Mary Shelley, Monster Hunter #2 hits your local comic shop on May 22, but thanks to AfterShock Comics, Monkeys Fighting Robots has an exclusive five-page preview for you.
The 32-page book is written by Adam Glass and Olivia Cuartero-Briggs, with art by Hayden Sherman, and letters by Sal Cipriano. Sherman also worked on the cover, you will recognize his work from COLD WAR, The Few, and Wasted Space. Glass has worked on ROUGH RIDERS, THE LOLLIPOP KIDS, and Teen Titans, whereas Cuartero-Briggs worked on the TV series The Arrangement and Criminal Minds: Beyond Borders.
About the issue: Mary discovers not only that their mysterious host is a surgeon intent on reanimating the dead, but also that she’s a woman. Banished from a career in medicine because of her sex, Dr. Victoria Frankenstein has decided to create a manservant devoted to her success in a
misogynistic world. The only thing she needs is a partner. Mary quickly sees the potential to carry on her late mother’s feminist work, but agreeing would mean betraying her closest companions, and becoming an accomplice to murder…
Check out the Mary Shelley, Monster Hunter #2 preview below:
Did you read the first issue? Comment below with your thoughts on the series!
War of the Realms Strikeforce The Dark Elf Realm #1 is out May 1st, but thanks to Marvel Comics, Monkeys Fighting Robots has an exclusive five-page preview to share with you.
The book is written by Bryan Hill with art by Leinil Francis Yu, and a variant cover by Rod Reis.
About the War of the Realms Strikeforce The Dark Elf Realm #1: THE PUNISHER LEADS THE CHARGE TO SHUT DOWN THE BLACK BIFROST!
Deep in the swamps of Svartalfheim stands the Black Bifrost, Malekith’s corrupted Rainbow Bridge and the only reliable means of travel between the realms with the true Bifrost in pieces. If the gods are going to stop Malekith’s invasion, the Black Bridge must fall. With her son missing and husband injured, Lady Freyja must take up the challenge herself. But she won’t go alone. Hulk (Jen Walters), the Punisher, Blade and Ghost Rider follow the All-Mother of Asgard straight into Malekith’s home territory!
Check out the full preview below:
Are you planning to read War of the Realms Strikeforce Dark Elf? Comment and let us know your thoughts on the issue!
The Hero Phone has returned. Miguel is a young man who almost died as a child. The Man of Steel himself saved him, and the rush pushed him to become a bit of a daredevil. One day, while performing a dangerous Canyon jump, Miguel misses his landing and plummets. Before he can meet his demise, however, an old rotary phone appears and tells him to Dial H for a Hero. Miguel does and transforms into the 90’s comic-themed hero, Monster Truck. He goes on a bit of a rampage in a junkyard and ends up turning back into Miguel. Before he can be arrested, a young woman named Summer drives up to Miguel in a stolen truck, and they run off together. What will happen now that the phone is back in the world?
**Some Spoilers Below**
Story:
Miguel and Summer sit to discuss their plan of action at a diner while the phone keeps ringing. When Miguel picks it up, the Operator warns him of a group of people who will try to take the phone. One of these people named Barnaby ends up in the same diner and quietly follows them. While Summer is down for running away with the phone, Miguel wants to go home and throws the phone in a river. This gives Barnaby the chance to go and use it for himself. He swims down and becomes Jobu the Zonkey(Zebra Donkey) King! He begins attacking a riverboat, causing Miguel to realize he has to keep the phone and goes after it.
Comics like Dial H for Hero aim for one thing: having fun. Sure, we might get an emotional lesson, but overall it’s to entertain the reader. This issue succeeded in that with its humor and action. The heroes of this issue are great, harkening to manga such as Dragonball. I also found the mystery of the Thunderbolt Club and the Operator intriguing. However, this setup isn’t something we haven’t seen before. The trope of villains wanting their lost gifts back is a tired one. Despite that, I still enjoyed this comic, and I can’t wait for issue three.
Art:
The art continues to be the standout asset of this series. Joe Quinones’ style is already great when it’s just the standard Miguel and Summer talks, but it’s downright amazing when he changes styles entirely. When we meet Jubo and Deathshead, the comic’s illustrations turn into a homage to manga. The flexibility in Quinones’ style is top notch and truly makes this comic unique.
Conclusion:
While it still has a bit to go before passing the game of the A-List DC comics, Dial H is an incredibly fun time. The story is simple yet entertaining while the art is out of this world. If you haven’t picked this issue or the previous one up yet, I highly recommend it.
Insecure is a comedy-drama on HBO about best friends who deal with their own real-life flaws and insecurities while braving an often miserable everyday life and Emmy-winning editor Nena Erb is part of the magic behind the show.
Created by Issa Rae and Larry Wilmore, Insecure is equal parts heart-warming, heart-wrenching, and edgy. It’s a show tackling an untapped source for stories: the African-American experience through the eyes of women. Through three seasons, the show has introduced episodes that defy convention. Take a look at the titles episodes, and you’ll get an idea. But watch episodes like “Obsessed-Like,” and you’ll get a sense of how bold this show can be.
PopAxiom talked with Nena Erb about the joy of being in a dark editing booth by yourself, making Insecure, Project Greenlight and the breaks along the way.
Assembly Cut
The first act for Nena started with art school but then “A friend brought me into the industry to work in the art department. It wasn’t quite right. I was used to doing fine art, and this was more architecture and set design.”
Now in the industry, Nena “… bounced around a little bit” which included work “… as a script supervisor …”
The most common suggestion for Nena was to become a director or editor “I knew I didn’t want to direct. I looked at the editing and thought ‘You’re sitting in a dark room all by yourself all day long? That doesn’t sound good either.”
The work continued and Nena “… kept experimenting and eventually got a job as an associate producer.” The new role meant “… actually working with editors” and that’s when Nena “… realized I knew nothing about editing.”
With new insight into editing Nena thought “It’s really amazing. This is where all the stories are put together, and you can shape where the story takes viewers. You have a lot of creative control in the storytelling process.”
It didn’t take long for Nena to become “… completely hooked.”
Breaks: Big & Small
Fifteen years later, here’s Nena, now an Emmy-winning, ACE-nominated editor. So, was there a big break? “There are so many little breaks … The one thing that changed my career the most was getting an Emmy. It opened doors for me to projects that I thought I couldn’t reach at the time.”
Some of those breaks happen — or don’t happen — based outside forces “I almost didn’t take Project Greenlight.”
Nena explains “I applied to the Salley Menke Fellowship, but I didn’t get accepted. So, I decided to do this little documentary show for HBO.” The show earned Nena an Emmy-award.
Back to talking about the ‘breaks,’ Nena adds “But there are always little breaks. So many people helped me along the way.”
Confident About Insecure
Nena entered Insecure in it’s third season where she earned an ACE-nomination for “Obsessed-like,” an episode that follows one character’s, well, obsession “I definitely experimented with that. It was a risky decision because it was my first season on the show.”
Nena reveals “I ended up cutting two versions. One that was very much the language of the series.”
The other cut turned out to be the episode that aired where Nena “kind of decided to change a few things.”
Typically, texts between characters are displayed on the screen, in a corner, allowing the image to play out while the audience reads “For “Obsessed-Like” because so much of the episode takes place in Issa’s head and her internal dialogue, I wanted to put the viewers in there with her.” The episode does some of that but also fills the screen with Issa’s obsession over a man who mysteriously cast her aside.
The Approach
Does Nena ever think about the shots that don’t exist? “There’s always shots that you wish they would’ve gotten or like a different angle.”
But, surprisingly the award-winning editor doesn’t think much about those would-be shots “… what I love about editing is that you don’t know what’s going to come back. You have a good idea, but sometimes you get a scene, and it’s different from how it was scripted.”
However, Nena finds this part of the job “appealing,” and it’s for a simple reason “I loved puzzles growing up.”
From scripted comedy to comet-drama to reality or documentary “At the end of the day, it’s all about the story. People are expecting a sort of villain and a hero.”
The gig that Nena almost didn’t take turned into an Emmy award “My approach to Project Greenlight was really to show the process of filmmaking.”
Like anything, there is good reality television with footage stitched together to optimize manipulation, and then there is quality stuff like Project Greenlight “I didn’t want to manipulate situations. For me, it was explaining to the world ‘this is how a movie is done’ and still make it entertaining at the same time.”
Nena used to say, “Let’s make it Info-taining.”
In The Booth
At the end of the day, Nena missions “To get the kind of emotion that a story warrants.”
As a process that’s part puzzle, there are problems to solve and Nena admits “I dream about editing in my sleep. I fall asleep thinking about it, and I wake up saying ‘that’s how I can edit that scene!’”
How does music factor into her process of putting together a new project? “I like to cut dry. I like to make sure that the scene is working without music. Music is essential. But it’s amazing what you can see without the bells and whistles.”
If you’re watched Insecure, you’ll know just how integral music is for the show “Insecure use of music is so fantastic. Music is kind of its own character.”
Nena contrasts the use of music with another hit show she’s worked on My Crazy Ex-Girlfriend “Whereas in Crazy-Ex, aside from the musical numbers, the score is more background supporting the cast.”
Wrapping Up
Because I love to spread the love, we arrive at a familiar place for regular readers. Who or what inspires Nena creatively? “Anne Coates. She’s done so many amazing films over her career but the way she did Out of Sight, the way she reinterpreted the date.”
For Nena, Anne’s example showed “You can experiment and come up with something great. You don’t have to stick to a formula.”
Another personal inspiration for Nena is not an editor at all “Reese Witherspoon. I love what she stands for and that she’s a champion of women and that she has great taste. She picks amazing projects.”
What’s next for Nena? “I’m currently working on a [untitled] pilot created by Jessica Gao.” For you Rick and Morty fans, Gao was a writer for the animated series who wrote the Emmy-nominated episode “Pickle Rick.” Nena explains “…the show is about a Chinese-American woman who becomes the unwilling matriarch of a family she spent her entire life trying to keep at a distance.”
But that’s not all that’s coming soon from the art grad turned editor “After that, I’m working on Dream [working title] for Apple. It’s a series produced by Kumail Nanjiani and Alan Yang based on the true stories collection “Little America” featured in Epic Magazine.”
There’s more to come from Nena and the dark, lonely editing room she once thought was unappealing and now calls home.
Thanks to Nena Erb and Impact24 PR for making this interview possible.
Spencer & Locke 2 #1 is out next week, marking the return of one of the most interesting and poignant comic series to come out in recent memory.
Published by Action Lab: Danger Zone, and co-created by writer David Pepose and artist Jorge Santiago, Jr., the series is about Detective Locke, a man who fights crime with the help of his childhood imaginary friend, a seven-foot tall talking tiger (think Calvin and Hobbes all grown up in Sin City). Following the events of volume one, Locke is on leave from the police force, trying to stay on his best behavior until a number of city officials start dropping like flies. The vicious Roach Riley is in town (a twisted Beetle Bailey stand-in), and he’s created a mystery that promises to drag Spencer and Locke right into the pits of hell.
If you haven’t read Spencer & Locke before, have no fear. Pepose makes this new #1 the perfect jumping on point. It’s a completely fresh story that catches the reader up on any pertinent information lickity split. Of course, once you get a taste of this addictive world, you’ll run straight to your local comic shop to order a copy of volume one.
Don’t let the Sunday comics vibe throw you off; this is a series with some serious weight and depth to it. Volume one made that clear, and if Spencer & Locke 2 #1 is any indication, this volume is going to double down on the intensity. We’ve stated on this site before, “it’s one of the most original and thoughtful series out today, tackling childhood trauma and PTSD, and balancing these heavy topics with smart humor, intrigue, and thrills.”
This is a story about trauma, and about how it defines us. Roach is a stark foil for Locke; they’re both broken, but deal with it in different ways. It feels very much like a Batman/Joker relationship is brewing between the two. This first issue actually has some strong Killing Joke undertones, setting up the theme of how one bad day is all it takes to break a person. Spencer & Locke is a beautiful story about humanity, and about learning to live with scars, but it seems like this volume is going to explore that theme in some very dark ways.
While the story is deep and thought-provoking, it’s also just damn entertaining. Sometimes introspective stories can lean towards being dry and somewhat boring, but not Spencer & Locke. There’s action and intrigue, and fun banter between the characters. This is partially an homage to Sin City, after all. The mystery and noir element is the driving force of the story. You need to know what Roach is up to, and Pepose is such a pro at character development that your connection to these players and your concern for them is real. You worry for Locke on a genuine level.
Jorge Santiago, Jr.’s art, combined with Jasen Smith’s colors, is like nothing else in comics today. The two have created a world that feels lived in and relatable. They definitely play into the cartoony Sunday comics style, but at the same time this world is gritty and rough. It’s unique, and that quality draws you to it on a subconscious level. The two artists are also great at focusing your attention where they want it. Smith will color a page mostly in blues, creating a very mellow, noir atmosphere, but then he’ll throw in a green panel just to make it stand out and throw the reader off. Santiago uses similar tricks. He’ll utilize a very straightforward panel structure, but then something explosive will happen and literally rock the panel boarders. This art team excels at keeping you on your toes and never letting you settle in. They want you on edge.
Letterers are the secret wizards of a comic book creative team, as Colin Bell proves here. Bell manages the book’s tone and characterization without you even realizing it. He’ll switch up fonts and sound effects the same way that Santiago and Smith change up the art, luring you into a false sense of security with traditional lettering and then shaking you out of it with something jarring. His narration boxes help define the characters. Locke maintains a child-like sense of innocence under his tough exterior, thanks largely to way Bell letters the character’s inner monologue. Similarly, Roach Riley’s narration boxes add a Punisher-like spin to his character, adding yet another layer to this tribute to comics.
The point is that there’s a lot of thought and effort being put into Spencer & Locke 2. This creative team clearly has a ton of love for the medium, and they’re putting all of that onto the page. If you like comics of any kind, but especially gritty detective stories featuring imaginary talking panthers, pick up Spencer & Locke 2 #1 next Wednesday. And be sure to look for the series on tons of “Best of the Year” lists come December.
THANOS #1 hits your local comic book store this week, and Matt Sardo, the founder of Monkeys Fighting Robots takes a stroll through the pages of the issue and reflects on the reading material in the aftermath of AVENGERS: ENDGAME.
Listen to the podcast below:
About THANOS #1 of 6: THANOS IS DEAD! Executed by the deadliest assassin in the galaxy…his daughter, Gamora. But before their relationship came to a bloody end, how did it begin? Find out in this all-new miniseries by Tini Howard (MARVEL KNIGHTS 20TH and AGE OF CONAN: BELIT) and Ariel Olivetti (DEATH OF THE INHUMANS)!
Writer – Tini Howard
Artist – Ariel Olivetti
Color Artist – Antonio Fabela
Letterer – Joe Caramagna
Cover Artist – Jeff Dekal
Did you read THANOS #1 this week, what did you think? Comment below with your thoughts.
About the Monkeys Fighting Robots Podcast
Never heard of Matt Sardo? For starters, he made the Kessel Run in less than 11 parsecs. Prior to that, he gave Doc Brown the idea for the flux capacitor and led the Resistance to victory over SkyNet – all while sipping a finely crafted IPA. As a radio host, he’s interviewed celebrities, athletes and everyone in between. He’s covered everything from the Super Bowl to Comic-Con.
The Trickster has been a bit of a background character for a long time. While the Flash sees him as a threat, many readers see him as a discount Joker. In this storyline, however, he’s grown into his own being. As all of Central City is under his happiness mind control, Trickster prepares for his greatest trick. He takes revenge on the brutal Warden Wolfe and even gains the upper hand on the Flash. Barry teams up with Commander Cold to try and beat the colorful Rogue, but even then James Jesse defeated him. Trickster ended the last issue with his darkest trick: cutting off the Flash’s legs. How can the fastest man alive save the city without his legs?!
**Some Spoilers Below**
Story:
While Central City is distracted by their happiness, The Trickster orders the Rogues to rob every bank. While they get to work, James begins recording a video confession from Warden Wolfe about him erasing his files. In the holding area, Flash tries to get a grasp around his missing legs. Commander Cold, still under Trickster’s happiness mind control, deduces that all of his tricks are tied to the Sage Force. He then suggests they use their minds to break through the control. Cold is able to use his anger to break through the happiness and Flash uses his happiness to see through his trick of losing his legs. With the tricks undone, the pair get to work to stop the Trickster.
It’s nice to have a storyline that isn’t tied to a bigger story from time to time. While the Sage Force is involved, this story as a whole can be read without any real connection to the rest of the series. The finale here proved that perfectly. With little regard to the Force Quest storyline, we get a finale with great action and character moments. The best comes when Flash sees through his Leg trick. As he mentioned throughout the arc, he’s been carrying a lot recently. With his acceptance, Barry had regained his hope and happiness. It was a nice change from what he had been, and I can’t wait for the next present-day arc.
Art:
While I did compliment Kolins’ style last issue for fitting the dark turn of the Trickster, I’m still not a huge fan of it. Some parts stand out, such as Trickster attempting to murder his parents, but most of the comic look silly. A prime example of this was Flash using Cold’s tech, where he had these random blue disks covering his body. The only tech we’ve seen Cold use for the safe force was his glasses, which Barry has. So what were the disks for? We never get an answer. I will say that the colorwork is well done, with bright colors complimenting the style. This art might be some readers’ cup of tea, but it’s certainly not this one’s.
Conclusion:
Despite my gripes with the art, this is still a great conclusion to an excellent Flash arc. There are great action and character moments, as well as pay off for arcs that have been building for a while. We’ll need to wait for a while to see the ramifications in the present, but this issue sends off this arc on the highest note.
Criminal #4 by Ed Brubaker, Sean Phillips and Jacob Phillips returns to a ‘done in one’ single issue format with an excellent character study on re-occurring lowlife Ricky Lawless.
Criminal#4 Written by: Ed Brubaker Art by: Sean Phillips Colors by: Jacob Phillips
Story
Criminal #4, like the first issue, tells one single story between its covers. And like that excellent debut, the focus on character over crime makes it a standout. This tale is all about Ricky Lawless. Ricky is having a rough few days. He has been up for days, binging on speed given to him as payment for stealing cars. He is also looking to plan a robbery…or is he? And why is he calling his ex-girlfriend?
Brubaker uses first-person narration to get us into Ricky’s drug-addled brain and it works beautifully. Writing drug trips and druggy narration can easily fall into cliche and stereotype, but Brubaker avoids that by being subtle and by how well he knows how to write Ricky as a character by now. It’s also that love for the character that makes us care for him, despite what a piece of shit he usually is.
Not that there is no plot at all, as there are a few twists and turns that keep the narrative flowing, not to mention the usual easter eggs and call-backs for longterm Criminal fans.
Art
Sean Phillips and Jacob Phillips are in the top tier of comic art teams. The synergy and synchronicity the line work and colors have are unparalleled. Sean can capture emotion on faces like no one else, he is master at ‘reaction shots’. Jacob continues to experiment more and more with colors every issue; the use of full-color backgrounds in this chapter being a great example.
There is some fun lettering work too, especially with the occasional old-school word balloon that pops up frequently (helping to reminds us this is a comic book that loves being a comic book).
Conclusion
This series continues to be outstanding. If you’re not pulling this book weekly, then you are the criminal.
The Arkham Knight ramps-up the crusade against Batman in Detective Comics #1002. After a showdown in the park, the Knight manages to get his hands on someone very close to Bruce, attempting to turn a member of the Bat Family against him.
The Writing
Of course, the big questions are the Arkham Knight’s identity, and why he wants to dispose of Batman. While we don’t get the answers to those questions, there’s plenty of intrigue to be had in Detective Comics #1002.
The knights’ arrows are made of the same material as Batman’s armor, enabling them to pierce his suit. Plus, when one member of Bruce’s circle learns Arkham Knight’s identity, their exchange suggests the two are familiar. Tomasi does an excellent job of building tension throughout the book, clearly implying the Arkham Knight is someone well-known to Bruce, thus promising some great conflict in future issues.
Speaking of tension, the storytelling in Detective Comics #1002 has a great sense of dynamism. We build to multiple standoffs, but never lose momentum after one resolves. Instead, the tension lingers, adding additional layers to the story.
What makes the Arkham Knight a great antagonist is that the character is a physical embodiment of questions that have haunted Batman’s legacy for decades. Is what he does moral? Is his war on crime doing more harm than good? Readers can form an opinion, but it’s difficult to form an objective impression.
The Artwork
Bradley Walker provides some incredibly vibrant, dynamic pencil work in Detective Comics #1002. The character designs feel a bit cartoonish compared to the grittier, illustrated looks we’ve seen on recent Bat titles. However, the poised manner with which Walker composes panels makes it feel just as substantive.
The action is well-paced throughout, but it’s in the book’s first half where we can really appreciate the choreographed look. Andrew Hennessy provides the inks, which mesh well with Walker’s art style.
Nathan Fairbairn is on color duty again, offering an unusually-light palette for a Batman title. It’s an unconventional look, but it works well alongside the lines.
Final Thoughts
Detective Comics #1002 deepens an intriguing story, with quality artwork to bring the words to life. Great stuff.
It’s hard to follow up on the successful sci-fi story that was Image Comics’ DESCENDER series. But Jeff Lemire and Dustin Nguyen are moving forward with a fantastic sequel. ASCENDER, set 10 years after the original series’ events, reveals a world where technology has been all but extinguished by the Harvesters. Now the supreme wizard known as Mother commands the civilizations throughout the former United Galactic Council. She proclaims liberation, but are her subjects really free?
Story
The story places its initial focus on Mother and inhabitants of the planet Knossos. After arriving in her dragonlike transport, which doubles as a spaceship to compensate for the lack of technology, Mother asks to see the Knossosian’s prisoner of war.
Though the captive has since died, Mother shows off her powerful magical abilities by bringing him back to life for the purpose of interrogation. One can almost feel the Mother’s horrific breath as it emanates from her mouth, infusing the corpse with life once again.
Mother’s interrogation focuses on the man’s service in the USG military and whether he knows about a supposed magic wielder protecting what’s left of it. A sense of intrigue builds as we learn of this unknown being who may hold the power to topple Mother’s forces.
The story shifts its setting to the planet Sampson where we meet Mila, the daughter of Andy from DESCENDER. Mila and her father live in seclusion to avoid confrontation with Mother and her forces. The young girl is aware of the ever-present danger, but implores her father to let them experience human society less them remain hermits forever.
Mila yearns for the freedom to interact with the world as she sees fit. But with Mother running the show, will she be able to find it?
Art
Dustin Nguyen’s breathtaking artwork for the cover and inner story brings life to Lemiere’s narrative. His penciling combines light sketch marks to add layers of texture to each character. And the colors help readers distinguish the transitioning environments, such as the dull grays on the icy Knossos and the bright hues of the lush Sampson.
Steve Wands’ lettering is particularly helpful in allowing readers to grasp the story’s themes. He uses a robot-like font for the winged servants of Mother, showing how they function just like the machines she so despises. But the scribbled style of Mila’s internal dialogue is even more effective, fostering a sense of imagination and childlike wonder in the reader. It looks as if these sentences were taken straight from her diary.
Conclusion
ASCENDER #1 is the thrilling sequel opener fans of DESCENDER have been waiting for. By flipping the script from technology to magic, the storytellers are finding a way to unpack their surprising similarities.
Do you think this story will live up to the fame of DESCENDER? Let us know in the comments below!
