THE ONES #4 hits your local comic book store on February 22, but thanks to Dark Horse Comics, Monkeys Fighting Robots has an exclusive five-page preview for our readers. The book is written by Brian Michael Bendis, with art by Jacob Edgar, K.J. Diaz drops the color, and you will read Joshua Reed’s letter work. Mike Allred with Laura Allred created the variant cover. Enjoy the preview below.
About THE ONES #4: A whole new thing by Brian Michael Bendis and Jacob Edgar! THE ONES–every single person in every mythology that was told they were THE ONE teams up to defeat . . . THE ONE. The actual one. The real actual one. Well, that’s what the prophecy said, and it didn’t happen. So, is this entire prophecy about the Ones a bunch of crap or what? I mean, we’re just going to let toddler Satan do whatever the hell he wants? Will the chosen ones live to fight another day or are we all effed?
Rick and Morty’s fifth season was the most inconsistent season the series has produced. Season Six had its work cut out to win back dejected fans.
The end of Season Five saw Rick and Morty in their most dire situation: stranded in space with their portal gun not working. Even worse, Rick’s old nemesis re-emerges. But along with the expressive lore, there was also fun to be had with Summer getting stuck in a Die Hard scenario, super-intelligent dinosaurs revisiting Earth, and Morty joining an order of knights from the Sun.
Since the end of Season Three, Rick and Morty had lost its luster. The seasons became more inconsistent, the intelligent episode was lost, and more episodes seemed to be made for shock value. It went from being the show that it was cool to like to a show trying desperately to remain relevant. However, season Six marked a massive improvement over the previous two seasons, producing some great episodes and only one terrible episode.
Season Six’s first half was stronger. It felt much more akin to the show that fans fell in love with. Some episodes were more creative, character-driven, and emotionally deep. “Rick: A Mort Well Lived,” “Bethic Twinstinct,” and “Analyze Piss” were the most character-driven episodes of the season.
“Rick: A Mort Well Lived” was a great revisit of the video game ‘Roy.’ Morty’s mind was split across the video game, and Rick needed to convince the various Mortys to return to the real world. It explored the relationship between the pair and showed the different viewpoints amongst the Mortys. It also raised some existential questions about the offspring in the virtual world. “Bethic Twinstinct” was a focused episode about Beth undergoing self-reflection and self-discovery and doing it through her relationship with Space Beth. Finally, “Analyze Piss” deals with the heavy subjects of suicide, legacy, and purpose, with Rick ending up trying to do a good deed for a deceased man.
The season’s most creative and best was “Night People.” In this episode, the Smith family was able to program their bodies to do tasks while they were asleep. However, they enter into a feud because of Rick’s pettiness. It was hilarious and inventive. These attributes were shown when the Day Smiths and Night Smiths entered into a physical fight and constantly lost and regained consciousness. It’s the type of episode that made fans fall in love with the show.
However, there were some duds as well. The worst episode was “Final DeSmithation,” which was a long incest joke. In that episode, Jerry gets a fortune cookie saying he is going to have sex with his mother, and he is trying everything in his power to avoid this. Jerry teams up with Rick to find where all fortune cookies are manufactured. The concept and execution were like an episode of Family Guy or South Park.
Some of the episodes had the issue of being bland and formulaic. It added to the sense that Rick and Morty had lost its spark and went from being a trendsetter to being another show in the crowd. It’s hard for a show to maintain quality throughout a season, let alone its entire run, but the first three seasons of Rick and Morty had a consistent quality. “A Rick in King Mortur’s Mort” felt formulaic as it showed Morty joining an order of knights but nearly getting his penis cut off. There were some funny moments when Morty destroyed a religious brief, but it had a feeling of been there, done that. It ends in the same way as “The Vat of Acid Episode,” where Rick and Morty fake their own deaths.
The most divisive episode of the season was “Full Meta Jackrick.” This episode was a sequel to Season Four’s “Never Ricking Morty” and was about writing devices and tropes. As the title suggested, “Full Meta Jackrick” was a self-aware episode that deconstructed the writing process. It was an episode that required a high tolerance for this type of writing and humor. People who enjoy writing will get a kick out of “Never Ricking Morty,” but others will find it up its own butt.
Season Six was Rick and Morty was better than the previous seasons. Fewer episodes were made for shock value, and there was only one bad episode. Some great episodes and moments showed what Rick and Morty could be capable of.
Picking up right after the final page of Immortal X-Men #10, Sins of Sinister #1 rolls onto comic shelves this week. Kieron Gillen and some of the current x-writers are trying their hand at doing an Age of Apocalypse event. I have to tell you, this is very exciting. Anyone who knows Gillen’s work during his Uncanny X-Men run should know that he loves Mr. Sinister. He’s been a thorn in the side of the mutants for far too long. With Sins ofSinister, we’re finally seeing how things would shake out if he finally won. Joining Kieron Gillen on this issue are Lucas Werneck on pencils (as well as other artists who chip in for a page), Bryan Valenza on colors, and Clayton Cowles on letters.
WRITING
Kieron Gillen starts off this issue hot. Aside from the current timeline, we are treated to events that will happen a year down the road and five years later. Gillen allows the events of the future to be so interesting that you honestly want to read about how it all happens all at once. Gillen’s voice for Mr. Sinister is perfect, as usual. He allows him to live up to his name as he wreaks havoc on the world. Unfortunately, no one is safe from Mr. Sinister’s reign of terror as superhero teams and villains fall. Gillen establishes Mr. Sinister as a conniving tactician as we see him have a plan to take out heavyweights like Dr. Doom to Thanos. This event has the feeling of great tension as you read it. Gillen makes it feel like the stakes are high and that anything is possible. One of the most important things you need to do as you go through this issue is to question what will happen next and what will be the effects of this. I don’t know the answer to either of these questions, but things can’t ever be the same after Sins of Sinister.
ART
The pencils by Lucas Werneck are excellent, as usual. He does have some help on this oversized issue from artists like Joshua Cassara and Travel foreman. Werneck recreates the pages from House of X as Charles resurrects Cyclops flawlessly. He uses Sinister instead of Charles, but the page is fantastic. This is an emotional issue, so Werneck has to nail the look of the characters as they are taken by surprise. Werneck particularly nails the pages with Storm as the council blindsides her. Werneck uses a couple of close panels of Storm’s eyes. These panels are effective in conveying the shock from Storm. Seeing Professor X and Emma approaching her with devilish grins on their faces is also an uneasy image. Werneck and the other guest pencilers make this a special issue with their iconic pages that will last with you after the book is put down.
The colors by Bryan Valenza are integral to this issue. Valenza has to color and set the mood for some pages that show a happy apocalypse situation. As Emma and Professor X talk about wearing their sinister diamonds and showing them off, Valenza uses bright and light backgrounds. It’s a creepy page, and it’s made even creepier by the light tone of the background. The colors get a little darker as Valenza transitions into the Ben Urich portion of the issue. As Urich looks out the window, a sepia-like tone is used. Finally, Valenza uses bright whites for Storm’s lightning outlined in blue as she attempts to escape from the quiet council. This works well and highlights the lightning and makes it pop. Valenza does an excellent job with this issue and stepped up to the plate for such a high-profile book.
Clayton Cowles is on the letters for this issue. The most impressive lettering in this issue comes when Storm triesg to escape the council. Cowles uses a giant see-through “KRRRAKOOOM” as she calls down a massive thunder strike. This takes up the whole panel. Word balloon placement is impeccable. As Ben Urich talks with J. Jonah Jameson, it’s a close panel. Cowles ensures all the word balloons are above Ben’s head and out of the way of the image. Cowles is one of the best in the business when it comes to letters. This issue is another example of his professionalism and dedication to his craft.
CONCLUSION
Sins of Sinister #1 sets the stage for an exciting crossover for our favorite mutants. Kieron Gillen has earned all the praise he receives for his attention to detail and well plotted out stories. He’s been building this up for his entire run on Immortal X-Men, and everything feels natural. The art is superb, and all the guest artists help diversify this issue’s look. Sins of Sinister #1 is available at a comic shop near you!
Comics thrive on cool character designs. Sure, there are more grounded, experimental, or contemplative ways to approach comics. But superheroes, shonen, and all sorts of genre comics in between live or die on stylish their leads can be. Just ask Spawn. Fortress #3 by Joel Van Der Knapp demonstrates this principle with its parade of cool, sketchy, sci-fi designs. There are world-ending stakes here, but you still might want to take a few extra seconds to stare at each page.
Caleb’s come apart. The man was once a super-soldier in The State Wars, a revolution fought against government-sanctioned death robots. But his powers relied on specialized bionic limbs to harness and keep his abilities under control. Limbs that were stolen. The culprit? A mysteriously independent death robot named Vogon. So Caleb was put into stasis to keep him alive while others searched for his missing limbs. It’s a fellow veteran, Itar, who finally gets a lead and wakes him up. The world he awakes to is a wasteland, still bearing the scars of civil war. But Itar has a plan. Reassemble Caleb’s old super-soldier team, Fortress.
Fortress #3 only checks in briefly with Itar and Caleb, instead focusing on the side characters of a rapidly growing cast. All of them straddle the line between robot and human. Like the bounty hunter, Kyra, searches for her husband’s memory files to try and restore some humanity to his robotic shell. Or an outdated battle droid named “Old Roy” who uses an old war-machine ritual to acknowledge the cost of his victories.
Sure, there might not have been enough time to fully sit with these characters yet. That’s the price of serialized storytelling—26 pages to get in and out. But Van Der Knapp has taken many fun sci-fi high concepts and tied each to a stylish character design. So the issue finds a lot of joy in introducing them one by one. Like Axel, whose “distorted, elongated frame wields supercharged arms, the electricity cutting through the dry air.” Or the aforementioned husband of the bounty hunter, introduced on the first page as “A shell that holds remnants of a man.”
But in contrast to the issue’s love for descriptive narration, the art is often sparse and sketchy. Backgrounds can be as little as a few lines suggesting hills or a gradient. Outlines are drawn in thick brushstrokes. So much of the focus falls on the characters, who get cool, varied designs with introductory splash pages designed to show them off. There’s a detached, alien feeling to many – of all the characters introduced so far, only three have visible, expressive faces, which reflects the book’s blown-out wasteland of a world.
As for the colors, Van Der Knapp manages to get a lot of mileage out of shades of blue and pink. Pink dominates each page, and blue saved for highlighting the outlines of each character. Though it also shows up in finer details like the readout on a scope or outlining details in a dark room. Pink may not be the first color many would choose for a post-apocalypse, but the bright shade overwhelming each page conveys its own bleak tone. Especially in a desert wasteland where the sun’s constantly beating down.
As for the lettering, Fortress continues its dedication to its characters by using fonts to communicate voice. Vogon speaks in a bold, uniform font, befitting a machine. The untrustworthy Hexa talks in a scratchy, jagged font. While characters like Itar and Caleb speak in a font that’s more naturalistic and handwritten.
VERDICT
Fortress #3 manages to make set-up for future issues pretty damn enjoyable. Van Ker Knapp has a severe knack to cool-looking characters with fun hooks. And with the comic finally back on track after a long hiatus, it’s a good time to jump on. You can find buying options for the comic on its official site.
Comics have a long and complicated history with censorship, dating back to the early 20th century. Previously, the release of a new comic book was like a game of roulette where you cannot fully be sure how society and the government will react to it, and unlike modern casinos, the authors did not have a 200% deposit casino bonus in UK. In this article, we will explore the history of censorship in comics, including notable controversies and their impact on the medium.
Early Controversies
In the early days of comics, controversy often centered around concerns about juvenile delinquency and the content of comic books. One of the first major controversies occurred in 1954 when psychiatrist Fredric Wertham published a book called “Seduction of the Innocent.” This led to a Senate subcommittee hearing on juvenile delinquency, which focused heavily on the content of comic books.
Comics Code Authority
In response to the controversy, the comic book industry established the Comics Code Authority, a self-regulatory organization that set standards for content in comics. The Comics Code Authority prohibited depictions of violence, gore, drug use, and other controversial themes, leading to a decrease in the diversity of content in comics.
Underground Comics
The emergence of underground comics in the 1960s and 1970s helped pave the way for alternative and independent comics. These comics often explore a wide range of themes and styles, including autobiographical and personal stories, social commentary, and experimental art.
Notable Cases of Censorship in Comics
Censorship in comics has been an issue in many countries around the world, including in Europe. Here are a few examples:
In France, the graphic novel “The Tintin in the Congo” has been criticized for its depiction of Africans as primitive and subservient to white colonialists.
In Italy, the comic book “Valentina” was banned for its sexual content, and the creator was briefly arrested for obscenity.
In the United Kingdom, there were several high-profile cases of censorship in the 1950s and 1960s, including the trial of the publisher of the horror comic “The House of Hammer” for obscenity.
Evolution of Comics and Censorship
While censorship of comics is still a topic of debate and concern in some areas of the world, the medium has come a long way from its early days of strict regulations and censorship. Here are a few examples:
In the United States, the Comics Code Authority has been defunct since 2011, and many mainstream comics now tackle mature themes and address social issues that were once taboo.
In other parts of the world, censorship of comics is still a more significant issue. For example, in China, the government regulates and censors comics, and some creators have been arrested or punished for their work.
Conclusion
Censorship has played a significant role in the history of comics, from the early days of concerns about juvenile delinquency to more recent debates about the appropriateness of certain themes and content. While censorship remains a contentious issue in some areas of the world, the medium has evolved and changed, with independent and alternative comics offering a space for creators to push boundaries and explore new forms of storytelling and artistic expression.
The premise is simple: read one comic every day for the entire year. It seems like a simple task but there is no way that I read 365 comics last year, even if you count the individual issues in collections. So, this year, I have committed myself to this reading challenge, in the hope that I can broaden my reading habits and fully engage with my favorite hobby again.
I will always be a Spider-Man fan. He was the first superhero I really got into when I was young and I still pick up copies of the 1980s issues when I see them in the wild. Over this weekend I was sorting through my books and dragged out my box of Spider-Man comics. Whenever that happens I end up with a stack to read through. So I have several runs of different Spidey related titles on my reading desk which I will drip feed in over the next few weeks.
With that said, it’ll come as no surprise as to what my first comic of this week is..
The Spectacular Spider-Man Credit: Marvel Comics
Comic Number 22: The Spectacular Spider-Man #149 (and #s 151, 153, and 155)
I love the Gerry Conway and Sal Buscema run on The Spectacular Spider-Man in the late 1980s. The complex, multi-plot narratives and accompanying noir-esq artwork triggers all the right excitement centers of my brain. There are elements of Dick Tracy (with the grotesques for villains), and pulp fiction noir, but there is also the ongoing soap opera of Peter Parker and friends, fantastical elements with the Chameleon and, of course, horror plays a major role with characters like Carrion, the cover villain for issue 149. Carrion is one of those characters that I have always loved, like the Hobgoblin, because there is a macabre and tragic element to them. This issue sees the birth of a new Carrion, from the jealous science student Malcolm McBride. The setting for the story is suitably creepy as Sal Buscema creates a gothic horror environment in the center of New York through the use of cellars and graveyards.
However, it is the extended fight sequences in issue 153 that really shine in this mini-run. Tombstone, another one of my favorites, is both menacing and imposingly violent. The extended bullying story-line that feeds through all of these issues moves from intimidation to a brutal murder in some very expressive scenes. Conway writes the characters so well. He gets under their skin and brings out their complexities in such a short space of time.
At this period in time, The Spectacular Spider-Man was a blending of genres all wrapped in the cover of a superhero story. Even now, after 25 years, I love this stuff.
The Uncanny X-Men #130 Credit: Marvel Comics
Comic Number 23: The Uncanny X-Men #130
You can take what I wrote about The Spectacular Spider-Man and apply it to this run of X-Men comics. With Chris Claremont on writing duties and John Byrne/Terry Austin on the art, there’s not much else you need to know.
Inside this issue are: The Hellfire Club; the second appearance of Emma Frost and Kitty Pryde; the first appearance of Dazzler; and it’s all downhill from this point on-wards for the X-crew thanks to a little story line called Dark Phoenix. This issue from the beginning of 1980 comes in the middle of one of the best X-Men sagas and is, itself, an absolute treat to read. The artwork is dynamic but also captures the subtlety of the characters emotions. The color work from Glynis Oliver (credited as Glynis Wein) sets the atmosphere and tone of the story, managing to use the lower grade printing of the time to great effect. The lettering, by Tom Orzechowski, has a crisp, uniform look to it that fits beautifully with the artwork and allows the script to flow through the page.
Even the feel of this comic is just right; it wants to be held and read, the crisp pages folding back along the spine to reveal the dangerous world that envelopes the mutant family. The very fabric of this comic draws you into a world that is easy to become lost in. It would be a crime to ‘slab’ this comic. It has been designed to be read.
Bulls of Beacon Hill #1 Credit: AfterShock
Comic Number 24: Bulls of Beacon Hill #1
A little bit of a preview from AfterShock Comics (although it should be in shops by the time you read this). I don’t really know what’s going on with the publisher at the moment which is a shame because they have, over the last few years, put out some of the greatest comics of recent years. So, hopefully they can sort out their problems, pay all of their creators what they owe them, and continue publishing exceptional books.
Take Bulls of Beacon Hill as an example. The narrative follows Christoper Boldt, a doctor on the verge of setting up a hospital for patients who can’t afford medical care and is about to announce his bid for a place on the Boston Council. Also, his father is the head of the city’s mafia and is not impressed by his son’s life.
Steve Orlando tells a riveting crime drama with an excellent central cast. The opening has a wonderful Citizen Kane homage with a baseball standing in for the infamous sledge. Andy Macdonald’s artwork is spot on. It’s emotional, disturbing (when it needs to be) and very powerful. Macdonald captures the mundane experiences of the lead couple, Charles and his boyfriend Bill, with a delightful charm that you almost feel betrayed when a shadow starts to fall over their lives. It is a superb way of drawing the reader into the story.
Additional call outs to Lorenzo Scaramella and Carlos M. Mangual on colors and letters respectively, because the impact of the story wouldn’t work without their work bringing the narrative together.
This is a new comic, on the shelves now, so pick it up.
Spider-Man: The Manga Credit: Marvel Comics
Comic Number 25: Spider-Man: The Manga (various issues)
It was originally published in 1970 in Japan but it wasn’t until 1997 that Marvel published a translated version. Written by Kōsei Ono and Kazumasa Hirai and illustrated by Ryoichi Ikegami, the series was a rough re-telling of its American counterpart, at least in general terms. High school student Yu Komori is bitten by a radioactive spider and suddenly finds himself able to do anything a spider can do. He builds his own web-shooters and dresses in a loose fitting costume to fight the new enhanced criminals that have started to show up in Tokyo.
The art work contains all of the traits you would associate with manga: extreme close ups, a focus on characters with little backgrounds, and highly detailed scene setting panels. There is an excessive use of motion lines which fits well with Spider-Man’s speed and unnatural movement. Unfortunately, the script isn’t as impressive but I wonder how much of that is down to the translating process. A quick flick through any of the issues of Spider-Man: The Manga and you can instantly tell that the layouts have been altered and edits made. Apparently (according to a quick Wikipedia search) the comics were edited for violence and this is obvious in some of the page layouts.
The flow of the comic doesn’t quite have the energy that I am used to with my manga reading (although I am not a big manga reader) but I definitely enjoyed the handful of issues that I have. I also love seeing a completely different interpretation of the character, seen from a new cultural viewpoint. I am also intrigued by the creators and will be looking into their other work.
The Shadow Of The Bat cover Credit: DC Comics
Comic Number 26: Shadow of the Bat #12
Before Knightfall all Batman had to worry about was annoying, untrained, semi-thieves like The Human Flea. In this daft little tale penned by Alan Grant, Batman is on the trail of Mortimer Kadaver who is a criminal with a short life expectancy. But before the villain goes into that long sleep he plans to take the rest of Gotham with him using fleas to spread the plague.
This story has a gothic thread woven into its fabric, one that artist Vince Giarrano picks up and runs with. His dark, scratchy style suits the narrative and there is something unhinged about the way he draws the central characters. Even Batman melts into the panels with wiry tendrils and heavy shadows. The story may be simple but the execution is wonderful. Adrienne Roy’s colors create a brooding atmosphere while there is an element of whimsy to Todd Klein’s letters, highlighting the contrast of dark and light, good and evil, drama and comedy.
I haven’t kept many copies of Shadow of the Bat but I hang on to this one because there is a creepy charm to the, quite horrific, story inside.
The Amazing Spider-Man various covers Credit: Marvel Comics
Comic Number 27: The Amazing Spider-Man #334
A bit more Spidey action, this time from 1990 and the start of the epic (maybe..) story The Return of the Sinister Six. Doctor Octopus is recruiting some of Spider-Man’s greatest villains as he hatches a plan to finally beat the infuriating web head.
This story written by David Michelinie is unnecessarily elaborate with Doc Ock creating the most ridiculous setup just to get Electro’s attention. Although with Erik Larsen on Art Duties, nothing can be too ridiculous. In all honesty, I’m not a fan of Larsen’s art style and I have trouble getting on with some of his character work, especially his female characters. In this issue there are some panels that have overtly complicated renditions of Doc Ock, so much so that I stopped reading to try and figure out how his arms were working. For me, Larsen’s layouts and over drawn panels pull me out of the story and don’t enhance it. He does draw a very good Spider-Man, though.
I’m two parts into this story and I’m enjoying it, in the same way I enjoy a Ferengi heavy episode of Star Trek. I’m not bothered about the main story and I’m only watching for the small character moments.
Star Trek #4 Cover Credit: IDW Comics
Comic Number 28:Star Trek #1-3
Next week sees the release of Star Trek #4 from IDW Publishing so I’ve re-read the previous issues to bring me up to speed. IDW have released a lot of Star Trek comics over the years but the last few years have had the best runs since DCs series in the 1980s. Year Five was a wonderful run set just after the Original Series and the current run is set after the end of Deep Space Nine. There is an outstanding cast of characters, old and new, with a universe shattering central premise that allows for the return of so many characters and races from Star Trek lore.
Collin Kelly and Jackson Lanzing understand the world they are writing in and, just as importantly, understand the audience they are writing for. If you are a fan of Star Trek you should be all over this series like a Tribble on a Klingon.
SCARLET WITCH #2 hits your local comic book store on February 1st, but thanks to Marvel Comics, Monkeys Fighting Robots has an exclusive four-page preview for you!
About the issue: SCARLET WITCH BATTLES DREAMQUEEN! Wanda Maximoff is no stranger to grief, so when Viv Vision stumbles through Wanda’s door, exhausted and terrified of the nightmares playing her mother’s death on repeat, Wanda dives into Viv’s dreams to find the cause of the android’s suffering. And it turns out Viv isn’t alone in her mind… Scarlet Witch faces off against DREAMQUEEN in a reality-bending battle for Viv’s freedom! PLUS! This issue includes a special super-heroic back-up story featuring Scarlet Witch and Storm celebrating Black History Month!
The issue features two stories: The main story is by writer Steve Orlando and artist Sara Pichelli, with colors by Matt Wilson; the back-up story is by writer Stephanie Williams and artist Chris Allen, with colors by Dee Cunniffe. Both stories are lettered by Cory Petit.
Check out the SCARLET WITCH #2 preview below:
Main story preview by Orlando, Pichelli, and Wilson:
Back-up preview by Williams, Allen, and Cunniffe:
Are you reading Marvel’s current SCARLET WITCH series? Sound off in the comments!
In the 1990’s, Dark Horse’s licensed Aliens comics were in full creative swing. The publisher allowed creators to give their own unique and varied takes on the iconic sci-fi/horror series. From tongue-in-cheek action parody, to the claustrophobic horror of the original film, Dark Horse’s Aliens covered all-manner of styles and approaches – admittedly, with mixed results. One story that stuck out was David Lloyd’s Aliens: Glass Corridor. The V for Vendetta artist creates an intense space-thriller and morality play that utilizes the comics medium to its absolute fullest. With a simplistic yet compelling script, moody, atmospheric visuals, and tension-fraught sequential direction, this one-shot is an overlooked gem from the height of Dark Horse’s time with the Aliens license.
“Frank is a hired killer with a problem. His conscience has caught up with him and now he’s running from himself and his past. In his effort to escape, he encounters a band of stowaways who may provide him with the means for his redemption. When the freighter they are traveling on is threatened by an Alien, it appears that Frank is their only hope for survival.”
Lloyd’s story with Aliens: Glass Corridor starts off with an assassination going wrong. Frank, a hired gun, has a crisis of morality during a job and needs to hide from both witnesses and his employers. While on the lam he finds his way aboard a passenger ship that just so happens to have a payload of destitute stowaways – and a xenomorph on its way to the highest bidder. Naturally, things go awry and the beast gets loose on the ship, free to hunt down and slaughter the craft’s passengers. Now, Frank finds himself in a position to redeem himself for his past deeds by defending this group of poor refugees from the galaxy’s perfect killing machine. Imagine if Richard Stark’s Parker were a contract killer instead of just a thief, and he were stuck on a ship with an Alien, and that’s about what Frank’s characterization is like. Seeing this group of refugees – one with a newborn baby – triggers a sense of nobility in him; even if that nobility is just a byproduct of guilt.
Much of Lloyd’s work here lies in the unspoken. Like any great cartoonist, he uses his sequential direction and the actual visuals to do the deeper storytelling. Frank’s demeanor is captured in how he looks at people, and how he silently reacts to situations. There’s a page not long after Frank gets aboard the cargo ship where he sees the young woman with a child and focuses in on her. Lloyd structures the sequence with a block of small panels that cut back and forth between Frank and the young woman. He closes up on Frank, and even though there is no dialogue, we can see the gears turning as he weighs his past against this girl’s life – and the possibility of being the only thing standing between her and a brutal end. Frank’s solo fight against the iconic monster feels like one of atonement, running through the labyrinthine corridors of a cargo ship in hopes of sparing innocents after a lifetime of paid cruelty. David Lloyd’s thick lines and dense inks give the figures and setting a sense of deep dimension. His choice of color is exceptionally unique – every image is filled with a mottled single tone, filled with the dust and grime of a used future. The low light and shadow is perfect for the tone of this comic, and easily makes Glass Corridor one of – if not the – coolest looking Aliens comics from the Dark Horse era.
David Lloyd’s Aliens: Glass Corridor is a hidden gem of licensed comics storytelling. Lloyd’s protagonist here in Frank the hired killer is a deceptively complex protagonist with a rather simple inner conflict – which then manifests in his decision to deal with the Alien. The V for Vendetta artist uses his understanding of the comics medium to create a dark, contemplative, and intense horror one-shot with an unforgettable visual aesthetic. Aliens: Glass Corridor is one of the best stories from Dark Horse’s publishing history with the iconic franchise.
Lyndsey Little would like to welcome you to Yokai-Jima High School, a school where monsters must learn to blend in with human culture. This is the setup for her webcomic OniGirl featured on Webtoon. The comic stars Dez, a half-human, half-oni (a type of japanese demon) who attends the school and must learn to figure out both the worlds and the duality of her own heritage.
To allow her series to be more widely available, Little has launched a new crowdfunding campaign for OniGirl in order to publish a physical release. To get a bit more info, we sat down and discussed the campaign and the comic itself.
Monkeys Fighting Robots: For those who have never read your series before, what is OniGirl?
Lyndsey Little:OniGirl is a fantasy, shojo comic. It takes place in a school for monster school children who have to learn typical subjects but also the appearance and behaviors of humans so they can live in a world dominated by humans. The real conflict of the story is the journey to self love. I use monsters as an allegory for anyone who feels like another. Anyone who feels like they are outside of a societal norm or group.
MFR: What series influenced you to create OniGirl?
LL:I don’t know if I can think of any specific series. I will say, the one that comes to mind is the Scott Pilgrim books. I love the balance it strikes with tougher subjects and with humor. I really enjoy that balance. I think I try to bring a similar balance to my work.
MFR: What is your personal favorite moment you have written for the series?
LL:I think it’s all the moments with budding friendships. I have multiple characters that deal with loneliness to some degree and when I write those moments when friendships start to build I find that feeling, even for myself and I really hope that readers have that feeling when they come across these moments.
MFR: If any of your characters could have a spin off, who would it be and why?
LL:They’re so many to choose from. Possibly my character Cade. I hinted at his backstory a bit. How when he was a child, he started living with his grandparents who own an herbal shop for monsters. Even though he and his grandparents are humans. I think it’d be interesting to see his backstory and that kind of dynamic. It might be too similar to Dez’s story of going from a human dominated world to a monster dominated one but I think it’s different because Cade grew up with monsters at a much younger age and had to live amongst monsters and a different dynamic for him and his family not only live amongst monsters but also contribute and help them with their needs. That one would be fun one.
MFR: Why did you decide to go with crowdfunding for the project?
LL:So I have been on hiatus for nearly a year now. I was able to work on OniGirl initially because I had the stability of a full time job. I left it due to it being a toxic workplace and while I have had better mental health ever since, I haven’t had the stability I had before that allowed me to create OniGirl pages. This Kickstarter would give me the stability I need to not just bring the comic to its full potential, bringing the pages into full color but also, help me to create new pages. Ultimately that’s what I really want to do.
MFR: Where would you like to see OniGirl go from here?
LL:Definitely have it published in graphic novel format and available in store shelves but if it were able to make it on film, I would want Sony to do it. Similarly in the style they did Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse and Cloudy With A Chance of Meatballs. I feel they would be the perfect ones to transfer OniGirl to screen.
MFR: You are stuck on a desert island and can only have one comic/manga/graphic novel, what do you pick?
LL:Maybe Watchmen. I feel there is so much depth and layers I could just read it over and over and find something new to think about. Just because there are so many comics I love but Watchmen I feel I would get more longevity out of.
At the time of this article, the Kickstarter is still running for a physical copy of the first issue. You can follow Lyndsey Little on her Twitter.
M3GAN may end up putting Chucky out of business because this movie is excellent. Sure, it has its hiccups, but for the most part, M3GAN is everything the Child’s Play remake hoped to be. It’s packed with endless laughs, terrifying antics, and a thought-provoking examination of our overreliance on technology. In between the terror, M3GAN offers a lot of heart when it centers on its core characters.
The killer doll subgenre hasn’t been in shambles, but Chucky has been the go-to for several decades. The Conjuring Universe offers Annabelle, which doesn’t move on its own. Thus, fans of this subgenre have been searching for a new pint-sized sensation. M3GAN is just what we needed, showing the potential to become a franchise. However, whether or not it warrants that will be a divisive discussion despite its box office success. Directed by Gerard Johnstone and written by Akela Cooper, M3GAN revolves around a roboticist, who builds a companion for her grieving niece, but the doll comes too much to handle.
Violent McGraw and Allison Williams star as Gemma and Cady, Gemma (Williams) is left to care for her niece (McGraw) after Cady’s parents die in a car crash. The dynamic between the two serves as the heart of the story. When the titular doll isn’t wreaking havoc, Gemma and her struggles to become a mother help keep the film compelling. Admittedly, M3GAN is at its best when the bodies start dropping, but Williams and McGraw do a phenomenal job of making me feel connected to their characters.
Cooper’s screenplay isn’t just a cautionary tale, but one that balances horror, humor, and thought-provoking commentary on the dangers of being over-reliant on technology. Technology is devouring the lives of millions, so highlighting the negatives it can have on nuclear families, and child development is a nice touch. While Child’s Play was a more serious approach back when it first dropped, M3GAN never takes itself too seriously, which allows the narrative to work better, and doesn’t make the lighthearted moments feel out of place.
The film can seem held back by its PG-13 rating, but M3GAN still managed to stay afloat. That initial slow-burn approach builds to an all-out assault from its titular villain. Sadly, most of her kills are reduced by cutting to the next scene or constantly allowing the audience to imagine the gore. Specific plot threads seemed to have been written to justify an unnecessary sequel as well. For instance, a character becomes Dennis Nedry midway through with no resolution. These intentionally unanswered questions will either become useful in the future or remain unnecessary.
M3GAN features tremendous acting from every performer, but McGraw is fantastic in every scene. Her sister previously blew everyone away in The Black Phone, and it’s clear that the talent they share will take them far in their careers. McGraw captures Cady’s inner heartache with ease, which helps you become invested in her arc. Although, parents dying in a car crash is becoming a tired plot device. Still, anytime Cady is on screen, viewers will be treated to an enjoyable performance with a lot of passion behind it. Williams is able to match McGraw’s energy to form a heartwarming bond but doesn’t fully capture the magic that McGraw is able to.
M3GAN has the potential to become the next great killer doll series, but that doesn’t mean it’s warranted. I will gladly endure more outings with the titular villain, and I think there’s a chance a crossover with Chucky could be done in the near future. With a sequel already greenlit, I’m eager to see what direction this story takes next. This was a fun, simple, lighthearted cautionary tale that knew exactly what it needed to be.
