INTERVIEW: Production Designer Caylah Eddleblute And Creating The World Of Alita: Battle Angel

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March 8, 2019

Living-legend director James Cameron and pretty-close-to-living-legend Robert Rodriguez joined forces for the science fiction action film Alita: Battle Angel. Based on a popular Japanese franchise, production designer Caylah Eddleblute, along with co-production designer Steve Joyner was in charge of bringing this world to life.

Caylah is no stranger to fantastic worlds like that of Alita. Caylah’s filmography includes places like the Predator training grounds in Predators and the mysterious, mean streets of Sin City. Now, her incredible work is on display in a massive film from the minds of two wildly visionary directors.

PopAxiom fought off cyborg ninjas through dark alleys between towering skyscrapers made of glass to speak with Caylah about being a production designer and working on Alita: Battle Angel.

Taming The Beast

Caylah’s worked on films for nearly thirty years. If you’re a fan of the late 80s/early 90s action films, you might remember a series called Beastmaster. Caylah worked on Beastmaster 2: Through the Portal of Time. It’s a guilty pleasure of mine so bear with me. Caylah talks Beastmaster “That was definitely in the early days. Steve Joyner and I were working with Nigel Klinker … Beastmaster was shooting up by Lake Powell.”

Being a master of beasts required there to be some impressive creatures on set “… there were tigers involved.”

Caylah reveals more about working with the huge cats “One of the things of working on something like Beastmaster is that it trains you to become situationally aware. We worked with an animal trainer, and we had a specific regimen to make sure that the animals aren’t startled.”

If they were startled, Caylah and the crew “… learned that running is the worst thing to do when confronted by a predator animal. The minute you run, you are prey.” File that under things you won’t learn in film school.

Working With Robert

Caylah’s spent a lot of time around Robert Rodriguez having worked with him on just about everything since From Dusk Til Dawn in 1996, including the Spy Kids series and The Faculty. About the filmmaker, she says “Robert loves to edit. Editing is his true passion I think. He shoots and edits in such a syncopated manner,” Caylah adds “He’s got such a great rhythm to his work.”

What about the connection between Robert and James Cameron? “Robert and Jim have been friends for a long time. Their careers kind of evolved in parallel.”

About Alita

Now we’re at Alita. For those not in the know, the story of Alita started out in 1990 as a manga called Gunnm which was later made into an anime commonly known as Battle Angel. Long story short, it’s a story about loss and rediscovery set in a future world and a place called Iron City “… it’s a 62,000 square foot set.” For the record, at this moment I repeated, very slowly … sixty-two thousand square foot set.

Caylah tells us more about the Iron City set “If you go in, you feel like it’s a real city. The scale and texture, those are things that add dimension to an environment, and we really focused on that.”

Deeper Into Iron City

The attention to detail for creating Iron City must also be pragmatic “At the same time, we could redress any street at any time to make Iron City bigger so-to-speak. So, any street could shoot, day or night, as a different street. So that helped us expand Iron City beyond what we built.”

Alita has a big budget, but that doesn’t mean you don’t try to maximize everything possible “The iconic Kansas Bar, that set only plays the Kansas Bar for one sequence. The rest of the time, it’s dressed as different sets.”

However, not all of Iron City was real “We had a great visual FX supervisor, Richard Hollander, he worked on the original Blade Runner. We worked closely together.”

Iron City was built to a height of twenty-four feet “That lets us cover all the action and gave the visual effects team a baseline to build all the vertical parts of the city digitally.”

Rodriguez is not shy about digital sets, having used them extensively throughout many films. But Caylah reveals “James Cameron believes that a set, a real set, can ground a science fiction movie. So we paid a lot of attention to detail while building everything. We made things look worn, we had steam, moss.”

Every word about the work done to create Alita has a distinct sense of pride. Caylah adds “We still have Iron City standing at Troublemaker Studios so I would love to dive into that world again.”

Manga And Movie

James Cameron famously fell in love with Alita back in the 90s when Guillermo DelToro introduced him to the manga. Since as early as 2000, he’s been working towards making a movie happen “We met with Jim during pre-production. He had this beautiful concept art that he’d commissioned back in 2004 or 2005. So we had a foundation on which to begin.”

Super-fans of the manga and subsequent anime films are wondering how closely the film will follow the source material. Rodriguez made fans proud with his Sin City movies. Caylah tells us that the same love exists “Robert had the first three volumes of the manga scanned and we printed out each page. We had three binders so that we could refer to the original story.”

Wrapping Up

As a production designer, what’s a recent film that blew Caylah’s mind from her perspective “Mortal Engines. That movie took me into the world, and I had fun. I was captivated. Such a creative environment.”

What’s next from Caylah? “There are a number of things coming down the pipe … none of which I can talk about yet. I’m looking forward to all of it.” Who doesn’t love a little mystery?

Thanks to Caylah Eddleblute and Impact24 PR for making this interview possible.

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DC Comics Exclusive Preview: HAWKMAN #10

By

Anthony Composto - EIC

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March 7, 2019

Hawkman #10 is out in comic shops on March 13th, but thanks to DC Comics, Monkeys Fighting Robots has an exclusive five-page preview for you.

The book is by Robert Venditti and Bryan Hitch, with inks by Andrew Currie (alongside Hitch), colors by Jeremiah Skipper, and letters by Starkings & Comicraft. Hitch and Alex Sinclair worked on the main cover, while Cully Hammer did the variant.

About the issue:
“London Falling” part two! The Deathbringers have arrived, and no one is safe! As Hawkman struggles to protect London from the devastation, he’s attacked by Idamm and his army at every turn. Carter will need to figure out a solution—and fast!—if he’s going to save the Earth. The answer lies in his past lives—but which one?

Hawkman has been one of DC’s most consistently well-received and well-reviewed comics since it launched last June in the wake of Dark Nights: Metal.

Check out the full HAWKMAN #10 preview here:

Are you reading Hawkman? Comment below with your thoughts on the series!

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Review: Inside A Clichéd Mind With A WALK THROUGH HELL #8

By

Darryll Robson

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Getting inside the mind of a killer is never going to be pretty so it’s no surprise that Garth Ennis’ A Walk Through Hell is a disturbing and uncomfortable read. AfterShock Comics are all about pushing boundaries and allowing their creators to tell the stories they want to tell.

A Walk Through Hell is a comic that couldn’t exist at most other publishers but AfterShock’s commitment allows Ennis and artist Goran Sudzuka to run with their ideas. This freedom allows the creators to tell whatever story they please, no matter how unpleasant.

Writing/Story

Agents Shaw and McGregor conduct their interview on the convicted criminal Paul Carnahan. Their hope is to find clues about the situation that they have found themselves in but is Carnahan’s grim life story what they need to hear?

Ennis does not hold back on the violence and degradation that is Carnahan’s life story. From the opening scene with a young Paul murdering his family, to the time the teenage boy spent in juvenile detention, everything that Paul describes is the very worst experience you could image.

It is all laid out in a matter of fact way giving the story a horrific atmosphere. Even with the interruptions from the two agents breaking up the story A Walk Through Hell #8 is not an easy read. It could be argued that if you pick up a Garth Ennis comic you can’t complain about the content, by now you should know what you are getting, but some of the contents of this issue do seem to be there for shock value only. The idea that Carnahan was learning how to survive in ‘the system’ is relevant to the story but the constant revelling in depravity is too much.

The characters don’t get to grow in this issue, even though it is a life story about one of them. After the initial opening scene with voice over, you don’t learn much more about Carnahan aside from his indifference to life. The two agents become nothing more than sounding boards to bounce Carnahan’s life off. The worst part is that much of this issue is disturbing but none of it is new; it’s a clichéd emotionless psychopath.

Interior Art — A Walk Through Hell #8 Credit: AfterShock Comics

Art

The saving grace of this issue of A Walk Through Hell is Goran Sudzuka’s art work. His pen work is clean and precise. He uses mostly thin lines to outline the cast and props allowing Ive Svotcina’s color work to provide the shadows and depth.

Sudzuka breathes life into the characters on a greater level than the script does in this issue. His facial expressions, and expressionistic eyes especially, draws the reader into the scenes and helps them to witness the horrors first hand. It is during the action sequence at the beginning where Sudzuka’s art is the most effective but he also manages to give the interview scenes an element of life and emotion.

Svoticina’s coloring throughout this issue of A Walk Through Hell is of a consistently high quality. All of the atmosphere is created via the interplay of light and dark. The flashback sequences have a different tone to the interview room which is soaked in a queasy grey/green color.

The lettering although well placed by Rob Steen is nothing special. Maybe it’s because of the characters themselves, but the speech doesn’t have any pace or emotion to it. It reads very flat for most of the issue with no emphasis given to words or phrases. This does help the overall uncomfortable atmosphere, and could possibly be an extension of the indifference of the central character. Unfortunately, the speech becomes monotonous because of this.

Interior Art for A Walk Through Hell — A Walk Through Hell #8 Credit: AfterShock Comics

Conclusion

There is some amazing talent working on A Walk Through Hell and the opening story arc was an engrossing read. Issue 8, however, doesn’t have the same impact and reads more like a run of the mill Ennis comic. In the past Ennis has pushed the boundaries well beyond the line but in these pages it seems like he is just putting ticks in the boxes on his ‘disturbing life’ list.

The artwork still manages to draw the reader in. All of the horrific and uncomfortable elements in this issue are provided by the art, not the script. The coloring adds much needed atmosphere but the characters lack depth and barely achieve anything greater than being a cliché.

A Walk Through Hell has been an interesting, modern horror story but is it losing its way?

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Exclusive AfterShock Preview: Phil Hester And Ryan Kelly’s STRONGHOLD #2

By

Matthew Sardo

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March 7, 2019

Stronghold #2 hits your local comic book store on March 20, but thanks to AfterShock Comics, Monkeys Fighting Robots has an exclusive four-page preview for you.

The book is written by Phil Hester, with art by Ryan Kelly, colors by Dee Cunniffe, and letters by Simon Bowland. The cover of Stronghold #2 is by Kelly as well.

About the issue:
As Michael Grey investigates the global conspiracy dedicated to concealing from him his mysterious past, he learns the enemies he created in that forgotten life are decidedly not of this earth. Tragic romance and cosmic horror collide in this second issue of Hester and Kelly’s epic saga.

Check out the preview below with commentary from Hester:

HESTER ON WHAT THE BOOK IS ABOUT AND WHY HE’S EXCITED FOR IT TO COME OUT:

“Stronghold is about a college student and delivery driver named Claire who has fallen in love with a sad sack insurance adjuster on her delivery route named Michael Grey. Claire also happens to belong to a centuries-old secret society called The Stronghold who believes this insurance adjuster is actually an immortal, amnesiac elder god whose awakening would ignite a cosmos-wide Armageddon.

Like all young people, Claire feels restless in her strict faith, but when she tests it by revealing herself to Grey, the results threaten to destroy not only her order, but the world. On the run from The Stronghold, alien enemies, and Grey’s own broken, haunting memories, they both realize that for their love to be born, Earth must die.

A story that begins as a lively, adventurous romance spins into a deeper, darker science fiction tale of existential terror and ultimate sacrifice. It’s very much in the flavor of past work of mine like The Coffin and Deep Sleeper (both with Mike Huddleston). If that’s not enough to hook you, come for Ryan Kelly’s amazing artwork, which alone is worth the cover price. He’s really leveled up on this one. As an artist myself, I’m in awe.”

HESTER ON SOME OF THE PRIMARY INFLUENCES THAT LED HIM TO THE BOOK:

“Like every kid, I was enthralled by “hidden destiny” stories like King Arthur, The Prydain Chronicles, and then as a young adult, stuff like Mage and Dune. As I matured, I saw how these stories were much more than wish fulfillment or simple power fantasies, but cautionary tales about how stepping onto the heroic stage often costs you your personal happiness. I wanted to take that one step further and ask, what if pulling the sword from the stone not only wrecked your life, but all life? Is claiming your identity worth annihilating everything you love? Is taking that red pill worth ruining everyone else’s lives?”

HESTER ON BALANCING THE TELLING OF AN INTIMATE ROMANCE AGAINST A BACKDROP DEPICTING A CATACLYSMIC STORY OF LITERAL EARTH-SHATTERING PROPORTIONS:

“Nothing heightens the unreality of a fantastical story like keeping the real aspects of it authentic. What makes Stephen King’s work scary isn’t the big bad monster as much as how effectively he contrasts it with the reality of everyday life. The most frightening parts of The War of the Worlds radio broadcast or the original Night of the Living Dead film are hearing and seeing the mundane media reports struggling to grasp the bizarre events. To maintain that contrast, I sort of have to keep a bright line in my mind between the down-to-earth details of falling in love and the vast cosmic cataclysm yawning underneath everyone’s feet. If a reader can feel the authenticity of the relationship, they’ll feel like they have a stake in its success or failure in the face of these otherworldly forces.”

Are you reading AfterShock comics? Comment below with your favorite titles and your thoughts.

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Review: THE GOON Is Back In All Its Glory

By

Anthony Composto - EIC

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After an almost four-year hiatus, The Goon is back at Albatross Funnybooks, and it comes back without missing a beat.

The series is written and illustrated by its creator, Eric Powell. Colors are by Rachael Cohen and Powell.

For the uninitiated, the comic follows Goon and Franky, two small-time thugs who fight zombies, gangsters, and all sorts of other monsters in their small town. And if you are uninitiated, have no fear: you can jump right into The Goon #1 without having read the prior series. One of Goon‘s greatest strengths has always been how easily accessible it is. New readers can jump into the story at any point, and this new volume is no exception.

Everyone can breath a sigh of relief, because Powell gives fans exactly what they want in this return. The Goon is as great as it ever was. The humor you love is back, as are the crass remarks and explosive fistfights. And Powell’s art has only gotten better.

It’s hard to explain what exactly makes Eric Powell’s work on The Goon so great. He creates a tone that just enamors and hypnotizes you. His inking and coloring is so distinct. It can be sketchy and rough, which just enhances the tone, and it adds depth to the work, as well as this dreamy, ethereal atmosphere. It’s like there’s a constant fog over this creepy and mysterious world that pulls you in and keeps you there.

Rachael Cohen joins Powell on colors, a change from Dave Stewart, who colored much of the original run. The change is noticeable, and you can tell which panels Cohen colored as opposed to Powell, but it’s also welcome. Cohen still captures the spirit of The Goon in her work, while giving this new series a fresh feel.

As far as the humor goes, Powell makes you laugh out loud throughout this entire debut issue. It’s a return to the very early days of the series. The jokes come at you fast and furious, and Powell is a master of comedy. The way he structures jokes, the way he paces and executes them, it’s just brilliant. And it’s not even just jokes; sometimes just the way a character talks will make you chuckle. Plus, the visual gags kill just as hard as the written ones

Look, The Goon is a lot of things. Yes, it’s horror. It’s noir. It’s comedy. But above all else, it’s its own thing unto itself. It’s The Goon, and it looks, sounds, and feels like no other comic you’ve ever read.

And listen, we’ve talked a lot about comedy and monster fighting here, but if this is your entry to The Goon, know that there’s so much more to this series than just that. This comic has serious heart. It has the power to wreck you emotionally, and it has abused that power in the past. It’s one of the single most beautiful comics this reviewer has ever read, both visually and thematically, and that’s why it’s endured over all these years.

We can rave about The Goon all day, but the bottom line is that you have to read it yourself to understand the hype. It’s something you have to experience firsthand, but be warned: once you enter this world, there’s no leaving.

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Review: MEET THE SKRULLS #1 is a Family Spy Story Done Right

By

David DeCorte

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What happens when you take a 90s-style family sitcom, but switch out the charming, all-American family for Skrull invaders, and the day-to-day tribulations for a sinister interplanetary plot? You get Meet the Skrulls #1.

Skrulls are embedded throughout human society, disguised as ordinary people. Our narrative settles on one Skrull family in particular, the Warners. Their mission is to uncover details about the mysterious Project Blossom, all in service of conquering Earth to host their new throneworld. While the “spies hidden in plain sight” thing may not sound too new, there’s a lot here that works.

The Writing

Similar to shows like The Americans, Meet the Skrulls #1 relies on a family of protagonists carrying out espionage work. The characters check all the right boxes: the gruff father who hides a sensitive side, the caring mom, and the outsider teenager. Scratch the surface, though, and you find a lot more going on.

Much of the issue’s intrigue focuses on Project Blossom, the project the Skrulls are moving desperately to stop. At the same time, they’re being hunted by an unnamed man in a black coat working for the project, who appears like a character out of a stylized Western. However, there’s another dimension of storytelling at work, too.

One of the greatest strengths of Meet the Skrulls #1 is its understated storytelling. Tight dialogue hints at underlying tensions and threads to develop in later issues. Often, though, Thompson allows visual cues from artist Niko Henrichon to fill-in the gaps. Numerous panels allude to a third Warner child lost in the battle. But, rather than just plant that idea for cheap drama, Thompson uses it as an opportunity to build emotional sentiment, to the point that you actually begin to empathize with the family intent on destroying humanity.

The Artwork

As mentioned above, Niko Henrichon’s artwork plays a key storytelling role. It’s rare to see a writer/artist team so clearly in-sync. Even beyond that, though, it’s still excellent work even on its own.

He employs a lighter, penciled line style, which is filled-out by vibrant and heavy colors. While there is not much action in this first issue, he keeps things dynamic in the way he composes panels. Henrichon does an excellent job of capturing minor expressions, and conveying their weight.

Final Thoughts

Meet the Skrulls #1 offers great, understated storytelling and fantastic artwork. It takes what could be a goofy concept, and injects a surprising level of complexity. Highly recommended.

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Review: Enter The Labyrinth With OBERON #2

By

Darryll Robson

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The stage is set; the characters have taken their places; and all await the unravelling of Oberon’s plan. The second issue of AfterShock Comics fantasy adventure leaves the mortal world behind and takes the reader into a magical land.

Brimming with character and adventure, this second issue faces the difficult challenge of transitioning totally from the real world into the imagined.

Writing/Story

Bonnie is still reeling from the news that she is adopted and waking up in the tree house of a Fairy King simply adds to her culture shock. Luckily Nicholas Walker, man servant, is on hand to dispense food and a touch of wisdom.

And then Oberon himself makes his grand entrance, ready for the adventure ahead.

Ryan Parrott writes his characters as if they are from a lavish stage production: all but Bonnie that is. This approach is perfect for a tale of this nature as it has all the hall markings of a Sandman comic and revels in the performance of each character.

In contrast Bonnie is written with a down to Earth attitude and almost a resistance to the magical elements that she is faced with. The stark difference between the central characters are apparent on each page. Oberon is larger than life and every time he speaks you get the impression his voice fills the room he is in. Bonnie on the other hand is small in size and stature. She is often depicted smaller than the other characters, viewed from above or it is shown that others have to physically come down to her level.

This contrast in presence is Parrott’s way of reminding the reader who is, currently, in charge of the situation. Many schemes and plots are in process, some of which still aren’t known to the reader, but Oberon is in charge of them all. Bonnie is a lost girl looking for guidance, in the same way as the reader is.

Parrott fills the plot with an array of mysteries and intrigues, drawing inspiration from the old Shakespearean tradition. As this second act unfolds, the writer is not afraid to introduce many more characters and plot threads. It may take some readers a second read through to pick up on all of the comings and goings but the poetic writing makes this a pleasure not a chore.

Art

One element of the comic that every reader will revisit before reaching the end of the issue is Bonnie’s journey into the maze. This forms an important part of the narrative but there is a wonderful trick that the artist employs to enhance the difficulty that Bonnie has.

This sequence, like much of the comic, is a call back to another famous fantasy; in this case Labyrinth. The setup is slightly different but the early onset of frustration that Bonnie feels is the same as the one Sarah feels in that movie. The way that Milos Slavkovic handles it is simply wonderful and you may not even notice it at first.

The rest of the comic shows off Slavkovic’s creative brilliance and attention to detail. Whereas the first issue was very grounded in reality, for the most part, the artist has really let his imagination flow for this second issue. Oberon’s world is full of wonder and spectacle. Slavkovic also manages to cram in a large number of ominous omens which mirror Oberon’s double dealings. Images of skulls and imprisonment are subtly, and not so subtly, entwined into the fabric of the world building.

Taking a lead from Parrott’s flamboyant central character, Slavkovic has produced an over the top, theatrical stage for Oberon’s story to be told. In other comics this would be too much but here, his style is spot on.

The letter, Charles Pritchett, adds another layer of theatrics to the show. His speech balloons give the characters’ voice emphasis with additional support by the bolding of text. The script becomes a performance in Pritchett’s lettering style so much so that it’s difficult not to read each character in a different voice. This is especially true in the conversation between Oberon and Mother Mayie. The contrast between them is brought to life by the opposing speech balloons. A lot of the characterisation of these two is brought out through their speech, which is as it should be for a theatrical piece like this.

Conclusion

The story relies heavily on familiar themes and references, something which may put people off. However, Parrott and co are not doing anything that Neil Gaiman didn’t do when plundering older literature for his Sandman comics. The characters and situations may seem familiar but it is the way that they are made different that marks Oberon out as an enjoyable read. Noticing the differences is part of the game.

The art work is superb with close attention to detail and emotion. It is comical in places and stomach turning in others. The only time there is a drop in art standards is when there is fast action. Here the characters are stilted, more amateur dramatics than Royal Shakespeare Company. However, this does not mar the rest of the comic, and these moments are kept to a minimal. It’s just not that type of comic.

Oberon is enjoyable, clever and deliberately over the top. It is well on its way to becoming a fantasy series worth watching for.

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Dan DiDio On DC’s Plans For GREEN ARROW

By

Kevin Sharp

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March 6, 2019

This week’s Green Arrow #50 officially marks the end of the series’ Rebirth incarnation that started back in 2016. Now we have word from DC Co-Publisher Dan DiDio that plans are underway for a new series that will make the Emerald Archer “part of the bigger DCU.”

DiDio spoke on video to “DC Daily” about Green Arrow‘s end and eventual new beginning.

“It’s a milestone issue – it’s also the last issue, which is kind of interesting. The book is still performing well for us, but we decided to end the story there because we wanted Green Arrow to play very intricately in a lot of the stories and events that are about to take place across the DCU.”

Comic series are ended and restarted regularly, so you may be wondering what the news is here. Let’s go back to February, when Green Arrow co-writer Jackson Lanzing went on Twitter to discuss DC’s surprise decision to end the book. He wrote that initial plans were for him and Collin Kelly to do “a long run”:

The pair apparently had full support from DC to wrap up old Green Arrow story threads (including some from Heroes In Crisis) before moving on into their new, long form adventures. Lanzing continued:

Now, in DiDio’s words:

“We didn’t want to run in two sepArate directions. So we’re bringing one story to close and let this other chapter going [sic]. But to be very frank with you, we will have another Green Arrow book. He’s one of my favorite characters.”

DiDio used the transition from a Green Lanterns series to Grant Morrison and Liam Sharp’s Green Lantern as an example of his thought process here:

“Every once in a while you need to do a reset. You saw that with ‘Green Lanterns’ to ‘Green Lantern’ with Grant Morrison, so I feel that with Green Arrow we wanted to… show how he’s part of the bigger DCU again, then spin him out.”

You can watch DiDio’s entire “DC Daily” interview here; his Green Arrow comments come around the 7:40 mark.

Have you been picking up Green Arrow? Are you looking forward to seeing what DC’s new plans are for the character? Lets us know in the comments!

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Review: DOOMSDAY CLOCK #9 Sets Up For The End

By

Jose "Jody" Cardona

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The Doomsday Clock continues to tick.

The world of Doomsday Clock exploded in more ways than one. The hero Firestorm gets pulled from the sky by civilians in Moscow during a protest. In self-defense, the nuclear hero unleashed his powers, turning the crowds into glass. He runs to Khandaq to seek sanctuary and to begin working to find a way to reverse it. Superman soon joins Firestorm and with their joint efforts find a way to reverse it. The pair head back to Moscow, but the pair are met with hostility. Superman defends Firestorm, causing the world to turn on him as they have with the other Metahumans. During the fight that breaks out, an explosion goes off, killing hundreds of civilians and knocking out Clark. What will happen with the world’s greatest hero injured and hated?

**Some Spoilers Below**

Story:

Shortly after the Moscow incident, the Justice League and other major teams leave the Earth. They do this as they have located the source of the explosion on Mars. That source is supposedly Doctor Manhattan, but Batman is skeptical. While he is recovering from the Moscow incident, he sends a message to the League, which will take around thirteen minutes.

Meanwhile, Superman has been knocked out cold by the explosion. In his comatose state, the world turns against him. People march on the Hall of Justice, the president tweets his disapproval, and Russia demands blood. The only one who gives any hope of bringing the true mastermind to justice is Lex Luthor.

When I read the opening pages, I was worried that we were going just to get fan service. Watching all our heroes get wrecked by Manhattan could have been a disservice to what made Watchmen great. However, I couldn’t help but smile watching Manhattan study each attack on him. He doesn’t even fight back. He just takes each of the powers and studies them as they come at him. It was quite entertaining.

The only negative I can think of is that Lex Luthor just comes out of nowhere. Not that his sudden appearance is unbelievable, it’s the fact we haven’t seen him since issue the fifth issue. It feels like Geoff Johns suddenly remembered that these conspiracies and master plans Ozymandias is up to is right up Lex’s alley, so he needs to be the one to reveal it. If Doomsday Clock has a more solid release schedule, I would probably be okay with it. When you have such large gaps in the story, however, it doesn’t do wonders to the flow.

Art:

Doomsday Clock continues to be the best looking book DC is putting out. The illustrations hook readers in and drag them into the world. From every battle to every expression, the level of detail is out of this world. With the story and art on the same level, it almost forgives the amount of time in between releases.

Conclusion:

You can tell how good a comic is when the biggest complaint is the release schedule. Focusing more on action than emotion, this issue Is a thrill with every page. The art takes the story further with the masterful level of details. Doomsday Clock is setting up for a universe-shaking, and I for one can’t wait.

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[Review] THE DREAMING #7 Wakes Up in the Human Realm

By

Michael Fromm

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THE DREAMING concluded its first arc in the dynamic and dramatic previous issue. Battles were had, revelations were made, and one can’t help but admire the complexity of the story being told. In this latest issue, we step away from the Dreaming as the dust settles after the epic bout with Judge Gallows to a focus on what Daniel has been up to since THE SANDMAN UNIVERSE #1.

**Some Spoilers Below**

Story:

A pale god has wandered the Earth, banished and bound. For one ill-fated family, he leaves only the wreckage of a cataclysmic romance. As the Dreaming convalesces after its recent upheavals, at long last it’s time to follow the footsteps of its absent master. But we must tread lightly. For where Dream walks, heartbreak follows.

Writer Simon Spurrier delivers an emotional, human story about dealing with things that are beyond our control. We are (re)introduced to some characters we’ve met earlier, including Rose Walker, who first appeared in Neil Gaiman’s original SANDMAN as the grandchild of Desire of the Endless. We also meet Rose’s mother, dying of cancer in a hospital. She was also seen way back in the Sandman Universe special, where Dora helped ease her suffering with dreams she had forgotten.

While I would have preferred to read on about the primary on-goings in the realm of the Dreaming, this is a well told interlude that fits in nicely with the bigger picture at play.

Art:

Now that THE DREAMING has shifted focus to the human realm, it seems reasonable that the style of artistry would shift as well. Abigail Larson takes over for the magnificent Bilquis Evely.

Larson’s illustrations are much more tame than Evely’s, which is likely their intent. I was particularly a fan of Larson’s use of smoke, which wafted and waved throughout each page. It was a clever device to lead the reader through Rose’s story.

Colors by Quinton Winter were less surreal than done in the previous issues. Winter’s use of a more bold palette when in the flashback sequences were a nice contrast to the dialed down colors in the hospital. The letters by Simon Bowland brought it all together, utilizing different styles for different characters, as well as emphasizing the right words to help express the dialogue’s inflection.

Conclusion:

THE DREAMING #7 is well-told, human story. Hopefully it work its way back to the realm of the Dreaming sooner rather than later.

What do you think of THE DREAMING so far? Let us know in the comments!

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