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.
Waffles And Mochi is a wild and wacky children’s series from creators Erika Thormahlen and Jeremy Konner and producer Michelle Obama where two puppets explore the world of food. Composer Gabe Sokoloff used different methods to create beautiful musical madness.
The series follows Waffles, a powder-white, furry fox-like creature with waffles for ears. Waffles’ partner in the fun-filled mischief is Mochi, a palm-sized creature inspired by the Japanese food. Waffles does most of the talking, and Mochi replies with wordless sounds. The pair come from the “land of frozen foods” and will stop at nothing to work at a neighborhood grocery store in New York. Each of the six episodes focuses on an ingredient that takes Waffles and Mochi out into the neighborhood, where they meet the likes of Michelle Obama.
PopAxiom spoke with Gabe Sokoloff about becoming a composer and creating the diverse soundscape of Waffles and Mochi’s Restaurant.
It Happens
Gabe’s musical life began with “piano lessons as a kid,” but he admits that he “never took it too far.” But his dad was an amateur musician. “So we always had some recording gear around the house for basic multi-track recording.”
“I was a late bloomer,” he says. “I think part way through college; I started to entertain the idea that I could do it professionally. I started playing catchup in college, taking courses in my senior year, but I grew into it fast.”
Gabe moved out to Los Angeles “… without a clear plan except for pursuing music. I met all these kids with many connections and all the new gear. It gave me this feeling of being behind, but it lit a fire under me.”
“I lucked into a part-time gig with BT,” pioneering electronic musician Brian Transeau. “I also had a job doing audio editing at a commercial house. I did that for several years, working my way up to a staff composer. I loved it … it was my first job composing, and I was delighted in the variety of styles and work I was doing.”
With experience under his belt, Gabe “… started thinking about expanding into other realms. I did some pop music work. I’d written funny songs for a state farm radio campaign. Someone I knew sent that to the people behind JibJab, the e-card company.”
“It happens that those guys decided to create a television kids’ program,” he continues. “It had always been their dream. They had a universe of characters called the StoryBots. I contributed music to it, including the theme song. That became my entry into kids and family television. I also met a lot of Netflix people that way.”
About Waffles + Mochi Restaurant
Gabe’s connection to Waffles and Mochi began with an audition when producers sought a new flavor and approach to the series’ music. “I brought my style to audition. I put my music into a couple of clips from the upcoming season. The clips had a similarity between them that had the signature of the show’s dramatic arc. Each clip had emergencies that weren’t emergencies. These high-stakes situations that were silly.”
“I approached the audition and the whole season with a tonal mix that’s 90 percent panic and frenzy in those moments,” he explains, “blunted with some musical nods to how ridiculous it is. I put some orchestral drama but elements that were completely out of place. For example, one had a bebop trumpet part running into this orchestral piece.”
Gabe was on a weekly schedule while putting together Mochi and Waffles. “It was a lot of work. The creators wanted something lively and animate, and the music had to do its part. We talked a lot about embracing contrast … keeping it energized. It went smoothly thanks to all the feedback I got that was articulated and targeted.”
“One of the initial challenges with the project was knowing how varied the music had to be and the constant change and contrast they wanted in the sound,” he explains. “I thought about maintaining coherence, so it feels like Waffles and Mochi’s restaurant. That it all belongs to the same world.”
Gabe accomplished tying in the diverse music “by honing in on a few instruments and re-contextualizing them cue to cue. For instance, many of the cues contained trumpets; sometimes it was bebop trumpet, sometimes it was mariachi, and sometimes it was orchestral. Decisions like that kept a strand of unity that gave coherence but allowed for diversity of sound. That is an insight I’ll carry with me moving forward.”
Wrapping Up
“I’m a huge Stephen Sondheim acolyte. I feel like his work, musically, lyrically, it’s influenced my process in every realm,” he says without a second thought while adding a second, related influence. “Most of the classic renditions of his musicals, the orchestrations are done by Jonathan Tunick, who’s masterful. So orchestration-wise, I’m influenced by him.”
Gabe loves Alexandre Desplat and John Williams “though not so much his more famous work but the more incidental cues. I love electronic music like Jon Hopkins. I love what he does with sound. He inspires me on an abstract level.”
“I’d be interested in contributing to the realm of adult animation,” responding to what’s on his project wish list. “Something for teenagers and up is something I haven’t touched yet. So a project in that realm would be exciting.”
What’s coming next for Gabe? “I’ve written a musical with my brother. It’s called Enjoy the Ride. It’s a vaguely political comedy about a fictional account of how repressive dictators acquire their armored vehicles.”
Is Waffles and Mochi on your watch list?
Thanks to Gabe Sokoloff and Rhapsody PR
for making this interview possible.
X-Men #18 comes out this week and it builds on several different plots going on at the moment. We get a team up with the X-Terminators, there is a little of a crossover with the story line currently going on in Captain Marvel, and we also get some insight into Synch and old lady Laura’s relationship. This may seem like a lot of content to be packed into a single issue, but Gerry Duggan manages to handle it all. Joining Duggan for this ride is C.F. Villa on pencils, Matt Milla on colors and Clayton Cowles on letters.
WRITING
Gerry Duggan does a lot of good in this issue. He ties together several previous plot threads from other writers and advances them. From the X-Men annual that was recently out, Duggan shows us Cyclops continuing his care for Firestar as he helps her learn to fly the X-Men’s ship. It’s good to see a writer build off a bond shared by two characters and continue to work to develop it. Duggan also finally touches on the Synch and old lady Laura relationship. This is payoff for fans who loved Hickman’s run on X-Men and enjoyed the children of the vault story he did. There is the huge problem of having two Laura’s. Duggan does wrap this up to some extent. Readers may want more than what we’re given, but Duggan handles it fairly realistically for the situation. It feels like we also see the end of the X-Terminators series in this issue, which could be a bit confusing for people who haven’t read it. All that aside, Gerry Duggan does a fine job of wrapping up several stories and building on future adventures in X-Men #18.
ART
The pencils for this issue are handled by C.F. Villa. Where Villa excels the most in this issue are the action sequences with the two Wolverines. Villa gives us a great image as both Laura’s enter the vampire nest. The perspective on this page is perfect. Both Laura’s in the center as we see a dark and dank sewer behind them with red eyes lurking. Villa draws the two Wolverines flawlessly as they slice and dice vampires. As one Laura flies through the air using her foot claw, The other Laura gashes on the ground. There are also humorous panels that Villa does well too. Seeing Jubilee get her gum popped in her face twice is hilarious. What makes these panels even better are the expressions Villa draws for Jubilee’s face. Villa makes her look legitimately surprised both times.
The colors by Matt Milla are excellent this issue and compliment what Villa laid down on pencils. Milla gets our attention in the first couple of pages as Synch and old Laura fly through the air. His vibrant pink outline around the couple immediately grabs your attention. As the X-Men and X-Terminators enter the sewers, Milla does a perfect job of providing light from the street to highlight our characters. Shading is a big deal in this issue. Milla uses great judgement on when to use shading and when not to. As old lady Laura claws a vamp in the face, her hand provides a shading. When young Wolverine stabs a creature, the body provides shading all over her. These little touches by Milla allow the reader to get a more realistic experience.
Clayton Colwes is on letters for this issue, and he was busy. The sound effects from the fight sequences were very present. As a vamp bites Wolverine, it’s fangs bust due to the adamantium skeleton. Cowles uses a scream behind the image to show the vampire’s pain. There are of course several classic “SNIKT” moments in the issue, like when both Laura’s are in the sewers and they unsheathe their claws at the same time. Word Balloon placement is great as well. As the X-Men attempt to enter the sewers, Jubilee is talking in front. The rest of the team is behind her, but Cowles places the bubbles perfectly above the rest of the X-Men.
CONCLUSION
X-Men #18 is an action packed issue that ties up loose ends and adds new plot threads. What Gerry Duggan is doing with a rotating cast is impressive and ultimately fun. The art for the issue is solid in every aspect. X-Men #18 is available at a comic shop near you!
NEMESIS RELOAD #1 hit the streets yesterday, and the book is insane. The art, colors, and letter work are straight fire. Mark Millar created another in-your-face, over-the-top comic book with an ending that will be the topic of conversation for a while.
In this week’s Panel Breakdown, we talk about how Jorge Jiménez’s art, Giovanna Niro’s colors, and Clem Robin’s letter work come together to elevate the storytelling to the next level. The artwork has me so excited; enjoy the video below.
About NEMESIS RELOAD #1: The world’s most evil comic book is back! Who is Nemesis, and why does this eccentric billionaire who dresses up in a mask and cape want to terrorize people instead of helping them? Isn’t that how this is supposed to go? Trigger warning: Too violent and too cool for some!
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.
“It is our sincere belief that these publications are one of the most insidious forces affecting our youth today. [The comics] tend to destroy all respect for authority, incite to all forms of delinquency and ridicule everything decent and good. They are a menace to the right thinking of our American youth and should be banned throughout the country.”
This was written in a letter by the East Hartford Board of Education and sent to the mayor, John W. Torpey (in 1954, as quoted in The Ten-Cent Plague by David Hajdu). The letter was calling for legislation and the banning of evil, corrupting, comics. It might seem like a ridiculous notion today, but in 1950s America, and all over the world at different periods of time, comics were seen to be the cause of corruption and delinquency in the younger generations.
This week I’ll be reading comics from the 1950s in an attempt to understand the stir they caused, and see how they have stood the test of time. I’ll be sourcing these comics from the Comic Book Plus website (https://comicbookplus.com/) which houses thousands of comics that are in the public domain. It’s a wonderful resource for anyone who loves comics.
Boy Loves Girl #45 published in 1954
Comic Number 15: Boy Loves Girl #45 (April 1954)
In American comics history, romance comics were created by Joe Simon and Jack Kirby when they published Young Romance #1 in 1947. It wasn’t long before the genre was courting controversy, but not, perhaps, in the way that you imagine. It wasn’t that the comics were lewd, but rather that they gave women false impressions about marriage and love, and that they were hypocritical in nature (according to everyone’s favorite comic book villain Fredric Wertham).
After reading Boy Loves Girl #45, which was released at the height of the war against comic books, it’s difficult to see what the fuss is about. If anything, you would have thought that these comics would have been exactly what the detractors would want, offering, as each story in this comic does, the moral lesson that ‘normal’ socially acceptable relationships are the only ones where the women will be happy.
Some of the artwork is better in some strips than others but there is a consistent theme throughout each story which is highlighted by the visual composition: the emotional reactions of the central character, which in each case, is a woman looking for love. Occasional clunky dialogue shares space on pages with some witty speech and for the most part the stories are well written. This comic might not be a prime example of romance comics from the 1950s but it passes the time and is unintentionally funny. Although, I think I’d rather be reading Love Everlasting by Tom King and Elsa Charretier.
Blazing Western #2 Published in 1954
Comic Number 16: Blazing Western #2 (March 1954)
I’m not sure what to say about this comic. There is some very tight artwork from Eugene Hughes (possibly) and Jack Petrazzo that captures that western feel. Dynamic in places, but with that expansive landscape necessary for setting the scene.
Unfortunately, the overriding impression I get from this comic is the poor representation of Native Americans and the female characters, with the domination of the white man over them both. Maybe at the time of printing this wouldn’t have been as obvious, or important, but reading in 2023 it is an element that mars the rest of the comic. At least for me.
Eerie #15 published in 1954
Comic Number 17: Eerie #15 (April 1954)
“Robert Warsham, a smirking, sarcastic neer-do-well who ridiculed what he could not explain”
As classic horror comics go, Eerie is a good example of what to expect. A collection of short stories, each with a grotesque character, haunting the protagonist to a dreadful end. By today’s standards, these stories might seem tame but there is a charm to each of them, almost marred by the sexist stereotyping. The artwork suits the tone of the comic, more so than some other genre comics, but is inconsistent throughout.
The Werewolf of Warsham Manor is unintentionally funny and includes some thinly veiled digs at anti-comic psychologist Fredric Wertham. The Subway Horror is a wonderful tale told with comical artwork but actually turns out to be the most disturbing of all four tales.
Overall, this is exactly what I was expecting from a horror comic from the 1950s, with the design and style etched into my mind from years of reading The Haunt of Fear and Tales from the Crypt. In Eerie I miss the voice of the narrator, a cackling crone injecting puns as the story unfolds, but you can’t have everything.
Famous Funnies #210 Published in 1954
Comic Number 18: Famous Funnies #210 (February 1954)
Historically seen as the first American Comic Book, Famous Funnies reprints comic strips from American newspapers. By the time you get to 1954, only a year before the comic sees its final issue, the famous Buck Rogers has returned to the comic and features heavily on the cover.
My main take away from this comic is the lack of humor and the casual racism. In the Dickie Dare strip by Coulton Waugh, the representation of the Asian pirates is cringe worthy. You can argue that it is of its time, however not all comics were like this and in this strip, it comes off as a cheap joke and nothing more. This is a shame because Waugh’s book The Comics is a wonderful and, some might say, groundbreaking book about the history of the medium.
There is nothing outstanding in this comic, nothing that will stick with you for years to come. It does not come as a surprise that there wasn’t much life left in this anthology book.
Beep, Beep, The Road Runner Published 1970
Comic Number 19: Beep Beep the Road Runner #20-76 (1970)
This is one of the oldest comics I actually own and I’ve only read it a couple of times. The contents are exactly as you would expect them to be with clean, fine line work and a collection of simple gag comic strips.
I’m not sure who the artist is, and that’s probably the way the publisher wants it. Character recognition outweighs any individualism the creators would bring to the table. I’ve always enjoyed a good Road Runner cartoon, and this comic captures that simply and effectively.
This title falls outside of my theme for this week, but I needed a lighthearted, physical comic to read.
And this comic taught me the Road Runner’s name was Beep Beep. You are always learning when reading comics.
Crime Does Not Pay #133 Published in 1954
Comic Number 20: Crime Does Not Pay #133 (April 1954)
Nearly got through my 50s week without reading a Crime Comic, unless you subscribe to Fredric Wertham’s contention that all comics are crime comics (this is how he referred to all comics, which caused some confusion, and probably explains when he has been so villainized in the comics communities).
As the years passed, the ‘Crime’ on the cover became smaller and the ‘Does not pay’ became bigger as the publishers, in this case Lev Gleason, tried to emphasize the moral aspect of the story and downplay the glorification of the violence. There’s a lot of gun play but all the criminals get what’s coming to them. In fact, the endings are all a bit anticlimactic and sudden, with a last panel sum up. However, out of all of the comics I’ve read this week, the artwork is the most interesting. There are some wonderful compositions in some of the panels and the flow through on the pages is engaging, if a little word heavy.
You can easily see why this was one of the more popular titles of the era.
Startling Terror Tales #9 Published in 1954
Comic Number 21: Startling Terror Tales (vol 2 #9 May 1954)
Back to horror for the end of the week. This Star Publications comic boasts true horror on the cover but delivers mostly crime stories. The artwork is crude and the script is an affront to literature. When detractors of comics talk about low art, this is the kind of thing they are referring to. Although entertaining, in a simple way, this style of cheap comic, that uses quick cheap thrills, plays into the hands of the anti-comic brigade. For every exceptional publication, such as Tales from the Crypt, there were a pile of mediocre comics like Startling Terror Tales.
After reading so many of these types of titles, the stories all blur into one and there’s not much that stands out. The reason that ECs back catalog is still republished is because their work was on a different level, in the same way that Hitchcock’s films are constantly re-released while hundreds of films from the same period haven’t been seen since. I enjoyed reading Startling Terror Tales, although there’s not much terror and nothing particularly startling about them. I will not be searching out collections or re-prints of this particular title.
The most fascinating aspect of these comics is the paratext; the adverts and house announcements. In Startling Terror Tales, for example, there are adverts for gum to help women lose weight and a powder to help men bulk up. Short of money? Get a loan via the post, or sign up to sell stockings. When you get into the paratext, the notion that the comics were ‘for kids’ becomes a murky argument because the majority of the adverts in this comic are aimed at adults. There is no denying that the comic strips were designed with youth in mind, the violence and anti-authority that is on display in these crime stories are testament to that but it would also appear that these comics got into the hands of adults otherwise, who are the advertisers aiming their wares at?
“Crime Does Not Pay” is the message printed at the end of many of these stories but, in the early 1950s, before the witch hunts and government interventions forced a select few publishers to stamp their moral code on all comics production, comics did pay, and paid well for those who knew their audience.
The 10 Cent Plague by David Hajdu
So, what have we learned this week? Nothing. To make any judgement about the state of comics in the 1950s based on this small sample would make us as bad as the Sterling North and Fredric Wertham’s of this world. The rise in anti-comic rallies and news stories denouncing the scourge that was sweeping across America, infecting the youth, has complex roots that cannot be deciphered by simply reading a collection of comics from that era. It is easy to point to Wertham’s Seduction of the Innocent and pull it apart, comparing his statements to certain comics and proving him false but his book was the tip of an iceberg and comics were the Titanic. The damage was done by a mostly unseen force, but the comics publishers also carry an element of blame.
If you are interested in the rise and fall of American comics in the 1940s and beyond, there are plenty of resources out there. I would recommend The Ten-Cent Plague by David Hajdu and Comic Books Incorporated by Shawna Kidman as starting points. Both take different approaches to telling the story and therefore highlight the complexity of the situation in the industry at the time.
Week 3 complete. Maybe lighter reading for the week ahead. Why not let me know what you’re reading in the comments below and give me some ideas of what to read next.
From acclaimed writer Rodney Barnes (Killadelphia, NitaHawes Nightmare Blog) and artist Alex Lins comes a distinctly human take on an alien invasion story with Monarch #1. Featuring visual direction from the legendary Jason Shawn Alexander, colors by Luis Nct and Mar Silvestre Galotto, and lettering from Marshall Dillon, this opening issue is a gripping and unique spin on this sub-genre of sci-fi horror. With a masterful script and stellar artwork, Monarch is possibly the most exciting debut of 2023 thus far.
“Growing up in the city of Compton is tough enough as it is but as Travon has learned all too well growing up as an orphan in the city of Compton with gang members hunting you down every day is even tougher. But all of that is about to change because today is the day that aliens make first contact with Earth-and it only spells doom for life as we know it!
Death devastation and mayhem-can a single teenage boy rise to the challenge and protect his surrogate family and friends…or will he die trying?”
Writing & Plot
Rodney Barnes has always had a gift for combining excellent genre creativity with poignant social commentary, and the same goes for Monarch #1. This opening chapter follows Travon, an optimistic orphan, as he attends what starts as another normal day of school – just before the stars fall and all hell breaks loose. What makes the sci-fi/horror element of this comic so palpable is how much it feels like a sort of schoolboy daydream turned nightmarish reality. How many of us zoned out in class as kids and thought “what if aliens came down right now while we were class?” That’s the exact feeling Barned captures with this issue. What makes Barnes’s take here so interesting though is how he presents the narrative while this terror is occurring. For almost the entire comic, Barnes’ overhead narration is entirely focused on the emotional states and pasts of the two lead characters – about concerns removed from the alien invasion itself. At the core of this story is a conflict between two boys – Travon and his former friend turned wannabe gangster, Zion. As the comic plays out, most of what is discussed in the text is just about how they ended up as bitter rivals, and how much damage the system can incur on a child. Where Travon managed to find peace and love in his situation, Zion was deprived of it – and he now takes his frustration out on his former friend. Even with an apocalyptic scenario happening, this feud doesn’t go away, making for some deeply complex and memorable sequences. Barnes has crafted an intensely compelling narrative for this first chapter, and the wait for the next issue is going to be a painful one.
Art Direction
The genre blend of societal commentary/drama and apocalyptic sci-fi horror in Monarch #1 is expertly brought to life by the penciling talents of Alex Lins and the direction of Jason Shawn Alexander. Lins’ stellar character animations and Alexander’s sequencing make for a reading experience that nails the story’s tension through its perfect pacing. Every character in Monarch appears unique with their own dynamic animations for emotion, making this comic feel all the more human. The alien designs are original and unnerving, giving the book an even more nightmarish feel. Alexander’s sequential direction feels essential for this comic, since Barnes’ writing focuses heavily on the overarching narrative and internal context, leaving the visual storytelling almost entirely up to the whims of the art-team. Alexander focuses heavily on blocking intimate character moments. The comic switches from a prelude to the apocalyptic devastation to a peaceful breakfast scene, and the continuity stays intact because of how Alexander and Lins put together the sequences. Lins draws a lot of close-up shots on character faces and shocking (but not overwhelming) gore, which add to the visceral nature of the story.
The color art from Luis Nct and Mar Silvestre Galotto finishes off the reading experience with deep, heavy tones that lend weight to the comic’s atmosphere. Every image tends to lean on darker shades of their respective colors. There’s an effect in their work that makes the world seem as though it’s covered in dark ash at all times – which is especially fitting once the invasion begins. The panels will explode into blue light as alien beams fire over the residential landscape in the backdrop of human activity, casting an eerie glow over some of the interactions that still occur during the chaos. The lettering from Marshall Dillon does its job with an easy to read font that stays dynamic for character tone. There’s no SFX lettering here, as all worded focus during the action stays on the narration. Overall, Monarch is off to a phenomenal start on the visual end.
Verdict
Monarch #1 is a brilliant start to this new sci-fi thriller series. Rodney Barnes takes his socio-political approach to genre horror and applies it to this alien invasion piece to stellar effect, offering a painful human story at the center of this piece. The visual work from Alex Lins, Jason Shawn Alexander, Luis Nct, and Mar Silvestre Galotto is brilliantly animated and sharply directed, offering perfect atmosphere and pacing to pull readers into this apocalyptic scenario. Be sure to grab this new debut issue when it hits shelves on February 8th!
Writer-director Kogonada’s film After Yang, starring Colin Farrell (The Batman), tells a story about grief that reminds us what it means to be alive. Alexandra Schaller helped build the world around the central family in this not-too-distant science fiction drama.
The film is an adaptation of the short story “Saying Goodbye to Yang” by Alexander Weinstein. It centers around a family led by Farrell’s Jake and his wife Kyra, played by Jodie Turner-Smith (The Neon Demon), who purchase a “techno sapien,” the monicker for androids humans use to help around the house. In this case, Jake and Kyra bought one as a friend for Mika (Malea Emma Tjandrawidjaja), their young daughter. Unfortunately, Yang, the android, quickly becomes part of the family and breaks. Jake begins a search to find a way of repairing Yang, leading him to face beautiful revelations about the human condition through the loss of a family member.
PopAxiom spoke with Alexandra Schaller about her journey as a production designer and making the world of After Yang.
Love That Project
“I had no idea production design existed,” Alexandra says, confining one of the reasons I love doing these interviews so that future Alexandras do know. “I started doing light-based installation art. I was a fine artist. But I found that I needed more structure in my life. So I started working in theatre.”
The stage brought Alexandra to New York for a production. “I had friends say to me, ‘Can you help me with my movie?’ So the job I found myself doing was that of a production designer. I was reading the script and thinking about the space, environment, and frame composition.”
“Back then, it was an art department of one,” she laughs. “I worked my way up to two, then three, four, and on. It wasn’t until I moved to New York to work on bigger productions that I realized what I’d been doing all those years.”
Alexandra worked on “commercial and short-form work,” slowly working her way up to bigger things. “I think the first feature I designed was a tiny horror movie shot in New York. I realized that I loved doing it, so I decided that I wanted to be a production designer.”
“Instead of working my way up through the art department, which is one way to do it,” she says, adding, “working as an art director or set designer or something. I said, ‘I’m a production designer.’” Alexandra’s journey began with small projects and has now crossed through much more extensive projects like Y: The Last Man, about which she says, “I love that project.”
About After Yang
Alexandra’s connection to After Yang was a straightforward process. “I think a friend recommended me, and the producers contacted my agent. Sort of as simple as that.”
“I tend to be quite selective with projects,” she admits. “But my agent wrote in capital letters PAY ATTENTION TO THIS ONE. She was right. I read the script and fell in love with it. I met Kogonada, and we had a strong connection. I loved his vision for the movie and the world. So we hit it off.”
Discussions began about the near-future world depicted in After Yang. “I told Kogonada that the future is a period that doesn’t exist, but we all have this shared idea of what the future looks like from Blade Runner or AI. We have this idea of a slick future. We didn’t want to watch any future movies as a reference for this film. We wanted to make our future.”
“Kogonada is a cinephile and has a deep knowledge of cinema,” she explains, aiding in his vision. “He had a sense of how he wanted to shoot the movie. [Japanese filmmaker Yasujirō] Ozu was a big reference for him. That indicated how he wanted the images to look with wide shots of the environment.”
The pair talked a lot about the look. “But also talked about our sensibilities regarding art. We went to my background in theatre and how we create walls to make a space, but it’s an abstract concept.”
“Though it was sci-fi, we wanted it to be grounded,” she says about the thought process behind After Yang. “The environment would support the story.”
Script to Screen
How does Alexandra’s brain process a script for the first time? “It’s less so that we can do this or that. It’s more about when I read a script for the first time, do the words jump off the page and become images in my brain? Can I imagine the world of the movie? That happened with this script. And of course, with any script, I can think of what to do, but some truly spark.”
“For me, it’s getting a sense of what we want the world to feel like,” she says about getting the specific story of After Yang to work. “What we want the audience to feel informs the look of everything.”
Once Alexandra establishes a world, she starts “looking at the bigger items. For example, in After Yang, we had a self-driving car that features in a lot of the movie. So I knew that was something we needed to work on early because it needed a lot of preparation.”
“We had one car in the end,” she laughs, never revealing how many they had to start. “Kogonada had a specific vision for how the scenes would play out. So we had this self-driving car driving underground, and we designed tunnels. He thought it would be interesting for a lot of the environment to play in reflection on the car. So that defined that we needed a glass roof on the car.”
The self-driving car received a lot of attention. “There’s an environmental theme to the movie. We wanted the car to be powered by plants. So that was factored into the design. We had a concept period until we had a clear idea and went towards that.”
Wrapping Up
“I love paintings. I use a lot of paintings in my mood boards because they evoke such a feeling. It’s an interesting study of space, people interacting within a frame, and how the painter chooses a light source. It’s very cinematic.”
What’s something on Alexandra’s project bucket list? “I want to do a gangster movie or a heist movie. I’m open to any project. I try to keep it broad and work on many different things. But I haven’t done a gangster or heist movie.”
What’s next for Alexandra? “We shot a movie in Budapest for Blumhouse and Amazon called House of Spoils. It’s a culinary thriller horror movie starring [Academy Award winner] Ariana DeBose. It’s got haunted, witchy vibes.”
Is After Yang on your watch list?
Thanks to Alexandra Schaller and Lumos PR
for making this interview possible.
QUICK STOPS #4 hits your local comic book store on February 1, but we have an exclusive five-page preview for our readers — thanks to Dark Horse Comics. The book is written by Kevin Smith, with art by Ahmed Raafat, you will read Andrew Thomas’ letter work, and David Van Dyke created the variant cover.
About QUICK STOPS #4: Dante wants to take his new girlfriend, Veronica, on a second date to his annual family reunion, but Randal insists on attending as well. So after Jay and Silent Bob are hired to watch Quick Stop, the trio face familiar family members as Dante introduces his identical cousins: Gill Hicks from Mallrats, Jim Hicks from Chasing Amy, and Grant Hicks from Dogma!
Sierra Barnes’ graphic novel HANS VOGEL IS DEAD is receiving a new edition courtesy of Dark Horse Comics, coming this September.
The series originally debuted as a webcomic before finding success on Kickstarter and receiving a hardback edition from Cast Iron Books in the UK. Dark Horse’s new paperback edition of HANS VOGEL IS DEAD will feature new cover art and an expanded sketchbook section.
About HANS VOGEL IS DEAD: It’s the height of WWII, and the Nazi forces are driving through Europe. Decorated German fighter pilot Hans Vogel follows orders and doesn’t ask questions. It’s worked out well for him… so far. But when his plane is shot down in the middle of an air raid over London, he is dead before he hits the ground. And that’s only the beginning of his problems.
The series is known as an “anti-fascist fairytale” which focuses on the importance of recognizing past wrongs.
Regarding the project, Barnes says, “Hans Vogel is a passion project that I’ve poured so much love, research, and work into over the last few years, and I can hardly believe how lucky I am to see this weird little webcomic get set loose on the world! I’m so thankful to everyone who read and supported Hans and Reineke in their journey over the years, and I hope you’re as excited as I am to see them continue to grow and their adventure keep going. Thank you, thank you all!”
Check out some preview pages for HANS VOGEL IS DEAD right here:
HANS VOGEL IS DEAD Volume 1 will be released in comic shops on September 20th, 2023, and in book stores on September 19th. It’s currently available for pre-order.
MIDNIGHT SUNS #5 hits your local comic book store on January 25th, but thanks to Marvel Comics, Monkeys Fighting Robots has an exclusive four-page preview for you!
About the issue: The Midnight Suns were fated to rise…but in the end, are they destined to stop the apocalypse – or start it?! Only Agatha Harkness knows the truth, but the mistakes of her past have finally caught up to her. She has a terrible choice to make – one that will change her forever, one that may doom Zoe Laveau and Nico Minoru – if they and the Suns manage to survive…the ritual!
The issue is by writer Ethan Sacks and artists Luigi Zagaria & Alberto Foche, with colors by Antonio Fabela, and letters by Joe Sabino. The cover is by David Nakayama.
Check out the MIDNIGHT SUNS #5 preview below:
Have you been reading MIDNIGHT SUNS? Sound off in the comments!
