INTERVIEW: Tracie Hotchner Discuses The Dog Film Festival, Emotions, And More

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November 17, 2020

The Dog Film Festival and Cat Film Festival are precisely what you’d expect, a collection of films about the top two pets of just about every human on the planet, and the mastermind behind the whole thing is Tracie Hotchner.

The five years running, the Dog Film Festival premieres in New York then travels the world on a digital wave powered by dog fans. The festival collects films about our furry friends that range from hilarious to so heartwarming that a person could bake bread with the heat. It might sound impossible that a festival about dogs or cats would have enough programming, but pets are deeply connected to human existence and run the gamut of shared human experiences.

PopAxiom spoke with author, podcast host, and festival organizer Tracie Hotchner about dogs, emotions, and more!

Pet Influencer

Tracie’s connection to dogs goes way back but also takes two forms — personal and professional. “I grew up with a dog. He was my brother. They got him six months before me, and there are all these pictures of me crawling around with him and sharing snacks.”

“I always had dogs and donkeys,” Tracie says, “lots of animals. But in terms of dogs, always. In my adult life, I’ve always had at least two, if not three, dogs.”

Professionally, Tracie began research on her books the Dog Bible and Cat Bible roughly 15 years ago, leading to becoming a pet influencer. “My awareness of dogs and how important they are in other people’s lives began since doing research.” Most of us think about ourselves and not other people and how animals affect them.”

About Film Festivals

Tracie’s no stranger to the cinematic world. As an author, she’s written several screenplays and for TV shows. “The power of the visual image to delight or inform or inspire is something I’ve always been aware of. Several filmmakers came on as interviewees for my radio show, and that’s when I began to think about the possibility that there were other films out there.”

“The more I looked, the more I realized there was a lot of filmmaking going on,” Tracie declares. “And it was just for the passion of filmmaking like all short films are. Not to make money, not to be famous, but because the people are passionate about the subject.”

“The film festivals came out of the realization of the joy that people get from pets.”

The Dog Film Festival is a lineup of movies highlighting humanity’s best friends in a wide-range of touching ways. One story follows inmates at a prison who are part of a unique program where they train dogs. “I think they’ve had their lives transformed by taking care of dogs.”

Another story follows the bond between a handicapped dog and his disabled owner and how the furry one teaches the human to embrace life despite their disadvantages. Some are funny, some are joyfully sad, but all the films are immensely satisfying. “There will be more versions of the streaming Dog and Cat film festivals. More free, delightful entertainment.”

Love & Dogs

Tracie is the host of Dog Talk And Kitties, Too, a radio show on NPR. The thing I’ve figured out over all these years is that unconditional love is a misplaced term. I think dogs and cats let us have the experience of giving unconditional love. It’s not the receiving of it.”

“People always say, ‘Oh, I love dogs because they love you unconditionally,’” Tracie brings up a phrase familiar to most dog owners. “But they don’t,” she adds, “we don’t know how they love us. We love them, unconditionally. They poop, eat a shoe, and make a mess, but we spend money, time, and energy to look after them. But unconditionally, we want to do it; it’s us who’s doing it. I think that’s an interesting thing I’ve come to realize.”

The average person moves from one environment to the next, whether it be an office setting or public, where we often disconnect from certain emotions. “The thing that moves us is connecting to our own emotions,” Tracie argues, “it’s important that we say, ‘These emotions are good.’ It’s good to have emotions. Sometimes pets are the only way we can access these really deep feelings of love, sadness, or anxiety.”

“Connecting to the feeling of loving an animal,” Tracie adds, “is a way of connecting to your empathy or feeling of connectedness. It’s a great feeling.”

Tracie The Author

At 25, Tracie wrote Pregnancy & Childbirth, which sold millions and made her “a premiere voice for pregnant women. I’d become a guru and wrote three or four books. I discovered there are things people don’t know about that they want to know about.”

I share with Tracie my thought that my dog thinks he’s a God because he gets love and attention (and treats!) sometimes for doing nothing. “It’s funny you should say that because I’m working on a children’s book. In it is a little girl who’s 12 and gets to have a dog for the first time. It talks to her saying things like that.”

“It’s so much fun imagining a slightly sarcastic, bright, with-it dog saying ‘Why are they doing that? What’s wrong with these people?’”

Wrapping Up

The Dog Film Festival is hours of programming featuring films as short as a minute to as long as thirty minutes. For Tracie, short filmmakers are “the poets of the film world. People don’t write poetry because they want to be rich or famous; they do it because they’re driven. It’s the purest form of expression.”

Short filmmakers are a passionate bunch, and Tracie likens them to those same passionate poets. “I think the same is true of short films, especially if it’s about animals because it costs a lot of money and time and people are likely not going to see it. So, the film festival became a way for these people to have a platform.”

Will you be watching The Dog Film Festival?

Thanks to Tracie Hotchner and October Coast
for making this interview possible.

Want to read more interviews? CLICK HERE.

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Review: YOU LOOK LIKE DEATH #3 Keeps The Weird, Loses Direction

By

Zac Owens

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Dark Horse’s You Look Like Death #3 amps up some of the weirdness, but loses something in the exchange. Writers Gerard Way and Shaun Simon, artist I.N.J. Culbard, and letterer Nate Piekos of Blambot may be letting the story get away from them. The charm of this wild world they’ve created can take them quite far, but not far enough to make up for characters who don’t know what they want.

Writing

Way and Simon have written some of our lovely characters into a corner. The Shivers and Klaus, previously the driving forces of the plot, have hit a standstill. Watching Klaus get paraded around by Vivian, it becomes unclear what he really wants. At one point, it seemed like he wanted to go to The Void. But now that he’s getting free passes willy nilly, he’s not doing much there. Any deeper reason for him wanting to go to The Void is unclear. The Shivers, on the other hand, who was after Klaus from the beginning, has been distracted by running an underground theme park. It’s funny, it’s weird, but it’s not moving. Vivian is the only major character at this point whose drive is clear. Despite her massive ego and flair for the dramatic, she can’t pull the plot forward on her own. Way and Simon need to delve back into what makes these characters tick, and know what each character wants, even when the characters themselves are unsure.

Art

Culbard’s page layouts are generally quite simple in this issue. You might even say they’re repetitive. But Culbard uses this to allow certain moments to stand out. When we first see the underground theme park, when Jack is confronted at the diner, or when Vivian gets into a fight in her mansion, the page changes. Culbard allows the panels to overlap each other. The orderly look of other pages, with the thin white gutters between each panel, is gone. It makes each moment feel bigger, and like it bleeds into the next. Sometimes literally. Culbard creates a rhythm and a norm that he then breaks to highlight moments of importance.

Coloring

Culbard does something similar with his colors. A lot of this issue is very minimalistically colored. But when Vivian gets into her fight, the page is very colorful. The scene is beautiful, with its dark reds and deep blues. But the next page is the exact opposite. We’re brought back to our writer in The Void. Everything is a pale blue except for the orange and yellow of a small infographic in the back. It’s such a boring page. But that’s what Culbard wants us to think. By sandwiching it between pages with deep colors, Culbard truly underlines what makes The Void a kind of hell. It’s not that it’s awful or that it’s amazing, it’s that it’s nothing.

Lettering

Piekos uses the length of his balloon tails to indicate the power of the person speaking. When we meet back with The Shivers, he seems a little less threatening than he once was. The word balloons that shoot up over his head, past a bunch of dead space, underline how short he is. It makes him seem harmless. Whereas, when the large man in white shows up at a diner, the tiny tail of his word balloon highlights how huge he is. Later, however, Piekos uses this same concept to create the opposite effect. When Sage is confronted by a band of vampires, their first line is powerful. A small tail leading to a word balloon right next to their head. But the follow-up line is different. We just see the vampire’s feet, and the tail curls down almost playfully. Piekos has the character establish dominance so that their playfulness only further proves how powerful they are in the scene.

There’s a lot about this issue that works. Culbard and Piekos have a visual chemistry that’s brilliant. But Klaus and The Shivers have lost their way, and Way and Simon’s script doesn’t help to make sense of how or why. Way and Simon need to reconnect with the underlying desire of their characters in order to push the plot forward. Tales from the Umbrella Academy: You Look Like Death #3 is out from Dark Horse November 18th at a comic shop near you!

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Review: STILLWATER #3 Settles Into A New Normal

By

Gabriel Hernandez

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STILLWATER #3, available from Image Comics on November 18th, gives Daniel a grand tour of Stillwater’s residents and starts to fill in the blanks about the good and the bad of immortality. Written by Chip Zdarsky, this issue is almost entirely exposition and setup that lays the foundation for the story to come.

Cover Art

Ramón K. Perez’s cover is an excellent attraction for this issue. Daniel screams into the void as he’s surrounded by blood and death, threatening to swallow him whole. Perez’s shock of red instantly draws you into Daniel as the center point. The scene’s energy is horrific.

Writing

Zdarsky’s story gives the reader plenty to chew on as far as filling in the blanks for how the town operates. The story satisfies on that level by building on the world that’s largely been a mystery up to this point (see our reviews of Stillwater #1 and Stillwater #2 to see how we got here).

Despite the grim circumstances, this issue also had a fair bit of black humor, which lightened the mood to make you feel this town isn’t so bad. For example, butchering cattle for meat in a town where nothing dies becomes a gruesome endeavor. That said, Daniel finally comes to terms with the reality that the leaders will go to any extreme to protect the town and its secrets.

What remains, which I feel continues to hinder investment in the story, is why. Why is this town immortal? And why should the reader care about the story beyond the curiosity of the situation? Now into issue #3, the longer that question remains unanswered, the less satisfying this run becomes because the zealotry of the residents becomes less relatable.

Pencils/Inks

Perez’s work remains strong for the series so far. This issue is largely character piece with a cavalcade of residents interacting with Daniel. There’s a heavy focus on faces and expressions to convey the reactions to punctuate each scene’s conflict.

Perez does a great job articulating natural poses and realistic gestures to make you feel like you’re watching a real conversation taking place. If there’s one oddity that stands out, it’s the frequently-changing shape of Daniel’s face. I like using non-flat camera angles in the panels, but sometimes the angle on Daniel’s face makes him look like a different character from one panel to the next. When an issue is hyper-focused on character conversations, it’s those little things that turn into a distraction.

Colors

Mike Spicer’s coloring work enhances this issue’s lighter tone by casting nearly all the panels in bright, sunny palettes. If not for the situation’s surreality, a majority of the book would look like it was about folks spending a pretty Summer day in a quiet little town. The contrast between the sunny mood and the dreaded circumstances creates a great mood of disease.

Lettering

Rus Wooton’s lettering work is excellent in this issue. Lots of exposition. Lots of conversation. And yet it’s spaced well, paced well, and gets you through the story quickly.

Conclusion

STILLWATER #3, available from Image Comics on November 18th, improves on the prior issues with some answers and humor. If you’re a fan of the series up to this point, this issue will give you more to like.

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Review: RORSCHACH #2 is a Slow-Burn Neo Noir Mystery

By

Zac Owens

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Writer Tom King, artist Jorge Fornez, colorist Dave Stewart and letterer Clayton Cowles take their time in DC Comics’ Rorschach #2. There’s no rush to the action. Instead, this creative team unfolds the drama slowly. So much of this issue just feels like normal life. No car chases, no heat vision, just humans getting themselves into trouble.

Writing

King continues to take a rather text-heavy approach in this series. It fits. We’re following a detective, piecing together the backstory of his “Rorschach.” Every character he interviews has a lot to say. Interestingly, they don’t tend actually to communicate much. Some seem like they’re looking for meaning. How can they find something in their memories that makes their connection to Myerson meaningful when the man was just so damn normal? Others seem to be insisting there isn’t much meaning to their connection to Myerson. So, King manages to fill his pages with text, but the story goes on between the lines. That’s what makes this script work—the meaninglessness of the dialogue, whether it’s the speaker railing against it or hiding behind it.

Art

Fornes uses repetition to show how close our detective is to figuring out these hitmen. We see the detective walking through the same scenes Myerson was in. At one point, Fornes even makes it look like the two will interact. We see Myerson’s empty apartment. In the next panel, we get Myerson at his desk, looking over to the door. He gets up and walks over to it. By that time, the detective has walked into frame. Like ships in the night, they’ve passed each other. But that’s because these moments are months apart. Fornes is tantalizing us. He shows us just how close the answers are by making the hunter and the prey look they could almost touch on the page.

Fornes uses similar elements to create our climax. As Rorschach busts down a door, the page layout goes haywire. We get close-ups of faces and a bunch of thin panels stacked up against each other. It makes the moment look fast and chaotic. But when the violence has passed, Fornes brings us back to a 9-panel grid. One angle, repeated 9 times with characters in various positions. It’s the calm after the storm. It allows the chaos of the previous moment to sink in and allows the reader and characters to survey the damage.

Coloring

Stewart uses yellows and reds to show Myerson’s transition into Rorschach. When we get a snapshot of Myerson’s earlier life, Stewart gives it a yellow glow. It feels promising, like the golden age of his youth. But as these flashbacks go on, the yellow begins to turn to red. The coolest thing about this is that Stewart uses red to represent many things that seem to feed off one another. The first time we see it is on Myerson’s date gone wrong. Red feels like embarrassment. It’s the blood rushing to his cheeks. But later, as we see Myerson’s brow furrow, the red begins to turn to rage. It’s a rage born out of embarrassment, so in a way, it’s both. By the end of the issue, we see Myerson with a Rorschach mask kicking in a door. His background is solid yellow. It’s as though this is a new golden age he is claiming. But quickly, his background turns solid red, and the anger takes over.

Lettering

Cowles bookends this issue with the same format of lettering. In the first and last pages of DC Comics’ Rorschach #2, we see the front of Lewis Tower. On both pages, the detective is being given instructions from his dispatcher. The first page is simple. It looks like a column—long, uninterrupted instruction. The detective says nothing in between each paragraph. But on the final page, we see the detective “give his report.” Cowles highlights how little the detective is saying. “Okay,” “Alright,” “Okay.” Cowles places these captions out of line with one another, making them winding instead of a straight column. It gives us the sense that this relationship is deteriorating. It’s no longer the strong column it was. Our detective friend is beginning to have his doubts.

DC Comics’ Rorschach #2 is a slow build. But it feels so normal and true to life. King, Fornes, Stewart, and Cowles feel no pressure to rush their story. This means that things still feel mysterious, even frustrating. But holding back answers is the key to creating a good mystery. This is another brilliantly simple and unassuming issue from this creative team. Pick up Rorschach #2, out from DC Comics on November 17th, at a comic shop near you!

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Allies and Enemies in CATWOMAN #27

By

Cat Wyatt

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CATWOMAN #27, available Tuesday from DC Comics, continues Selina Kyle’s venture back into Allytown. She’s determined to bring back her reputation while chasing off the new enemies she’s made. Either would bring on plenty of complications on their own. But together?

Catwoman is looking strong and confident on this alternate cover of Catwoman #27.

Selina Kyle has some grand plans for Alleytown now that she’s back. She’s moved in, taken over one segment of the crime world – and has eyes on the rest. After all, this is Catwoman, so none of that is probably all that much of a surprise.

Yet somehow, Catwoman #27 is, in fact, setting up to reveal several surprises along the way. It is a plot that weaves in multiple events, such as those from the Joker War, as well as those of her solo series.

The Writing

Catwoman #27 is an issue that is full to the brim of action – almost literally. It seems as if every page is filled with daring plots and schemes from the one and only Catwoman. She does have grand plans, and she doesn’t seem inclined to wait for them to come to fruition.

As such, Ram V had to condense many events and actions all into a single issue. It makes for an exceedingly fast read, but that doesn’t lessen the impact any. If anything, it is actually doing the opposite, as she seems to be making enemies faster than she’s losing them.

Interestingly, there do seem to be several layers hidden within this plot. It’s hard to see how it will all unravel – at least, for the moment. Yet some pieces are already falling into place, as enemies and allies make themselves known (to the readers, at least).

It is intriguing seeing Selina work here. The scheming, the back alley deals, the attacks, and the paybacks. It’s so easy to forget this side of her when she’s standing next to Batman, yet it is still very much a part of her.

Something that the series seems to want to remind everyone – characters and readers alike. This is likely the true reason for the fast-paced and action-packed read, even while it feels like it’s setting up for a larger conflict down the line.

Meanwhile, something is about to go down.

The Art

As mentioned above, Catwoman #27 is full of action. Be it a stealth mission or an all-out fight in the streets. It’s an issue showcasing the multiple styles and methods which Catwoman is using to get the job done. Happily enough, it also showcases the talent of the artistic team involved.

Fernando Blanco (art), FCO Plascencia (colors), and Tom Napolitano (letters) really had to go all out for this issue. There is hardly a single moment where Selina isn’t up to something. Even when sitting still, she’s got the presence of a cat ready to pounce.

One of the many highlights for this issue has to be the sense of movement – an important feature when cars and heists are involved. On a related note, this sometimes involved some creative use of negative space.

The result? Well, it leaves Catwoman looking like a badass once again. She’s rushing around the city almost like a madwoman, and it shows through clear as day thanks to the artwork.

Conclusion

Catwoman #27 is a fast-paced issue with a lot to tell – and even more to set up for. Selina struck off on her own with the intent of dealing with all of her new enemies. So far, she hasn’t taken down that many. But a conflict feels on the verge of occurring, thanks to the events of this issue.

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Dark Horse Announcement: Guest Creators Visit The Black Hammer Universe

By

Gabriel Hernandez

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November 17, 2020

Dark Horse Comics has announced a new Black Hammer series called BLACK HAMMER: VISIONS, with issue #1 making its way to retailers on February 10th. 2021. This new series will spotlight a host of guest creators eager to put their spin on a Black Hammer character for an all-new adventure.

Says Dark Horse of their new series: “Black Hammer: Visions is a series of one-shots bringing some of comics’ most exciting talent into the Black Hammer Universe.” You can check out a selection of preview images for the first issue’s cover and read the full Dark Horse press release below.

Which guest creator are you looking forward to the most? Let us know what you think in the Comments section, and please share this post on social media using the links below.

MILWAUKIE, Ore. (November 16, 2020)—Experience Black Hammer like never before in this exciting reimagining of the Jeff Lemire and Dean Ormston created, Eisner-award winning series! Black Hammer: Visions is a series of one-shots bringing some of comic’s most exciting talent into the Black Hammer Universe including Patton Oswalt, Geoff Johns, Scott Snyder, Dean Kotz, Scott Kolins, Chip Zdarsky, Johnnie Christmas, Cullen Bunn, Malachi Ward, Matt Sheean, Kelly Thompson, Leonardo Romero, Mariko Tamaki, Diego Olortegui, Cecil Castellucci, and Melissa Duffy, with colors by Jason Wordie, Bill Crabtree, Jordie Bellaire and Dave Stewart and letters by Nate Piekos!

“As much as I love writing in the world of Black Hammer, it’s nothing compared to the thrill of seeing creators I admire bringing their voices to these characters that Dean and I created.” –Jeff Lemire

“When you’re as long in the tooth as myself there are very few things that excite, but seeing this incredible creative lineup working on Black Hammer makes me feel like a giddy teenager all over again.” –Dean Ormston

Kicking off Black Hammer: Visions, Patton Oswalt joins artists Dean Kotz and Jason Wordie to explore the life of youthful super heroine Golden Gail on the Black Hammer Farm before the beginning of Black Hammer#1, and her struggle to maintain sanity as a middle-aged woman trapped in the unchanging body of a superpowered grade-schooler. This 32-page issue also features variant covers by Evan Dorkin with Sarah Dyer, and Gilbert Hernandez with Dave Stewart!

Black Hammer: Visions #1 (of eight) will hit comic shops on February 10, 2021. It is available for pre-order at your local comic shop.

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THE PULL: The Apocalyptic Disasters Of Factionalism

By

Jake Palermo

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The Pull is a title from TKO Studios releasing November 17th as part of its third wave. Superstar writer Steve Orlando creates a world where resource overuse causes the end of the world. Orlando uses this setting to demonstrate how factionalism comes about from such an event. The art by Ricardo Lopez Ortiz, colors by Triona Farrell, and lettering by Thomas Mauer all assist Orlando’s message by showcasing factionalism’s primary component empathy.

The Pull of The Story

Orlando puts a lot into The Pull, so much that even the general outline is a lot. The world is ending in not-so-subtle allegories to resource mismanagement; this one happens to have an eldritch abomination called the Undoer comes knocking in reaction to the Hard Heat energy source. A scientist tried to warn everybody, but only some eco-fanatics listened; the scientist Maximo Tith went mad from the data and general public’s rejections, so he forms a doomsday cult. The cult’s plan, pull off some crazy science project to send people’s essence to a new universe, ergo, a mass suicide plan. However, Maximo’s elite law enforcing son-in-law Brenton Demm got in the way, accidentally killing hundreds of the cult members.

The Pull takes place a year after this event, with the Undoer less than a week away. People have lost hope, with many looking for means or reasons to off themselves in the face of Armageddon. Demm, after surviving the incident, has lost all motivation to live or die. Now he does his job as the only thing keeping him going and some hedonistic pastimes. But when his ex-wife and Maximo’s daughter Gayano Tith shows up with a plan to try and save everything, Demm takes the chance to make something out of the limited time.

The Pull: How Factionalism Weaponizes Empathy

The Pull releases at a time when political discourse and factionalism reach an all-time high. With the real world on the brink of crisis, empathy seems like something the world needs more than ever. But Orlando puts into action how fundamentally flawed this way of thinking is. Empathy is both a form of love and exploitation, where people’s feelings manipulate them. Both Maximo and Gaya are the ones who think of the people who listen to them; because in their minds, they’re the ones best suited to handling situations, and people have to follow their lead. But given how narcissistic they can be, imagine this in the context of a Covid-19 vaccine that only might work; will you put your faith into someone who’s supposed to know what they’re doing, or are you too tired to be skeptical?

Feeling responsible for other people’s feelings is a sign of projecting and toxicity. However, the most startling realization comes from how, in the end, the reader is the one most guilty of this. Orlando might be the one who set everything up, and the characters moved the plot, but it’s the reader who projects themselves onto the characters and setting. Some of them will relate to Demm more; others will relate more towards Gaya based on how much they can relate or look up to. The reader is complicit in the activities of The Pull by being the one to turn the page. Effectively the reader is the one making the choices for the characters. The reader probably isn’t even aware of this, thanks to how the art encourages their feelings.

The Weight Of Illustration

Ortiz, as the artist, presents kinetic and dynamic action to whatever scene takes place. The angles at which action scenes featuring Demm give the impression that the reader can feel each move and blow. Plenty of close-ups also increase the intensity to increase the subject at hand even further. A hard heat blast charging for a shot at Demm’s head features a first-person close up toward’s Demm. It serves as both an empathetic link to the attacker who suffered losses in part to Demm, but this also punishes the reader if they wanted to kill somebody in cold blood. In effect, it’s not just the world of The Pull, revealing its worst but also the reader’s world as well.

The Color In Space

The coloring by Triona Farrell adds another element to the empathetic intensity. The flashy lights of the Hard Heat effects always steal attention. The earlier charging effects feature the light from a blast increase with the emotional intensity. In this way, the reader embraces the appeal of its use. This, however, makes the reader just as guilty as the denizens who abused this energy source. Wanting to see more of the effects of Hard Heat in action like invisibility is what pulls the reader closer to a cataclysmic end. With each quest growing more intense with a red light of Hard Heat glowing brighter, so too does the inevitable clash with the Undoer.

Empathy/Sympathy Flip Lettering

Thomas Mauer, as letterer, enhances The Pull‘s narrative experiences from the above artwork. For example, a dynamically styled “Woosh” wordmark accompanies Demm’s mad dash to fill the reader with excitement. In turn, that leads to the dramatic “DON’T” a few pages in the initial disaster. The reader feels Demm’s agony and trauma because of his recklessness; it’s what makes his later appearances a little more sympathetic. Because after that experience, the reader would probably rather watch him from a distance.

Embrace The Pull With Context

The Pull is very much a product of its time, capturing the feeling of factionalism that plagues modern culture. People will always empathize with who they’ll like more, but that should never mean they make decisions for them. The most carefully constructed means of doing so are compelling, but that should be no excuse for listening only to them. The decision to see through something until the end is a group effort that all parties must agree for. Otherwise, people will factionalize over moral superiority.

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Cover Reveal: SAVAGE AVENGERS #18 – Who Would You Rather Drink With?

By

Matthew Sardo

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November 16, 2020

Cover Reveal: SAVAGE AVENGERS #18 - Who Would You Rather Drink With?

Marvel Comics sent over the cover to SAVAGE AVENGERS #18 today, and it started the conversation of which Marvel character would you like to have a drink with? After checking out VALERIO GIANGIORDANO’s cover below, comment with your thoughts on your drinking buddy.

SAVAGE AVENGERS #18, a King in Black tie-in issue, hits your local comic book shop in February 2021. The book is written by GERRY DUGGAN, with art by KEV WALKER. About the issue: THROUGH HELLFIRE AND…DEADPOOL? Conan, Deadpool, and the Night Flyer escape Riker’s in the endless night during the reign of the King in Black. What crazy heist will ruin Deadpool’s 30th anniversary? Here’s a hint: It involves the Hellfire Club!

Read more comics!

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Review: RED ATLANTIS #1: Full-Contact Voting

By

Justin Munday

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Writer Stephaine Phillips (The Butcher of Paris) and artist Robert Carey (Power Rangers), in collaboration with story creator Janosh Neumann, bring readers the first issue of political-espionage thriller “Red Atlantis.” With colors from Rosh and letters by Troy Peteri, this opening chapter offers an engaging and unexpected opening sequence with solid art, but never does enough to separate itself from its genre contemporaries.

“A series of unexplained, violent crimes on Election Day around the U.S. leads the FBI to zero in on a covert group of Russian terrorists. When a Texas journalism student named Miriam accidentally finds herself mixed up in the investigation, her life will never be the same. With political espionage, treason and even mind control, can she clear her name and stop the U.S. from entering into a new Cold War?”

Writing & Plot

Writer Stephanie Phillips takes the story and concept created by Janosh Neumann and puts together a script for “Red Atlantis” #1 that is sharp, entertaining, and expertly paced. The jarring and prutal opening events immediately pique the reader’s interest with the desire to know what the hell just happened. This opening comic feels like it carries a ton of momentum through each page, and part of this has to do with how natural all the character introductions and their dialogue feels. From the detectives to the local cops and to the average people caught in the middle of this story’s strange tragedy, this really does feel like a procedural/ political thriller. This is where I noticed this comic’s problem, however. I realized after reading this issue, and then re-reading it, that I didn’t really care much about the characters or the larger plot. This comic feels good to read because it’s competently written, but every element in it feels like something that has been done dozens of times over by now. It’s not that the script necessarily has tons of forward momentum, rather that the plot is like a ball on a downward hill. The script is so competently put together that it is almost naturally entertaining in a sort of predictably bland way. It reminds me of a network precedural drama – completely entertaining, but utterly forgettable. This may be just a first issue problem where the characters and plot will become more realized as the story continues, but as it is this is again a well-written but derivative attempt at a modern political thriller.

Art Direction

The visuals in “Red Atlantis” #1 are realized by artist Robert Carey, who uses a careful eye for character detail and excellent directing to create a solid comic in terms of artwork. Every one of Carey’s characters have their own distinct body language and facial animations, with an outstanding amount of detail. There are flaws and imperfections in every person’s face that make them seem fully realized as human beings. Carey’s random detail-work is also extremely impressive. There’s a panel where Carey draws a person holding a handkerchief, and you can actually see the person’s finger outlined under the cloth. That’s a tiny minor detail that isn’t very common in comics. The visual direction is a large reason why the comic’s pacing feels so solid, as Carey keeps the panel flow and character focus feeling very natural. It’s nothing that hasn’t been done in thousands of other comics, but it’s still very competent. The colors from Rosh are really outstanding here, offering nuanced color gradients and smoky effects on every panel. Rosh’s work gives every page a kind of dimension that works hand in hand with Carey’s detailed pencils to craft a very high-quality visual experience. The lettering from Troy Peteri (who also lettered Phillips’s The Butcher of Paris) is smooth and modern, using an innocuous and clean font that effectively conveys the dialogue and narrative while sort of just staying out of the way. Overall the visuals of this comic make the experience worth picking up a copy on their own.

“Red Atlantis” #1 is an entertaining and very competently made comic that fails to make itself stand out in the genre of political conspiracy thrillers. The script is full of solid dialogue and intrigue premises, but it suffers in terms of making the audience care about anything going on. The visual work is honestly stellar however, and makes this opening chapter worth the price of admission on its own. If this sort of procedural conspiracy thriller is your idea of a good time, then grab a copy from your local comic shop today!

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Review: LONESOME DAYS SAVAGE NIGHTS Is A Brutal Emotional Journey Through Anger

By

Darryll Robson

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Merging genres is commonplace in Comics, and some groupings are better suited than others. This is abundantly clear in TKO Studios’ Lonesome Days Savage Nights written by master of horror Steve Niles and, co-founder of TKO Studios, Salvatore Simeone. The new hard-boiled horror comic crawls through the filthy streets, meting out its own form of justice in a thinly veiled metaphor for Intermittent Explosive Disorder.

Part An American Werewolf in London, part The Crow, Lonesome Days Savage Nights is a dark exploration of a man’s soul as he tries to come to terms with the pain in his life. This is achieved through the use of a classic monster of rage, the werewolf, and the setting of the story. Niles and Simeone take aspects of Noir fiction, elements of horror, and mix them with a healthy portion of comic tropes.

“This damned burg’s getting me. If I don’t get away soon I’ll be going blood-simple” Dashiell Hammett – Red Harvest

Lonesome Days Savage Nigthts — Lonesome Days Savage Nights Credit: TKO Studios

Dual Character

The premise for Lonesome Days Savage Nights is a simple one, in the same way any private eye, pulp fiction narrative is simple. There is always a straightforward crime to be solved that leads the protagonist down a labyrinth of unfortunate events and to a party of unscrupulous people. The twist with Niles/Simeone’s concept is that their central character also happens to be a werewolf. Stu is an ex-police officer who has set himself up as a private detective in a style familiar to readers of Marvel’s Alias. The jobs aren’t pretty or pleasant but they pay the bills and distract Stu from himself.

The werewolf angle is introduced in a way reminiscent of the Angel television series, as if the beast is an advantage to the investigative nature of Stu’s life but quickly it becomes apparent that it is a constant battle. The bouts of anger and constant suppressive drinking marks Stu out to be a man desperate for help. In the story his anchor is Audrey. She has a calming effect on Stu, allowing him to control the beast inside and focus the rage into his work only when he needs to. But this is a tragedy; a story packed with unfortunate events and it is clear almost from the beginning that in the war to control his inner self, Stu isn’t going to be the victor.

Stu’s tale of horror, from his attack by a werewolf as a police officer to the tragic events in the opening chapter of the comic, is a litany of classic horror motifs submerged in a noir style. The writers give Stu a pessimistic voice so that the reader is constantly aware of the characters woes and depression. Stu’s inability to accept himself and his situation is paramount to the story. He drinks to escape but is also aware that it weakens his control over the animal inside. He is in constant battle with himself and Niles/Simeone layer the narrative with this conflict.

The Darkness in the Gutter

The fight doesn’t remain in the narrative, but instead drains out into the artwork. Szymon Kudranski’s style is very visceral with emotional character renderings and heightened expressions. The line work is extremely detailed but also cast in oceans of shadow, forcing the reader to peer closer and closer to the page to glean as much information as possible. This, by its very nature, brings the reader into the comic, both physically and emotionally. Kudranski traps you with his artwork and brings you down to the same level as the protagonists.

It becomes impossible to escape from the sounds and smells of the streets and filthy apartment blocks. The colors in the printed version are murkier than the smoother, cleaner version you can sample online. This adds an extra level of texture to the images and the readers experience. You can’t help but get your hands dirty by holding the book, with your fingers unavoidably slipping into the images as they bleed to the edge of the page. Even the lettering by Thomas Mauer has a grittiness to it with Stu’s internal monologue encased in liver pink colored caption boxes, and the whites of the speech balloons somehow lose their intensity, as if they are being invaded by the shadows in the panels.

There are two outstanding visual elements to Lonesome Days Savage Nights. The first is the sound effects which are torn from the page. Their integration into the artwork is seamless and yet they tear themselves away from the action to resonate with the reader. You may not hear these guttural snarls and blood curdling screams but you definitely feel them.

The second aspect is the form of the panels themselves and the treatment of the borders/gutters. Throughout Kudranski rips into and splatters the gutter, breaking the frames of the panels and bleeding the images into each other. This constantly shifting border style is representative of Stu’s inconsistent state of both body and mind. The violence of his change from man to wolf and the frustration he feels at his life is reflected through the comics form, often more successfully than some of the textual narrative.

Lonesome Days Savage Nigths — Lonesome Days Savage Nights Credit: TKO Studios

Conclusion

Lonesome Days Savage Nights is, on the surface, a classic monster movie and can be enjoyed simply for it’s violent revenge story. However, dig a little deeper and you get a story of mental instability. The central character is dealing with a violent rage he can barely control. There are moments of stability and moments of fracture and anger where he strikes out. The physical trauma Stu experienced as a police officer has left him psychologically scarred and his coping mechanisms, or lack thereof, are the main thrust of this narrative.

There are problems with this book, mainly to do with overused tropes. The first chapters plot is formulaic and doesn’t offer many surprises after the beautiful transition spread on the second and third pages. The influences from other media are sometimes too obvious, causing friction to the reading experience. For example, one of the characters is a merging of Jack Goodman from An American Werewolf in London and the guiding Crow from J O’Barr’s The Crow. The merging is obvious and acknowledging this for a moment pulls you away from the story.

Once you have escaped from the cliches of the plot early in the comic, Lonesome Days Savage Nights is an engrossing tale of internal violence and repressive anger. The over familiar elements slink into the background as the fast paced narrative drags you through grimy streets and broken lives. Kudranski’s artwork, complemented by Mauer’s lettering, is engaging and emotive throughout. The design of the layouts and the attention given to the comics form is as impressive as the images themselves.

TKO Studios have some exciting creators on their roster, and Lonesome Days Savage Nights is a prime example of the brilliance that they can achieve.

Available in either Graphic Novel format or a collection of six, individual issues, Lonesome Days Savage Nights is waiting to draw you in and rip you apart.

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