INTERVIEW: Production Designer Chris Crane And The Making Of Code 8

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December 13, 2019

Code 8 is a science fiction film starring Robbie Amell (The Flash) and Stephen Amell (Arrow) in a world where super-powered people exist but are fugitives from the law. Production Designer Chris Crane married the familiar present with near-future creativity to create a brave new world.

In Code 8, Robbie Amell plays Conner Reed, one of just four percent of the population of Earth who displays incredible superpowers. However, in this future world, people with such powers are considered dangerous and wanted by the law. Conner joins a group of thieves to survive. But as law enforcement closes in, Conner’s only defense is the power that makes him a fugitive.

PopAxiom interviews Chris about his life leading up to becoming a production designer and his work making Code 8’s world come alive.

Photography To Designer

Chris’ road to production design started early. “I was around 14 and was watching Twin Peaks in reruns on Bravo. I noticed how much I liked the look and aesthetic of the show and wanted to be transported to such a beautiful yet dangerous place.”

The curiosity born in the town of Twin Peaks, made Chris begin to “… pick up on certain styles and looks I liked when I watched TV or film. I started to get into different time periods look for colours used, or not used, in certain films. I also loved anything with world-building and made up places and even products and branding.”

Naturally, Chris immediately went into production design, and the rest is history. Not exactly. “It was a pretty complicated and roundabout journey that got me into Production Design …”

The short version of the story starts at Ryerson University in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, where Chris took photography after High School. “I met a bunch of people in the film program there and helped them on their projects. Deciding photography was not for me career-wise, I left school and started working at H&M …”

At H&M, Chris ended up with a promotion to Window Visual. “A few years of that, and I realized I did not enjoy where I was in life.”

Chris had friends in the right places, though. “A friend of mine, who I had met at Ryerson, was beginning to Production Design small indie features and short films, and she convinced me to take a job as her Set Decorator.”

The soon-to-production designer learned and soon realized that’s “… what I ultimately wanted to work towards.”

About Code 8

Code 8 is based on a short film of the same name, which was produced by Robbie and Steven and director Jeff Chan. Chris actually met with Jeff back in 2016 about working on the short film, but it “…ended up shooting in LA Instead of Toronto.”

Now interviewing for the feature film version of Code 8, Chris says, “… it was nice to check in, watch the short film … and get into what I liked and where I thought we could talk about things.”

The discussion continued. “We went over what Lincoln City was and the types of people that lived there. The different looks and colors that would denote the haves and have-nots of this world.”

About working on Code 8: “I loved the short film and the script, so it was easy to connect and go over ideas.”

After the weekend interview, Chris returned to a feature film project he was already working on. “I went back to work and found out I had the job right soon after we wrapped.”

What’s Your Mood?

Even before interviews for Code 8 or otherwise, Chris will “… put together a mood board and package… “

Chris continues to add to this board throughout discussions and reading the script, which offers a flood of ideas. “As soon as I start to read a script, ideas start to come. I just grab images from Google or screen grab from films that come to mind. Or I write down notes and ideas.”

Chris admits this means that while reading the script, he will “… stop on and off to get ideas down.” But there’s some method to the madness. “It’s my way of finding what the script means to me. I’m also afraid of losing out on a possible idea. That doesn’t mean I don’t go through large chunks, just reading and enjoying. Still, I also enjoy figuring out what I think I am seeing as I read and who the people are or the places they find themselves.”

So, what does Chris’ mood board contain? “It is way easier to show a colour then to describe it and to show a mood or look then to discuss it… That becomes the jumping-off point, and now there are already references to show producers, location managers, and my team. From there, I can do deeper dives with research and references. Start putting together more ideas and get all departments on the same page as far as the look or what colours we are going for or what types of locations we hope to find.”

Army Of We

The filmmaking process is a massive dance between many departments. Chris talks about one of his dance partners, the costume designer. “… it is always great to go through some of the looks on different sets and see what they were thinking for certain looks for characters. Sometimes, my work informs their work; I have the approved wallpaper or colours for the space or know what some of the location options are, etc. Sometimes, they will have a look or colour for a character …” Chris shares an example from Code 8. “… the Costume Designer Bernadette Croft wanted to go with a lot of blues in designing the wardrobe for ‘Conner’ (Robbie Amell), so that was something we had to think about when creating spaces that his character would be in.”

Another department is Visual FX, in this case, Playfight. “I was so lucky to work with the team at Playfight. They were always around to discuss what needed to be a practical set piece or prop and would discuss what would be set extensions or would have an overlay. A lot of the shows I work on mostly keep it as something to deal with in post, and so I do not always have a lot of interaction with them. They were also all there since the beginning, having worked on the short film, so it was great to ask them how they did certain things or what they were planning to do this time around.”

Alternate Familiarity

Code 8 takes place in a near-future world, so viewers will recognize some things but also see tech that’s not real but very plausible. “Creating an alternate reality was the best part!
Something familiar yet different. Director Jeff Chan had the motto ‘it’s not sci-fi, it’s 5 seconds in the future’. So instead of making everything up from scratch like crazy, unfamiliar futuristic, we looked at what was upcoming tech today or where things looked like they were heading. Keeping things slick and modern but not totally impossible.

According to Chris, the production had “… so much fun with the world-building. Other than makes and models of cars, we tried to rebrand everything, from the Lincoln City logo to the fake soda pop brand that is advertised. I even had the art department make parking meter cover-ups and tiny Lincoln City logos to cover the Toronto City logo on all seen street signs. I love seeing that kind of thing in movies, so I wanted to put as much world-building into this as I could-yet keep it familiar and relatable.”

Wrapping Up

When it comes to the question of influences and inspirations, Chris says, “Anything and everything can influence me. I love going through the design sections of used book stores and finding books on old signage or movie poster art. I love random Instagram accounts that only showcase 1980s high-end offices or low budget horror movie deaths. I do not think there is one way, or even a right way, to work in creative fields.”

Chris spreads the love to fellow production designers working today. “I had the pleasure of being on a panel with production designer Mark Steel and am so excited to see his work on the new season of The Umbrella Academy. Michael Bricker’s work on Russian Doll was incredible. Lisa Soper’s work on The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina is visually stunning. I am also excited to see Hannah Beachler’s work post Black Panther, and I loved Paul Austerberry’s work on Shape of Water.”

What movies does Chris love when it comes to production design? “I have always loved Edward Scissorhands… The original Alien, the 80’s craziness that is Brian DePalma’s Body Double and Ken Russel’s Crimes of Passion, the mod-60’s futuristic 2001: A Space Odyssey. I also love the mood and atmosphere that early-mid 80’s slasher flicks have, even the cheesy ones. They all tend to have fun with design, based on the subject matter and lower budgets.”

Code 8 comes out on December 13th, so what’s next for Chris? “Well, an incredible series I did for the streaming service Crave called New Eden comes out January 1st in Canada. It’s a dark comedy (very dark) about a fake 90s documentary about a fake 70s all-female cult and how things go terribly wrong. Also, Two feature films I designed come out in the early spring; Run This Town from director Ricky Tollman is a modern take on old political thrillers that involve the former Toronto Mayor Rob Ford scandals of 2012 and Disappearance at Clifton Hill from director Albert Shin which releases February 28th. It’s about a young woman named Abby (Tuppence Middleton) and her arrival back in her hometown of Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada. There she must uncover a dark memory from her past in this modern-day noir.”

Will you be watching Code 8?

Thanks to Chris Crane and Impact24 PR for making this interview possible.

Want to read more interviews like this? CLICK HERE.

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Exclusive Preview: HEARTBEAT #3 And Jen Bartel’s Variant Cover From BOOM! Studios

By

Anthony Composto - EIC

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December 13, 2019

Heartbeat #3 hits your local comic book store on January 2nd, but thanks to BOOM! Studios, Monkeys Fighting Robots has an exclusive five-page preview for you, AND the first look at Jen Bartel’s variant cover!

About the issue:
After a thrilling encounter with Donatien, Eva finds herself becoming more interested in his macabre tastes. As the murderer draws her deeper into his world, what parts of herself is Eva willing to give up to get closer… and will she miss them when she’s done?

Heartbeat #3 is by writer/artist Maria Llovet (Faithless), with letters by AndWorld Design. The series is translated by Andrea Rosenberg.

The five-issue series focuses on Eva, a high school outcast who learns that the most popular boy in school enjoys the taste of blood and will literally kill to get it. BOOM! describes Heartbeat as “a dark, violent, decadent, disturbing story, in which life and death, blood, and love are inextricably intertwined.”

Take your first look at Jen Bartel’s beautiful variant cover:

**And check out the full Heartbeat #3 preview below:**

Are you reading Heartbeat? Sound off in the comments!

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I’d Buy That For A Dollar: THE SPECTACULAR SPIDER-MAN #148 (March 1986)

By

Manuel Gomez

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December 12, 2019

Welcome to ‘I’d Buy That For A Dollar’ a column where I will be exploring the weird and wonderful world of dollar bin diving. The only rule is each and every comic is purchased for one dollar (or less!).

This week’s book is The Spectacular Spider-Man #148.

The Spectacular Spider-Man #148
‘Night of The Living Ned’
Written by: Gerry Conway
Pencils and Inks by: Sal Buscema
Colors by: Bob Sharen
Letters by: Rick Parker

I was very indecisive about what book to choose for this week. So I decided to call on fate and went out on a last-minute dollar bin hunt; I also decided I would use a book I would find as this week’s choice. Well, I’m glad I did because I ran into one of my favorite comics as a kid; The Spectacular Spider-Man #148. The artist on Spectacular at the time, Sal Buscema, was on the title for years and is probably in my top three Spidey artists of all time. I always grabbed Spectacular when I saw it. This issue was a part of Marvel’s Inferno crossover (a horror-themed company crossover involving demons and limbo flooding into the Marvel Universe). As such, the story is pretty much straight-up horror and was pretty cool to an eight-year-old kid like me.

Brief synopsis: As Betty Brant and Flash Thompson board up an apartment to keep out the ghouls and ghosts (ala Night of The Living Dead. Remember this was way before the zombie craze too!) they are attacked by what it seems like the re-animated corpse of Ned Leeds, Betty’s ex-husband, a reporter, Peter Parker’s friend and also thought to be the Hobgoblin for some time; man Spidey comics piled on the melodrama in the 80s. Anyway, the story gets very hallucinatory and atmospheric. It scared the crap out of me as a kid. Let’s take a look at some pages!

Here’s my copy!

This is one of my favorite panels in the book and it perfectly captures the E.C. Comics vibe going on in the issue. Pretty gruesome-looking stuff for a Spidey comic!

This page with Flash Thompson fighting some kind of demonic Spider-Man is awesome. Love the layout and use of lightning. Again very true to horror!

Here’s that demonic Spidey!

And another great Zombie Ned!

Here’s a great image of New York as it was changed by demonic forces in Inferno.

I usually like to write about a few ads and there weren’t that many cool ones in this issue. Except for this. This WWF ad is just perfect for its time.

You can find great dollar bins at almost every local comic shop. So find a shop, ask a comic clerk and start bin diving!

Got your own awesome dollar bin finds? Toss them at me!
Send emails to manny@monkeysfightingrobots.com
Follow me on Instagram: _idbuythatforadollar_
Tweet at me: @MannyG1138

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Review: THE FLASH #84 Sees The Rebellion Against Captain Cold Begin

By

Jose "Jody" Cardona

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The Flash Finds Allies in Unexpected Places

The Year of the Villain has seen a significant upgrade for the Rogues of the Flash. As Lex Luthor recruited villains from across the world, Captain Cold gathered his team and gave them all upgrades as Barry dealt with Zoom and the Black Flash. When Flash finished his battle, he was far too weak to stop the Rogues from taking over.

Months pass, and Central City has been under the frozen grip of Cold. After the future heroic version of Cold is murdered by Snart, Barry is able to break free of the prison he’s left in and joins Kid Flash and Avery Ho. But when he is with them, he realizes that there is something wrong with his powers. What the heck happened?!

**Some Spoilers Below**

Story:

We open with Golden Glider, The Flash, and the young speedsters walking through the frozen bay. Their destination is a ship in the center owned by the Weather Wizard, who continues to make blizzards to keep people at bay. Glider hopes that he can get a piece of a mirror that will help them overthrow Captain Cold. The only problem is that Barry and the other Flashes have to wear power dampening collars due to the Speed Force overloading their systems.

Meanwhile, Captain Cold has begun to realize that this might have been a bit more than he can handle. When he tries to talk to Lex for advice, the leader of the Legion of Doom reminds him to trust everything he does.

While I wasn’t sure about the story in the opening issues, it has impressed me with the direction it’s going. This could have been a retread of any of the Rogue stories since the New 52 relaunch, but instead, we feel the stakes and logical character development. Both sides are affected by the Doom War’s conquest of Earth, both emotionally and physically. Flash needs to relearn how to control the Speed Force, raising the stakes exceptionally. The Rogues, realizing that this is not them, brings a smile to my face and hope we will see their return to regular street-level criminals.

The only real problem I have with the issue is the lack of real explanation. A comic only gets so many pages, but a few of the questions are just brushed over. How does Golden Glider’s bands control the Speedster’s speed? How is a mirror going to stop Cold? Why is Weather Wizard isolated? These are more nitpicks that will probably be answered in the next few issues, but it still bothered me.

Art:

While he doesn’t come around often, Christian Duce’s art continues to be some of the best art that the Flash comic has had. His designs for each of the characters are amazing, especially when using their powers. The Speedsters in overdrive is one of the coolest looks since the start of Rebirth. The same goes for each of the Rogues, with Weather Wizard being the stand out member with his lightning attacks. Luis Guerrero compliments these designs with beautiful colors. The battles pop off the page when these two work together, and it’s incredible. I hope that this team will stay long after the events of this tale.

Conclusion:

Overall this is turning out to be a great chapter in the Rebirth era of the Scarlet Speedster. The extreme action and character-building amongst the Rogues are the highlights of this issue. The art team goes above and beyond to give us a feast for the eyes. The creative team is working hard to provide us with a fantastic tale, and I honestly can’t wait for the next issue. The Flash is at peak performance, and I highly recommend picking up this issue before the next.

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50 Years Of San Diego Comic-Con: A Retrospective Of The History Of Fandom

By

Guest Contributor

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December 12, 2019

50 years of san diego comic-con infographic

Nerd culture is powerful. A group of a little more than a hundred teens and a few adults meet up in the basement of a hotel to discuss comic books, and, 50 years later, the event is a massive, Hollywood-courting, society-defining, fandom-creating, international powerhouse that draws in more than 130,000 fans every single year. Like the blooming of a giant … and, at times, admittedly stinky … flower, the San Diego Comic-Con (SDCC) has grown well beyond the visions of its original creators. But this tumultuous change didn’t happen overnight. This infographic created by HighRises.com maps out what’s been happening in the past half-century at San Diego’s most famous event, and shows how this tiny meet-up became one of the most important places for promoting new, nerdy stories.

Comic-Con: International turned 50 this year. (And, coincidentally, so did Sesame Street!) This might boggle the minds of many non-comic-book fans, who may have only started to hear the buzz about the con in the early 2000s. Between 2000 and 2005, the attendance of the con nearly doubled. There’s been a lot of cool stuff that’s been happening relatively recently, from literally shaking the roof of Hall H in 2006 during the showing of early 300 footage to the con’s biggest year in 2015, which drew in a crowd of 167,000, to the panel that assembled the real-life actors behind The Avengers. The press and coverage has also gotten pretty extreme lately, with A-list actors going in costume only to reveal themselves in panels and events.

5 Facts About San Diego Comic-Con:

But Comic-Con had a rich history before it became this intense, powerful hype-train. In the early 90s, for instance, Hellboy was introduced as a character officially via the official SDCC comic. Back then, comic-book fans would have recognized the Toucan as the official logo, rather than the now-famous eye. And, even before then, in 1976, a little film that was doomed to flop was promoted in a tiny panel at Comic-Con to a room of a few hundred fans. It didn’t flop, and you may have heard of it. (Or maybe not … it’s a really obscure, 1970s movie. It’s called Star Wars.)

Check out the timeline and learn about just how important Comic-Con has been for pop culture in its past 50 years!

This project was spearheaded by Denny Oh for HighRises.com

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Marvel Comics Exclusive Preview: ANNIHILATION – SCOURGE OMEGA #1

By

Anthony Composto - EIC

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December 12, 2019

marvel comics annihilation scourge omega #1 exclusive preview

Annihilation – Scourge Omega #1 hits your local comic book store December 18th, but thanks to Marvel Comics, Monkeys Fighting Robots has an exclusive five-page preview for you.

About the issue:
In the face of the Annihilation, there is no more room in the cosmos for heroes or villains – only survival.

Annihilation – Scourge Omega #1 is by writer Matthew Rosenberg and penciller Manuel Garcia. Inks are by Garcia, Rafael Fonteriz, Cam Smith, and Wayne Faucher; colors are by Federico Blee with Rachelle Rosenberg and Eric Arciniega; letters are by Cory Petit. Josemaria Casanovas did the main cover.

This issue marks the end of Annihilation – Scourge, an event that’s been running through a series of one-shots over the past two months starring Nova, Silver Surfer, Beta Ray Bill, and the Fantastic Four. The story is a follow-up to Marvel’s Annihilation from 2006, a smash-hit event that led to a renaissance of cosmic superhero comics.

**Check out the Annihilation – Scourge Omega #1 preview below:**

WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD FOR ANNIHILATION – SCOURGE

Are you reading Annihilation – Scourge? What is your favorite Marvel Comics cosmic event? Sound off in the comments!

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Review: HIT GIRL Season 2 #11 Brings Violence To The Streets Of India

By

Darryll Robson

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Hit Girl #11 — Hit Girl Season 2 #11 Credit: Image Comics

Continuing the world tour of one of Millarworlds more popular characters, Hit-Girl heads towards violent conflict on the streets of India this week. The third part of this arc from Image Comics is a spectacular vision of beauty and the corruption that lies just beneath the surface.

It is a hard hitting and poignant story produced by some of the greatest creators working in comics today. Peter Milligan has been writing comics for a while now, having worked for both of the major publishers on some of the biggest titles. Alison Sampson is relatively new to comics but her work so far has been outstanding and instantly recognisable. In their hands, is there any limit to what Hit-Girl can become?

Hit Girl #11 cover — Hit Girl Season 2 #11 Credit: Image Comics

The Story on the Street

Hit-Girl finds a friend who offers her some comforts that she’s not used to and her influence is spreading to the children of Mumbai. But she can’t allow herself to forget her mission and some harsh words are going to come back to haunt her.

Peter Milligan weaves a complex web of characters throughout the pages of Hit-Girl. He reveals the narrative through a stream of interactions, moving from one character to the next like links in a chain. Hit-Girl herself moves through these links, the common denominator in the story, and forms the larger narrative.

The characters are all fully rounded, complex individuals with histories waiting to be explored. Any number of them could feature in their own story, filling page after page. This is one of Milligan’s strengths; he is able to create engrossing characters, full of life, in a very short amount of time. The cast for Hit-Girl: India is surprisingly large but does not feel overcrowded at any time.

The criminal underworld that is depicted is also the perfect foil for Hit-Girl. She is still a child, although older than her years, so the threat to other children makes it more personal for her. This is demonstrated through her actions, especially in this issue. She implicitly trusts Ram and puts her life in his hands. This is not something that she would do with an adult, especially one she barely knows. Milligan portrays Mindy’s strengths and weaknesses through her interactions with the other cast members.

Indian Ink

As engaging as Milligan’s story is, the real star of this comic is the artwork by Alison Sampson and the colors by Triona Farrell. Together they have created a beautiful world for the characters to inhabit. Every page is so vibrant and energetic. The reader gets a real sense of location and the strange contradiction that is Mumbai city. The mix of affluence and poverty, sitting side by side, reflects the contrasting characters in the narrative.

Sampson’s style also contains an element of this contradiction. She has an expressionist style that is centred around a highly accurate architectural base. The settings are hyper realistic with an amazing attention to detail. The characters step into this world and then, as the action hots up, they twist the images to fit their warped behaviour.

Hit-Girl obviously has the greatest effect on the perspective within the panels but she isn’t the only one. It is as if Sampson is using composition and perspective to further character development. This means that some pages become almost ludicrous while others are overwhelming in their details. The notion of time within the narrative is controlled through the panel layouts and Sampson’s refusal to stick to the standard conventions of comic book storytelling.

Clem Robins’ lettering is more standard in presentation however minor inflections in the fonts give the characters individual voices. The placement of speech balloons adds to the pace of the narrative and gives Robins the chance to play with the interactions that are so important in Milligan’s script.

Conclusion

This version of Hit-Girl seems so removed from previous versions. There is a beauty in the imagery and a vulnerability in the characters that feed off each other and, in turn, fuel the greater narrative. Milligan is telling his story of a corrupt Indian city and fitting Hit-Girl into that. It works, and it works well but you do get the feeling this story could easily exist without Mindy’s presence.

Three issues into this four issue story and there is so much for the reader to immerse themselves in: the narrative, the art, the action. This Hit-Girl story is a spectacular read because it has so much going on and relays the information in such a surprising way. The comic is visually one of the best things currently on release. The warped realism of the art punctuates the social discourse at the heart of Milligan’s script and highlights the intriguing dissection of Hit-Girl as a character. You will come away from this comic believing you have read an entire arc, not just the standard 22 pages.

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Review: A Mystery at the Orphanage in DETECTIVE COMICS #1017

By

David DeCorte

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Detective Comics #1017, out this week from DC Comics, follows on the heels of our last issue, which closed out Mr. Freeze’s Year of the Villain arc. The book—a standalone story from writer Tom Taylor—offers an interesting and engaging change of pace.

When children begin to disappear from an orphanage funded with support from Wayne Enterprises, our protagonist decides to take action. In this case, though, he finds that Bruce Wayne—not Batman—may be the best persona to investigate the disappearances.

The Writing

Taylor offers up a quieter, standalone story here. Like the book’s namesake, it’s more of a genuine detective caper than an action story.

We’re well-aware of the impact Batman has on his hometown. In Detective Comics #1017, though, Taylor seeks focuses on Bruce Wayne’s capacity to impact the city of Gotham, even when he’s not wearing the mask. It’s a facet of the character that often goes overlooked in favor of the super-heroics, but one that’s well-worth exploring.

It’s a novel approach to the character, and one that we wish we could see more often, to be honest. Delving into Bruce Wayne’s role as Gotham’s foremost philanthropist could spark an interesting conversation, especially at a time when the philanthropy of real-life billionaires is under greater scrutiny. Compounding the political relevance is the backstory for one of the children, who only ended up in the orphanage after being separated from his parents at the border.

While Detective Comics #1017 is compelling in isolation, the ending is a bit of a disappointment in some regards. After uncovering the mystery of the children’s disappearances, Bruce pledges to locate the missing orphans. We don’t get to see this happen, though; the book’s end is largely exposition, summarizing the climax in a brief montage.

While this could set up an interesting and emotionally-powerful, multi-chapter story arc, it ends up leaving the action to be carried out off-page. As a standalone story, though, it’s unlikely to be followed-up on, which is a shame, as it would offer a compelling and interesting exploration of Bruce’s role in Gotham beyond the shadow of The Bat.

The Artwork

Artist Fernando Blanco brings a unique style to Detective Comics #1017. The book straddles the line between cartoonish and serious in terms of style; characters are expressive and lively, while retaining a sense of grit.

The creative team explores some interesting and varied layouts throughout the book. One page may be divided into evenly-spaced horizontal strips, while the next could be split into four quadrants. There’s a sense of internal consistency to the individual pages, though, along with a reliance on repeated visual motifs. This prevents the illustrations in Detective Comics #1017 from feeling unfocused or random.

Blanco doesn’t shy away from delivering the details in his work, either. His illustrations serve to fully-engage readers in the story. While it’s not overly-meticulous, the level of detail here hits the sweet spot.

Color artist John Kalisz’s work is not exceptionally eye-catching. It is, however, skilled and well-detailed. The artist takes a meat-and-potatoes approach, but it works for the effect that the book is trying to achieve.

Final Thoughts

Detective Comics #1017 is a solid little self-contained tale. Although it could have used more space to tell this story, it’s a great exploration of Bruce’s character outside the cape and cowl.

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Review: DOOM 2099 #1 Doesn’t Rule With Authority

By

Anthony Wendel

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As the new age of 2099 continues, Doom 2099 #1 arrives with the help of Chip Zdarksky, Marco Castiello, and Chris Sotomayer. Will the success of the other series solo series featuring Doctor Doom carry over into this one?

Summary

The future is Doom! In 2099, everything has changed. Technology has changed. Governments have changed. People have changed. But only one thing has remained the same…DOOM.

Writing

This issue suffers from an inability to meld the story with its artwork. The issue buildings to a grand twist but the art doesn’t allow the reader to get comfortable with the storytelling process. You can tell right away this isn’t Doctor Doom or at least this isn’t the usual megalomaniacal individual known and feared throughout time. Also, Doom doesn’t act truly evil or display enough malice to trick the reader into believing otherwise. He’s more like Diet Doctor Doom.

Otherwise, it is a decent issue overall but it doesn’t break out of the shadow of what else is on the market. The new Doom series by Christopher Cantwell has been a fantastic read from the first issue but Doom 2099 #1 feels more like it’s setting up to be a series which will get better moving forward. It sets up some interesting aspects but just doesn’t knock the reader out of the park on this first outing.

Artwork

As mentioned in the previous section the art doesn’t meld well with the story. Marco Castiello isn’t shy about putting Doom’s naked face on display the entire issue but doesn’t go far enough with its presentation. The scarred face of Doctor Doom is supposed to be horrifying and disturbing. Whatever version of Doom this is supposed should look much worse. Here the face could be fixed with the use of a large of amount of concealer.

The colorwork by Chris Sotomayor is probably the best part of the entire issue. The color perfectly captures the post-apocalyptic look. The landscape characters look as if they could be a part of Fury Road.

The lettering work by VC’s Clayton Cowles does a great job of adding to the audio quality of the issue. Much like the writing work, the lettering serves its purpose but doesn’t bring any exceptional aspect to the presentation of the piece.

Conclusion

The new Doom 2099 #1 isn’t bad but it doesn’t achieve the greatness it set out to accomplish. Frankly, it’s a better experience in the future than Ghost Rider 2099 but only by a small margin. Doom should be able to bring greatness with an iron fist and sadly this issue doesn’t.

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CAPTAIN MARVEL #13 Gives Us More Morally Ambiguous Carol, And I Love It…

By

Samuel Pratt

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Flying onto the shelves this week from Marvel Comics, Captain Marvel #13 continues this dark twist Kelly Thompson has brought to the character.

(This issue is a little challenging to cover in full without spoiling anything, as I usually keep my articles spoiler-free, I’ll do my best not to reveal anything major but be forewarned depending on your own opinion on what’s a spoiler and what is not, you may want to read the issue before diving in)

Following up on the mind-boggling issue that kicked off Thompson’s “The Last Avenger” story arc, Carol Danvers now sets her sights on Tony Stark with a plan, much like her approach with Thor. Carol goes right for Tony at his most vulnerable, first thing in the AM and still in his robe. I know that’d be my most vulnerable time too. Hitting fast and hard, the once good Captain certainly catches Iron Man off guard, giving her the upper hand right from the start.

Good on the armor for keeping up the best it can.

Since her victory over Thor in the last issue, it is tough to say if Tony stands a chance against Carol, especially given the fight is on her terms, she’s had the time to plan, and Tony had zero clue something like this was even coming. Captain Marvel certainly proves to be a scary villain in this scenario, coming up with these vicious methods for gaining the upper hand on her teammates and fighting them so relentlessly.

The last issue did not give us much to go on as to why Carol is hunting down the Avengers, only that she is serving someone else, and based on her monologues, we can assume she’s not particularly happy about it. Without saying too much, I will note we do get more exposition on the whole picture this issue, more than just Carol’s inner thoughts and personal convictions.

Fans of the Dark Captain Marvel design get to see some great new panels showing off the new suit; one, in particular, is definitely worthy of being a lock screen for your phone. Lee Garbett’s art is killer in this issue and captures the intensity of the fighting. Tamra Bonvillain handles the colors and might be sick of the color orange when all is said and done, as there are a LOT of Photon blasts and auras in the past two issues, but they do look powerful and fiery and make Carol pop right out of the page.

I’d be lying if I said this didn’t IMMEDIATELY become my new lock screen…

VC’s Clayton Cowles had his work cut out for him this issue with the lettering, from metal crunching to zooming through the air, from inner monologues to cheeky back talk (as expected from a fight between Carol and Tony) there was a lot to write in. Regardless the lettering was solid and fluid and helped bring each scene together for one’s mental creativity.

Captain Marvel #13 gives us a lot for one issue, it’s difficult to say anything without feeling like you’re giving too much, so I highly recommend picking this up and seeing it all for yourself. Thompson’s new twist on Carol shows us a new side to both the character and her writing, and I am very interested to see her explore these further, as well as how consistently dark she wants to keep it.

As a whole, I like how she is handling Carol’s attempt at fighting all of the Avengers. This isn’t some showboating flex of the character’s prowess but instead giving us very specific scenarios where Carol is viciously taking on friends who don’t want to fight back right away. Someone is going to catch on eventually, and I’m wondering how it will go when Carol faces the foe who is expecting her. I highly recommend keeping up with this story arc; it feels worth the wait between issues, and the speculation on what will happen next is only making it better.

What other turns do you see this series taking? Are there any characters you would like to see written into a story like this where they’re the villain? Let us know what you think in the comments!

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Take your first look at Jen Bartel’s beautiful variant cover:

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**Check out the Annihilation – Scourge Omega #1 preview below:**

WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD FOR ANNIHILATION – SCOURGE