Well… Are they scarier in color? Image Comics certainly hopes so, and you’ll get a chance to find out for yourself in time for Halloween. Image is re-releasing Robert Kirkman’s seminal zombie series, The Walking Dead, this October in full cover with the help of pro artist, Dave McCaig.
This updated version of the series was announced today during the Skybund Xpo, and full color will not be the only new feature. The deluxe edition, available in your LCS on October 7th, will include an assortment of variants covers and commentary notes from Kirkman recorded during the original writing. Please note, there will be no trade version of this release, so make sure to get all the issues when they’re released.
You can read all about it in Image’s full press release, along with some all-color preview pages, below.
Are you excited for a color version of The Walking Dead? Does color make it better or just…different. Let us know what you think in the Comments section, and please share this post on social media using the links below.
THE WALKING DEAD SERIES WILL BE IN FULL COLOR FOR THE FIRST TIME THIS OCTOBER
The pop culture phenomenon will be re-issued with colors by Dave McCaig
PORTLAND, Ore. 07/18/2020 — Read it again! Image Comics/Skybound Entertainment will revisit the historic independent series that took the entertainment world by storm 17 years ago—The Walking Dead by Robert Kirkman (Fire Power, Oblivion Song) and Charlie Adlard (Vampire State Building)—with newly, fully colored issues. Featuring the stunning work of the masterful Dave McCaig, these new issues will launch in October with The Walking Dead Deluxe #1. Kirkman first announced the fully colored issues during Skybound Xpo, Skybound’s virtual pop-culture convention, earlier today.
This deluxe revival of the series will also feature a memorable array of variant covers—by such artists as David Finch, Tony Moore, Julian Totino Tedesco, and Arthur Adams—commemorating major character introductions and the series’ most memorable twists and turns. Each issue will include a new installment of “The Cutting Room Floor,” featuring Kirkman’s original handwritten plots along with commentary on abandoned storylines and plot points that may have changed along the way.
This definitive presentation of the story will NOT be collected into trade paperback any time soon, so fans and new readers should not trade-wait to experience this fully colored edition of the popular survival horror series. Issue #1 will be available on October 7. Each following month two issues will be released.
The Walking Dead Deluxe #1 will be available at comic book shops on Wednesday, October 7:
The Walking Dead Deluxe #1 Cover A David Finch & Dave McCaig – Diamond Code AUG200027
The Walking Dead Deluxe #1 Cover B Tony Moore & Dave McCaig – Diamond Code AUG200028
The Walking Dead Deluxe #1 Cover C Charlie Adlard – Diamond Code AUG200029
The Walking Dead Deluxe #1 Cover D Julian Totino Tedesco – Diamond Code AUG200030
The Walking Dead Deluxe #1 Cover E Arthur Adams – Diamond Code AUG200031
The Walking Dead Deluxe#1 will also be available for purchase across many digital platforms, including Amazon Kindle, Apple Books, comiXology, and Google Play.
Writer and artist Jason Howard (Trees) is back with a distinctly western-world take on Kaiju stories with “Big Girls” #1. The debut issue is packed with massive action, solid world-building, and enough political intrigue to make it as engaging to read as it is to marvel at.
“When men become giant monsters hellbent on destroying the world, only girls can stop them—BIG GIRLS. Meet Ember—she writes poetry, loves to read, and she’s a 300-foot-tall full-time monster killer! She and the other big girls are all that stand in the way of our world’s complete annihilation!”
Writing & Plot
The strongest storytelling aspect in “Big Girls” #1 is how deliberately Jason Howard presents the plot. The more boring expository reading on how the world ended up a giant-monster infested wasteland is cut up by fantastic turn-of-the-page reveals that work to really sell what this comic’s game is. The first time we meet Ember – the titular Big Girl – I audibly chuckled because of how simple and clever the reveal was. Much of Howards’s sensibilities about framing a narrative come from his work as an artist, but more on that later. This chapter also makes it a point to introduce the numerous complex motivations and conflicts within the small cast of primary characters. The troubling reality around the origin of Howard’s manmade Kaijus makes for what’s obviously going to be a compelling character drama in between all the gigantic punchouts. If there was any complaint to be had in regards to the writing, it would be about that noted expository narration. Again though, it’s so cleverly interwoven with the panel reveals and pacing that it’s basically a non-issue.
Art Direction
“Big Girls” #1 is a prime example of knowing how to utilize the comics medium for storytelling, as Jason Howard’s visual direction here is what makes this issue such a fun reading experience. The handling of the panel layouts and visual pacing makes this an exciting comic to flip through and be surprised by the numerous tun-of-the-page revelations Howard has to offer. One of the smartest moves in “Big Girls” is framing Ember and the various giant monsters from below, as a normal spectator would. This is a move common to giant monster movies, but seeing in in a comic where the reader can marvel at the illustrated scale of what’s happening on the panel is an excellent directing decision. Of course, none of this would mean anything if Howard’s art was no good, so it’s fortunate that he’s also talented with pencils and colors. The details and designs of the various characters, ruined environments, and lesion-covered monsters are polished and full of a kind of kinetic energy perfect for this kind of book. Howard’s crosshatch-heavy and textured work is reminiscent of the work of Cully Hamner or Sean Gordon Murphy, and it’s great art for this ruined-future action series. His colors dominate the pages with a use of eerie dark purple or pale green tones that work as a thematic blanket for different sequences. Jason Howard is a proven tour de force of comic talent, and his visual storytelling on this first issue is one more example of his know-how.
“Big Girls” #1 is a bracing good-time of a start to this giant monster-filled comic series. Jason Howard’s skills as both a writer and an artist allow him to craft a story that utilizes the comics medium’s ability to combine visual pacing with text narration. The use of massive turn-of-the-page reveals and cinematic direction, in combination with compelling plot and character work makes this first issue a very promising debut. Be sure to pick up “Big Girls” #1 from your local comic shop on August 12th!
Marvel Comics has released a cover for the upcoming X Of Swords event that puts the main villain on full display, the mysterious Swordbearers of Arakko. X Of Swords is the culmination of storylines first started in Jonathan Hickman’s X-Men run and Tini Howard’s time with Excalibur that pits the mutant menagerie against a new enemy not seen in the Marvel Universe up until now.
Says Marvel in their official press release: “Arakko and its visitors are shrouded in mystery, and none more so than the group’s leader. While her identity remains classified, her story is sure to shock X-Men fans everywhere.”
The X Of Swords event has been met with mixed reaction so far, but maybe an epic new villain is just the thing needed to build excitement for X-titles moving into the latter half of 2020. You can read more about the event and check out the reveal cover below.
Have you been hyped for X Of Swords so far? What are you predictions for the origins of this new villain? Let us know what you think in the Comments section, and please share this post on social media using the links below.
MYSTERIOUS CHALLENGERS EMERGE TO FACE OFF AGAINST THE X-MEN IN ‘X OF SWORDS’
BEWARE THE SWORDBEARERS OF ARAKKO
New York, NY— July 17, 2020 — X OF SWORDS, the next great X-Men crossover, kicks off this September and rages on in October with Chapters 3-11. Over the last few days, the covers for the October chapters were unveiled, and fans got their first look at the X-Men’s newest foes in Pepe Larraz’s cover of X OF SWORDS: STASIS #1. This mysterious group of swordbearers come from the land of Arakko, and the X-Men will have to draw swords of their own to defend the new mutant nation of Krakoa. Arakko and its visitors are shrouded in mystery, and none more so than the group’s leader. While her identity remains classified, her story is sure to shock X-Men fans everywhere.
Spinning directly out of Jonathan Hickman’s X-MEN and Tini Howard’s EXCALIBUR, X OF SWORDS will be a massive mutant milestone that each X-Book will take part in. Every current X-Men writer— Jonathan Hickman, Tini Howard, Gerry Duggan, Benjamin Percy, Ed Brisson, Zeb Wells, Leah Williams, and Vita Ayala— have come together to craft a modern epic that will go down in X-Men history! Joined by incredible artists like Carmen Carnero, Pepe Larraz, R.B. Silva, Viktor Bogdanovic, Matteo Lolli, Mahmud Asrar, Phil Noto, and Rod Reis, the dramatic battles in store for the X-Men will be unforgettable.
See all of October’s covers by visiting marvel.com and prepare to meet these major new players in the X-Men mythos when X OF SWORDS begins in September!
THE WOLF AND THE CROW #1 from Action Lab – Danger Zone, available now at Comixology, begins a mature and magical drama about a prehistoric tribe facing predators, starvation, and something sinister trying to destroy them. Dan Gordon’s story and Ismáel Hernandez’s stunning art combine for a simple tale about community and the rigors of life that quickly turns into a dark and dangerous fantasy.
Cover Art
Hernandez’s painting is saturated in the same watercolor style that permeates the pages of the book. The sabretooth skull immediately ties the reader to the prehistoric setting. The bleached bones creeping forward from the shadows let you know the darkness is something to be feared in this story, and with good reason.
Writing
Gordon demonstrates an excellent command of pacing and escalation with this first issue. The Lotari tribe is set up quickly in a series of scenes depicting life as a constant struggle to find food. Hunting and gathering are both deadly activities when attention slips for just a moment. Gordon establishes the personal dynamics and tribal politics through the hunts to very clearly establish power struggles on multiple levels.
The reader would be tempted to think from the first few pages that this is another take on Clan Of The Cave Bear, but then a few sparks of the fantastic pop in. It’s clear the tribe is not one big, happy family, and a dangerous, external force looks to push them into a different kind of hunt for survival. With each scene, Gordon establishes more complexity between the tribespeople, and the sparks of magic develop a sense of impending conflict that the tribe can’t see coming due to their infighting. I don’t often see a group of characters fleshed out so completely in just one issue, and the stakes build with every page.
Pencils/Inks
This book is gorgeous. Hernandez went with a watercolor style that projects a type of grounded earthiness that’s perfect for the characters, setting, and story. There’s a tendency for watercolors to bleed a little too much to the point of sloppiness, but here Hernandez manages to keep the finer details clear and recognizable. Blades of grass punctuate the river’s edge to accentuate the shoreline. Underbrush and vines flow over the trees where the tribe forages for edible fruit. Matted fur on deer, wolf, and mastodon lay in naturally organic patterns. The look of the book is beautiful.
Even more impressive is Hernandez’s combination of watercolor style with the action scenes. Instead of using the traditional action lines to express speed and movement, Hernandez uses sweeping, curving brush strokes to imply the blur of motion to significant effect. That combination gives a spear throw the energy of speed, but the weight of the thrower’s arm through the arc, creating power and exertion behind the throw. The net result is ferocious action inside a gorgeous painting.
Coloring
Hernandez keeps the colors grounded with a myriad of earth tones. The tribe is tanned and weathered from outdoor life. Their clothes, a combination of animal bones and hides, retain their animalistic hues from the different wildlife the tribe encounters. And Hernandez’s, again impressive, execution on watercolor style in painting shadows fleshes out the forest surroundings. The reader is constantly immersed in outdoor scenery that’s in constant motion through color, from crouched hunters silhouette against the rising sun to deadly arguments outlined against lonely firelight at night.
Lettering
Hernandez takes the art up another notch by integrating the lettering into the painting with an airbrush background technique that works beautifully. There are no caption boxes to speak of. Instead, Hernandez subtly softens a vague area underneath the blocks of narration text to provide a readable background that’s blended with the painting but still smooth enough to keep the letters clear. It’s a very specific technique that shows what can happen when art and lettering are done cohesively.
Conclusion
THE WOLF AND THE CROW #1, available now at Comixology, is a compelling, prehistoric drama that evolves into an engaging, dark fantasy. The writing builds a fully-realized world in record time, and the art is spectacular. I’m keenly interested to see what happens next.
Stay in your lane is a popular refrain offered when people speak out or enter into areas where others are not accustomed to seeing them. Actors or athletes crossing into the political arena can often spark someone to utter this phrase.
What about athletes turning into actors? People don’t seem to be as offended by that change of direction. Plenty of athletes dabble as thespians. Sometimes, it’s as simple as portraying themselves. Babe Ruth did this in Pride Of The Yankees, just as Brett Favre was himself in There’s Something About Mary.
Then there are those who almost seamlessly make the transition from starring roles on the playing field to starring roles in film or television.
These are the best athletes turned actors.
Jim Brown
Brown walked away from the NFL at the age of 29 as arguably the greatest running back in league history. His transition into a solid character actor on screen appeared seamless.
Brown made his film debut in Rio Conchos and was also stellar in the Dirty Dozen. He played opposite Burt Reynolds and Raquel Welch in 100 Rifles, Arnold Swarzenegger in Running Man and Jack Nicholson in Mars Attacks.
Bernie Casey
A Pro Bowl receiver who played with the San Francisco 49ers and Los Angeles Rams in the NFL from 1961-68, Casey turned to acting shortly after leaving football.
He made his film debut in the 1969 western Guns Of The Magnificent Seven. Casey played opposite Burt Reynolds in Sharky’s Machine and Rent A Cop. He was in the Bond film Never Say Never Again, Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure and the Revenge Of The Nerds movies.
Randal “Tex” Cobb
A talented enough boxer to earn a world heavyweight title fight against Larry Holmes, Cobb was known for his granite chin. He turned to the silver screen when he stepped out of the ring.
Cobb’s film credits included roles in Fletch Lives, Raising Arizona, and the Naked Gun and Police Academy movies.
Terry Crews
Until the current occupant of the White House moved in, President Camacho, the character portrayed by Crews in Idiocracy, was hands down the worst occupant of the Oval Office. He’s currently seen on the television show Brooklyn Nine-Nine.
On the gridiron, defensive end Crews played in the NFL with the Washington Redskins, Los Angeles Rams and San Diego Chargers.
Fred Dryer
Dryer played 13 NFL seasons. He recorded 104 career quarterback sacks and is the only player in league history to record two safeties in the same game. He played for the Rams in Super Bowl XIV.
Drye’s star would shine in the TV police drama Hunter during the 1980s, a character known for the catchphrase, “Works for me.”
Vinnie Jones
On the soccer pitch as a star defender in the English Premier League, Jones earned a reputation as a hard man. He captained the Welsh national team and won an F.A. Cup with Wimbledon.
Director Guy Ritchie cast Jones as a leg breaker type in his British gangster films Snatched and Lock, Stock And Two Smoking Barrels. His turn as a Manchester United soccer hooligan in the film EuroTrip was an absolute scene-stealer.
Alex Karras
An all-star NFL lineman, the first taste of Hollywood for Karras was playing himself in Paper Lion, the movie about writer George Plimpton’s tryout with the Detroit Lions.
His longest recurring role was as George Papadopolis in the TV series Webster. But Karras is best remembered as Mongo, the guy who punched a horse in Blazing Saddles.
Ed Marinaro
Before he was officer Joe Coffey on the acclaimed TV series Hill Street Blues, Marinaro was a Heisman Trophy runner up as a running back at Cornell. He led the nation in rushing in 1971.
Marinaro played in the NFL with the Minnesota Vikings, New York Jets and Seattle Seahawks. He appeared in two Super Bowls with the Vikings.
Merlin Olsen
A teammate of Dryer’s along the Los Angeles Rams defensive line, Olsen is both a College and Pro Football Hall of Famer who was selected to a record 14 consecutive Pro Bowls.
Olsen landed a supporting role on Little House On the Prairie. He was later given his own series, Father Murphy.
The Rock
Better known to mom and dad as Dwayne Johnson, before he gained fame as a pro wrestler, Johnson was a college football national champion at Miami who got a pro tryout with the CFL’s Calgary Stampeders.
Today, he’s among the most recognizable action stars in Hollywood, though The Rock has displayed the acting chops to branch out into other roles.
Jason Statham
The British version of The Rock, Statham is an action star staple.
His athletic pursuits were in diving. He represented Britain at the 1990 Commonwealth Games.
Carl Weathers
Apollo Creed in the Rocky movies and Chubbs Peterson in Happy Gilmore, Weathers first gained notoriety on the gridiron.
He played for the NFL’s Oakland Raiders and the CFL’s B.C. Lions.
Johnny Weismuller
A five-time Olympic medalist in swimming for the USA, to the world he is the true Tarzan.
Weismuller appeared in a dozen Tarzan films between 1932-48.
WOLVERINE #3 hits your local comic book store July 22nd, but thanks to Marvel Comics, Monkeys Fighting Robots has an exclusive two-page preview for you.
About the issue: WOLVERINE DIGS IN! The Flower Cartel and the Pale Girl seem to be one step ahead of Wolverine, but he has a plan. It’s a risky gamble that will take him into the heart of a larger criminal conspiracy even as it puts many mutant lives at risk.
WOLVERINE #3 is by writer Benjamin Percy and artist Adam Kubert, with colors by Frank Martin, and letters by Cory Petit. Kubert and Martin did the main cover. Tom Muller is the book’s designer.
The series is a part of the relaunched X-Men line being overseen by Jonathan Hickman. It will be part of the upcoming X OF SWORDS 24-part crossover.
Check out the WOLVERINE #3 preview below:
What is your favorite X-book of the new era? Sound off in the comments!
American Vampire will begin its final mini-series this October with AMERICAN VAMPIRE 1976. Reuniting writer Scott Snyder with artist Rafael Albuquerque, DC Comics is releasing the run to comic shop retailers on October 20th.
In this latest nine-issue run carrying the Black Label moniker (ages 17+), Skinner Sweet and Pearl Jones confront the nefarious Gray Trader before the world ends on the eve of America’s Bicentennial. You can read all about it and check out some nifty preview images from DC below.
Are you a fan of the American Vampire title? Let us know what you think about this new run in the Comments section, and please share this post on social media with the links below.
American Vampire Returns for Its Final Chapter!
Scott Snyder, Rafael Albuquerque reunite for American Vampire 1976
Nine-Issue Miniseries Launches October 20, 2020
BURBANK, CA (July 16, 2020) – America is broken. Trust between the government and the American public has crumbled. Paranoia reigns supreme. It’s 1976, not 2020, and this horrifying tale is the concluding chapter of the Eisner Award-winning American Vampire, reuniting Scott Snyder and Rafael Albuquerque for a nine-issue miniseries!
“Scott, Rafael, and I, we cut our teeth together on American Vampire 10 years ago,” said executive editor Mark Doyle. “Returning to finish the story we started a decade ago is a thrill. Working on American Vampire 1976 has been so creepy and cool, especially because the parallels between 70’s paranoia and today are really chilling…”
Skinner Sweet has exhausted all efforts to regain his lost immortality. With his powers and purpose gone, he is now determined to go out with a bang. At a seedy motorcycle rally in the desert where Skinner’s closer than ever to his death wish, Pearl Jones and a shocking partner track him down for one last, desperate mission: the force known as the Gray Trader and its minions are tunneling through the bowels of the world to unleash hell on Earth—just in time for America’s bicentennial. With catastrophe looming, it’s up to Skinner and Pearl to reconcile and change the course of history—or die trying.
“The characters in ‘76 are in a really dark place in terms of the fight against evil,” says Snyder. “The ’70s mirror our current era in many ways: the anxiety, the fear, and the re-examination of American identity. The book opens on Skinner Sweet working outside of Vegas doing death-defying Evel Knievel-style stunts, trying to die. There’s a kind of Son of Sam plot in New York City with Cal and Travis, a political thriller plot with Felicia, and all sorts of ’70s iconography. It’s my favorite arc so far.”
The series that launched the careers of superstars Scott Snyder and Rafael Albuquerque returns for nine final issues and the closing chapter of the legacy of American Vampire.
American Vampire 1976 #1 by Scott Snyder and Rafael Albuquerque will publish on October 20, 2020, and carry DC’s Black Label descriptor, identifying the content as appropriate for readers ages 17+. The book will retail for $3.99 with cover artwork by Albuquerque and a variant cover by Dustin Nguyen.
For more information on American Vampire, DC, and the World’s Greatest Super Heroes, visit the website at www.dccomics.com and follow on social media @dccomics and @thedcnation.
Planet DIVOC-91 Chapter 1 dropped on WEBTOON yesterday for FREE, and Monkeys Fighting Robots was able to catch up with the writer of the first issue, Sara Kenney.
About the series: PLANET DIVOC-91 is a new sci-fi comedy. The 9-part series is published monthly. This comic follows the adventures of Sanda Oung, a 23-year-old girl from the UK and Champo Oung, Sanda’s 19-year-old, non-binary sibling. Each chapter features the work of a different creative team and is interspersed with short interviews with experts about this pandemic, written by young adults.
Planet DIVOC-91 – Chapter 1: Transparency Is For Windows is drawn by Charlie Adlard, with colors by James Devlin, and you will read Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou’s letters work.
The goal of the series is to both entertain and build a community on WEBTOON where young adults can get empowered and drive positive change by helping direct research.
“We’re so excited to see Planet DIVOC-91 on WEBTOON CANVAS, not only because of the incredible talent behind it, but also because it’s an opportunity to educate WEBTOON readers in a fun and engaging way. We can’t wait to see what the series has in store!” – Danika Harrod, the Community Growth Manager for WEBTOON’s CANVAS platform.
Kenny has worked as a filmmaker on documentaries, drama, and animation (BBC, Channel 4, Discovery). In 2017, Image Comics published her first comic book, Surgeon X. Also in 2017, Kenny became a Wellcome Trust Engagement Fellow exploring comics, health, and the human condition.
Planet DIVOC-91 is a grand project as each chapter features the work of a different creative team and cover artist and is interspersed with short articles, links to videos, and other pieces of art by young adults about issues related to COVID-19, and mixes from DJs and Producers. Kenny is part of the production staff putting the book, but it is more than a book, together.
MFR: Sarah, thank you for taking the time to talk with me. The first chapter of Planet DIVOC-91 debuts on Webtoons next week (July 15), what’s your emotional state going to be like on this particular ‘new comic book day?’
Kenney:Well interesting, I’m actually writing this on launch day, and my emotional state is pretty, pretty good. Luckily, we have the brilliant Paolo Arru on social media, from Vocal the NHS Org who are producing with me – or I’d be having a middle-aged meltdown by now.
I’m most excited for the young adults tbh and the audience/ community we hope to build on Webtoon Canvas. We’re currently bombarded with so many grim and negative words and images during this pandemic, and it’s not good for the psyche. This project is here to offer hope – to help young adults find their power in all this. Like Sanda, our protagonist she has to figure out her power and how to use it. By that, I don’t mean superpower – she’s a down to earth girl from Birmingham in the UK. But she has no self-confidence, she’s afraid and also a bit paranoid, but this is all driven by her experiences in life. It might take traveling to another planet to change all this!
MFR: The first page encapsulates my feelings during the pandemic (alone, angry, helpless) – can you talk about what your script looked like for the first page?
Kenney:This might be more fun if you have space…
Page One, Panel One
It’s a gorgeous starry backdrop with Sanda (23), mixed black/Asian – in a fetal position floating in space.
No spacesuit or protective gear, Gen Z/ urban attire, floating – eyes closed, she’s framed by stars, serene. Earth in the background.
1) Champo (off-panel): She’s not a fainter. What’s wrong with her?
Page One, Panel Two
Sanda has her arms spread – she’s yawning, stretching, so relaxed, eyes still closed. Earth in the background.
2) Champo (off-panel): Her name? Sanda. She’s 23, she’s my big sister.
2a) I said already, I’m 19.
Page One, Panel Three
Sanda now hangs upright in space, she’s facing something we can’t see, her arms flailing in alarm, like she’s drowning in water. A terrified look on her face.
3) Champo (off-panel): My days, is she having a seizure?
I also had a character and story world document that I bounced back and forth with Charlie Adlard with more detail about the characters – their personalities and their favourite sayings, but Charlie designed their look of course!
MFR: Sanda Oung is a great lead character for the first issue, what are the elements used in creating a main character that readers can relate to?
Kenney:I’m from a TV background, so I’m still learning about what an audience responds to in terms of comics. For me, what makes Sanda endearing is that she’s outwardly tough and in control, but you can sense an internal struggle. Her desperation to get off the planet and back to Earth, her suspicious mind.
When I’m creating main characters, I think of people I know – their traits, their mannerisms. But I also love inventing new types of people based on characteristics that I think will be funny, interesting, sad, creepy – whatever. I’d spoken to a lot of young adults before I started writing, and all their thoughts were in my head. I hope people will relate to Sanda; she’s complicated, a product of what she’s had to face – people underestimating her, patronizing her, always thinking her sibling’s the smarter one. All stuff that both crushes her soul but also puts a bit of fire in her belly…
MFR: I’m starting to notice angst in comic books that reminds me of the grunge and hip hop movements of the early 90s. Sanda fits that mold, how’s the youth of the UK doing, and how has that influenced your writing?
Kenney:Ha well, I’m definitely a product of the 90s – Ride, The Pixies, Wu-Tang Clan, Massive Attack, Stone Roses, Aphex Twin, Beastie Boys, and Andy Weatherall all the way! Sorry just appeared to have a flashback! I’m actually writing a comic at the moment with James Devlin on art, which is set in the early 90s. A friend I know who is a historian of fashion Amber Butchard told me that fashion tends to run in 30-year cycles, so perhaps it’s the cyclical nature of life?
The youth of the UK, I imagine like young people around the globe are hanging in there, but research reveals that their mental health is being eroded. But some of the young people I spoke to are doing really well.
I think this influenced my writing by creating siblings that deal with their predicament in very different ways. One of them is struggling, while the other appeared to take it all in their stride.
MFR: Page 4, is a full-page headshot on Sanda by Charlie Adlard, with colors by James Devlin – what was your reaction to the finished product?
Kenney:Just Wow! I’ve said this before, but Charlie is amazing at facial expressions. I wonder if he stands in front of a mirror pulling faces at himself and taking pics or if you get to a point where you can just imagine it?! I think what he captures here is a combination of emotions confusion, horror and uncertainty. Jimmy does such a good job with the colour – I love his work and also can’t wait for you to see his art too as he’s going to be drawing one of the chapters.
MFR: The last page of Planet DIVOC Part 1 had me grasping for the next part. How did you decide where to end the first issue so that Sanda’s words carried so much weight?
Kenney:Finding the right words for the end of a chapter can be agonizing. You know when it’s not working, and you just have to keep going back to it. I hope these words encapsulate this whole project well. Young adults in the age of a pandemic, are being told what to do on a constant basis – whether they can go to school, see their friends. Many no longer have control over their grades as exams get canceled, and minority groups tend to suffer more as evidence shows their predicted grades are often underestimated. That loss of control, isolation, loneliness, worry for family are all things the young adults, we are working with have talked about.
Part of this work is about strengthening resilience and encouraging good mental health for the young adults we work with. Services are all focused on physical health, and when people are dying, this is no surprise. But for our team, losing a young generation to poor mental health is not something we can stand by and watch. This is a big area of exploration for us going forward.
For this final scene, I also wanted the action of what Sanda does as well as what she says to mean something in this moment in time. It will be interesting to see how others interpret this ending!
MFR: It’s one thing to bring a pandemic influenced story to life, but when you add all the other elements to the mix (articles, videos, pieces of art by young adults about issues related to COVID-19, and mixes from DJs) – this is next level. Why was it important for you to go so big with Planet DIVOC-91?
Kenney:Well, it started as a comic, and I love a playlist or mix, and music often inspires ideas or scenes. We wanted to find a way for the young adults to be able to interrogate what’s going on and then respond to that – so interviews with experts and articles felt like a good way to do this.
The project has expanded in the last month to include a team in India and South Africa. When speaking to Sarah Iqbal from Wellcome Trust/ DBT India Alliance, we worked through what young adults in India might respond to, and she felt rather than articles that videos were the way to go as lots of YA in India have been expressing themselves through film. Nabeel Petersen from Interfer is our project lead in South Africa, and Nabeel works with young adults who use street art, poetry, music, and painting to shift narratives around health. Each country needed to embrace the art techniques that work for them, and we’ll be sharing all their outputs.
MFR: What’s the pressure like to put together a grand idea like Planet DIVOC-91, and how’s it feel when you have a big group of creatives rallying behind you?
Kenney:Massive pressure, but I also really enjoy collective working and pulling together teams full of good, creative, and kind people. For me, the best projects are always about amazing teams. I must admit I am often surprised when people say yes to my hare-brained ideas, but there you go! The great thing about this project was getting to collaborate with Bella Starling. She’s an inspiring leader and organizer of ideas – I think we work well together.
Writing a script for Charlie Adlard to draw, was of course, a lot of pressure. When we started, we had a tiny pot of money, so it was up to me to build the story world and get it up and running, or you might have seen a more famous comics writer work on Chapter 1. So this was a nice bit of situational luck!
David Hyde from Superfan Promotions brought on most of the cover artists bar VV Glass and Anand RK. What a superstar list of cover artists we have, and it will be amazing to see what they come up with.
MFR: We are in a time when the term ‘leadership’ is used loosely when talking about big government. Do you think we need more grassroots movements like your project to lead by example, and if so, why?
Kenney:Yes – because leadership, when it comes to a lot of governments, is clearly BROKEN. I’ve been talking a lot about power with another colleague working on this project called Anita Shervington. She is about as grassroots as you get and has been doing the work for decades. She runs an organization called Blast Fest, who take science events to carnivals and has been working around ‘science, social justice, culture and creativity, and the importance of STEM for sustainable development.’ We’ll be working with Anita to explore how the young adults can learn more about this grassroots work.
Why – because a friend Adeel Amini (works in TV) said recently, ‘we can no longer wait for a seat at the table, we need to build our own table.’
MFR: With a project like this, how do you measure success?
Kenney:The audience will let us know whether it’s successful.
It’s the usual metrics – but for us, it will be seeing whether we can provoke some positive change. That’s in terms of influencing research and policy and helping the young adults to take control of some of the narratives during this pandemic. This can be tricky to measure, but we have access to some experts to help with that…
MFR: Sarah, thank you again for your time, and best of luck with Planet DIVOC-91.
Kenney:Thank you for such brilliant and thought-provoking questions.
Did you check out Planet DIVOC-91 yet? Again, you can read it for free on WEBTOON. Comment below with your thoughts.
October is shaping up to be a VERY busy month for new titles. Before shuttering his personal Twitter account, Sean Gordon Murphy hinted at an upcoming spin-off title from the White Knight series. Now we know what it is and have a preview fresh off the presses just for you.
BATMAN: WHITE KNIGHT PRESENTS HARLEY QUINN, available in both print and digital on October 20th, is a “new-reader friendly” mini-series carrying the Black Label descriptor (ages 17+) that “takes place two years after Curse of the White Knight.”
You can read the full details in an official press release, and check out an early preview, from DC below.
Are you excited for a new Harley title set in the Murphy-verse? Let us know what you think in the Comments section, and please share this post on social media using the links below.
THE WORLD OF BATMAN: WHITE KNIGHT EXPANDS WITH A NEW SPIN-OFF SERIES,
BATMAN: WHITE KNIGHT PRESENTS HARLEY QUINN
Six-Issue Miniseries Features the DC Debut of Writer Katana Collins
Issue One Arrives at Comic Book Stores and Participating Digital Retailers October 20
BURBANK, CA, July 16, 2020 – The popular maxiseries Batman: White Knight and Batman: Curse of the White Knight thrilled comic book fans everywhere with their unique takes on Batman, The Joker, Gotham City, and the history of the Wayne dynasty. On October 20, the White Knight mythos takes another step forward with the launch of Batman: White Knight Presents Harley Quinn, a six-issue miniseries that expands and deepens the alternate universe created by writer/artist Sean Murphy.
Writing this new-reader friendly addition to the Batman: White Knight world is international bestselling author (and Murphy’s wife) Katana Collins. As co-plotters, this miniseries represents the first time the duo have worked together on a DC title. Collins, the writer of novels such as Callback and the Top 100 Amazon bestseller Capturing You, was also an associate producer for Nick News with Linda Ellerbee. During her tenure, the show won two Emmy Awards for the episodes “Kids and Autism” and “The Untouchable Kids of India.”
“Working with Sean has allowed us to leverage our creative partnership’s best advantages,” said Collins. “Living and working together lets us be constant sounding boards for each other and that back and forth feedback has been a huge help and inspiration in crafting my vision of Harley Quinn for this story.”
Batman: White Knight Presents Harley Quinn takes place two years after Curse of the White Knight. Azrael has wiped out criminals in Gotham, Jack Napier (formerly The Joker) is dead, Bruce Wayne (Batman) is in prison, and Harley Quinn is adjusting to life as a single mother, raising the twins she had with Jack. But as new villains arise, Harley is forced to dance with madness once again and confront her own past with The Joker and Batman while helping the Gotham City police and an eager young FBI agent uncover the truth behind a series of gruesome murders.
“While developing Batman: White Knight and Batman: Curse of the White Knight, it became clear that there were rich backgrounds and stories to explore beyond the main series,” said Murphy. “I couldn’t be more excited to work alongside Katana, Matteo, and Matt Hollingsworth to enrich and expand this world in a way that’s just as rewarding for new readers as it is for loyal Batman: White Knight fans.”
With breathtaking art by Matteo Scalera and Dave Stewart, stunning covers by Sean Murphy and Matt Hollingsworth, and beautiful variant covers by Scalera and Hollingsworth, Batman: White Knight Presents Harley Quinn is ready to take its place as the next great story in the rich universe created by Sean Murphy.
For fans who would like a taste of the kind of storytelling that they can anticipate this October, Collins and Murphy will be the featured team for Chapter Six of DC’s recently announced Digital First series, Harley Quinn: Black + White + Red, on sale at participating digital retailers on July 31.
Batman: White Knight Presents Harley Quinn debuts on Tuesday, October 20 and will carry DC’s “Black Label” descriptor, identifying this content as appropriate for readers 17+.
For more information on this series and the World’s Greatest Super Heroes, visit the website, www.dccomics.com, and be sure to follow on social media at @dccomics and @thedcnation.
On July 15, Marvel Comics released their second Giant-Size X-Men issue: Giant-Size X-Men – Magneto #1, written by Jonathan Hickman. With art by Ramón Perez, colors by David Curiel, letters by VC’s Clayton Cowles, and design work by Tom Muller, this issue serves to plant the seeds for what are no doubt more mysteries and plot points in Hickman and company’s grand X-narrative.
Writing
I’m a bit confused about the point of these giant-size character-focused issues. This issue focuses on Magneto certainly more than Giant-Size X-Men – Nightcrawler focused on Kurt, but I question the need to have labeled them “Nightcrawler” or “Magneto.” Normally, naming issues in such a way usually means a deep dive into an individual character, their struggles, and their psyche. This issue, like the last one, certainly utilizes the title character, but as a part of a small ensemble that seems to be laying the groundwork for future plots more than really addressing the depth of the characters themselves.
Being a fan of Hickman’s work, I know that many of the plot threads he’s planted during his time as the “Head of X” will eventually come back around in significant ways. As big of a world as the X-titles have become; however, I just wonder if all of the mystery and plot-seeding will pay off. What is the significance of the new island Emma Frost got Magneto to help her acquire from Namor? Will the weird Kraken people under the sea re-emerge at a later time? I don’t know, but at this point, all the building up needs to pay off soon, hopefully with X of Swords.
Art
The art for this book is great. Perez is able to communicate a lot about Magneto’s character by how he draws him. As Magneto stares at the water, Perez captures his contemplative mood, the mood of a man who is comfortable in his own skin and seems to be enjoying a moment of repose as he waits for Namor. At other times, Perez can capture a bit of often-unseen joviality on Magneto’s part.
Maybe we’re just never used to seeing Magneto “with his hair down,” but living in a mutant utopian dream might allow someone like Magneto to relax and enjoy being with the only people he wants to spend time with–other mutants.
One does get a sense that the Magneto we’ve often seen as a villain over the years is a much different person around those he considers his friends.
One small, nit-picky mistake can be found on this page. See if you can find it.
Did you find it? (Tell us if you did in the comments below).
Colors
The coloring in this issue is solid, particularly the work that Curiel does with the icy depths of the ocean.
Curiel does an excellent job of portraying a watery environment, particularly one that is down in the depths where light can’t reach. Surrounding the characters with darkness with a slight surrounding barrier of water communicates the dark, oceanic environment well. The light beam shining down in the middle of the page, outlining the surrounding rocky depths, is also a nice touch, and a careful use of color and shading to portray this environment.
Letters
Cowles’s lettering is serviceable in this issue. It captures the small character interactions between Magneto and the island’s keeper, and it keeps the plot moving forward. There was also this quite enjoyable note of verbal surprise from Namor.
Couldn’t have happened to a nicer guy.
Conclusion
I love all things Hickman, but I’m a little confused about the purpose of these giant-size issues. Naming them after different characters makes the reader think that we might get deep inside the headspace of the particular X-character in question and how they are processing the new status quo in the world post-Krakoa. In Nightcrawler’s issue, I expected to see him pursuing his goal of starting a new Krakoan religion, but he is far from the central character in that story
The Magneto issue comes closer to making sense that it’s named after him, although he is joined by Namor and Emma Frost for huge chunks of the story, I’m not sure if there has really been anything about either of these giant-size stories that warrant marketing them as though they focus on one character. These could have been issues of the regular X-Men title and numbered accordingly.
Do you want to see a story that dives into the depths of Magneto’s psyche and whatever agenda he has for Krakoa? Move along. Do you want to see a run-of-the-mill adventure with Magneto as mostly-the-lead-character that is probably seeding even more future plot details in Hickman’s X-epic? Then yeah. Check out this story.
What did you think of Giant-Size X-Men: Magneto? Tell us in the comments below (along with whether or not you found that one art mistake).
that took the entertainment world by storm 17 years ago—The Walking Dead by Robert Kirkman (Fire Power, Oblivion Song) and Charlie Adlard (Vampire State Building)—with newly, fully colored issues. Featuring the stunning work of the masterful Dave McCaig, these new issues will launch in October with The Walking Dead Deluxe #1. Kirkman first announced the fully colored issues during Skybound Xpo, Skybound’s virtual pop-culture convention, earlier today.
