Convention season has arrived and the region’s first big one of the year is right around the corner, in Megacon Orlando, the Southeast’s largest pop culture event!
Fans of comics, science fiction, anime, gaming and cosplay will all descend upon the town that Mickey built, a collection of over 100,000 fans, across four days of fun. With over 400,000 square feet of space, attendees will have the opportunity to get autographs and photos, find numerous pop culture treasures and attend celebrity panels, including events exclusive to Megacon, like ‘Sketch Duels’, in which comic creators battle via sketches and ‘How to’ workshops, in building droids and learning to draw and paint.
Megacon Orlando kicks off at 4pm (ET) on Thursday, May 16, and runs through Sunday, May 19, at 5pm, in the North/South concourses at the Orange County Convention Center. Visit megaconorlando.com for all the information you’ll need and HERE for tickets.
Dark Red #2 hits your local comic shop on April 24th, but thanks to AfterShock Comics, Monkeys Fighting Robots has an exclusive seven-page preview for you.
The 32-page book is written by Tim Seeley, with art by Corin Powell, colors by Mark Englert, and letters by Marshall Dillon. Aaron Campbell worked on the cover.
Seeley does a great job at setting the tone of Dark Red right from the get-go. He takes us down the dark highway and into Nowhere, USA, with stereotypical characters that normally wouldn’t make it past the first few pages of a story. In the middle of it all is vampire protagonist Chip Ipswich, who doesn’t rip open the throat of a local drunk when confronted. Rather, he uses his power of persuasion to remain unassuming, to continue his humdrum existence in rural America. – via Michael Fromm’s review of Dark Red #1
About the issue: Rural vampire Chip is dragged from his boring life as a late night convenience store clerk and into a monstrous conspiracy, as he protects the ravishing vampiress Kamille from the Order of Eventide. Can Chip be the hero he always saw himself as?
Check out the Dark Red #2 preview below:
Did you read the first issue? Comment below with your thoughts on the series!
The Silencer #16 is out in comic shops on April 24th, but thanks to DC Comics, Monkeys Fighting Robots has an exclusive five-page preview for you.
The book is by Dan Abnett and V Ken Marion, with inks by Sandu Florea, colors by Mike Spicer, and letters by Tom Napolitano. Marion, Florea, and Arif Prianto worked on the cover.
About the issue: To save her husband’s life, the Silencer must do the unthinkable: reveal the secret of her double life! Desperate times call for desperate measures as the deranged and terrifyingly powerful Smoke inches closer to destroying everything Honor Guest holds dear. But you can bet this one mad mother won’t go down without a fight: it’s Silencer vs. Smoke for the fate of her family in this epic throwdown issue!
The Silencer was created by Abnett and John Romita Jr.
Check out The Silencer #16 preview below:
Are you reading The Silencer? Comment below with your thoughts on the series!
Runaways #20 is out April 24, but thanks to Marvel Comics, Monkeys Fighting Robots has an exclusive five-page preview to share with you.
The book is written by Rainbow Rowell and drawn by Andrés Genolet, with colors by Tríona Farrell and letters by Joe Caramagna. The cover is by Kris Anka, who launched the series with Rowell back in 2017 and is the series’ regular artist.
Marvel’s Runaways was co-created by Brian K. Vaughan and Adrian Alphona in 2003 and has become a fan-favorite series over the years. The team of young heroes were even given their own television show on Hulu set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, which just received an order for a third season this year.
This current Runaways series launched in 2017, as previously stated, and has become one of Marvel’s most critically acclaimed comics currently running. It landed itself on numerous “Best of 2018” lists, including individual awards for specific members of the creative team.
About the comic: The fallout from “That Was Yesterday” is still very much being felt. There’s rebuilding to do, both metaphorical and literal – Are the Runaways up for these repairs?
Check out the full preview:
Are you reading Runaways? Comment and let us know your thoughts on the series!
The first season of Derry Girls was a huge hit in the UK and Ireland upon its release. It won people over with its likable and relatable characters, sharp dialogue and great comedic situations. Channel 4 immediately commissioned a second season which has recently been broadcast in the British Isles. It has a lot to live up to.
Derry Girls follows four girls and a wee English fella in the city of Derry/Londonderry in the 1990s. This group sets out to have normal teenage lives, in the midsts of the high-tension Troubles.
Derry Girls was created by Lisa McKee who grew up in Northern Ireland during The Troubles and that’s what influenced the show. She wasable to combine relatable stories about growing up, outlandish scenarios, and show important issues involving The Troubles. And she does it with brilliantly written comedy, embracing ‘90s culture, and being politically neutral.
Within the UK there have been many shows that have tried to copy the formula and success of The Inbetweeners. Examples are BBC Three’s Some Girls and E4’s Drifters. But they often focus on the wrong part – the crude and gross-out humor. The real heart of that show was the characters and their dynamics.
McKee realized this because Derry Girls was about the friendship. The characters dynamics from The Inbetweeners is there, Erin (Saoirse-Monica Jackson) is the “normal” one, Clare (Nicola Coughlan) is the necrotic good girl, Orla (Louisa Harland) is as dim-witted as Neil and Michelle (Jamie-Lee O’Donnell) is the troublemaker. And Derry Girls has the added factor of Michelle’s English cousin James (Dylan Llewellyn).
The second season offered more the same which is just fair for Derry Girls fans. It came with six very strong episodes that included two involving the Peace Process and all having some sort of teenage shenanigans.
The funniest episode this season was “The Concert,” and the most emotional was “The Prom.” “The Concert” was a typical teen sitcom story. The group defies their parents and go to a Take That concert in Belfast. McKee was able to combine teenage rebellion, an absurd situation involving an escaped polar bear, and having jokes about regular situations and The Troubles. It was so funny that certain logic holes can be overlooked, like the girls accidentally causing a bomb scare.
“The Prom” as the title suggests was the prom episode. Its emotional heart was about Erin and the heartbreak she suffers. Fans have compared the episode to the Friends episode “The One With the Prom Video.” It was heart warming and adds fuel to the fan theory that Erin and James will end up together.
This humor throughout the season reminds strong. The dialogue exchanges and lines are as witty as ever. Sister Michael makes lots of biting comments and makes fun of other locations in Ireland. Claire and Orla were the comedic highlights in the season. Coughlan as Claire got to show her comedic range – as well as being a panicky girl Claire Coughlan showed first class drunk acting and a tougher side in the season finale. There needs to be more Drunk Claire and Punk-Ass Claire.
Harland as Orla was often a scene stealer. She often made outlandish statements like TheInbetweeners’ Neil which always raise a laugh. Harland could draw the eye even when in the background. Whether smiling when her friends are panicking or simply eating candy, she commanded the screen.
At times, the second season repeats plot beats and ideas from the first season. The first episode “Across the Barricade” ended the same way as the first season’s opening episode, “Ms De Brún and the Child of Prague.” The final two episodes of this season ended like the final episode of the first seasons, where an important moment happens in the girls life and in Northern Irish history at the same time.
Despite McKee repeating her own structure, she is able to take typical sitcom plots and twist them. This was the case when the girls running away to go to the concert and when Michelle has two dates for the prom.
The second season saw Derry Girls attracting more recognizable actors as guest stars, at least for British viewers. The most famous actor was Ardal O’Hanlon (Father Ted) who appeared in “The Curse.” His character played to his strengths – being nice but dim. The season’s guest stars also includedthe likes of Kerri Quinn (Coronation Street) and Bronagh Waugh (Hollyoaks) in guest roles. The best guests were Quinn as short tempted Pavarotti loving hawker and Judith Roddy who was able to play an inspiring yet self-absorbed teacher.
The second season of Derry Girls will easily please fans of the show, keeping what works. It is a hilarious and a breezy watch because there are only six episodes. Channel 4 has already commissioned a third season.
Nazgol “Naz” Goshtasbpour is a production designer with a quickly growing list of credits which starts somewhere around 2003 and extends to today with the CW series In The Dark about a young, blind woman who’s investigating the murder of a dear friend.
The comedy-drama stars Perry Mattfeld (Shameless) as Murphy Mason, the visually-impaired woman with a colorful love life and few friends. In The Dark premiered in April with a pilot directed by Michael Showalter (Wet Hot American Summer). Created by Corinne Kingsbury, the series is also produced by Ben Stiller (Mystery Men) and received a full-season order soon after the network viewed the pilot back in 2018.
PopAxiom spoke with Naz about being a production designer, RoboCop, and one of her favorite movies which happens to be one of mine, too. Read on, readers.
Inciting Incident
For Naz, working in film was a no-brainer “I was always fascinated by film and television.”
However, production design wasn’t the initial driving instinct “Early on I wanted to be an actress or a director. When I was 13, my mom took me to a talent agent and the way the agent talked to me … I just felt like it wasn’t for me.
Naz focused on “… directing and editing and basically anything else. At the time, I had no idea what an art department was.”
Naz was accepted into university “Two or three weeks before starting film school, I was covering a shift for someone at my part-time job, and the production designer, art director, and costume designer of a movie walked in. I ended up helping them pick out outfits for their movie.”
The young designer-to-be made the most of the opportunity “I was pretty naive, and I said ‘Hey if you need any volunteers …’ I ended up working as a PA.
Nat continued working on sets and finished film school while focusing on perfecting her portfolio then “… signed up for the guild in the art department and ten years later I was designing.”
You’re Coming With Me
Naz was working in the art department when the opportunity to work on RoboCop (2014) came her way “The first scene of the movie takes place in Tehran, Iran.” She continues, “At the time I was one of the only Iranians working in the art department. The production reached out to me, and I came on as a translator and to help design certain things like the signs, storefronts, graffiti. I worked with the set designer on the details.”
The designer was Martin Whist “… he paid a lot of attention to detail on that set. It was incredible. And then you see like three seconds of it in the film.”
About In The Dark
As with any project, In The Dark started with research into the lives of people living with blindness “The more I researched, the more I realized I didn’t know anything, and the more I researched.”
Naz thinks “… one of the reasons I got the job was because I asked ‘Why does she have a lamp in the bedroom?’ She’s blind, she wouldn’t care. She has sex with random strangers, so the last thing she would want is light or a lamp in the bedroom.”
That attention to reality is essential for Naz as she strives to “… Make every detail about Murphy’s life authentic.”
Whether it’s theatre, film, or television and whether you’re a writer, actor, or director “You have to really get into a person’s head, and the writers will come up with plenty of backstories for characters, but you kind of have your own little story for things about characters. A reason for those things being there.”
Murphy’s roommate underwent a similar thought process “For Jessie, we asked ‘What would someone like her have?’ We decided it was a mix of salvaged furniture and stuff from IKEA.”
That Favorite Film
The conversation shifts toward talking about influences when Naz asks me “Did you ever watch the movie Working Girl?”
I provided a full-disclosure answer “It’s one of my favorite movies.”
Naz continues “It’s one of my favorite movies too. Melanie Griffith is a strong female character who works her way up and makes something of herself.”
Connecting it back around to influence “Melanie Griffith says in the film that she reads anything and everything because you never know where inspiration is going to come from.”
For Naz, that simple philosophy lives on “I watch anything and everything because you never know. There are so many great designers out there.
Creative DNA
Who are some of her favorite production designers that make up your creative DNA? “I love the work of Donald Graham Burt who did Gone Girl … his style of design is so amazing.”
Naz continues “Wes Anderson movies with Adam Stockhausen are beautiful movies. He makes places seem almost like doll houses. I also love Dennis Gassner who worked on Road to Perdition. His work on Skyfall I absolutely loved.”
Naz adds one more name to the list “I watched a movie just last night Age of Adeline with Blake Lively. The work done there by Claude Pare was amazing.”
Wrapping Up
In her own words, Naz has worked on “… super-indie projects” where she had to “… make a dollar into a $100 somehow.”
What has that experience taught her? “Nothing scares me. As I’ve learned with every project, no matter the size of the production they all have the same problems. There’s never enough time, there’s never enough money.”
However, if it’s fear, Naz bends it to her positive will “It’s all fun challenges. And when you work with really nice people and creative people, it becomes that much more enjoyable.”
In The Dark is on its run on The CW every Thursday, so what’s next for Naz? “We finished shooting Glamorous, a pilot directed by Eva Longoria.” Naz pauses, then adds “A couple projects in the works but I don’t want to say too much and jinx it.”
To tend the convo and maybe throw a little energy out there into the world, Naz says “If and when there is a remake of Working Girl I’d really like to design it. That’s my dream.”
I know a writer who could help with that. 🙂
Thanks to Nazgol Goshtasbpour and Impact24 PR for making this interview possible.
Naomi wants to learn about where she comes from. After Superman comes to her little town, the teenager begins looking around for clues. Her search leads her to a large mechanic going by the name Dee. He reveals to her that he is a Thanagarian who escaped his life of war to come to Earth. Along the way, he lost his beloved, who Naomi assumed to be her mother. Dee reveals that is not the case, but he does know how she was found. Before he can answer, however, Naomi’s adopted parents come and take her away. She gets irritated and demands answers, so they decide to give them. Her father leads her to a cave by a lake, revealing a space ship inside, along with his Adam Strange-style suit. Who is Naomi’s father and how did he come to adopt her?
**Some Spoilers Below**
Story:
While in the cave, after his daughter’s moment of shock, Naomi’s father, Greg, explains his origin to her. It turns out he’s from the planet Rann and was a part of the first great Rann/Thanagar War. He was sent to Earth after learning one of Thanagar’s greatest warriors escaped to there. When Greg arrived, he soon found the warrior, Dee, but became distracted by his future wife. Time passes, Greg gets married, then one night both his and Dee’s alarms go off. They meet up at a football field in time to see a woman appear through a portal carrying a small bundle and getting chased by soldiers. Despite their pasts, they team up to fight off the soldiers but fail to save the woman. The bundle is revealed to be a baby Naomi, which Greg agrees to take care of.
This issue goes by extremely quick and doesn’t add much to the present day story. I get that Bendis is building Naomi’s mystery origin to an exciting reveal, but this is the second almost entire flashback issue the series has had. While that doesn’t always mean it’s terrible, it is beginning to get tedious. I did enjoy Greg’s story and how he changed from soldier to someone who wanted a family, as well as the action we get. The problem is that I’m slowly growing more interested in his and Dee’s story over Naomi’s. The upcoming issues need to stop beating around the bush and give us more of her journey in the present if Bendis wants people to stay.
Art:
Despite my concerns with the story, Jamal Campbell continues to impress with his art. The action sequences are epic in scale while the slower more intimate scenes are more emotional and straightforward. It walks this line of being beautiful and badass. When this comic picks up steam, I’m sure the art will continue to deliver.
Conclusion:
This chapter in Naomi’s story is a bit of a slip-up. While it isn’t terrible by any means, there isn’t enough to entice readers into coming back. The art of Campbell continues to be the consistent good this series has, but this reviewer is not giving up on the story quite yet.
The Magnificent Ms. Marvel #2 follows immediately from our last issue. It’s a fun read, but offers little in the way of surprises.
The book picks up with Kamala rushing to discover what happened to her parents, and how she can rescue them. With some help from Bruno, she follows the clues, ultimately leading to a revelation…at least for her.
The Writing
At the beginning of the first issue, it’s directly stated that there’s an interplanetary “chosen one” aspect to the story. While it’s an interesting direction, the result of providing that foreknowledge is that a lot of what comes before ends up feeling like a prologue. And, that seems to be the dominant sense here.
Much of the appeal in The Magnificent Ms. Marvel #2 is (unsurprisingly) focused on our titular character. Watching Kamala work is always fun, as the character has an inherent charm and warmth. It’s also interesting to get Bruno’s perspective on the situation via narration. That said, the book doesn’t offer too much outside of that. There’s a brief encounter with a former foe that doesn’t really impact the plot. Other than that, the book leads to where it’s already projected to go.
Where we leave off reveals her role in the larger story, opening the door that gets the broader narrative underway. While not intensely compelling on its own, The Magnificent Ms. Marvel #2 keeps up the reader’s interest, making you want to keep reading and see what will happen in successive issues.
The Artwork
The artwork by Minkyu Jung and Juan Vlasco is still strong overall in this issue. The pencils retain the same sense of dynamism present in the first issue, and action sequences have plenty of energy. In terms of layout, though, it’s a bit fragmentary, not always flowing with tight cohesion. However, when Jung pulls back into a larger illustration for emphasis, it’s well-motivated.
The bulk of The Magnificent Ms. Marvel #2 is fixed on Kamala and Bruno. While the former is very expressive and well-drawn, Bruno’s facial expressions and movements are points that fall a little flat. More often than not, we see him with a stony, stiff face that clashes with the tone of the scene.
Ian Herring employs the same softer colors seen in the first book. Here, as much of the episode takes place at night, we see more vibrant, purplish and greenish hues dominate, giving it an interesting look.
Final Thoughts
The Magnificent Ms. Marvel #2 does what it needs to in order to move the story. It’s not an incredibly exciting issue on its own, but it promises some interesting stuff is right around the corner.
Previously in Justice League, old man Superman was the World Forger in disguise, who revealed to the League the only way to create the utopian multiverse – which comes at a significant cost. Surprisingly, the team found themselves divided on the matter.
In Justice League #22, the prime Multiverse continues to descend into chaos, courtesy of Mr. Mxyzptlk. As the Legion of Doom swoops in to save the day, the story takes a brief tangent through the origin of Perpetua, her children, and the Multiverse.
**Some Spoilers Below**
Story
The Multiverse is teetering on the brink, and Lex Luthor’s Legion of Doom is poised for victory. But as the combined intellects of Brainiac and the world’s smartest man make their move toward conquering the keys to the sixth dimension, a much bigger power grows on the horizon. At last, the final form of Perpetua takes her shape, and the DCU will never be the same again!
Writing
James Tynion IV takes over writing for Scott Snyder in Justice League #22, and veers away from “Sixth Dimension” main narrative. Instead, he takes readers back 20 billion years to the creation of everything.
One of the reasons the previous few issues of JL are so beloved is that, despite its incalculable scope, it is still a human story full of heart and humor. The members of the League are in awe as they discover this idyllic possibility of a future, and find themselves divided as they debate the ramifications if they pursue it.
With Justice League #22, Tynion pens a fable that, while missing the heart of the last three issues, is still a worthy entry in this series. It is a bit jarring to have the story make a sudden stop and jettison backward, but Tynion makes up for it by scribing an intriguing creation myth for the DC Multiverse. He also reveals how Perpetua was imprisoned in the Source Wall to begin with, and why Earth is such an important piece of the Multiverse.
The standout story-line in this issue of Justice League is in its first few pages, with Mera, Starman and Jarro attempting to tame the out-of-control Mr. Mxyzptlk. The Legion of Doom arrives just in the nick of time with an inter-dimensional secret weapon – Bat-Mite. The reality warping altercation between these two will hopefully make for fun story and artwork in the coming issues.
Art
Francis Manapul’s art is as epic as the story. If anything, readers should pick up the book to take a look at the artwork. His line-work is bold and rigid, crafting statuesque characters. These cosmic gods are intimidating, yet wondrous. Much like Jorge Jimenez, Manapul easily conveys Justice League‘s scope and magnitude.
Manapul’s use of color is much less vivid than Jimenez’s work in the previous issues of Justice League. His use of a hazy, cloudy overlay in each panel makes his work otherworldly, and dreamlike.
Conclusion
Justice League #22 is pure exposition, as if this story really needed any more. It’s a worthwhile read with interesting dollops of world-building. However, the series works better when it is moving forward, and sticks with its main characters.
What did you think of Justice League #22? Let us know in the comments!
Bruce finally discovers how he can break free of the nightmares, and also deduces the culprits responsible in Batman #69. The key is to uncover his greatest fear: the answer to a question he was too afraid to ask.
The Writing
In terms of broader theme, a discussion of whether or not Batman should—or even can—have a happy life is central to the discourse surrounding Tom King’s run. Without offering spoilers, suffice to say Batman #69 comes down on one side of that debate in very certain terms. This could prove to be a polarizing issue as a result. Readers’ reactions to that conclusion will depend on which side of the question one lands on.
Looking solely at the writing, though, Batman #69 is refreshingly purposeful. Coming off a few weak recent issues, this book seems intent to make up for it, pushing the narrative forward with intent. That said, some of the story ends up condensed into exposition, delivered via dialogue toward the issue’s end. Not ideal, but not a deal-breaker.
Batman #69 splits its time between Batman trying to break free, and the culprits behind his torture. While it’s no surprise that Bane has a hand in the plot, the individual working alongside him comes as a surprise. It’s an interesting twist based on a plot point seeded dozens of issues ago. It’s too soon to say with confidence how it will pan out in the story, though.
The Artwork
Yanick Paquette provides solid artwork for this issue. He divides the book in an interesting manner; many of the panels featuring Bane are tightly-cropped, stark, and gridded. In contrast, pages following Bruce and Selina are much more free-flowing, often opening into two-page spreads. You feel the sentiment behind the latter, and the cold ruthlessness and rage behind the former.
One complaint about Batman #69 is the facial expressions, which can sometimes look a bit lifeless and static. In one panel, you can clearly feel Bane’s rage; in another, he feels flat. The same goes for Selina, who looks a little dead-eyed from time to time. Overall, though, there’s a lot more here that works than that doesn’t.
Nathan Fairbairn’s work on colors complements Paquette’s inks nicely. The wide palette of unnatural colors employed throughout gives everything a stylish look and highlights the dreamlike qualities.
Final Thoughts
Batman #69 bounces back from a few weak prior chapters, delivering a stronger close to the Knightmares storyline. This issue will divide fans, perhaps even more than the wedding itself. That said, the book is well-executed, and gets us back on narrative track.
