Marvel Preview: Witness The Swordbearers In X OF SWORDS: STASIS #1

October 5, 2020

The ancient Swordbearers prepare for battle in this exclusive Marvel Comics video preview for X OF SWORDS: STASIS #1, available on October 28th. Written by Jonathan Hickman, the Swordbearers of Arakko are called forth in the tournament against Earth’s mutants, with the Earth itself as the prize.

Says artist Pepe Larraz about the design of the Swordbearers: “The swordbearers had to look as dangerous as possible. They had to tell a story of fighting for survival over a millennia; a story of ancient times, deadly violence and a brutal kind of beauty,…”

You can check out the issue’s cover, the video preview, and read the full Marvel press release below.

Is X OF SWORDS your must-have event this year? Let us know what you think in the Comments section, and please share this post on social media using the links below.

THE X-MEN CONFRONT THE SWORDBEARERS OF ARAKKO IN THE NEW X OF SWORDS: STASIS TRAILER!

New York, NY— October 1, 2020 — X OF SWORDS, the epic X-Men crossover that represents the next chapter in Jonathan Hickman’s bold new vision for mutantkind, is now underway! In the action-packed beginning of the biggest X-Men story since HOUSE OF X, fans everywhere finally learned about the deadly conflict that lies at the center of this mutant milestone.

The new mutant nation of Krakoa is under threat of invasion by the inhabitants of the lost land known as Arakko, and Saturnyne, the Omniversal Majestrix, has devised a delightful way to settle this ancient dispute— a thrilling tournament!

Ten champions from each nation will gather mythical swords to wield in duels that will determine the very future of mutankind. Ten X-Men will rise up to defend their home. But who are the mysterious new characters that will be called to battle on behalf of Arakko? Meet the swordbearers of Arakko, a host of exciting new characters that will go on to play major roles in the X-Men saga moving forward. Get your first glimpse at Solem, Pogg Ur-Pogg, Isca the Unbeaten, and more in the exciting

“The swordbearers had to look as dangerous as possible. They had to tell a story of fighting for survival over a millennia; a story of ancient times, deadly violence and a brutal kind of beauty,” superstar artist Pepe Larraz said about his designs for the X-Men’s deadly new enemies. “In designing them, I mixed elements inspired by Egyptian culture, Laamb (Senegalese fighting), Donga (Ethiopian spear fighting), Nuba body-paint, postmodern minimal fashion, Thierry Le Goues’ photography, Maori weaponry, and biomimicry, among other things. Well, and a giant crocodile with four arms…”

Prepare yourself for more unbelievable revelations about these new characters when X OF SWORDS: STASIS #1 arrives on October 28^th!

X OF SWORDS: STASIS #1 (AUG200630)

Written by JONATHAN HICKMAN & TINI HOWARD

Art and Cover by PEPE LARRAZ

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Review: The Haunting of Bly Manor Is A Splendid Love Story

Eric Trigg

The Haunting of Bly Manor will offer plenty of scares, but underneath the terror is a marvelous love tale. Two years after The Haunting of Hill House, Mike Flanagan returns with another immaculate series. Much like its predecessor, The Haunting of Bly Manor will captivate audiences with its likable characters, brilliant performances, spooky ghosts, and a story that every person can learn from. This series addresses life and death in a beautifully poetic manner.

In the past, Flanagan has made it clear that The Haunting of Bly Manor is a gothic romance, and he meant that wholeheartedly. This series will make some cry, laugh, smile, and scream with terror. At its core, this is probably one of the best love stories told from the horror genre. Flanagan and his team have no issue taking you on a thought-provoking journey through the haunted halls of the Bly estate. loosely based on Henry James’ The Turn of the Screw, The Haunting of Bly Manor stars Victoria Pedretti, Oliver Cohen, Amelia Eve, T’Nia Miller, Rahul Kohli, Tahirah Sharif, Amelie Smith, Benjamin Ainsworth, Kate Siegel, Catherine Parker, and Henry Thomas.

The Bly estate in The Haunting of Bly Manor

This gothic tale takes place in the 1980s and follows Dani Clayton, a young governess hired by Henry Wingrave (Thomas) to look after his niece and nephew at the family country house after they become his responsibility. Their previous au pair, Rebecca Jessel (Sharif), unfortunately, has left the picture. Upon arrival, Dani is greeted by Flora (Smith) and Miles (Ainsworth) Wingrave, Owen (Kohli), and Hannah Grose (Miller). There is another character Dani meets, later on, Jamie (Eve). Each has their own roles to fill at the manor just like Dani, their new guest. Owen is a chef, Hannah is the groundskeeper, and Jamie is the gardener. They all have suffered some sort of loss, and that’s what unites them as they come to terms with their own grief. Dani is haunted by apparitions during her stay, and these apparitions are held together by the grips of a heartbroken soul.

It’s worth noting that the series kicks off in Northern California at a wedding, but the year is 2007. Most of the central story is placed in France during the 1980s, and it all leads to a beautifully wrapped conclusion. Dani, the young governess, is an American overwhelmed with grief, haunted by a ghostly image, and wants to move on from it. She hopes to make an impact in the lives of these two orphans, Flora and Miles. Miles returned home early from boarding school after being kicked out. Flora, his younger sister is absolutely splendid and lights up every room she enters. Every character is heartbroken, and these broken hearts are what makes them so likable. The Haunting of Bly Manor effectively develops each resident of Bly, so viewers will understand the pain they are going through, or have felt.

Flora at Bly in The Haunting of Bly Manor

As mentioned, The Haunting of Bly Manor is a love story, but it’s also a story about accepting that life has a beginning and an ending. Love isn’t easy, but if you find the right person it’s worth enduring the pain that comes with it. The writing is so detailed and heartfelt, it makes these characters more relatable. Similar to Hill House, this new story offers characters that have several layers, and each one has dealt with a tragedy that anyone watching can relate to. It addresses these hard themes of mortality and life after death in a way that will warm everyone’s heart. The Haunting of Bly Manor is horror, but the horror is heartwarming while being terrifying.

Pedretti is amazing, as is the rest of the cast, but there is a standout performance for myself, and it comes from Siegel who is only in one episode. This is a stand-alone episode, and the series has yet to reveal its title, but Siegel is fantastic here. She’s always been an incredible actress, and this performance was just another example of the talent she possesses. It’s a heartwarming, depressing, and emotionally draining performance to watch at times. Also, it’s accompanied by a wonderful narration from a surprise cast member. Her role is vital to the overall narrative, and she delivers the strongest performance. The Newton Brothers return to offer another superb score, and they make Siegel’s scenes that much better. She will have viewers glued as they stare with rapt attention, and many might find a reason to cry from it all because the story of her character is heartbreaking.

The lady in the lake in The Haunting of Bly Manor

The Haunting of Bly Manor is another triumphant outing for Flanagan, who has been a blessing to the horror genre for quite some time. While not as frightening as its predecessor, The Haunting of Bly Manor is a perfectly splendid adventure from start to finish. It offers compelling characters, stellar writing, and just an overall well-crafted horror story, with love as its centerpiece. A superior adaptation that fans of The Haunting of Hill House will equally love.

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Review: The Curse of Audrey Earnshaw Offers Effective Witch Tale

Eric Trigg

The Curse of Audrey Earnshaw is another solid addition to the list of religious horror films. In the past, films like The Witch have set the bar for what to expect from this subgenre. The Curse of Audrey Earnshaw isn’t without its flaws, but it’s another beautiful witch tale. A haunting tale about a devout community trying to rip apart a mother and daughter.

Folk horror has been a major staple for the genre these past years. Recently, Ari Aster’s Midsommar was the last major film to leave audiences feeling soulless. This year, The Curse of Audrey Earnshaw joins in on the fun. What makes this film so engaging, is its stellar lead performance and just how the horror unravels very slowly. Directed and written by Thomas Robert Lee, the film stars Catherine Walker, Sean McGinley, David LeReaney, Jessica Reynolds, Hannah Anderson, and Don Mckellar. The Curse of Audrey Earnshaw is set in a religious village where a mother and daughter are expected of witchcraft. A deadly plague has been removing all the crops and livestock, and these two are the unfortunate prime suspects.

Jessica Reynolds as Audrey in The Curse of Audrey Earnshaw

Agatha (Walker) and Audrey (Reynolds) Earnshaw are our central characters, Audrey was born during an event that occurred prior to the film, the eclipse. The circumstances of her birth are what lead to the drama regarding witchcraft. During this eclipse, a disease of sorts kills the soil and some residents in town. The Earnshaw’s were the only residence to be left unharmed, and that sparks the rumblings in town. In fact, Agatha has hidden Audrey from the town for the last seventeen years because of these dreadful circumstances. Audrey is indeed a witch, and the reception her mother receives from the townsfolk only makes matters worse. This script effectively establishes the awful upbringing Audrey has had to endure and the sacrifices her mother makes to keep her daughter safe. Agatha’s an outcast, and Lee does a terrific job at making you feel for this character’s situation.

Lee does enough with the narrative to suck you into this sense of hopelessness. The Curse of Audrey Earnshaw features an opening text to catch viewers up on what’s happening, but that seems to be pointless in the end. The resolution to the witchcraft occurring does involve a deal being made with the devil, but The Curse of Audrey Earnshaw leaves stuff for the viewer to interpret. The performances from everyone are strong, but Reynold’s portrayal of Audrey is one of this year’s best. Of course, not every character involved is fully developed, but these gut-wrenching performances make up for that. Reynold’s is fantastic as this young teenage girl, who just wants her mother to stand up for herself, as she views her as weak for letting the town mistreat her for all this time. Reynolds will have audiences fixed on her every move just like her character has the people in town who threaten her life, or wrong her mother.

The ritual in The Curse of Audrey Earnshaw

The Curse of Audrey Earnshaw stumbles slightly in its narrative. Very little is known about the townspeople to understand whether or not they truly deserve this suffering. Perhaps, diving into these characters a bit more would have justified some actions in the film. Still, Lee has crafted a very engaging film that makes you ask questions, but perhaps more should have been given at times. The Curse of Audrey Earnshaw will cause discomfort, it’s familiar territory, but Lee does a great job keeping you invested throughout. It features a chilling score that adds emotion to Audrey’s terrifying scenes, and beautiful cinematography as well.

While not something that many will find refreshing, The Curse of Audrey Earnshaw is a solid witch tale about a town gone to hell. It doesn’t offer any unique scenarios we haven’t already been exposed to, but it’s just yet another effective folk horror film. The Curse of Audrey Earnshaw is fine for what it is, and fans of the genre will find something to enjoy from it.

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Review: SCARENTHOOD #1 Is This Halloween’s Must-Read Comic

Anthony Composto - EIC

SCARENTHOOD #1 is out October 28th from IDW Publishing, and it is a chilling tale about hunting ghosts and demons (and being done in time to pick your kids up from school).

By writer/artist Nick Roche, colorist Chris O’Halloran, and letterer Shawn Lee, SCARENTHOOD is an Irish folk horror about four parents whose children attend the same pre-school. After disturbing an ancient evil in their small town, the group starts spending their days battling demons and uncovering a decades-old mystery, all while juggling their normal parental responsibilities.

(CHECK OUT OUR INTERVIEW WITH NICK ROCHE ALL ABOUT SCARENTHOOD RIGHT HERE!)

Let’s not bury the lede here: this is the must-read new comic for this Halloween season.

What works so well about SCARENTHOOD is that the story is driven by real-life fears and insecurities. There is an inherent truth to the writing. Roche is a parent of a young girl himself, and he channeled all of his anxieties about being responsible for a tiny human into this book. So if you’re a parent yourself, you’ll probably find this comic extra striking and scary, but even those of us without kids will get a good fright. That’s because the character development is so strong right off the bat that you develop an immediate bond with this cast. So when the spooky stuff goes down, you feel genuine concern for these fictional parents and their fictional kids.

It’s not all allegory though, so don’t you fret horror fans: here be monsters, and they are terrifying.

Outside of story and character, good horror largely comes down to two more subtle things: atmosphere and pacing — and the SCARENTHOOD team nails both.

Roche has stated that O’Halloran is “utterly in control of the tone of each scene,” and that’s a good call because the man is a master colorist. Ice Cream Man fans already know about how O’Halloran’s muted colors can set a scene and send chills down your spine. In SCARENTHOOD, he’ll take you from “everything’s fine” to “sh*t just got real” on a dime. The way the color palette changes from scene to scene (or moment to moment) is a brilliant subliminal way to give readers the willies and put them on edge on a subconscious level.

And then there’s Roche’s designs of the world and characters. The settings are all taken from real life, so again there is that inherent truth to the story that enhances the horror. Because the world looks and feels real (and O’Halloran’s colors are again a huge part of that), it makes you feel like this story is real. Roche’s character designs are then more cartoony, and that’s genius in itself because it tricks your brain into thinking this is just a fun slice-of-life comic, making the horrifying elements all the more horrifying when they hit.

In terms of pacing, Roche utilizes multiple panels and close-ups to build tension and drama, which is crucial in horror storytelling. Lee’s lettering guides you through each scene at just the right speed so that tension grows naturally, and he delivers you at the pay-off point when your stress is at its zenith. There is a lot of dialogue in this issue, but it never bogs down a scene or slows you down thanks to Lee.

I have to say though, there is one splash page in this debut that is one of the most effective splash pages I’ve read this year. The way everything comes together — the build up to the splash, the “camera” angle Roche uses, O’Halloran’s colors, and Lee’s subtle lettering (there’s no actual dialogue in this moment, but Lee still plays a vital part) — it took my breath away and I felt that genuine concern I mentioned earlier.

Horror is a genre bogged down with tropes, but SCARENTHOOD feels fresh and original. Our heroes aren’t high schoolers, or babysitters, or homicide detectives — they’re parents who just want to do right by their kids. Roche, O’Halloran, and Lee are firing on all cylinders here, and they breathed new life into one of comics’ toughest genres.

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INTERVIEW: An Old Friend Torments Up On The Glass Star Chelsea Kurtz

Ruben Diaz

October 3, 2020

Up On The Glass, a thriller from director Kevin Del Principe (Fashion of the Wolf), co-writer Nikki Brown (Those Little Monsters), stars Chelsea Kurtz (The Flash, Scandal) as a woman fighting back against the dark desires of an old friend.

Up On The Glass introduces viewers to Liz Shelton (Chelsea Kurtz) and husband Hunter. They’re a married couple who are doing well for themselves. The couple reunite with old college friends, including Jack (Chase Fein), who’s life is on the rocks. Jack’s fond of Liz and envious of his friend Hunter who seems to have it all. It’s a thriller full of characters with demons to face.

PopAxiom spoke with Chelsea about becoming an actor, learning on the fly, and surviving Up On The Glass.

New York Or Los Angeles

Chelsea Kurtz is from Cincinnati, Ohio, where she “got introduced to theatre early. I was in school plays when I was five or six. When I was 12, I started working with the Cincinnati Shakespeare Company, and I fell in love with Shakespeare and the classics. I was super nerdy.”

“I knew from then on,” Chelsea concludes, “that I wanted to go to school for acting and pursue it as a career.”

The road to making acting a career began at Boston University, where she studied acting. By the time those studies were at an end, Chelsea “intended to go to New York … But I asked the head of the program, a very 22-year-old question, ‘Where do you think I will work more?’ and he said, ‘You’re asking the wrong question.'”

“Forget about that,” Chelsea’s recalls the head of the program saying, “and think about where would you rather have a really bad day?”

Chelsea pondered the question. “I thought about being in N.Y. and getting on the subway back to an apartment, which I probably worked three jobs to afford. I thought about L.A. and being within 30 minutes of the ocean or desert or mountains.” Chelsea’s internal debate decided, “I would rather fail and struggle in Los Angeles.”

Chelsea was off to the City of Angels. “I hit the pavement and slowly but surely started working in T.V. and film. I’m a member of the theatre community.”

Being An Actor

The effects of the global pandemic altered how many things operate, particularly the T.V. and film industry. Today, more auditions or meetings take place over video calls. “It definitely becomes a full-service production that you’re putting on entirely on your own,” Chelsea says about making your video look its best.”

She adds, “You have to be aware of the rhythm of your neighborhood. Where I live in L.A., there’s a rooster next door, so you can’t do morning takes. If it’s a nice day, everyone lets their dogs out around 5 PM, and so there’s barking.”

Chelsea’s played a lot of different roles. How does she connect with roles as varied as superhero Black Bison on The Flash and campaign videographer Jennifer Fields on Scandal? There are some roles that I have an intuitive way into, and there are some that require a lot more attention and specificity and text work or research.”

“In The Flash,” Chelsea says, “I was playing a Lakota Sioux woman. To assume all Native American culture is the same is ridiculous. With a role like that, I put a lot of attention into making sure I understood the people I’m portraying.”

However, for Scandal, she “had to do a lot of stunt training and do underwater work.”

“I was learning how to lay in the water to look dead,” Chelsea shares, “and to make it so that air bubbles don’t come out of my nose. I had to be at one point in a trunk that goes underwater. I had to learn how to roll my body in such a way that looked like the car had fallen in, but also didn’t look like I was moving my own body.”

“That’s my favorite thing,” Chelsea declares about acting, “Different roles require different things, and that’s exciting.”

Is there an acting class that prepares actors for underwater action? “The kind of technical work that you do as an actor in training has to be applied improvisationally in pretty much everything you do.”

In the end, there’s only one simple truth about working through those on-the-fly experiences as an actor. “You can’t know how to do it until you try it.”

About Up On The Glass

Chelsea’s path to her role on Up On The Glass connected her with an old college friend. “We connected my senior year of school and stayed friends. She invited me to come in for Up On The Glass. I responded to the script and loved Kevin and Nikki. They asked if I wanted to come film in beautiful, small-town Lake Michigan, and I said: “F yeah!”

“Nikki and Kevin are ‘actors directors,'” Chelsea says, “They were diving into character work in the audition.”

The process of becoming Liz Shelton involved a lot of discussions and pondering “About Liz’s strength, and when you meet her in the film, she’s at a breaking point in her marriage. Also, the history that’s there with Chase Fein [Jack]. And how to bring to life all their history.”

Making Up On The Glass was an “on-going collaborative process … it was great. Because sometimes you do show up on set and just hear ‘stand over there. This is your framing.’ And that’s fine, but it’s great when you can build something together. I think it makes the whole greater than the sum of its parts.”

Chelsea shares a personal influence that helped bring Liz to life, “Liz is a character that reminds me of my mom. A good woman, who works hard and maybe carries some pain around and feels maybe made some choices she regrets, particularly about the men. I wanted to bring her energy. That’s something I tried to bring to Liz.”

In Chelsea’s words, she’d describe Up On The Glass as “a dark, emotional and psychological thriller. It explores the lives of people who feel trapped and end up wandering down the wrong paths.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TYuZVXKsSPI

Wrapping Up

“When I was growing up loving Shakespeare,” Chelsea recalls some inspirations early in her acting experience, “there were two actors, Jeremy Dubin and Giles Davies, who could do anything with language. They introduced me to so many technical aspects of acting that’s also the most creative and spontaneous like animal work and mask work. They showed me that it was art and not just play.”

“I’m a huge Gary Oldman fan,” Chelsea replies when asked about an actor she admires. “He’s such a chameleon, and there’s nothing he can’t do. So often, in his performances, I won’t recognize him. I have such admiration actors who can do that kind of work.”

What’s a dream project for the Up On The Glass star? “Well, this is funny because it’s already happening, and I’m pursuing it to the best of my abilities. I’m a huge Trekkie. I love Star Trek. So, if they want to put me anywhere … make me the janitor of the Enterprise, and I’ll be the happiest girl in the world. I’m a Next Generation diehard. I like Voyager, I like the Original okay, but I’m a Star Trek with Picard and the Enterprise girl.”

Up On The Glass is streaming on iTunes and Amazon. So, what’s next for Chelsea? “I was recently on an episode of Magnum P.I., which was a lot of fun. I got to film in Hawaii. I worked on Station 19. Since COVID, it’s been a lot of Zoom readings of plays.”

Is Up On The Glass on your watch list?

Thanks to Chelsea Kurtz and October Coast
for making this interview possible.

Want to read more interviews? CLICK HERE.

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Review: Vampires vs. the Bronx Is A Lighthearted Family Comedy

Eric Trigg

Vampires vs. the Bronx is a mix of better films but has a lot of heart. This film is like The Goonies, Fright Night, and Stand by Me all combined into one. It offers a message about gentrification and the importance of urban areas coming together to save their neighborhoods. An effective coming of age film that has a point to it, and tosses vampires into the mix.

Coming of age films always have a strong central message at the core, and its those messages being portrayed on-screen in unique ways that lead those films to be cult classics. Vampires vs. the Bronx is a humorous tale about a group of friends trying to save their neighborhood. This is another social commentary based film, but it doesn’t beat you over the head with its message. Directed and co-written by Osmany Rodriguez, the film stars Jaden Michael, Gerald Jones, Gregory Diaz, Sarah Gadon, Method Man, Coco Jones, and The Kid Mero. It follows a trio of friends, Miguel, Bobby, and Luis, who all live in the Bronx. A company is threatening the future of their neighborhood, so they team up to save it from gentrification and vampires.

Miguel and Luis in Vampires vs the Bronx

Following the patterns of The Boy Who Cried Wolf, none of the adults in town listen to these three kids. A real estate company is buying out the properties in this neighborhood, but these people are also vampires and no one listens till its to late, as usual. Michael, Bobby, and Luis are all likable characters since they are the nerds that don’t fit in. They have crushes on older girls and spend most of their free time at the local bodega. Rodriguez co-wrote the script with Blaise Hemingway, and it’s littered with cheesy jokes, racial subtext, bland adults, and almost exactly what you’d expect from this type of film. The decision to use vampires may be to draw a comparison to how these companies drain the former life of an area to create a new life for others.

Our main trio of friends are likable and developed enough where you can identify them starting as outcasts and becoming more accepted in their area as the film progresses. Their parents are generic and very formulaic. They offer nothing to the story outside of just being the authority over these kids. As for their performances, they are fine for what they have to work with, but I expect they’ll have better projects to shine in down the road. The chemistry between them is impeccable and highlights the friendship being portrayed. Gadon is great as Vivian, the leader of this awful vampire cult terrorizing the Bronx. Her delivery if fine, but none of these vampires are very intimidating. However, this can be because Vampires vs. the Bronx isn’t very serious anyway outside of being a message against gentrification.

Rodriguez balances horror and comedy just fine and chooses a very fast pace for most of the film. This decision gives the film a lot of energy, and it never grows tiring or overstays its welcome. Perhaps if the runtime were longer, some better decisions would have been made because the effects on these vampires are awful. During the more terrifying moments, Vivian’s crew of vampires decide to fly at times and the effects are just atrocious. Also, Vampires vs. the Bronx has a closing act that just felt forced in a way because of how each kid is given a subplot that amounts to nothing in the end. For instance, Bobby is being tempted by criminals to join a gang, and it’s never fully explored or made relevant in the end.

Vampires vs. the Bronx is effective at being a solid horror comedy but falters a bit in its narrative and poor effects. The central message is made clear, the performances are all great as well, but the poor effects will take you out of the film. Still, Vampires vs. the Bronx is a nice throwback to better films and is a lot of fun from start to finish.

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Review: NOMOBOTS — Taking The Sides of Humanity In Strides

Jake Palermo

Nomobots is a series from Heavy Metal’s Virus imprint by writer Diego Agrimbau and artist Juan Manuel Tumburus. The first three issues have already been released on June 3, June 17, and August 26, respectively.

Summary

From the official Heavy Metal website:

This is the story of Nadia, one of the last humans in Sileo, a city where Nomobots (a particular kind of robot) rule and govern. She has escaped from a human farm and now she’s being persecuted by the Nomobot Police. Nomobots were created to avoid human extinction, they succeeded but there was a big cost: humans lost their freedom. Nomobots have a conscience, they love and hate, just like any human being, but their metal bodies don’t allow them to feel anything. There’s no pain or pleasure. Their complex minds need to feel. So some of them has mounted farms where human slaves, like Nadia, are submitted to every kind of stimulation, some pleasant, some degrading, some unbearable. These sensations are recorded and saved on capsules called Emopills, and later they are sold on Sileo’s street.

The Points of View of Nomobots

Agrimbau has each of the three issues of Nomobots follow the points-of-view of a different character. This allows the reader to view world through the robot characters instead of the protagonist Nadia. Because if they see it from her perspective, it’s just a typical post-robot uprising series like D4VE. Each issue begins quite literally in the heads of the focus character. This allows the robots to be more empathetic given how they can’t make facial features. The different perspectives show how much the culture around emopills and Nomobot immortality through backups effects the greater society.

Issue one focuses on Jimmy, who, after the psychedelic trip he has in the first pages, sets up the series and setting all at once. In it, the readers meet Nadia. As Nomobots can only act human, they need special pills to feel human sensations. Humans like Nadia need to enact these sensations so that they can be recorded on these “emopills.” Jimmy, after many uses of emopills, becomes attracted to Nadia. It’s hard not to feel bad for him when she hits him and another Nomobot with a monkey wrench in issue 2.

In issue 3, another Nomobot sees Nadia the way the audience might, a force of nature that could destroy Nomobots. Yet it’s not out of fear but reverence. Looking at this world where machines are addicts to sensations, it’s hard not to want it destroyed. But how do you fight something that’s so ingrained in the people’s culture? Especially when the culture has its own form of progressives and conservatives. That’s what undercover cop Rick has to deal with, which, given his abstinence towards the drugs, sets up the next issue nicely. I mean the guy dresses up as a stereotypical pimp because of his lack of understanding of the culture.

Art

Tumburus’ art is nothing if not moody. The minimalistic lines, inking, and muted colors of Nomobots sets up a fitting neo-noir atmosphere. Which is odd considering this series leans more into cyberpunk territory. But really who needs neon signs and constant rain showers when contrast is king? Most of the main characters wear red clothes or accessories. Given the dark colors decorating the pages, it’s a great way to keep attention on the characters. The more red that appears, the more visible or important they feel.

The lettering meanwhile is extremely efficient in how it goes in one smooth line of reading order. Other times it works with the aforementioned red coloring to show two perspectives. One on the person in red and the other party speaking to them. Wordmarks meanwhile can get so powerful they actually become a panel at one point.

Nomobots Are Off To A Great Start

Nomobots #1-3 is only the beginning on what can be one of the most original takes on cyberpunk. By going back to its neo-noir roots with its moodiness and multiple points of view, people see a brand new world to invest in. Because everybody wants to feel something new from unlikely places. Why not see how the presence of one young woman makes this drug addicted world can be so impactful?

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Review: STRANGE ACADEMY #3 — Getting Trippy With Magic Visions

Jake Palermo

In this week’s Strange Academy #3 from Marvel Comics, writer Skottie Young brings a down-to-earth feel to the surreal artwork of Humberto Ramos and colorist Edgar Delgado, all while VC’s Clayton Cowles gives the characters unique voices through lettering.

Strange Academy #3 Gets Freaky

Unlike previous issues which focused on establishing the school, Strange Academy #3 focuses on character. Skottie Young is no stranger to absurdist comedy (i.e. I Hate Fairyland) and drama (i.e. Middlewest). In this issue, he has the quirky class show off their individual personalities. Granted not all of them get a moment to shine, just the ones who take plot precedence. Emily mainly serves as the audience’s viewpoint into the world of magic during the opening lesson where she witnesses the strangeness through the Eye of Agamotto. Yet it’s in the student’s R&R period in New Orleans where a concentration of characters take notice. Doyle Dormmamu is surprisingly lax in how his views magic. Considering his heritage, nothing about it really surprises him unlike Emily who has fun with it.

That is until he encounters fortune teller who shows him a future that actually terrifies him, especially since some of the people in his vision appear near the end of the issue. Fortunately before all of the doom and gloom sets in, these students go out of their way to have each other’s backs. Which, while relieving, also sets up some anticipation for some of that coming dread.

How Art Is Magic

Humberto Ramos illustrates each character with designs that are as quirky as possible while using rotoscoped backgrounds. This makes the characters’ features highly expressive to react to the world around them. When Emily uses the Eye of Agamotto, colorist Edgar Delgado demonstrates Emily’s potential by looking at the other dimensional creatures in color while everything else save for the Ancient One is in grayscale. This ability to interact with a whole other world puts Emily in unfamiliar territory. One that’s she eager to find out about, but should be more careful given her interaction with one creature.

Clayton Cowles gives the cast of Strange Academy #3 unique voices. For example, the Asgardian twins Alvi and Iric sound like two different people despite having the same word balloons. Alvi tries to sound suave and haughty, yet Iric speaks more like a loud jock which is odd considering his height compared to Alvi. Doyle meanwhile has word balloons that look like diabolical smoke, but some of his interactions imply he’s just full of hot air. This all suggests why the dynamic between Alvi and Doyle is a little rocky: if Alvi already deals with one hot head, why deal with another one?

Have A Time With Strange Academy #3

Strange Academy #3 is one of those issues that are easy to get into without background knowledge. Like some of the more casual slice-of-life comics like the Peanuts or Garfield, sometimes just the outline is enough to get a good story. Maybe not a great one, but enough story that can cover different parts of the cast. Because beneath all of the humor and school hours is something ready to happen. And while magic open to interpretation is good, it’s going to require some decent attention to the details to get through it all.

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Review: OLYMPIA — Comics Are A Medium Of Intergenerational Love

Jake Palermo

The Olympia trade paperback collects all five issues of a passion project between Curt Pires and his father Tony Pires, with art from Alex Diotto and Jason Copland, and colors and lettering by Dee Cunniffe and Micah Meyers respectively.

The Epic of Olympia

Olympia at first glance looks like a knock-off of Jack Kirby tributes like Kirby: Genesis. However, it is actually an exploration on how comic books affect people, especially across generations. It all revolves around a fan, a comic creator, and a comic character, and tying each of them together is the need for a father figure. POV character Elon, for example, lost his father and finds solace in the comic series featuring Olympian. Olympian’s creator Kirby Spiegelman meanwhile feels lost and without direction, especially after the death of his own father figure. To an even lesser degree, even Olympian is trying to live up to his father’s expectations as ruler and protector of his home. This all likely comes from how Tony Pires himself was battling cancer as he and his son Curt worked on Olympia.

Yet this story is not about feeling helpless after many defeats and losses. It’s how the interaction between the three characters fills the role of a father figure and how it connects them to everyone they love. Elon in particular, despite being only 13, often acts like the most driven of the three. He takes charge of most of the situation while being fully aware of the absurdities surrounding him. Like when Elon despite being a fan still finds Olympian’s over-the-top personality a little odd. It is this mindset that gets Kirby on a path out of his depression and re-evaulate what he’s got to live for. As for Olympian himself, he’s arguably the least dynamic part of Olympia considering how passive he is about events. At most, it’s just his presence that drives everything forward.

The Dynamic Art

That presence however is where most of the passion takes place. On several pages, Alex Diotto promotes actions so simple yet energetic throughout Olympia they practically tell the story through atmosphere. Every subtle change increases the importance of the moments that take place. Most panels that practically repeat are displays of time and dramatic effects, like when Elon waits for Olympian to recover but ends up falling asleep and Olympian is off panel. Then there are the two-page spreads that highlight big dramatic moments, sometimes succeeding pages that anticipate them. The action scenes that follow after can get so wild that traditional panel layout distorts in reaction.

Jason Copland, who works on the art in issue #3, however foregoes all of that in favor of 9 and 3-panel grids for other dramatic effects. In that issue, readers see Kirby struggling to keep control of his life. When those 9-panel grids give way to a splash page, it’s a display of Kirby at his lowest as everything from before comes screeching into this moment. Following this are 3-panel grids where Kirby tries to make sense of everything in a dramatic question, only to be disappointed as he gets no expected answers. Then this sequence reverses as his prior plan takes a new turn.

Colors and Lettering In Simplicity

Dee Cunniffe’s coloring looks relatively simple, but it’s how it makes the above artists’ shorthand stand out in Olympia. Brighter colors help keep the reader’s gaze on events like Olympian’s bright costume and Elon’s clothes during a battle against monsters. The monster’s blue colors and the purple background following them make it easy to contrast against them. Yet the most effective of them all is how Cunniffe highlights the Kirby Krackle to show off the source of energies, blue for Olympian purple for the antagonists.

Micah Myers as letterer works between recycling shorthand and dedicated illustrated wordmarks. Most of those wordmarks are in the in-universe comic book, when those illustrated wordmarks do appear, it’s a sign of of the Olympian comic affecting the world around it. Otherwise it’s just the recycling use of some wordmarks that in the right place are very effective, like when Kirby has a gun to his head and banging is on display. It’s like knocking on the door stealing all of the power from the decision.

Remember Olympia

In this loving tribute to comics from the likes of Jack Kirby, Olympia reminds readers that, while some things end, the spirit behind them lasts forever. Because Tony certainly didn’t seem to want Curt to let his death deter him. If anything, this limited time is what convinced everyone to push out their best efforts — efforts so passionate, it’s difficult for readers not to feel it on the pages.

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