AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #42 hits your local comic book store on January 17th, but thanks to Marvel Comics, Monkeys Fighting Robots has an exclusive four-page preview for you!
About the issue: GANG WAR CONTINUES! The Beetle has stepped up in her father’s absence, and she’s become a very different Janice Lincoln. She’s smart, dangerous and ready to take the big chair. With Spider-Man and others distracted by Kingpin, she just might do it.
The issue is by writer Zeb Wells and artist John Romita Jr., with inks by Scott Hanna, colors by Marcio Menyz, and letters by Joe Caramagna. The main cover is by Romita, Hanna, and Menyz.
Check out our AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #42 preview below:
Have you been reading AMAZING SPIDER-MAN’s “Gang War”? Sound off in the comments!
Marvel’s new Ultimate Universe is in full swing (pun intended) with Ultimate Spider-Man #1, out today.
The series is by writer (and orchestrator of this new Ultimate Universe) Jonathan Hickman and artist Marco Checchetto, with colors by Matthew Wilson, and letters by Cory Petit.
Ultimate Spider-Man is the first ongoing series set on Earth-6160, picking up directly after the events of November’s Ultimate Universe one-shot. Peter Parker is not a superhero—thanks to The Maker’s meddling—but a 35-year old husband and father of two. Peter is not unhappy with his life, but for as long as he can remember, he’s felt like something is wrong with him, like he’s not who he’s supposed to be.
Fans were elated when Ultimate Spider-Man was announced, because it promised a new status quo for the webhead, and a fresh start for readers. Most excitingly, Peter was going to be a family man, something people had been clamoring for since 2007. The new world looked like it would be familiar and give fans what they’ve been looking for, and it does, but maybe not exactly how you expect it to.
Yes, Peter and Mary Jane are married with children, but this book’s success goes so much deeper than that. As mentioned, Peter is no superhero in this universe, so it should go as no surprise that there’s no web-slinging happening in this debut issue. This is a book about people—about Peter navigating life’s complications with his friends and family. It’s about Peter exploring who he is and what he wants out of life, with the help and support of those friends and family. The best Spider-Man books put the characters and their relationships first and the superheroics second, and Hickman seems to understand that. We care about Peter, MJ, and the rest, not just because they’re already familiar to us from another universe, but because Hickman writes them to be likable and sympathetic. When Peter is down and questioning himself, MJ is there to reassure and support him. The human element is front-and-center.
To be clear, and without spoiling anything, this is not the world of Spider-Man that you’re used to. It’s not like Hickman and Checchetto just carbon copied Earth-616 and reinstated Peter and MJ’s marriage. Some of these relationships are different than readers are used to. There are plenty of changes and surprises to keep this new world interesting and exciting for fans, while keeping the heart of Spider-Man intact.
Which brings us to the other, more “grand scale” purpose of this book: establishing the new Ultimate Universe. This is our first real look at Earth-6160 from ground level. Hickman focuses on Peter and his supporting cast, obviously, but we get a look at the larger picture as well and how the citizens of this universe go about their lives—including some familiar faces. It’s world-building, and world-building is what Hickman does best.
Establishing the new status quo here never feels forced or over-expository. None of the charts or graphs that Hickman has become known for are present here. All of the world-building is done naturally through character interactions, and any necessary information is provided so that this book is accessible even if you missed Hickman’s previous Ultimate books. There is one scene towards the end that could be viewed as an exposition dump, but even that is woven into the narrative pretty seamlessly. Exposition in this script never disrupts the flow of the story; you’re given exactly what you need when you need it, with plenty more to still be learned through experience.
With all that out of the way, let’s talk a bit about how incredible it is to have Marco Checchetto on this book. I have personally gushed about Checchetto previously regarding his work on Daredevil, and I specifically stated that, whatever the artist did next, I hoped it was a Spider-Man book. My prayers were answered.
Checchetto, joining forces once again with his Daredevil colorist Matthew Wilson, is one of the top artists working on superhero books today. There is a grit and an edge to his work that makes the world feel real, and yet there’s a softness to his characters that never lets you forget the humanity at the core of this book. His is a style that helped set DD apart from all of Marvel’s other titles at the time, and it’s a style that’s helping establish this new Ultimate Universe as its own entity, independent from both the Ultimate Universe that preceded it, as well as the mainline Earth-616. Ultimate Spider-Man #1 is light on action, which means you really get to see Checchetto’s strength in storytelling. You’re pulled into the conversations within these pages, fully immersed, and that’s because Checchetto knows the angles, beats, and character acting needed to keep readers invested. His character designs are pretty similar to what fans are used to, which helps maintain a sense of familiarity and emotional attachment in this new world. Just wait until the web-slinging starts and the artist gets to fully let loose.
Wilson’s color palette here is more muted than his work on Young Avengers or The Mighty Thor; it’s more in line with his aforementioned work on Daredevil, which helps ground this book in realism. His NYC feels cold and isolating, mirroring how Peter is feeling inside, right up to the final page which suggests a warmer, more inviting day is coming. Wilson’s been one of comics’ top colorists for years now, so it’s no surprise how masterfully done this book is.
Cory Petit, similarly, is a veteran letterer himself, and no stranger to Spider-Man books. He had his work cut out for him with this script—again, it’s establishing a new universe and it’s fairly dialogue-heavy. But at no point does the reading feel like a chore, and Petit keeps the flow of the narrative strong while conveying all of the information Hickman wants to get across. With Checchetto, Wilson, and Petit all working in unison, this is an issue that you’ll be glad to read again after you’ve turned the last page.
What more can be said? Ultimate Spider-Man is giving fans some of what they wanted, and even more that they didn’t even know they wanted. If you’re a Spider-Man fan, you need to call your local comic shop and have them add this to your pull-list, because you’re going to want to see where this goes next. As familiar as this world feels, something tells me we have more than a few surprises coming our way.
“The Church of Ruby Road” is the first Doctor Who Christmas Special since 2017 and offers a new Doctor/Companion pairing.
Ruby Sunday (Millie Gibson) was abandoned at a church when she was a baby. 19 years later, she sets out to find her birth parents, but she ends up being the target for alien goblins who constantly play tricks on the young woman. She also meets a man who warns Ruby that her recent bad luck has a more sinister undercurrent.
On Christmas Eve, Ruby’s adoptive mother Carla (Michelle Greenidge) is asked to foster a newborn baby which is abducted by the Goblins. Ruby and The Doctor are forced to work together to rescue the baby.
The 2023 specials aimed to be a celebration of Doctor Who’s history, since they brought back two popular characters and made a lot of reference to previous events. “The Church of Ruby Road” was a fresh start for the show. There’s a new Doctor and companion, and they had the best chance to make an impression since the Christmas Special can reach a wider audience. They’re often made to be broader so new viewers can be hooked in. As a light adventure, “The Church of Ruby Road” was a fun romp.
“The Church of Ruby Road” introduced a load of new characters and they were a solid bunch. Ncuti Gatwa is already at ease in the role and conveying a personality that pulls viewers in. He was funny, quick-witted, and caring, all the attributes that fans would want from The Doctor. He was a sharp dresser and brought a bit of youthful vigor to the show. Gatwa is only 31 and he’s most famous for playing Eric in Sex Education, a teenage character. He wasn’t an old man trapped in a young body like Matt Smith’s version of the Doctor.
Gibson made an impression as Ruby, the teenager who’s roped into the Doctor’s world. She’s the youngest actress to play the companion in the modern era. Ruby was shown to be a caring teenager who was close to her adoptive mother and grandmother and helped look after foster children. Yet Ruby was willing to throw herself into danger when Lulu was taken, and she was able to deduce The Doctor was a time traveler. Russell T. Davies seemed like he took some writing tips from Steven Moffat due to the scene of Ruby being left at the church had a fairy tale feel and set up a mystery about her parentage. It was like Amy Pond, The Girl Who Waited, and Clara Oswald, The Impossible Girl.
“The Church of Ruby Road” also introduced Ruby’s family, Carla, and her grandmother, Cherry (Angela Wynter). At first, it seemed like Davies was repeating what he did with Rose Tyler since she was a 19-year-old girl who traveled with The Doctor whilst her brassy mother was a supporting character in the show. This was just a surface similarity since Carla had a different personality from Jackie Tyler since she was calmer, and she devoted herself to looking after children. Carla took a photograph of every child she had ever fostered. “The Church of Ruby Road” briefly showed an alternative reality where Carla’s life could have gone in a sadder direction. Cherry was someone who had a spark to her even though she was ill and being looked after by her family. The reactionary crowd on YouTube and Twitter will complain that Doctor Who has gone ‘woke’ but the real aim was to show families can come in all shapes and sizes.
“The Church of Ruby Road” set itself to be a light-hearted episode and there was a breezy, casual tone to the episode. The Goblins were initially shown to be a mischievous nuisance who did small things to ruin Ruby’s Day and when The Doctor and Ruby went on the Goblins’ ship there was a swashbuckling nature to it. “The Church of Ruby Road” was the best pirate episode in Doctor Who’s modern era, but that wasn’t hard considering the previous pirate episodes were “The Curse of the Black Spot” and “Legend of the Sea Devils.”
Whilst “The Church of Ruby Road” was a light episode, there was a dark undercurrent. The episode started with a baby being abandoned, and the Goblins were planning on eating a baby. This juxtaposition was shown when the Goblins sing an upbeat song about them feeding a baby to their king. It was annoyingly catchy and felt like the modernized version of “Goblin Town” from the first Hobbit movie. The Doctor did see a dark timeline that added a bit of pathos to the episode and showed how much of an impact Ruby had on The Doctor and Carla.
“The Church of Ruby Road” references a controversial event from the Chris Chibnall/Jodie Whittaker era. The Doctor mentioned he found out he was an orphan, which was a reference to the Timeless Child reveal. It meant any hopes that Davies would retcon that even have been dashed. The oddest moment in the episode came right at the end when there was a fourth wall break, which was a bit too much.
“The Church of Ruby Road” was a great start for the Gatwa/Gibson era. They show they are a likable pairing and have an entertaining, straightforward adventure. Hopefully, this is the start of more exciting adventures for the pair.
“The Giggle” is the third and final Doctor Who Special to feature The Fourteenth Doctor and Donna Noble, and sees The Doctor face up against an old and powerful enemy.
The Doctor and Donna arrive back in London when the whole world becomes aggressive and crazy. The Doctor and UNIT discover this global outbreak of rage is linked to the first ever TV broadcast in 1925. The Doctor and Donna travel back in time and are confronted by a mysterious German man who is revealed to be The Toymaker (Neil Patrick Harris).
“The Giggle” aimed to be the big send-off for David Tennant and Catherine Tate. They are loved by the audience and arguably the most popular characters during the modern era of Doctor Who. “The Giggle” had many tropes of the show, like a major Earth-ending threat, energic technobabble and exposition, and having a powerful villain. Two-thirds of “The Giggle” were fantastic.
This special brought in Neil Patrick Harris, and that’s a big coup for Doctor Who. He’s a big-name actor in Hollywood and Broadway, and has often played larger-than-life characters. Harris brought a lot of energy to the role like he was an evil version of Q from Star Trek: The Next Generation. The Toymaker was a being with God-like powers, traps The Doctor and Donna in a dimension he controls, and he taunted The Doctor about the fates of his previous companions, the ones that accompanied the Eleventh and Twelve Doctors. Harris made his version of The Toymaker a memorable character due to his dress sense and cartoony German accent. The scene where The Toymaker makes a big and brash announcement where he dances to “Spice Up Your Live” was a piece of camp genius. Due to the German accent and his ownership of a puppet shop, I was reminded of Franz Gutentag/Franz Schlechtnacht in the Family Guy episode “German Guy.”
The Toymaker was playful, but he was also a big threat not to be underestimated. He could control reality in his dimension, and he was still able to alter reality at a whim in The Doctor’s world. He was a puppet master when he separated The Doctor from Donna and his puppet show was a terrific sequence. During the first game between The Toymaker and The Doctor, The Toymaker revealed he had captured The Master. There was a creepy nature to The Toymaker’s dimension since it was inhabited by puppets. Like with the first Special, “The Star Beast,” “The Giggle” set up the wider storyline, by mentioning a villain that even The Toymaker was afraid of.
Where “The Giggle” faltered was during its final third. “The Giggle” was the episode that introduced Ncuti Gatwa as The Fifteenth Doctor. This was meant to be a big event, but Gatwa was given a disservice, because of the introduction of the Bigeneration. The Fourteenth and Fifteenth Doctors split into two bodies and worked together to defeat The Toymaster. It was fan service, but it forced Gatwa to already be in the shadow of Tennant. It seems to be done so the show could have Tennant and Tate in the background and ready to appear in future stories. This effort to keep The Fourteenth Doctor around was to give Donna a happy ending, but it was similar to what happened at the end of Series Four where The Doctor used his regeneration energy to make a copy of himself and the copy lived with Rose in another universe.
Doctor Who has always had loose writing where nearly anything’s possible, but there have been some rules regarding the show’s lore, like regeneration. However, in recent years Doctor Who has been breaking its own rules. Chris Chibnall brought in The Timeless Child where it was revealed that The Doctor was the source of regeneration and had more iterations than first thought, and Davies brought back a previous actor to play the Doctor. The specials didn’t answer the question of why the Doctor regenerated with the Tenth Doctor’s face and the show adds another mystery on top of that.
“The Giggle” was an incredibly entertaining episode for the most part due to The Toymaker and the threat he posed. It was a shame that was brought down at the end by the Bigeneration.
“Wild Blue Yonder” was the second Doctor Who special of 2023 and it was the boldest episode of the Fourteenth Doctor’s adventure.
The Doctor and Donna have been travelling across time and space with the TARDIS going haywire. The time machine leaves the Doctor and Donna on a spaceship at the edge of the universe, because of its defense mechanism. They must discover what the danger on the ship is and defeat it so the TARDIS can return.
During Russell T. Davies’ original run as Doctor Who’s showrunner, he was able to produce some experimental episodes. Some were great, like “Blink” and “Turn Left,” others were not so well received, i.e. “Love and Monsters” and “Sleep No More.” “Wild Blue Yonder” was a minimalist episode, because of its setting and only having four characters. This made the episode more unique and concentrated.
“Wild Blue Yonder” was an episode of two halves: the first was the mystery around what happened to the spaceship, and the second was about the Doctor and Donna stopping the universe-ending threat from escaping the spaceship. It was a simple premise that was done effectively. It shows how less is more.
“Wild Blue Yonder” did bear some similarities to other Doctor Who episodes from the Russell and Moffat eras. The abandoned spaceship that has a monster on it was like “The Girl in the Fireplace,” with the TARDIS trying to escape a threat was like “Utopia,” the need to prevent a monster from reaching a populated planet was like “The Waters of Mars,” and the feature of doppelgangers where characters didn’t know who was the original or the copy. There was also a bit of The Thing since the classic sci-fi horror film was about a remote scientific outpost needing to stop an alien entity from reaching civilization. All of these similarities risked making “Wild Blue Yonder” feel derivative, but the special was able to repackage these ideas, so they felt fresh.
One of the strengths of the small cast was that it resulted in the special being a more character-driven episode, since the Doctor and Donna bonded and had a heart-to-heart as they tried to figure out a way to defeat the aliens. Both characters had scars and worries, especially the Doctor. Russell continued his ideas from his original tenure on Doctor Who as shown when Donna asked if he missed his home world and he didn’t answer. The villains needed to spend more time with Doctor and Donna so they could copy them better.
“Wild Blue Yonder” was a special that embraced its horror nature. Exploring the abandoned spaceship had a haunting quality, especially when The Doctor and Donna see the pilot’s body orbiting the ship. This part of the Special felt like it was influenced by H.P. Lovecraft’s work and Event Horizon. When the doppelgangers malfunctioned, they were monstrous when they were distorted, and they moved inhumanly. The Doctor’s doppelganger did a backward spider walk like Regan in the director’s cut of The Exorcist.
Whilst “Wild Blue Yonder” was a smaller-scale story, the showrunners flexed their special effects budget. There were big CGI sequences and landscapes when The Doctor and Donna journey up the spaceship. The creatives had ambition, but Doctor Who was a British production with limitations. Scenes of the spaceship changing its configuration looked like a video game. Doctor Who can get away with hokey special effects since this has always been a part of the show’s nature.
“Wild Blue Yonder” was an effective horror story in the Doctor Who canon. It was a small-scale character-driven story that had some big special effects and the standard Doctor Who universe ending threat.
Comics often come with a past. Even new “number ones,” featuring new characters, are often laden with the baggage of the creators, artists, and even the publishers working on them. One has a certain expectation from a comic written by someone like Frank Miller, or published by Image Comics. Add to that the complicated narrative and publication history of a franchise like Planet of the Apes, and you know that nothing is going to be straight forward.
With that said, the new Beware the Planet of the Apes from Marvel Comics — by writer Marc Guggenheim and artist Alvaro Lopez, with colors by Alex Guimaraes and letters by Joe Caramagna — manages to avoid a lot of that history. In fact, with the exception of the original movie, you don’t really need to know anything about the franchise, which is no mean feat considering the 55 years of media the franchise has produced. If you want to know how this new comic fits into established (and non-established) canon: it’s set just before Taylor crashes back to Earth in the first movie. Everything else is irrelevant, probably.
Beware The Planet Of The Apes #1 Credit: Marvel Comics
The opening two pages are beautiful replications of Marvel’s original Apes comics, and they establish the style and presentation of the 50-year-old stories. It’s a clever trick to remind readers that Apes comics started their life at Marvel. (Well, if you ignore all of those other adaptations that came first, but no one remembers them and it was Marvel that made the Apes comics huge. They published superb adaptations of the original movies as well as ongoing original stories that were as outrageous as the cinematic versions.)
After a little scene setting, the comic begins its difficult task of re-introducing the characters and making them relevant. Guggenheim does this primarily by building on the idiosyncrasies of the actors playing the parts in the movie. These are Kim Hunter, Roddy McDowall, and Linda Harrison, all playing their famous roles, not modern reinterpretations of them. Fans of the movie will hear the actors’ voices oozing from the page: Cornelius’ gentle tones, Zira’s curt quips, and the authoritative abruptness of Doctor Zaius. Guggenheim’s grasp of the characters is perfect and, coupled with the visual renderings, it is easy to sink into this movie prequel and lose yourself in a strange world created in the 1960s. The colouring by Guimaraes captures the palette of the movie, making it feel like a part of the franchise, much more so than Marvel’s other recent foray into the Planet of the Apes.
Lopez draws magnificently detailed images which extract every nuance of the characters and settings. There is a strong sense of location in this comic, with the scenes creating a specific atmosphere—partially of wonder, but also of the impending doom that hangs over the narrative. Everyone knows what is coming; if you’ve picked up this comic, then you’ve probably seen the movies. Instead of shying away from this, the narrative actively embraces it, using flashes of the future. Brief panel sequences act as flash forwards, emphasising a moment in the current narrative while placing it in a larger story. An added touch to this is that they use panels from the original adaptation written by Doug Moench and drawn by George Tuska, yet again reminding readers of the heritage without breaking the narrative flow. When Lucius sounds out his name for the as yet unnamed Nova, there is an out of sequence flash of Taylor sounding out Nova’s name in the same manner. A little treat for fans but also an intriguing moment of comic book storytelling.
Beware The Planet Of The Apes #1 Credit: Marvel Comics
When approaching any franchise with this kind of pedigree, you have to don two separate hats: the Fan Hat and the Critic Hat. Something of this nature could be instantly recommendable simply because it’s a new Apes comic set in the original timeline, but that does not mean that it is automatically a great, or even good comic. To make it truly worthwhile as a must have comic, it must be more than the sum of its parts.
With a Fan Hat on, this is undoubtedly an easy recommendation. Do you collect Apes-related comics? Have you read the vast array of tie-in media from the BOOM! Studios comic series to Titan Books’ movie continuations? Have you seen the original movie more than once? If you would answer “yes” to any or all of these questions, then buy this comic. It is a faithful and enjoyable recreation of the original movie aesthetic with some of the early themes of the film series woven into the emerging storyline. Oppressive hierarchical councils and brutish policing spur the heroes to rebel and venture out into the harsh unknown to learn more about the world and themselves. Innocence is contrasted with stark inbred hatred, and the old ways of thinking clash with the younger, more curious minds.
And you may have noticed how the Fan Hat has already started to slip, exposing the Critic hat beneath. This is because there is something inherently fascinating about Planet of the Apes and it is difficult to produce any content that doesn’t have a deeper meaning. On the surface it makes great, enjoyable, science fiction, but because the original film built so much social commentary into its aesthetic, and the narrative was fueled by political undertones, it is almost impossible to escape from that without dispensing with what makes Planet of the Apes what it is.
Doctor Zaius represents the closed-minded religious figure and the hypocritical council member, using well-practiced rhetoric to hide his own fears. The charming relationship between Zira and Cornelius is a metaphor for the struggles within the scientific world—a battle between putting the good of the nation before scientific truth. And then there is the inherent racism that comes from the different aspects of Ape society: the chimpanzee, the orangutan, and the gorilla. The remake movie franchise has lost this aspect, but with the original series, it’s almost impossible to escape. It has to be addressed, and there are moments in Beware where you can see the creators acknowledging the issue.
Alongside the narrative and the wonderful rendering of the characters and locations, there is some amazing comic book design. The layouts change to suit the scene, switching from multiple rows and columns for interior conversations to letterbox panels for panoramic views. The slight difference in art-style between the present of Beware and the future flashes make those moments stick in the reader’s mind and emphasize the connection between present and future. These moments draw attention to the unknown consequences of characters actions and the art style highlights this in an effective way that doesn’t break the reading flow.
There are also some wonderful panels that create so much depth of character. Similar images that are repeated at different points to compare the relationships between the characters. For example, at one point Doctor Zaius denies a request made by Zira and the final panel of the page loses the background, it simply shows Cornelius, Zira, and the firmly closed door. The image unites the two apes as they are both shut out by Zaius and left in this empty, hopeless space. On the next page, there is a moment where Zira shuts Cornelius out in a similar sequence with the door slamming behind her as she leaves, except the background is still present. Cornelius isn’t left in a cold, empty place. This panel may seem the same as the previous one, but it doesn’t have the same hopelessness as the pure white background, and therefore doesn’t feel as serious. These little moments of brilliance elevate this comic from simple entertainment to engrossing Comics with a capital C, allowing the reader to pick apart what they are reading to find hidden depths.
This comic looks and feels like Planet of the Apes. It’s lazy Sunday afternoon viewing. It’s late at night, can’t sleep, indulgence. It’s holding a mirror to the world and asking “is this what you expected?” It’s everything that you could want from the franchise which, if I’m being honest, is a surprise from current Marvel. Their last Apes comic lacked grace and subtlety. It seemed to be an excuse to draw apes on a rampage, whereas Beware is the opposite. It is a thoughtful, beautifully drawn comic, with continuity indulgences that have relevance to the narrative. It is charming, probing, and intriguing. And all of that is down to the creators, clearly loving the franchise and wanting to tell the best story that they can.
BLACK HAMMER: THE END #5 hits your local comic book store on January 17, but thanks to Dark Horse Comics, Monkeys Fighting Robots has an exclusive five-page preview for our readers.
The book is written by Jeff Lemire, with art by Malachi Ward, and you will read Nate Piekos’ letter work.
About BLACK HAMMER: THE END #5: As the story takes a turn, the secret origins of Colonel Weird and Anti-God begin to unfold and the war between universes explained in this essential story to the Black Hammer universe.
Black Hammer: The End is the next era of the Black Hammer Universe; a six-issue event series by Jeff Lemire and Malachi Ward that pulls the Black Hammer world into crisis.
SENTRY #2 hits your local comic book store on January 10th, but thanks to Marvel Comics, Monkeys Fighting Robots has an exclusive four-page preview for you!
About the issue: As more people begin manifesting Sentry’s powers, it’s all Misty Knight and Jessica Jones can do to keep track of the incidents, let alone discover any connections between them. Meanwhile, each new Sentry must reckon with their newfound abilities — and what this newfound power means for who they will become. Unfortunately, one of them isn’t a team player…
The issue is by writer Lason Loo and artists Luigi Zagaria & David Cutler, with colors by Arthur Hesli, and letters by Joe Caramagna. The main cover is by Ben Harvey.
Check out our SENTRY #2 preview below:
Did you pick up the first issue of SENTRY? Sound off in the comments!
It’s time to dive into a new world full of crime, missing people, and more. You don’t want to miss this one if you’re a fan of true crime, sardonic characters, or private detective takes. Pine and Merrimac #1 is the first in a new series by Kyle Starks, Fran Galán, and Pat Brosseau, out this week from BOOM! Studios.
Time to meet this new duo in Pine and Merrimac #1.
Is there anything better than a crime-fighting duo? How about a devoted husband and determined wife tackling a few cases? The couple in question are the Kents; they run Pine and Merrimac. Linnea Kent is turning her skills as a homicide detective into a new career — running a private detective business. This way, she can pick and choose her clients. Her loving husband Parker is happy to offer all the support he can. Since he was once a professional MMA fighter, most of his support comes in the form of muscle. Talk about a match made in heaven. Sort of.
Pine and Merrimac #1 is the first in a five-issue miniseries from the minds of Kyle Starks (I Hate This Place, Creepshow), Fran Galán (The Amazing Spider-Man), and Pat Brosseau. So, if you’re looking for something slightly different with sinister undertones, this will be the series for you.
Linnea and Parker are the power couple of 2024. Prove me wrong.
Writing
Pine and Merrimac #1 wastes no time introducing us to the lives of Linnea and Parker Kent. Within the first few pages, readers are given a brief rundown of their histories (individual and as a couple). While the series does throw us into the deep end for the characters, it doesn’t feel rushed. There’s this sense of time within the relationship, making it clear that this couple will last.
Admittedly, that feeling does add a bit to the foreshadowing nature of the series. Will something happen to the couple, or will they power through this mystery? Only time will be able to give us that answer, but it’s enough to get readers invested in the meantime.
It would be easy for Pine and Merrimac #1 to get lost in the tragic backstory of Linnea’s past. But it doesn’t. While it delves into darker tones (missing person cases are rarely a bubbly read), the strong sense of love and commitment resonating between our leading pair helps to add a unique sort of levity to the situation. Or perhaps it’s hope?
Kyle Starks’ writing style is effective, to say the least. In a single issue, we are introduced to new characters who feel like old friends, the world, and even the stakes. That leaves the following four issues to focus on the mystery at hand.
A vibrant variant for what will likely be a darker tale in Pine and Merrimac #1.
Artwork
Where Kyle Starks’ writing establishes the world, Fran Galán and Pat Brosseau bring it to life. The artwork in Pine and Merrimac #1 evokes a visceral feeling at times, thanks to the heavy attention to detail.
The rougher edges of the line art lend well to the story; at times, it feels like the art is taking the words on the page and running away with them. Combine this with the character expressions (there’s no need to wonder if these two are in love), and you’ve got a fleshed-out world begging to be read.
The colors set the tone — almost literally at times. The colors inside these pages are almost a playful blend, one moment being vibrant, the next subdued. In particular, the coloring excels at visual cues, such as signifying the beginning of a flashback.
As for the lettering, well, it’s safe to say that Pat Brosseau knows when to hold back and when to go with the flow. There are a few occasions for a more creative take on the lettering, and it helps to increase the impact of the world (pun not intended, but appreciated).
There’s plenty of brains and brawn in Pine and Merrimac #1.
Conclusion
Pine and Merrimac #1 is a strong and compelling start to this series. It’s easy to see how readers will be drawn in. The darker tones and efficient storytelling style make it perfect for both experienced and inexperienced comic readers.
The premise is simple: read one comic every day for the entire year. It seems like a simple task but there is no way that I read 365 comics last year, even if you count the individual issues in collections. So, this year, I am committing myself to this reading challenge, in the hope that I can broaden my reading habits and fully engage with my favorite hobby again.
As the year comes to a close, I count down the last of the comics I’ve read as part of Project 365. At times it has been a challenge, and the busy, festive season has seen me picking up a random selection of comics. A few are what I would call comfortable reads, comics that I have owned for years and know quite well, while others are brand new to me, picked up while out shopping for Christmas.
There is no rhyme or reason to this final selection; no overarching theme and purpose. These are just the comics I had to hand when I found a spare moment to read.
The Original Swamp Thing Saga Credit: DC Comics
Comic number 349: The Original Swamp Thing Saga (1979)
Collecting three issues of the original Swamp Thing comic written by Len Wein and illustrated by Bernie Wrightson and Joe Orlando, this comic is a work of beauty. It contains three stories which are submerged in horror and magic. They focus on the darker side of human nature, filled with fear, and hate, and destruction.
Swamp Thing is a speechless creature, wandering from place to place, attempting to escape the human world but always managing to get dragged into local events. He is a cross between the 1970s T.V. Hulk and Frankenstein’s Creature. Wrightson’s artwork is gorgeous to look at: a mix of the horrific and the comedic. The stories drag you in and force you to witness atrocities and acts of cruelty with denouements that are justified but not always justice.
The Rush #1 Credit: Vault Comics
Comic Number 350: The Rush #1
I love a good western and the first issue of The Rush is a wonderful example of one. Just like Canary, there are undertones of something else, in this case potentially science fiction, but all the hallmarks of the western have been included in this opening issue.
Si Spurrier always weaves a magnificent narrative, he is one of my go-to writers, and Nathan Gooden captures the wild west aesthetic beautifully. There is so much going on dramatically and visually. And it has one of the best modern letterers working on it, Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou. It’s worth checking out just to see his work.
Legends of the Dark Knight: Prey Credit: DC Comics
Comic Number 351 to 355: Legends of the Dark Knight #11-15 (Prey)
In the early 1990s, DC released Legends of the Dark Knight, the first solo Batman comic for decades. It retold the early days of Batman, and was heavily influenced by Tim Burton’s take on the character. The comics were a little bit darker, more gruesome, but also had otherworldly elements with a supernatural twist (read Grant Morrision’s Gothic storyline for example, which is one of my favourite Batman stories ever).
In Prey, Doug Moench and Paul Gulacy reintroduce Catwoman and Hugo Strange, using the villains as a way to dissect Batman’s psyche. Strange is an obsessive character, twisted by his own genius into a monster who creates destructive forces and believes that he is superior to everyone. There is a sexual threat to his character that plays out in the subplot and adds a disturbing layer to the story. Catwoman acts as a contrast to this, she is sexualised but she is also in control. She uses her femininity to her advantage and is not a victim.
There are a number of exciting elements to Prey, with complex storylines and superb artwork, leading the reader through a stand alone adventure that delves into the very heart of what makes Batman work as a character and as a centerpiece for a series. The first few years of Legends of the Dark Knight produced some amazing stories, each one different but equally fascinating.
The Visitor How and Why He Stayed
Comic Number 356 – 357: The Visitor: How & Why He Stayed
This comic is from the pages of Hellboy. I dip in and out of the Hellboy world, not really following the central character. I do like to read about the bit part characters, those that come and go and have lives outside of the main narrative.
The Visitor was given to me by someone who picked it up in a charity shop, and I’ve read the first two chapters. Mike Mignola’s strength in storytelling is giving the reader an empathetic central character that you instantly make a connection with. Almost from the beginning you are invested in the character and what happens to them. Add to this the abstract visuals that have become synonymous with Hellboy stories and you have a moving and fascinating comic book experience.
In The Visitor, Chris Roberson creates a visual narrative that embodies the alien experience, making the reader feel as isolated as the central character. We get to witness the events of previous stories by watching the alien, therefore we, as an observer, become twice removed from the action.
The second chapter in this volume is outstanding. It contains action, adventure but also a moving relationship between the Visitor and his lover on Earth. It is surprisingly emotional and a touching tale, foreshadowing an inevitable sadness.
The Dying and the Dead #1 Credit: Image Comics
Comic Number 358: The Dying and The Dead #1
This Image comic by Jonathan Hickman, Ryan Bodenheim, Michael Garland, and Rus Wooton is a fantastical story of assassins and conspiracies. The opening sequence involves a violent robbery and is presented in a very cinematic way. It is like the opening of a James Bond movie, which I am sure is the intention. From that point onward a number of Hickman tropes interact with an ageing Colonel who is introduced at the bedside of his dying wife.
Vast military bases of evil sit side by side with underground cities populated with fantastical characters, often completely white and who speak in rhymes and riddles — this is Hickman, after all.
I love the scope of this comic and the larger than usual first issue packs a lot of narrative in. The artwork by Bodenheim is wonderful but it’s the colour work and the lettering that marks this comic out from others on the shelf. Simple colour palettes for individual panels separate the page into digestible chunks that not only break up the page but also enhance the narrative. Wooton’s letters do the same thing but with the characters, making them distinctive.
The Dying and The Dead #1 is a beautifully crafted comic that contains just enough to get you hooked.
A Christmas Carol
Comic Number 359: A Christmas Carol by Jose-Luis Munuera
A new English translation of this single-volume, European graphic novel came out just in time for this Christmas. I started the year with A Christmas Carol, and my love of adaptation meant that it was impossible to pass up this new and different version.
In the book, Munuera gender swaps a number of the characters, including Ebenezer Scrooge, who becomes Elizabeth in this version. Other than that, the story stays the same, at least, it does at first. Some could moan about the gender swap, complaining for no good reason about the wokeness of modern comics, “why change established characters?” etc, etc, but that is the nature of adaptation: to investigate existing narratives through new eyes. And in Munuera’s A Chirstmas Carol, the nature of woman changes the fabric of the story as it unfolds. The beginning may be the same but the outcome is different and it all relates to the change in gender.
This is a magnificent read and provides a fascinating take on a classic story. The artwork has an exaggerated quality to it and is suitably horrific when it needs to be but it also highlights the touching moments with finesse. I will definitely be writing about this in more detail in the new year and I highly recommend it.
Faithless #6 Credit: Image Comics
Comic Number 360: Faithless #6
I have all of the Faithless comics and I only re-read this one because I picked up a new variant of it from a recent trip to an antique fair. The story is an erotic, magical, tragedy beautifully illustrated by Maria Llovet.
The variant I picked up has an erotica cover illustrated by Tula Lotay and is a sensual depiction of part of the story. Although it adds nothing to the comic, and as a general rule I’m not a fan of variants, I am a fan of the artists who provided the variant covers for this series so I will pick them up when I see them.
The Truth is a Cave in the Black Mountains
Comic Number 361: The Truth is a Cave in the Black Mountains
Written by Neil Gaiman and illustrated by Eddie Campbell, this is technically an illustrated novel but the illustrations are an integral part of the book, adding more than just a visual representation of the story. Page after page, Eddie Campbell’s artwork expands on the words written by Neil Gaiman and, at times, adopts a number of comic elements to move the narrative forward.
The characters’ speech is placed into balloons within the images and a number of character exchanges are in the form of comic strips, placed between blocks of text. Just like Gris Grimley’s Frankenstein, mentioned in an earlier post, The Truth is a Cave in the Black Mountains skirts between novel and comic, combining aspects of both to further muddy the water between the two art forms.
Frankenstein
Comic Number 362 – 364: Junji Ito’s Frankenstein
This is a fairly hefty book, as most western translations of manga tend to be, hence covering off several numbers in my list. It is taking me some time to read, but this is because I want to savor it and not rush through it just to get to the end. Junji Ito’s artwork is sublime. He manages to combine an everyday, mundane existence with truly horrific images that burn into your brain. In this take on Frankenstein, a fairly faithful adaptation of the narrative, the aspects of horror that have become synonymous with the story are further exaggerated by Ito’s attention to visual detail.
I will be delving further into this adaptation later in the new year, comparing it to other comic book adaptations of the text, because I think it is a fascinating version and the fact it comes from a different part of the world to most of the versions I have read, it will provide a different insight into the narrative.
The book also has other horrific works by Junji Ito, which are worth reading. I do not have a large manga collection, but Ito definitely takes up a lot of space.
A Christmas Carol Classics Illustrated
Comic Number 365:
And then there was one. One final comic to finish off the year. And, because I am that kind of person, I return to where I started with a re-reading of the Classics Illustrated version of A Christmas Carol.
Just like the majority of the ClassicsIllustrated, A Christmas Carol is a traditional retelling of the classic novella with visuals that are instantly recognizable. Scrooge is a grumpy, wizened old man, dressed in a dressing gown and bed hat. The separation of Scrooge and the Ghosts from the Christmases that they travel to is wonderfully illustrated by Henry C Kiefer, who displays the visions like spirits, haunting the central character. The reduction in the story is not as obvious as other Classics Illustrated, especially as the story has been retold over and over in numerous mediums. The central story beats are a part of popular culture, everyone knows them and recognizes them, but the small details of the novella aren’t as often well known, some of the politics from the original have been forgotten, and therefore they are not missed in this retelling.
There are few comics that I re-read every year, but this is one of them. The original novella is a classic and so is this version of it. Along with The Muppet Christmas Carol, the Classics Illustrated retelling of Charles Dickens’ tale of redemption is a part of my annual Christmas traditions.
And with that, we reach the end of this Project 365. I will post a final farewell to the year of reading in the next couple of weeks, looking back at what I have read and if there is any meaning to any of it. But what about 2024? Has this project stirred up my love of comics and sparked my enjoyment once more? Well, all I can say for now is that I have a lot of comics, old and new, that I want to read, and comics-based plans for the year ahead.
