Spicer’s coloring is breathtaking. It pairs so perfectly with Perkins’ art to make everything feel both foreboding and gorgeous. It’s in these pages that Spicer reminds us that bloody corpses and beautiful sunsets are both red. And our history lesson about the Pale Wanderer looks faded from time. But Spicer also makes these moments feel faded for another reason. These aren’t just old memories. We’re watching the progression of a man losing his humanity. The only moment that looks vibrant and alive on those pages, is the deep red image of the Pale Wanderer making his way through a group of soldiers. Whenever Spicer has the opportunity to connect something awful with something awe inspiring, he does. Haunting memories are a gorgeous orange. Every moment of terror somehow makes us want to dive deeper into the horror.
Lettering
Bidikar’s lettering is a tug of war between order and chaos. As we learn about the Pale Wanderer, some captions are given a text box and others are not. It’s the nonchalant captions that have clear boxes around them. These are the little bits and pieces that we’ll probably forget about soon enough. Little things like what the Pale Wanderer was doing before he became what he is. But it’s the captions that are just set against the page, with no border around them, that haunt the reader. “And instead of going back to civilization, he chooses to go deep into the hear of the desert,” one of these captions says. “He wanders, he hunts,” the next says. It’s a disconcerting idea. Why would someone choose to go out into the wilderness? It’s a dangerous caption. One that can’t be contained by text boxes or borders. With this small change in how they present the captions, Bidikar highlights the captions they don’t want us to forget. And we won’t.
DC Comics’ The Swamp Thing #1 is exactly how you should start a story. It’s full of mystery. It’s both deeply haunting and deeply beautiful. V, Perkins, Spicer and Bidikar are luring us into a dangerous new world. And though we may know, from Future State: Swamp Thing, where things are likely going, we’re glued to the page to see just how we get there. These characters feel like living, breathing human beings and the horror that faces them feels disturbingly enticing. Pick up The Swamp Thing #1, out from DC Comics March 2nd, at a comic shop near you. It’s the first issue of a surefire gamechanger.
It might seem a little unfair to measure this new Suicide Squadrun up against the last one. Tom Taylor and Bruno Redondo’s run on Suicide Squad is a tough act to follow. But that’s what makes this issue of Suicide Squad so great. It nods to Taylor and Redondo briefly, then boldly does its own thing. Well, kind of. Writer Robbie Thompson, penciller Eduardo Pansica, inker Julio Ferreira, colorist Marcelo Maiolo and letterer Wes Abbott present a version of the Suicide Squad that feels classic. They go back to basics, connecting to all of the things that make Task Force X who they are.
Writing
Thompson doesn’t pull punches in this issue. He makes it abundantly clear that Suicide Squad is going to be a revolving door for characters. Some characters, like Peacemaker and Amanda Waller, are going to be mainstays. But everyone else is fair game. Thompson has us worried about the safety of these maniacs right off the bat. And he creates such an interesting balance of chaos and order. We get the relatively calm conversations between Waller and Flag, juxtaposed against prison riots. Thompson highlights the divide between “the management” and “employees.” Waller can be calculating in her decisions, but it’s still going to mean Task Force X are going to get their hands dirty.
Art
Pansica and Ferreira are constantly playing with their page layouts. The page layouts also highlight the dueling natures of Task Force X. They are a group that is full of violence and chaos, but they’re pretty organized and nonchalant about it. For the most part. In one scene, Pansica and Ferreira show a fight breaking out in a prison. We see a lopsided panel in one corner, as a character dons their mask to join the fight. But the fight itself seems both wild and contained. As Peacemaker and the character fight people around them, the panels continue in a diagonal line down the page. It feels organized but off-kilter. It’s as though Peacemaker and the character balance each other out into some strange, twisted medium. Pansica and Ferreira do a fantastic job of making this issue feel wild, and showing that the characters don’t seem all that fazed.
Coloring
Maiolo takes a page out ofFuture State: Suicide Squad‘s book. The color palette seems muted and pale for the most part. But when there’s violence, the page lights up. We see a huge red page of a character stabbing someone. And when another character is electrocuted, the page is a brilliant blue. On one hand, the characters seem to be reveling in the violence. These are the bright moments for them. Everything else in their lives is controlled by Waller. But, at the same time, these moments also read like they’re breaking through the haze that surrounds each character. These untouchable criminals are actually being fazed every once in a while. Pansica and Ferreira certainly make them look nonchalant, but Maiolo is telling us these acts of violence are cutting through. They look like they’re shaking it off well enough, but maybe they’re not.
Lettering
Amanda Waller has got to be a fun character to letter. She has such a clear cadence and rhythm. And Abbott nails it. Every time she speaks, Abbott makes her sound so laid back. She takes her time to say what she wants. She never speaks in large chunks. Abbott rarely has her say more than seven words at a time. And her dialogue is given so much space on the page. Everyone seems so scared of her, even Rick Flag. The only time one of her lines overlaps someone else’s is when she’s speaking to Peacemaker. Abbott shows us that Peacemaker and Waller are birds of a feather. Neither is scared of the other and both are willing to make some messy decisions.
DC Comics’ Suicide Squad #1 is an exciting start to a series. It’s fun, chaotic, violent, and has all the staples of being a classic Suicide Squad story. This creative team clearly loves the work they’re doing. That much is clear from every panel on every page. Pick up DC Comics’ Suicide Squad #1, out March 2nd, at a comic shop near you.
The physical release of BREAKLANDS VOLUME ONE: THE CHASE will happen on March 3rd, 2021. The book will collect the first five issues of the digital first series that were released by Comixology. The in-print edition will be released by Dark Horse Comics. The story is written by Justin Jordan. The art is created by Tyasetta. Sarah Stern provides colors, and Rachel Deering handles lettering.
Breaklands is like an amazingly crafted patchwork quilt. You can focus on a single moment, pull out the influence, and be impressed by the craftsmanship. Yet, when you pull back and see the work as a whole you find something truly amazing. A piece of art that is breathtaking and the sum total is exponentially greater than its parts. Breaklands reminds you why you love comics.
STORY
Justin Jordan tells a brilliant story set in a world that combines genres like sci-fi, superhero, post-apocalyptic, and dystopian. However, in a world that is so blatantly different from that of the reader it still feels lived-in and real. What is truly remarkable about the setting is how Jordan combines all these genres together, and the world still feels hopeful and new. Even with all of its faults, you’re drawn into it. You want to know more about it and you want to understand how the world came to be the way it is. You want to know more about every character you see in the background. It is truly inconceivable how the writer combines so many influences and presents something that feels fresh and new.
While the setting and world building is truly jaw-dropping, the characters are nearly beyond compare in the world of sequential art. Kasa Fain is our protagonist, and from the get go it is nearly impossible not to love her. She is loyal to her family. She is unique in a world filled with larger than life people and circumstances. In her quest, she assembles a motley crew that is just as loveable as she is. Each one of them has a unique voice and feel. Just wait until you meet Toy and Ruth.
Of course what would the good guys be if they were not met with an amazing antagonist to thwart them on their way? The villains in this book are just so compelling. You want to know more about them, and there are a few instances where you are hoping redemption will come for them in future volumes (I am looking at you Shattersword). The story in Breaklands Volume One: The Chase is breathtaking. Every page beckons you forward, and yet you want to linger so you can appreciate the moment that is laid before you on the page. Justin Jordan has crafted a modern classic. The only source of irritation I found was when there was not another page to turn.
ART
Tyasetta’s work is equal to the brilliance of the story they are helping tell. They make the story seem hopeful, though it’s set in a hopeless world. The love one feels for each of the characters is due to how they are drawn on the page. In the art, you see a vast number of influences and an amazing display of talent. In some of the pages that depict heavy action, I was reminded of the X-men comics I loved as a child. On pages that focused solely on our protagonist, it was like seeing a Disney movie as a kid.
In the crowded city scenes, I saw the manga I had read as a teen. The truly amazing part of the art is that even though it felt reminiscent of so many forms, it also felt brilliant and new. It never felt stale or that it was trying to imitate something that preceded it. It is clear the art is grounded in past works, but it is also a new vibrant expression in the world of comics.
COLORING
In Breaklands Sarah Stern’s colors are another brilliant part of the tapestry. The palette somehow feels simultaneously muted and vibrant. In the work, you encounter a multitude of environments and each one has their own array of color. This gives each place a brilliant and unique look. It helps the reader differentiate where each section of the story is happening, and does a great job of conveying the mood of each setting.
Each character’s color helps tell their own unique story. The colors chosen to depict each one helps us see their unique voice and perspective. The coloring makes the world feel diverse, and that a million different stories could happen. The coloring is inviting and warm.
LETTERING
Rachel Deering does a great job with lettering Breaklands in a traditional way. The lettering never steals focus, but does help convey what is going on in the world. The onomatopoeia is done in a fashion that feels authentic to the world. It is here the lettering really makes itself known. The letter combines with the art in action sequences to make you feel like you are hearing the sounds.
CONCLUSION
Breaklands Volume One: The Chase is an amazing and brilliant book. Every ingredient in the pot is delicious on its own, but when combined you have an experience that is out of this world. This is a once a decade work on par with Saga, Fables, Umbrella Academy, and Sandman. It is not a work that you love because it is a comic. It is a work that makes you love comics.
WandaVision has reached its penultimate episode and it was the best episode so far as it explores Wanda’s past.
Agnes has revealed her true identity. She is really Agatha Harkness, a powerful witch and she wants to know how Wanda was able to turn Westview into a sitcom world and how she resurrected Vision. Agatha takes more extreme actions to get Wanda to reveal her secret by kidnapping her sons and force Wanda to explore traumatic events in her, including the death of her parents, the experiments that were performed on her, and finding out what happened to Vision’s body.
WandaVision has been about Wanda’s grief and making a fantasy world so she didn’t have to face reality. “Previously On” took Wanda out of her comfort zone and she had to face everything she had been trying to avoid. She had to relive all her pain. This episode showed why Wanda had a personal connection to sitcoms, offered up lots of continuity nods, and set up the future.
Despite Wanda being a prominent character in the MCU since Avengers: Age of Ultron, she has not been that developed. “Previously On” rectified this by looking at events that were only mentioned. The death of Wanda’s parents was given even more significance because it showed Wanda had a protective magical relax and when she was exposed to the Mind Stone it gave her powers. The episode also had a touching moment when Wanda and Vision had their first heart-to-heart.
This episode was the most focused in the series. It just followed Wanda and Agatha as they literally go through Wanda’s memories. The surreal visuals and the change of locations gave made this episode seem like the MCU’s version of Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind or Inception.
There has been a debate on whether Wanda would be revealed to be a mutant. This episode dismisses that theory. Agatha states Wanda was a powerful witch who was able to perform powerful acts through instinct. In the comics Agatha has been a mentor to Wanda instead of an outright villain and that could be the direction the final episode and the MCU can go. But we have to remember Agatha did kill Sparky.
The lingering questions from WandaVision are the roles of mutants and the multiverse in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. This was symbolized with the role of Pietro who was played by Evan Peters, the actor who played the character in the Fox X-Men movies. The series has ended up dodging the question because Agatha said she created this version of Pietro. However, due to Agatha’s nature, she could be lying.
WandaVision has been a character-driven show and “Previously On” was the most character-focused episode yet.
TURNING ROADS is currently funding on Kickstarter, and we chatted with the book’s editor Paul Carroll about how the anthology came together and what readers can expect.
The project is a collection of Irish folklore and mythology retold in modern (and future) settings. Carroll talks more about the project below, but the stories will span various genres and styles, with over 30 creators from all around the world contributing. The campaign runs through March 28th, 2021.
Monkeys Fighting Robots: Tell us about TURNING ROADS — what kind of stories can readers expect to find in this anthology?
Paul Carroll:Turning Roads is an anthology of short comics from Irish and international creators, focused on retelling Irish myths, legends and folklore stories in modern and future Ireland. There’s a mix of science fiction, fantasy and magical realism blended through the stories, some of which take a distinct genre fiction approach to the twist, others of which treat the presence of Irish fairies in modern Ireland as a consequence of time, rather than magic — they were always there, and now they’re adapting to life here. There are 18 different teams in the book, each with their own styles and voices, so no two stories will be the same — and that’s not even accounting for the fact that one legend appears twice in the book, albeit through two very different approaches.
MFR: Where did you get the idea to put this project together?
PC: This goes back to the Before Times; there were discussions around the winter of 2019 among Irish and UK comic creators about putting together comic anthologies. I’ve had notions of organising something like this for a while, even before those conversations, and with lockdown in Ireland presenting long-term isolation for the comic community here, the timing felt right. I’ve been out of work as a result of the pandemic, while others have been busy trying to meet their deadlines or doing essential work as part of their day jobs, so I figured it was only right to put some of my time and experience to good use. At the very least, I’ve tried, and some people have paid attention.
MFR: Can you plug some of the creators who are contributing to the book? And can you tease anything about the stories they’re working on?
PC: I’m exceptionally fortunate to have over 30 creators involved in this book. There are some who’ve been around the Irish comics scene for a while — people whose work I admired before I knew the creators personally — like Hugo Boylan, Dave Hendrick, Leeann Hamilton, and Tríona Farrell. Hugo and Dave are both writing stories for the book, teaming up with Hugh Madden and Pete Marry respectively to tell some whacky tales. Hugo and Hugh have so much creative energy between them, and the one page of their story I’ve seen so far just blew me away. Leeann is joining Kerrie Smith on art in a beautiful little short that Kerrie scripted. They’re probably two of the most humble creators in the book, and they’ll be packing quite a punch with the story they’re telling. As for Tríona, I was lucky enough to get her on board to colour one of the stories in the book.
It would take hours to shine a similar light on everyone, but there’s so much talent in this book it almost makes me feel unworthy to be editing them. (Except, of course, they’re also all lovely and endearing, so they’ve made me feel like I’ve fit the part quite well!) Just off the top of my head, two of the creators I didn’t know before this whose portfolios made me audibly gasp the first time I saw them are Dominique Duong and Ember Johnstone. Each is contributing stories as solo creators, and I honestly cannot wait to see the finished work. We’ll need to adopt them as Honorary Irish when all this is done!
MFR: I’m assuming you have at least a passing interest in myth and legend since you’re putting together this anthology — where does that fascination come from? Is it something from childhood, or something you grew to appreciate as you got older?
PC: I’ve always loved stories, and myth and legend provided so many variations that my young mind couldn’t keep up. It started with the Greek legends, through old movies my dad would put on the television on a Sunday afternoon, and then Disney’s wildly inaccurate Hercules. After that, I took any chance I had to experience Greek myths, mostly through PC games as I was growing up, and then through books and reading online once the opportunities presented themselves. (Side note: we didn’t have even a dial-up Internet connection in my household until I was in my mid-teens!) That passion for mythology then spread through other pantheons, to the point of collecting books on Norse and Egyptian mythology whenever I could. At some point along the way, I found my collection included stories of Irish myth and legend, though I couldn’t tell you how or when they showed up. Still, they felt right at home.
MFR: What do you think makes Irish myth and legends stand out compared to other cultures’ folklore (other than being set in Ireland, obviously)? Are there certain themes and concepts that make them uniquely Irish?
PC: Irish stories are a funny old lot. They almost always end in misery, and sometimes they’ll just stop when the main character is dead. There’s a lot of focus on death, and on the consequences of messing about with things that you shouldn’t. There’s a strange beauty to them, though the retellings and changes made to the stories and the people that occupy them make it confusing to keep track of everything all at once. Between the arrival of Christianity in Ireland, and the occupation of Ireland by the British, we’ve ended up with many contrasting tales, each with their own focal points and morals (if you’re lucky to have a moral by the end of the story!)
MFR: You write a story yourself in TURNING ROADS — how do you like writing short stories compared to longer ones like MEOUCH?
PC: I’ve always had a soft spot for short stories. There’s a whole separate challenge in telling a complete story in just a few pages. With Meouch, myself and Gareth Luby get to play around on single scenes for a few pages at a time, and it allows for more space to tell jokes and shift the mood a bit whenever we need to, but you don’t have that freedom when you go from a 20-page issue one down to four pages. Not that that’s a bad thing. The constraint is part of what makes it fun. Unless you have a completely unforeseen twist at the end, there’s the challenge of keeping a story tonally consistent and interesting, and there’s not much room for explaining what’s happening before it’s all over.
Of course, short stories also allow writers to work with lots of different people if they want to. Don’t get me wrong, I’d do a hundred short stories with Gareth if he had the time, but even if he wasn’t working a full-time day job, there’s only so much one artist can do. For Turning Roads, I took a couple of chances on my story; I’m working with James Killian, who’s relatively new to the scene, on art, while Marvel’s own Tríona Farrell is handling colours. (I really felt like I was chancing my arm asking Tríona, but she’s a delightful person and set my mind at ease from the get-go!)
A teaser image from “Dusk and Dreaded Night” by Paul Carroll and James Killian (colors will be by Tríona Farrell).
MFR: How has the process of putting together the Kickstarter campaign and getting it ready to launch been? Any advice for creators who are getting ready to start their own project?
PC: Full disclosure: I’m an anxious person. I love having done a Kickstarter campaign, but I panic the entire way up to and through the process. It’s also been almost two years since my first campaign, so I’d forgotten so much about how it’s done. My advice boils down to a few things. The first is simple: give yourself more than enough time to complete the set-up of the project, because there are always delays on Kickstarter’s end when it comes to approving a campaign. They’re quite open about the delay — it can take up to three days to be approved — but if you leave it late, you can be stuck waiting.
Secondly, have as much work ready to show as you can. This is for more than just the Kickstart page. A good press release can result in people needing more images to include when they share something online, and you need it accessible. Save it on your computer, on your phone, in the Cloud – have it available to send to people no matter when they ask you.
And thirdly, do the work in marketing and PR. You need to be present on social media, before, during and after a campaign. Tell people about your project, as people for help, and put in the effort in contacting websites and podcasts. Craft a press release if you feel the need to put on a professional face, and have all the info you need to tell potential interviewers at hand so they can craft better questions for you.
(And, it should be said, the immortal words of Douglas Adams apply to running a Kickstarter campaign: Don’t Panic.)
MFR: What are you most proud of in regards to TURNING ROADS? What are you most excited for people to see?
PC: I have personal pride in even getting it this far, which is a difficult thing for any Irish writer to admit to having. We’re a shy, modest bunch for the most part.
For real, though, I’m excited to share the stories that were pitched. I picked the ones that spoke to me, the ones that made my mythology-loving inner child want to see them complete.
There’s also a special guest star who I’m hoping will make an appearance when we hit the stretch goal stage of things, fulfilling cover art duties. It’s a big name, I can promise you that, well outside what I considered the realm of possibility back during the initial conversations I had with people about doing the book.
MFR: And you are part of Limit Break Comics alongside Gary Moloney and Gareth Luby. Outside of TURNING ROADS, what else can we expect to see from Limit Break in the near future? Any projects coming down the pike that you want to tease or promote?
PC: Limit Break as a collective has a few projects on the go at the moment. We’re talking with a couple of creators from outside the circle of three about publishing their books under the label – we’re hopeful we’ll get to announce them before conventions return to Ireland.
Aside from that, you can expect issue two of both Meouch and Plexus in the near future. Gareth is hard at work on the art for Meouch. Plexus currently has two stories out of three completed from the art point of view, too, which is an exciting place to be in.
Joining them, I’m working on cryptid horror comics under a project name Dark House; I’ve no idea when they’ll start appearing in the world, but it’s fun to return to the genre after a few years away from it in terms of comics. While I’m doing that, Gary is putting together a wicked looking pitch, and he has plans to put together a collection of his crime comics in the future — I’m under oath not to make any promises on his behalf as to when any of that will happen, and he’s our law-talking guy so I’ve got to stick to my word!
It’s an exciting time to be making comics, though, and working with Gareth and Gary makes the journey all the better.
Thanks again to Paul Carroll for taking time to talk with us! TURNING ROADS is currently funding on Kickstarter; you can check it out here!
Have a look at one of the stories from TURNING ROADS, Niamh Cinn Óir by Hugh Madden:
The Amazing Spider-Man #60, out now from Marvel Comics, is an intense, emotional issue that heavily delves into the inner turmoil that Peter Parker faces.
The Amazing Spider-Man #60 is an intriguing issue, to say the least. Most superhero comic book series are focused heavily on action and portraying a visual spectacle, but Nick Spencer takes an entirely different route in this issue. Mary Jane takes Peter to a theater stage she has been using to practice and guides Peter through a therapeutic exercise to work through the emotions he has been experiencing recently. Spencer’s dialogue is powerful, touching, and helps make what Peter has been struggling through in recent issues more evident. The raw emotion that is shown more than makes up for the lack of action in the issue. Spencer also employs techniques such as showing flashbacks and what the characters are imagining to prevent the entire issue from being nothing but images of Peter and Mary Jane’s faces.
It is difficult to make an issue composed of little action and lots of facial expressions visually appealing. Yet, Mark Bagley, John Dell, and Andrew Hennessy are able to accomplish this and then some. With Bagley’s pencils and Dell and Hennessy’s inks, TheAmazing Spider-Man #60 is a beautiful issue. Peter’s facial expressions and body language pair spectacularly with the accompanying dialogue and make the issue tug on your heartstrings. Silent panels say more than words could ever, and it’s thanks to the magnificent art from this creative team.
While the pencils and inks weren’t necessarily hampered by Spencer’s choice to set most of the issue in one location (since different poses and angles could vary the art), the coloring definitely was. When the source of light does not change, the colorist is left with very few options. This causes the scene taking place on the stage to be stagnant in terms of the palette. Still, Rachelle Rosenberg delivers some absolutely stunning colors for the other scenes in The Amazing Spider-Man #60. One panel of Spider-Man swinging across the city is especially beautiful and reflects the classic Spider-Man tone that we know and love.
VC’s Joe Caramagna’s lettering in The Amazing Spider-Man #60 does wonders to help the issue’s emotionally tense moments get across. The placement of speech bubbles is perfect and never once interferes with the flow of dialogue, which helps immerse readers in the story. Caramagna also uses techniques such as emphasizing certain words and giving some otherworldly characters a unique font and speech bubble. These both give readers more information on how dialogue is spoken, which is critical in a purely visual medium.
The Amazing Spider-Man #60 is a very different issue than what superhero fans expect — and that’s a good thing. The writing gives us an in-depth look at Peter’s emotional state, which is much needed after the traumatic events he has recently experienced. Bagley, Dell, and Hennessy create some gorgeous facial expressions that work phenomenally with the dialogue. The coloring also sets the right mood for the extended scene, even if variety in the color palette isn’t possible.
America Chavez #1 begins a new chapter for the titular character from Marvel Comics on March 3. TV screenwriter Kalinda Vazquez of Prison Break and Nikita fame dives into America’s more personal angles. Artist Carlos E. Gomez illustrates with plenty of dark inking and body language the title character’s personal stakes. Because while the flashy colors by Jesus Aburtov are eye-catching, America’s superhero life doesn’t hold much importance. Travis Lanham’s lettering makes a special use of captions from an outside perspective by the series antagonist.
Who Is America Chavez #1?
Vazquez gives America Chavez #1 an attitude and character of its own. Instead of giving all of the narrative weight to America or a mysterious narrator, the plot takes command. The opening page is a flashback sequence that looks at America’s encounter with her foster family. In juxtaposition, the narrator explains their feelings towards America in these moments. For America, this is a point more important than the nature of her powers or her home reality. It’s a feeling the narrator shares by explaining their envy of the happy life America found.
Further into the issue, the reader seems to share this feeling when looking at America’s superhero life. A fight with mutant moles is absurdly charming, especially with friends and admirers. So what happens when the superpowers and life get boring? Throughout the issue, I found myself more engaged with looking at America’s life with her adoptive family (the Santanas) than anything else. Funny enough, a Chavez admire feels the same way when bringing that up. It’s a sign of the plot pushing Chavez to confront her history to expand her character. After developing America Chavez’s powers and personality, this new phase is welcome.
Perspective Art
Gomez’s illustrations give America Chavez #1 a look evoking classic mainstream superhero pin-ups. Where this art style really shines is in what the body language and inking outlines focuses on. When America’s soon-to-be adoptive brother Berto’s outline emboldens, it shows the power he has in directing his family towards something almost out of focus. The outline of the young America Chavez’s wrist and her star mark is what tells a reader who this story is about. Provided they are already familiar with her for a better experience.
The colors by Aburtov show off the flashier parts of America Chavez #1. Most of them come from America’s powers, like when stars spark off her fists and feet. There’s an energy to them that makes every move mean something. Like when her blue star-shaped portal punches a hole in a giant purple barrier.
VC’s Lanham decorates the issue with the mundane and flashy elements within America Chavez #1. The captions that showcase a time and place look very basic yet have a stylization fitting America’s color scheme. Another caption has a very stylized look to it, like introducing America to a wide audience. That one instance is a demonstration of the life America has after her humble beginnings with the Santanas. So when she is thrust into meeting up with them, the basic stylization takes over as no amount of flashy sequences take away the down-to-earth moments that people find warmth in.
Try America Chavez #1
America Chavez #1 opens the series with a sense of interest towards its title character. Whether its readers who follow America’s journey or just getting into her story, they should stick around for more developments. Because Chavez is well on her way to being a classic character with an appearance in the coming Doctor Strange movie.
DC Comics’ villainess Veronica Sinclair, who goes by the alias “Roulette,” became more widely known after she appeared in the season two episode “Survivors” of Supergirl in 2016. She made another appearance in the episode “Supergirl Lives,” directed by Kevin Smith. But Veronica Sinclair first appeared years before in the comic book JSA Secret Files #2 in 2001. Although she does not have such a long and illustrious history as many other DC Comics villains, Roulette has become one of the most appealing female baddies of the DC universe. Let’s take a closer look at why she is so popular among comic book fans.
Veronica “Roulette” Sinclair’s Appearances
Geoff Johns and Derec Aucoin created the character of Veronica Sinclair. After her initial appearance in JSA Secret Files #2, Roulette made several appearances in other comic books, including Formerly Known as the Justice League and One Year Later. She also appeared in the animated series Justice League Unlimited and an episode of season nine of Smallville.
Who is Veronica “Roulette” Sinclair?
From Australia to Japan, people love playing カジノルーレット (casino roulette), so it is no wonder Veronica Sinclair’s supervillain name is named after a game that is so popular the world over. But she is not called Roulette without reason. The daughter of Debra Sinclair, who was an adversary of Mister Terrific, Veronica Sinclair owns a gambling establishment called The House. Using teleporter technology, she captures superheroes who must fight against each other in a superhuman gladiatorial arena as supervillains watch and place bets on the outcome.
Why is Veronica “Roulette” Sinclair so appealing?
Unlike most other villains and villainesses in the DC Comics world, Roulette is lacking in the superpowers department. In fact, she does not have any. But that is one reason why she has become so popular among comic book fans. Like Batman, she has to rely on her strength, wits, martial arts knowledge, and technology to defeat her foes. Although she is adept at hand-to-hand combat, and very handy with her hairpin that doubles as a dagger, it is Roulette’s intellect that makes her such a formidable opponent. After all, she managed to catch some of the world’s most powerful superheroes and pit them against each other, without the use of superpowers.
Roulette is an evil genius, and she knows all there is to know about gambling and probability calculations. With her tricks, traps, security devices, and robotic dog guards, she is always ready to take on the likes of such adversaries as Supergirl. She is also willing to apply the most horrible outcomes to losers in The House. For instance, she once forced Mister Terrific and Doctor Mid-Nite to go head-to-head in a game of chess in which the loser was electrocuted. Another time, she made Sand and Hawkman try to save Hawkgirl while infected with a fast-acting lethal virus. Later, after Supergirl closes down Roulette’s fighting ring, Roulette becomes involved in the intergalactic slave market, proving that she is truly an evil villainess. But it is undoubtedly Veronica “Roulette” Sinclair’s fighting ring that makes her stand out from the villainess crowd. After all, if there is one thing comic book fans love, it is seeing their favorite superheroes battling against each other.
Veronica “Roulette” Sinclair may not have appeared in many story arcs, but her appearances always bring some of the most challenging and dangerous circumstances to the superheroes she goes up against.
Vazquez gives America Chavez #1 an attitude and character of its own. Instead of giving all of the narrative weight to America or a mysterious narrator, the plot takes command. The opening page is a flashback sequence that looks at America’s encounter with her foster family. In juxtaposition, the narrator explains their feelings towards America in these moments. For America, this is a point more important than the nature of her powers or her home reality. It’s a feeling the narrator shares by explaining their envy of the happy life America found.
Gomez’s illustrations give America Chavez #1 a look evoking classic mainstream superhero pin-ups. Where this art style really shines is in what the body language and inking outlines focuses on. When America’s soon-to-be adoptive brother Berto’s outline emboldens, it shows the power he has in directing his family towards something almost out of focus. The outline of the young America Chavez’s wrist and her star mark is what tells a reader who this story is about. Provided they are already familiar with her for a better experience.