Review: X-MEN/FANTASTIC FOUR #4 – Welcome to the New World

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After COVID-related delays, Marvel Comics was finally able to release X-Men/Fantastic Four #4 on July 22. Following up on a lingering thread from House of X #1, the series addressed the place of Franklin Richards in the new Krakoan society. Writer Chip Zdarsky, penciler Terry Dodson, Inkers Rachel Dodson, and Ranson Getty, color artist Laura Martin, and letterer VC’s Joe Caramagna bring the miniseries to a satisfying if unnerving, conclusion.

Writing

The X-Men and Fantastic Four are able to make short work of Doom’s sentinels (or “Latviathans” as he calls them…for some reason) thanks largely to Franklin Richards’ choice to sacrifice his chance to fix his powers in order to save the day.

While a future threat from Dr. Doom is teased, the most unnerving part, and the true menace, comes at the end of the book, when Xavier and Magneto visit Reed. When Reed tries to apologize, Xavier and Magneto cut him short, telling him that his apologies are not enough. He has crossed a line. Xavier removes the knowledge of how to build the mutant gene suppression device from Reed’s mind and lets him know that unlike what he would’ve done in the past, he wants Reed to remember what Xavier did. There are no rules now, and Reed can’t just do whatever he wants anymore. He is told, “Welcome to the new world.”

While the Dr. Doom part of this story was fine enough, and I hope they follow it up, Doom’s involvement serves as something of a pretext for this story to happen to flesh out the conflict between the X-Men and the FF over Franklin’s fate. Also, thanks to Reed’s choice to invent a device to suppress his own son’s mutant gene, it brings Reed into conflict with Xavier and Magneto, further underlying the subtle menace that appears to be hiding just under the surface of Xavier’s attitude and actions in this new X-era. While his actions are those of a man who is fed up with the oppression of his people and are in that light understandable, something still feels off about him. Guess we’ll have to wait and see.

Art

The art team does a great job in this issue, conveying both the powerful, larger than life moments and some of the more quiet character moments. In a scene that combines both, the art team does a great job of capturing one of the more hopeful moments of the issue, when Kate Pryde releases Franklin from Doom’s control, and Franklin unleashes on the “Latviathans.”

Kate had been recruited to gain Franklin’s trust because of a shared history. My fear had been that that relationship would get betrayed and tainted in this series, but I think this scene communicates the purity of the trust and the bond between these characters. And Franklin immediately puts that trust to good use!

One of the other character moments in the book is a bit more menacing. When Xavier takes off the helmet, you know it’s not going to be good.

There’s something a bit unsettling about a Xavier/Magneto team working with such harmony. Add to that the glassy-eyed way Xavier is drawn and the smug, indignant look on his face, and we are left with a Xavier that is much menacing, and one that maybe we should be afraid of.

Coloring

Martin’s colors are beautiful! I particularly like the way she captures the translucent nature of Franklin’s powers. There’s actually a lot of that type of coloring in this issue. The force field Doom places around himself and Franklin is also well-colored.

There’s a lot of subtle coloring in this panel. Not only do you have the force field and Franklin’s powers manifesting themselves, but the Invisible Woman’s force fields also have to be colored in as well. Martin captures all of these subtleties of powers and technology and makes them all stand out.

Lettering

The prose sections of these X-titles allow for an extra dose of creativity by the letterers. This issue is no exception. These prose sections don’t always simply provide exposition and information to the reader, but the form of the page can contribute to the story as well. In this case, the prose page shows Xavier’s mindwipe of Reed’s mutant suppression device via the mechanism of the prose section.

You can see how Caramagna portrays the erasure of the device from Reed’s mind, with the final page itself being blank. Caramagna should get credit here for how much his lettering contributes to the fleshing out of the final part of this issue.

Conclusion

So Franklin is now permitted to go to Krakoa, and the X-Men and the Fantastic Four are at peace again (minus a fairly significant mindwipe). It will be interesting to see how these two teams continue to interact moving forward and what future conflicts may arise over Franklin and his currently dwindling powers. Also, let’s not forget that Dr. Doom is still out there, and now has a chip on his shoulder against Krakoa as well. I don’t this is the last time we’ll see a heated engagement between Krakoa and Marvel’s First Family!

What did you think of the X-Men/Fantastic Four series? Tell us in the comments below!

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Review: PULP Is A Brilliant Revenge Epic With The Volume Turned Down

By

Zac Owens

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Written by Ed Brubaker with art and lettering by Sean Phillips and colors by Jacob Phillips, Image Comics’ Pulp is a fresh spin on a plot we’ve seen before. An old man, Max Winter, with his glory days behind him, is given one last shot to stand against injustice and possibly go out in a blaze of glory. It’s a familiar story. But this creative team makes it feel fresh by dialing back the action and romanticization, and allowing their main characters’ fears and dreams to take precedence.

Writing

Under “understated” in the dictionary, there should be a note that says “see: Pulp.” It’s literally a comic about cowboys and nazis, yet it spends more time on Winter’s fear of old age and death. There’s a lot of text on every page of this comic, yet it feels quiet, because most of what is written is going on in Max’s head. He’s contemplating his place in the world and what he’s going to be leaving his wife when he’s gone. This could feel more like sitting down for a lecture than reading a comic, if Brubaker didn’t only tell us what we need to know to understand the character.

Revelations in this graphic novel have a habit of happening “off panel.” Max talks about his brother’s death almost nonchalantly, and the death isn’t even shown. We know Max had a wife and daughter, but it’s only ever inferred what happened to them. Max refuses to go into further detail, even in his own mind. His inability to revisit the details tells us more than any explanation about his wife and daughter could. Max even thinks to himself at one point, “I guess when you’ve lived this long, your silences can say as much as your words.” It’s Brubaker’s empathy for the character — his refusal to drag Max back through his painful past for the sake of exposition — that gives this graphic novel its understated brilliance.

Art

Sean Phillips doesn’t want the flashy action scenes to take center stage in this comic. They could. There are car chases, plenty of gun fights, a mugging — the list goes on. But these moments in the graphic novel seem to fly by. A simple conversation between Max and his editor takes up three full pages. A car chase is over in a page and a half. It’s because these moments aren’t the moments that make Max who he is. As much of a gun-slinging cowboy as he once was, it’s clear from the get go that he wants a quiet life. He writes an ending for the characters in his cowboy magazine where they ride off to Mexico and retire. We see the pain on his face as his editor slashes that part out of the script. He wants that for his characters because he wants it for himself.

We also see Max reminisce about the old days a lot. But the details are often foggy. Rarely are the faces of the characters in Max’s flashbacks given as much detail as the ones in Max’s present day life. And it’s even rarer in Max’s memories that we see Max or his partner Spike facing us. Their faces are obscured by shadow, or they’re looking in the other direction. It gives us distance. But we also see the moments that, for Max, still feel like they happened yesterday. Max remembers his brother being shot off his horse in vivid detail. He remembers seeing Spike, one last time, a man empty without adventure. We know that the real thing that makes Max feel so old, is that he’s outlived all the people closest to him.

Coloring

Jacob Phillips not only brings us into Max’s mindset, but creates an ode to old comics at the same time. Phillips colors Max’s flashbacks, which were introduced as stories from his Western Magazine, with two or three colors. It looks like something out of the Sunday paper, when colorists had four or five options to pick from. Phillips throws us back into the world of old comics, to show us how Max feels about reliving his past. The scenes may be colored simply, but they look breathtaking. So we see those memories as a time when things were simpler, but more beautiful for it.

Most of the rest of the graphic novel looks pretty bleak. Max is tired, and his world looks tired with him. But there are a few moments of sudden color. Rosa, Max’s wife, is always depicted in warm colors. In fact, every scene she’s in is colored with a warmer palette. We get the sense that she brightens every room she’s in. And there are a couple times that we see Max against a red background. It’s when he feels close to death, when he’s in danger that this happens. It’s fitting then that he wears red in all of his memories of being a cowboy. Max Winter was cloaked in death in those days, and maybe that’s what made him feel so alive.

With Pulp, Brubaker, Phillips and Phillips have given us Inglourious Basterds with the volume turned down. It’s an intimate revenge comic that somehow manages to feel deeply empathetic. Image Comics’ Pulp doesn’t want to get your heart racing with easy thrills. It wants you to contemplate the mark you leave on your world. It wants you to stop lusting after a life of adventure, and start working towards beautiful simplicity. Pulp is out July 29th from Image Comics, and it’s a must-read.

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Review: WOLVERINE #3 – Wolverine Triumphant…For Now.

By

Matthew Brake

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Marvel Comics released Wolverine #3 on July 22. Writer Benjamin Percy continues Wolverine’s search for the Flower Cartel and the Pale Girl, who caused him to turn on and kill his teammates. Joined by artist Adam Kubert, colorist Frank Martin, and letterer VC’s Cory Petit, Percy and company put together a very well-crafted issue, one that makes me excited for this series moving forward!

Writing

After the cliffhanger at the end of the last issue, we find out that all is not as it seems and that Wolverine’s situation isn’t as hopeless as it first appeared. We learn, via a series of flashbacks (including a humorous one involving Magneto), that Wolverine, far from having been caught off guard by the Pale Girl, has set his own trap.

With the help of Kid Omega, Iceman, Storm, Bishop, Pyro, and Magneto’s helmet (which shields the wearer from being affected by telepaths), Wolverine is able to infiltrate the Flower Cartel and confronts the Pale Girl. Oh, and Agent Bannister is actually still alive, too. That was a fake-out.

Percy does a number of interesting things in this issue, not the least of which is some not-quite-veiled criticism of Russia’s strong man tendencies in real life, reflected in this story by their opposition to mutant sovereignty and mutant freedom. Percy continues to plant seeds for the mystery of the Pale Girl’s identity, with Xavier, in one of the prose sections, describing the feeling of contacting her mind as “like Jean…but other.”

Finally, I have to admit to a bit of giddiness on seeing Wolverine step out of the ship with Magneto’s helmet on which his friends at his back. This is followed by an inner monologue by Wolverine, where he reflects on how his friends have “fixed him” in some sense. This, however, is immediately undermined by the Pale Girl’s comment to Logan that he thinks his friends are a strength, but they are in fact a weakness. Whether or not this is Percy setting up a future arc for Wolverine’s character that sees him leave Krakoa and strike out on his own, we’ll have to wait and see. Either way, it’s a very good juxtaposition, with the Pale Girl’s comments coming on the very next page after the end of Wolverine’s personal reflections

Art

I’ve already commented about this, but I want to double down on how cool I think this panel is.

After seeing Wolverine get beat down so much over the last two issues, with issue #2 seeming to end with another defeat for Logan, it was nice to Logan have a triumphant moment, made all the more cool by him wearing Magneto’s helmet.

Speaking of Magneto, I’ve been enjoying seeing a more laid back version of the character both in his own giant-size issue and here.

It seems like a jovial Magneto would be hard to pull off, but Kubert does it well here. Everything about these panels is great, from the sentinel-shaped mugs to the laid back drunk Magneto with Wolverine in the wings waiting for him to pass out.

This is one of my favorite scenes from this issue. It’s funny. It’s clever. And Kubert communicates it well.

I also think that Kubert does a great job with Logan’s mask.

The shading, symmetry, and texture of the mask is pitch perfect. Masks and cowls can be hard to draw, but I think Kubert nails it here (although I think the cover image is a little weird in terms of the eyes).

There are a few weird character designs, specifically Juggernaut’s face in a flashback, and again, Wolverine’s face on the cover, but this book is drawn very well on the whole.

Coloring

Martin’s colors are a boon to this story. In the images above, the speckled and grainy outlines and backgrounds around the characters give the comic just enough of a gritty, visceral feel (quite appropriate for a Wolverine comic!) without being over the top.

Also, in the image above with Wolverine and the X-Men, all of the characters’ colors pop, and Martin’s use of shading really makes for some beautiful character images. The characters have a very nice shine to them, which adds to the overall visual experience.

The Flower Cartel outfits are also colored very well.

These costumes are unique looking, and the blending of the red and the black, the way the colors bleed into each other, gives the impression that these outfits are coursing and swirling with energy. Again, good work by Martin.

Lettering

There is an entire page in this book that makes me appreciate Petit’s lettering. Again, I return to my favorite scene from this issue.

So much of this scene works because of the various sound effects and background noises that Petit letters, from Magneto’s snoring to Wolverine cracking his knuckles.

A nice additional touch is Wolverine’s trademark “snikt” being drawn between his claws as he pops them and threatens Blob to keep quiet.

So much of the story revolves around this opening scene, and Petit’s lettering is part of what makes it work so well.

Conclusion

This is my favorite issue of the new Wolverine series so far. It’s nice to see this first arc resolve while setting up future mysteries and personal questions for Logan moving forward. It’ll be interesting to see how the question of the Pale Girl’s identity resolves. I’m definitely intrigued given some of the revelations in the prose sections of this issue. I am also looking forward to seeing the relationship between Logan and Agent Bannister develop in future issues.

What did you think of Wolverine #3? Tell us in the comments below!

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Review: NEW MUTANTS #11 – Dreams, Nightmares, & Social Media (oh my!)

By

Matthew Brake

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On July 22, Marvel Comics released New Mutants #11. Writer Ed Brisson wraps up his arc with the nightmare-causing mutant in Carnelia (her name is Cosmar, btw), addressing the fallout from the New Mutant’s experiences in the nightmare sphere while setting up a confrontation with the anti-mutant blog DOX. Brisson is joined by artist Flaviano, colorist Carlos Lopez, and letterer VC’s Travis Lanham.

Writing

I complained in my review of the last issue that the writing was…let’s say a tad bit dialogue-heavy. I’m happy to say that this issue corrects that problem. Where the last issue over-relied on dialogue and some at-times heavy-handed exposition, this issue brings the nightmare arc in Carnelia to a conclusion, and while it doesn’t necessarily do so in a high-octane way, it does so through character moments and by focusing on the drama of mutants being misunderstood by a world that hates and fears them.

I’ve been noticing a trend lately for Magik to feature in a lot of the X-titles I’m reading, and even some non-X-titles like Strange Academy. She has a very cool, dramatic moment in this book that shows off what a badass she can be. Magik is a cool character, but I imagine her many appearances of late might be an attempt to boost her profile when for when The New Mutants movie comes out…whenever that is.

One casualty of this mission was Armor, who after seeing her dead family in the nightmare orb, is left with a lot of emotional damage that I’m sure will play out over the next few issues.

Art & Colors

Flaviano and Lopez create some really beautiful panels in this title, particularly when Wild Side turns Cosmar’s nightmares into happy dreams.

Some might argue that the overly smiley stuffed animals are more creepy than the nightmare creatures ever were. Nevertheless, the move from the dark and grotesque to the bright, rainbow colors is quite a creative interpretation of this shift in Cosmar’s dreams.

I already mentioned Magik’s badassery in this issue. When the New Mutants bring Cosmar’s threat to an end, the leader of Carnelia turns on them and forces them to surrender, but then Magik shows up.

Not only is her appearance in this issue super cool (I was getting worried for the New Mutants for a second), but I love that menacing look that Flaviano and Lopez give her.

In a world controlled by media sound bites and spin (a problem that the New Mutants are set up to address moving forward), I love how triumphant Magik looks here and how she speaks truth to power without giving a f*%$!

Lettering

One thing we learn about in this issue is that an anti-mutant blog site, DOX, is responsible for stirring up anti-mutant sentiment and for cyber-bullying/stalking mutants by posting their home addresses and monitoring activity at the Krakoan gates. This is how the cartel found Beak, Angel, and their family in previous issues. In light of the Carnelia incident, DOX is at it again.

Some of these prose pieces in the X-titles have been a bit much at times (as I’ve noted here). Although this page is text-heavy, I think it supplements the story well by showing a glimpse of the anti-mutant, InfoWars style website that’s spouting anti-mutant misinformation, hysteria, and conspiracy theories. Lanham’s lettering for this page is excellent and reminds me of a few unpleasant encounters on internet message boards and comment sections. I wonder if the New Mutants are also fighting an inner voice that’s telling them, “Someone on the internet is wrong. I must correct them!”

Conclusion

Despite some of my criticism of issue #10, I still think New Mutants is a good title, although I still wonder if the cast of characters should be split into two books (again, I’m rooting for a Generation X title, no matter how anachronistic that name would be now. Generation Z maybe?). It will be interesting to say how the book handles the group’s mistakes and missteps moving forward as well as their upcoming clash with social media.

What did you think of New Mutants #11? Tell us in the comments below!

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Image Announcement: Prepare To Have Your Brain Melted With CROSSOVER

By

Gabriel Hernandez

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July 24, 2020

Image Comics has announced they’re bringing the God Country band back together. Donny Cates (Venom, Thor), Geoff Shaw (Thanos Wins), Dee Cunniffe (Redneck), and John J. Hill will be reuniting for a “genre-defying series” titled Crossover.

Says Image of the enigmatic new title: “What if a comic book summer event generated so much energy, broke down so many barriers, and upended so many expectations that the sheer critical mass of the moment blew open a portal into our world? ”

You can read all about it in the official Image press release below, as well as check out some very colorful preview images.

This certainly sounds like a creative experiment. Are you interested in picking up this comic? Let us know what you think in the Comments section, and please share this post on social media using the links below.

GOD COUNTRY CREATIVE TEAM REUNITES FOR THE MOST EXPLOSIVE COMIC BOOK EVENT OF THE YEAR IN NEW SERIES CROSSOVER

PORTLAND, Ore. 07/24/2020 — Image Comics is pleased to announce that powerhouse creative team Donny Cates (Venom, Thor), Geoff Shaw (Thanos Wins), Dee Cunniffe (Redneck), and John J. Hill (Nailbiter) have reunited since their breakout hits God Country and Redneck, for an all-new, genre-defying series, Crossover. This mind bending, ongoing series will take the best of comic book launch events and up the dose of energy and shock value to the next level in November.

What if a comic book summer event generated so much energy, broke down so many barriers, and upended so many expectations that the sheer critical mass of the moment blew open a portal into our world? Imagine if everything you thought was fantasy…was real. Now join us on an epic quest through a world where reality is dead… and anything is possible…

Crossover #1 will take comic book shops by storm in November 2020.

Crossover #1 will also be available for purchase across many digital platforms, including Amazon Kindle, Apple Books, comiXology, and Google Play.

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DC Preview: BATMAN #97 Arrives With THE JOKER WAR: PART THREE

By

Gabriel Hernandez

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July 24, 2020

DC Comics might want to consider nicknaming 2020 the year of the Joker. Following on the success of the first two issues, DC is getting ready to ship part three of The Joker War to retailers on August 18th.

Written by James Tynion IV and illustrated by Jorge Jimenez, DC describes the issue: “The Joker’s army is growing hour by hour, with weapons beyond anything the Clown Prince of Crime has ever used before.” You can read the full description in DC full press release below, as well as check out a few preview pages.

Can’t get enough Joker? Let us know what you think about this preview in the Comments section, and please share this post on social media using the links below.

https://www.dccomics.com/blog/2020/07/24/the-war-for-gotham-city-continues-in-batman-97

The war for the fate of Gotham City continues between the Clown Prince of Crime and the Dark Knight and his allies! Here’s a look at some incredible pages from Batman #97 (The Joker War, Part Three), by Jorge Jimenez and Tomeu Morey!

The Joker’s army is growing hour by hour, with weapons beyond anything the Clown Prince of Crime has ever used before. Batman must hold his mind together so he can strike the final blow and take back his city – but how can he heal the rifts he’s created in his life to get the help he needs? And while all this is happening, the villains of Gotham City are waiting out the carnage that Joker has unleashed, and Catwoman assembles and army of her own!

Batman #97

Written by James Tynion IV

Art by Jorge Jimenez

Cover by Guillem March

Card stock variant cover by Francesco Mattina

1:25 Harley Quinn card stock variant cover by Jorge Jimenez

On Sale Tuesday, August 18, 2020

$3.99 (main cover)

$4.99 (card stock variant cover)

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Review: POWER RANGERS: RANGER SLAYER #1: A Testament To What BOOM! Studios Has Achieved

By

Anthony Wendel

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Power Rangers: Ranger Slayer #1 by Ryan Parrott, Dan Mora, Raul Angulo, and Ed Dukeshire comes off like a victory lap for BOOM! Studios. It is a single issue, offering an engaging story and impressive art, all centered on the storylines and characters shaped by BOOM! Studios. Even if it is a one-shot, the issue finds a way to offer a lot to the audience.

Summary

The Ranger Slayer – AKA Kimberly Hart, the Pink Mighty Morphin Power Ranger from the alternate universe once ruled by Lord Dakkon – returns home and nothing is like she expected.

Writing

The Ranger Slayer, Lord Drakkon, and the entire Coinless universe is put on full display in this issue. For those who don’t know, the Coinless Universe was an alternate reality in Power Rangers where Tommy Oliver (now called Lord Drakkon) not only stayed evil but managed to defeat the Power Rangers and conquer Earth for Rita Repulsa. The Ranger Slayer was the original Pink Ranger who had been brainwashed to become Lord Drakkon’s chief assassin. These characters and settings have been some of the biggest and most impactful results of BOOM! Studios having the Power Rangers License. This issue takes the time to spotlight these developments and deliver a story which is perfect, even for those who haven’t taken the time to read the run of both Mighty Morphin Power Rangers and its spin-off Go Go Power Rangers.

The story by Ryan Parrott is simple but allows for a lot of exploration of the Coinless universe. Kimberly, no longer under Drakkon’s control, returns to her universe and must make up for the mistakes while brainwashed and at the same time resolve on an entire new set of problems. One of them just happens to be zombie Power Ranger clones attacking people. It’s an intense ride from the very few pages and it doesn’t stop until the end.

Artwork

The pencils and inks by Dan Mora capitalize on ensuring characters are immediately recognizable even those who haven’t read the previous issues involving the Coinless world. From the very first panels they appear, Kimberly, Zack, and Trini are easily identified so the reader is not left to ask, “Who is this?”. Also, the Zord fights in the issue are so intense it will leave many shocked with what unfolds.

The colorwork by Raul Angulo adds to the world-building of the issue. Taking special care to emphasize how the Coinless world is a post-apocalyptic nightmare, the coloring works to showcase how the environment, equipment, and people are rundown and in desperate need of repair. The spirit horde (the zombie Power Rangers) undead look and eerie presence would only be possible thanks to the exceptional coloring.

Lettering by Ed Dukeshire helps the story to flow thanks to proper placement of speech bubbles. The proper placement allows for the reader’s eye to track from panel to panel, allowing for an optimal experience. Sadly, there are a few times in the issue when the sound effects are a bit too large and distract from the art of the panel but this only happens on a few pages.

Conclusion

Power Rangers: Ranger Slayer #1 is a fantastic one-shot with an engaging story and art which draws the reader in with each turn of the page. It’s not only entertaining but also serves as a great bookend to the character of the Ranger Slayer. Still, if this creative team were to do more with the characters, there would be no objection from the fanbase.

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Dark Horse Announcement: Halloween Is Getting Strange with STRANGER THINGS One-Shot

By

Gabriel Hernandez

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July 24, 2020

Stranger Things Halloween One-Shot, Cavil cover

Netflix’s Stranger Things is doing a little trick-r-treat’ing this Halloween with a one-shot from Dark Horse Comics. Written by Michael Moreci and brought to visual life by Todor Hristov, Chris O’Halloran, and Nate Piekos, the kids from Hawkins tell the tale of their Halloween adventures before the events of Season 1.

You can read all about this special one-shot, available in your local comic shop on October 21st, in the official Dark Horse press release below. Also, check out the spooky cover by artist Fran Cavil.

Are you a Stranger Things fan? Would you like to see the Hawkins kids in an on-going series? Let us know what you think in the Comments section, and please share this post on social media using the links below.

The Demogorgon wasn’t Hawkins first haunt

MILWAUKIE, Ore., (July 23, 2020)—In the days before season one of the hit Netflix original series Stranger Things, less than a week before Will disappears, it’s Halloween in Hawkins. Comics all-star Michael Moreci (Wasted Space, Star Wars), Todor Hristov (The Forever Maps, Soul Trader), Chris O’Halloran (Ice Cream Man, Immortal Hulk) and Nate Piekos bring you the Stranger Things Halloween Special One-Shot.

It’s Halloween night in Hawkins, Indiana and Will, Mike, Lucas and Dustin gather in Castle Byers to eat candy and scare each other with spooky stories. Little do they know, they’ll reveal the quaint town’s deepest kept secret—the Child-Eater of Hawkins.

The Stranger Things Halloween Special One-Shot arrives October 21, 2020 and is available for pre-order now through your local comic shop.

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INTERVIEW: Director, Writer, And Actor Marianne Hettinger Discusses Her Amazon Film Prince Harming

By

Ruben Diaz

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July 24, 2020

Prince Harming is a new film from multi-faceted filmmaker Marianne Hettinger who fills the roles of producer, writer, director, and star in a movie that tackles dark issues with a little comedy and a lot of hope.

Marianne’s latest film lives on Amazon, where it is available for viewing in your favorite pajama pants. However, be warned, the film’s sweet opening, a girl meets boy rom-com setup takes some dark turns. Prince Harming is a mix of comedy and heavy drama starring Andreas Beckett as Max Bauer, a former Olympic ski jumper. Marianne is Victoria Timm, a woman holding out hope for her Prince Charming. Victoria idolized Max as a young woman, so when she meets him in real life, and they hit it off, Victoria thinks she’s found her happily ever after.

PopAxiom spoke with Marianne about her road to becoming a filmmaker.

Editing In My Brain

Marianne was born and raised in Germany. “My earliest movie memory was when I was five years old … I was not allowed to watch television yet. I snuck out the window, and from the outside, I watched An American In Paris with Gene Kelly.”

Marianne would peek through the housekeeper’s window and think, “I want to do what he does!”

Unable to hear the sound, the housekeep would “… record it for me. I would listen to it under my pillow on a tape recorder. So, this is like the earliest form of editing in my brain. I knew what American in Paris looked like, and then I’d listen to the sound and put the two together.”

Marianne’s creative soul burst forth from an early age. “I started writing when I was seven years old with fantastic stories about dragons and witches.”

Marianne first came to the United States at 16 then returned long-term at 19. “It was quite a journey. I first had to learn the language.”

The young, future writer and director “… came to New York by myself. I studied dancing, acting, and directing at the National Shakespeare Conservatory.”

Marianne’s first attempt at directing a film came in the late 90s. “I saw someone in the park singing … he was his own one-man-band. Amazing guy. I thought, ‘I gotta film him!’ So, I asked his permission and started making a documentary about him. That was is in 1999.”

About Prince Harming

Marianne never finished that documentary, but she pressed on to write, direct, and produce five shorts and two feature films.

Her latest film, Prince Harming, is a personal, semi-autobiographical story. “I wanted it to look like a documentary.”

Many of Marianne’s real-life experiences form the basis of the film. “What happens when a woman falls in love with someone she idolized all her life? She meets the real person, and it’s a real Jekyll and Hyde persona.”

Prince Harming only happened after Marianne took “… a few years to gain the proper perspective.”

Prince Harming tackles topics such as manipulation and domestic abuse. “Your self-esteem gets chipped, and after a while, you feel inferior, and you have this assigned role. People say, ‘Why didn’t you get out of it?’ But you have to empower yourself to get it done.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZUm-IfHlwiU

Indie Filmmaking

Making movies is always a battle against how much money the production has access too. It’s even more of a challenge the indie film world. “It’s all about finances,” said Marianne. “I find wonderful people to work with who will work on deferred pay.”

Prince Harming, like any movie, featured plenty of ups and downs during production. “In the first week, the DP [Director of Photography] was having a heart problem. He turned pale and had to go to the hospital. The whole crew was there. Thankfully he recovered, but he couldn’t do the shoot. I had already invested the money and hired the crew so I had to find a new DP in 12 hours.”

Teamwork makes the dream work, and Marianne is part of a tight-knit and reliable network. “I’m part of Film Fatales, a women’s directors group. They recommended several people to me for the film and I found our backup DP Valentina Caniglia. She had to improvise because we had a whole different setup.”

For the shoot, Marianne wanted to keep it as real as she could. “We shot in this tiny apartment. At times we crammed in 12 to 18 people in a 250 square foot apartment for a whole month.”

Darkside of Entertainment

Marianne is a stunning woman in the vein of classic Hollywood. She’s tall, blonde, and her face lights up a room. “I lived in New York by myself in Hell’s Kitchen. It was, at times, dangerous and I was constantly approached by people wanting me to model and be in their projects. I came to a city where I had no family, and I just wanted to be an artist.”

As explored in Prince Harming, a lot of abuse begins with manipulation. Abusers tend to seek out people who are isolated too. Marianne’s personal #MeToo stories are all too familiar for women and she makes a point to say, “It happens to men too, by the way, so many of my friends were approached in those ways.”

Marianne started writing Prince Harming in 2013, long before the #MeToo movement, but she could not have completed the film in a more timely manner. “It’s a power play. Here’s a man who was looked up to as a public persona, and he takes advantage of that.”

Stories of sexual misconduct and harassment by powerful men often involve them taking advantage of the trust given to them by merely having status. Marianne’s personal experiences make Prince Harming all that more grounded and terrifying. “There are subtle signs at first, and I wanted to empower people to come forward before it gets to a darker place.”

Wrapping Up

Marianne says some of the filmmakers who inspire her are “Werner Herzog. He’s fantastic. Oliver Stone. I’ve met him. I think he’s so gutsy. Susan Seidelman, who directed Desperately Seeking Susan.”

Above all, there is one original inspiration for Marianne: “Gene Kelly …”

In the age of remakes, reboots, and re-imaginings, what would Marianne love to create again? “Anything Gene Kelly made. Singing in the Rain. I know it’s sacred, but I’d do it a little darker and more humor.”

Prince Harming is available on Amazon. Coming up, Marianne says, “I’m working on a musical. I also have a script about sex trafficking that I wrote with a real FBI agent. It’s about the Russian mob and an international sex trafficking ring.”

Is Prince Harming on your watch list?

Thanks to Marianne Hettinger and Impact24 PR
for making this interview possible.

Want to read more interviews? CLICK HERE.

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AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #45 – Who Will Die? ‘Sins Rising’ Part One

By

Matthew Sardo

-

July 23, 2020

AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #45 hits your local comic book shop on July 29, but thanks to Marvel Comics, Monkeys Fighting Robots has an exclusive four-page preview of Nick Spencer’s Sins Rising Part One.

The book is written by Spencer with art by Mark Bagley. John Dell and Andy Owens inked the issue. David Curiel added a dark tone with his colors, and you will read Joe Caramagna’s letter work. Casanovas created the iconic cover to part one.

About AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #45:
“SINS RISING” PART 1!
SIN-EATER is back and New York City is in TROUBLE. Who will the shotgun-toting villain target, and can Spider-Man stand a chance against him?

Tread lightly with this preview

Where does Spencer rank as a Spider-Man writer? Comment below with your thoughts.

Amazing Spider-Man #45 Side Notes:

Stan Lee and Steve Ditko created Peter Parker and Spider-Man with his first appearance in Amazing Fantasy #15 (1962). Amazing Spider-Man #1 hit the newsstand in March back in 1963.

The Sin-Eater aka Stanely Carter was created by writer Peter David and artist Rich Buckler. He first appeared in Peter Parker, The Spectacular Spider-Man #107 from October 1985. There are several interesting plot points to Sin-Eater’s short-lived run on Spider-Man, with the most interesting being how he’s tied to Venom’s origin. From Wikipedia – The public revelation of the identity of the Sin-Eater as Stanley Carter by Peter Parker was responsible for the ruin of Eddie Brock’s journalistic career, as Brock had published a series of articles on the Sin-Eater in The Daily Globe, based on his interviews with another man who claimed to be the Sin-Eater, Mr. Emil Gregg (“a compulsive confessor”). This led to Brock’s hatred of Peter and eventually to his joining with the alien symbiote Venom.

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