The second installment of Geoff Johns’ SHAZAM! series expands on the themes of family established in the previous issue. We’re given a deeper look into the inner workings of Billy Batson’s foster siblings and the dynamics that play into their relationships. In this issue, the champions of the worlds of magic are faced with a crossroads as they decide which destination upon which to embark via a magical subway.
Story
Johns focuses his story on the concept of family building, which is what he’s often claimed has been the core aspect of SHAZAM! comics since their inception. Billy’s status as a foster child allows for great storytelling as he learns what it means to create a family. In that vein, the story takes us on a journey with Billy and his foster family into the “Funlands”, one of seven magic lands the heroes discover while visiting the Rock of Eternity.
There was little that took place in terms of action throughout this issue; it chose to focus on the characters’ interactions with one another. But Johns doesn’t disappoint in this regard. When trying to choose a magical land destination Mary, the eldest sister, shows she’s a responsible and concerned sibling when attempting to manage the excitement of the younger children. One of these children, Freddy, exudes the energy of a hyperactive puppy over the prospect of visiting the Funlands, making the clash between him and Mary exemplify a classic case of bickering siblings.
Of the characters’ personalities, however, it was Billy’s that proved to be the most engaging and relatable in this story. The reader experiences the true dilemma facing any child of his age: choosing to be responsible or engage in a fun activity with friends instead. Amazingly, Billy finds ways to balance these two inclinations, showing his development as a character.
Art
Marco Santucci gives us crisp, clean artwork fitting of the comic’s action-packed theme. Mike Atiyeh’s coloring works with this beautifully, creating seamless transitions that take the heroes from dark caverns to brightly colored theme parks. These aspects quite literally illustrate the differing feelings of each hero: from the unyielding doubt Mary faces to the shining optimism of Freddy, the reader is drawn further into the cacophony of emotions in this family.
Rob Leigh’s lettering grants life to each character’s dialogue. There was no confusion as to who was speaking despite the vast number of exciting characters in this issue.
On another note, Dale Eaglesham and Alex Sinclair’s holiday-themed cover art was quite misleading, though this may have been due to the release date changes. Nevertheless, it would have been great to see a bit of the Funlands theme park in the cover art instead.
Conclusion
SHAZAM! #2 was an engaging connecting story, but offered little in terms of plot. Despite this, it was great getting to see what each character was like. Hopefully this issue serves as a stepping stone toward a much more elaborate storyline to come.
What did you think of SHAZAM! #2? Let us know in the comments below!
The Life And Death Of Toyo Harada #2 hits your local comic book store on April 10, but Valiant Entertainment and Monkeys Fighting Robots have teamed up to bring you an exclusive first look at the three covers by Mico Suayan, Ariel Olivetti, and Dean Haspiel.
THE LIFE AND DEATH OF TOYO HARADAwill place the planet’s most powerful man in the spotlight as he strives to control the course of history. But with the menacing mastermind’s resources dwindling after the downfall of the Harbinger Foundation and a target on his head, will the formidable psiot re-emerge as humanity’s greatest hero…or its most dangerous villain?
The first issue of the six-issue mini-series comes out on March 13.
Cover A by Mico Suayan
Cover B by Ariel Olivetti
Cover C by Dean Haspiel
The 40-page second issue is written by Joshua Dysart with art by CAFU and Butch Guice, and will retail for $4.99. Dysart is a multiple Eisner Award-nominated writer and a New York Times Bestseller.
About the issue:
The deadly campaign of the most powerful psiot in the Valiant Universe continues! In the present: Toyo Harada finds himself and The Foundation Zone under attack by a coalition of world governments, as one of his own teammates begins to turn on him. In the past: Toyo Harada escapes Japan aboard a fishing vessel and sets sail for the new world.
Are you excited for The Life And Death Of Toyo Harada? Comment below with your thoughts.
What if the wedding of The Bat and The Cat had turned out differently? Batman #63 seems to give Bruce Wayne his happily ever after, with Batman and Catwoman now married and serving as Gotham’s top crime fighting duo.
Things are not as they appear, though, if John Constantine’s presence is any indication. John dogs Batman throughout the issue, warning of personal tragedy just around the corner.
The Writing
Batman #63 presents part three of King’s Knightmares story arc. The dreamlike mood and uncertainty about reality that defined our last few issues are still here, but we start to get some answers by this issue’s end.
King reveals information in a creeping, deliberate manner, serving to heighten the tension. We see Bruce and Selina enjoy their time as newlyweds. In every scene, though, Constantine reminds Bruce that things won’t—and possibly even can’t—go well for him. He turns up, constantly tugging at the threads of Bruce’s world…or at least what Bruce believes is his world.
The last several issues remained largely abstract, going for mood and suggestion before revealing the twist at the end, and this one continues that trend. But, unlike our last two issues (good though they may be on their own), Batman #63’s end carries some genuine momentum for the broader narrative. We finally get answers to what’s going on and how it ties into Bane’s larger plan to psychologically break Batman.
The Artwork
Mikel Janin does a great job reflecting the tone of King’s writing. The lines are soft, giving the artwork a somewhat wistful, light vibe compared to other recent issues.
Batman #63 is light on action, instead focusing on Bruce’s interactions with Selina and Constantine. Janin keeps things interesting in the way he frames the panels, though. He divides some pages into similar, yet increasingly-zoomed-in images as the conversation rises in intensity, or shifts angles to keep things interesting.
Jordie Bellaire provides a dynamic color sensibility, nicely complementing Janin’s line work throughout. She skillfully captures the tone for each scene, balancing between soft, slightly washed out palettes, and dark, yet vibrant tones.
Final Verdict
While the last few issues are great in their own ways, their lack of immediate connection to the overarching plot did start to drag the momentum a little bit. By the end of Batman #63, though, we finally have our narrative bearings.
A new age of Guardians Of The Galaxy is upon us and the galaxy “is broken.” The all-star duo of Donny Cates and Geoff Shaw (THANOS) takes us back among the stars.
***SPOILERS LIE AHEAD***
Thanos is dead and all the major players of the galaxy are shook. Eros collects all the heavy hitters in one place to share the posthumous threat made by his fallen brother of Titan. There will soon be a new Thanos and the only way to prevent it requires a lot of blood and guess work.
Guardians Of The Galaxy #1 has the gravitas of a major Marvel event’s opening chapter. We learn the stakes, meet the players, get a dramatic shake-up (thanks to an attack by The Black Order), and blast forward into an exciting new adventure with a new core cast.
With Drax having died, Gamora becoming a villain and Rocket elsewhere, Peter Quill and Groot reload their crew by being in the right place at the right time. In perfect GOTG fashion, Quill accidentally rescues a handful of survivors of the Black Order’s attack.
Thanos’ generals have his deceased body, but now Quill and Groot are joined by Cosmic Ghost Rider, Moondragon, Phyla-Vell and Beta Ray Bill. That’s a stacked lineup of cosmic Marvel favorites, GOTG all-stars, and the hottest new character in the 616.
We’ve got ourselves a race across the galaxy to find and stop this “new Thanos” before it’s too late. The way our story is setup and laid out is masterful. Guardians Of The Galaxy #1 manages to satisfy and immediately hook longtime fans and new readers alike with an infectious tone and explosive plot.
Donny Cates has been having one hell of a go at Marvel. This series seems to be another perfect fit, he wastes no time injecting his personality and trademark “punk/metal” appeal to a title that has plenty of room for it. Even giving Groot a mohawk and punk attitude fits perfectly.
As a longtime GOTG fan, the voice and attitude Cates has for Quill is reassuring. Long gone are the days of Bendis’ misguided run and the overreaction to Chris Pratt’s movie portrayal of Star-Lord. Quill is back to being the “Indiana Jones of space” that’s always in over his head but always up for the task.
Teaming up with Thanos collaborator Geoff Shaw once again was a brilliant decision. They pick up right where they left off creatively and clearly have much more to say about the weirdness of Marvel’s cosmic frontier.
Shaw’s illustrations are as sharp and dynamic as ever. His vision for cosmic characters and settings is wonderful, his Guardians panels have a bit more of an edge to them. Shaw has the ability to perfectly convey both the attitude and comedic timing of Cates’ scripts.
Marte Garcia does spectacular work as always, especially with the large cast of characters to breathe life into. The opening scenes with the meeting room full of the universe’s heaviest hitters warrant more than a quick read and page turn.
From the script to each and every panel, this series seems hellbent on delivering us back an age when cosmic stories mattered on their own. This feels like a major crossover event without any of “Earth’s Mightiest Heroes” and that’s a big deal. This could be the beginning of a renaissance for the best corner of Marvel’s universe.
Guardians Of The Galaxy #1 is everything you could’ve wanted from a launching point for our favorite cosmic assholes. The new crew is one fans have been dreaming of for years. You couldn’t ask for a better creative team to elevate the title to new heights. Don’t miss what will most likely be one of Marvel’s must-read comic books going forward.
New Mutants by Abnett & Lanning: The Complete Collection Volume 1 is out this week, and it’s a great sampler platter of stories for Marvel’s more obscure X-Men.
The paperback collection includes New Mutants issues #25-37, written by Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning. These stories feature four different art teams: Leandro Fernandez & Andres Mossa; Michael Ryan, Norman Lee, & David Curiel; David Lafuente, Robbi Rodriguez, Val Staples, Chris Sotomayer, & Sotocolor; and David Lopez, Alvaro Lopez, & Val Staples. Joe Caramagna lettered all the issues.
It also includes issue #632 of Journey Into Mystery by Kieron Gillen, Mitch Breitweiser, Bettie Breitweiser, and Clayton Cowles.
This volume basically collects six different New Mutants stories. Each one naturally flows into the next one, but they all could also easily be read independently of one another. Readers can enjoy the rescue and return of Nate Grey, as well as the team battling Asgardian demons, Magma going on a literal date with the Devil, and more.
Abnett & Lanning are perhaps best known for their epic Cosmic Marvel saga, where they made stars out of lower-tier superheroes by showcasing their full, badass potential. The duo bring that same kind of energy to New Mutants. Yes, this team has its die-hard fans, but these are still fringe characters that aren’t appreciated like the main X-Men. But Abnett & Lanning bring out the best in the crew, showing how powerful they are, both as individuals and as a team. Between Magma holding in an earthquake with her bare hands and the ferocious battle skills of Dani Moonstar, this collection will make serious fans out of readers.
The team chemistry and dynamic is also a joy to read. The X-Men are a family, but the New Mutants have always been like a little family within the family, and you feel their connection in these pages. Plus, New Mutants comics have the ability to go to weird places like no other X-comics can, and this volume is no exception. If you’re a fan of the absurd, or horror, or absurd horror, you’ll dig this run. Again, Magma goes on a literal date with the Devil himself, and it’s probably the highlight of this entire book.
The art varies, due to the aforementioned four art teams, but each team brings the right kind of energy for their story. Fernandez and Mossa provide an edgy grit to introduce the series. Lafuente, Rodriguez, Staples, and Sotomayer give off a scarier vibe that’s very apt for the Fear Itself tie-in. Multiple artists are very good at focusing on delivering emotion and strong facial expressions for more personal stories. The frequent changes may be jarring to some, but it’s hard to argue that the changes don’t work for the betterment of each arc.
New Mutants by Abnett & Lanning is a solid read whether you’re an old fan of the team or new. And with the New Mutants movie hitting theaters this year (hopefully), this collection is a good entry into this world.
BOOM! Studios are taking us back to the very beginning for their new Buffy the Vampire Slayer comic, re-imaging the characters and the story.
Everybody has heard of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and most of the people picking up BOOM! Studios new comic will have seen at least some of the original series. The TV show, which started in the late 1990’s, became a massive hit, turning its actors, such as Sarah Michele Gellar and Alison Hannigan, into stars and making its creator, Joss Whedon, into a household name.
But now, in 2019, Jodie Bellaire and Dan Mora are re-inventing the Slayer and the cast of characters that surround her. The old will become new and a new generation of fans can discover the exciting adventures of Buffy and the Scooby Gang.
Page Art from Buffy The Vampire Slayer Credit: BOOM! Studios
The Story
The story opens in a Tuna themed fast food restaurant where the reader is introduced to Buffy, a seemingly normal, bored teenager. She watches a couple of her peers enjoying themselves and she laments about her situation. The scene quietly moves outside and the action begins.
Bellaire has decided to skip out on Buffy discovering her secret and jump to the Slayer blues that comes with hiding her secret and not being able to interact with other people her age. This outcast element of the character forms the backbone of this first issue and allows for the creators to explore Buffy’s new world while introducing it to the readers.
One thing that becomes instantly apparent is the strength of the central character. Her presence on the page and the confidence that Bellaire injects into her dialogue makes her stand out above each of the other characters. From the very beginning it is made clear that she is something special, and not just a Slayer. This is a reflection of how important the character is to so many people, including Bellaire and Mora. You can feel the love and the respect for the Slayer’s world in this issue.
Other characters are introduced, some instantly recognisable such as Giles the Watcher who is as focused on the job and as blind to Buffy’s civilian life as Anthony Head was in the 1996 original. Some of the characters aren’t as fans may remember them, but this is where this new comic series is going to be fun. Bellaire gets to play with a massive cast of characters and re-invent them to surprise the readers.
This opening issue has a narrative that is spot on for a re-boot of a popular character. Buffy is exactly as you would expect her to be, reset to factory setting so to speak, and the world around her is familiar but still new. Bellaire captures the ‘snark’ that made the original series so popular without it being out dated or cheesy. The Buffy-speak that became synonymous with Joss Whedon’s early career is alive and well and serving this comic beautifully.
The best part of the Buffy world that has survived is the empowerment of the central character. Buffy is a hero. Troubled and reluctant, sure, but she still does what has to be done to save the lives of the people around her. She was a character that people could admire and look up to and this aspect is present in this new take on the character. There are several panels where, as readers, we are forced to literally look up to Buffy as she towers above us like a superhero. You can change a lot about a character but this is something that is intrinsic to Buffy and Bellaire gets this part of the character spot on.
Interior Art work from Buffy The Vampire Slayer Credit: BOOM! Studios
The Art
Mora has a fine line which allows for some excellent figure work. His characters are wonderfully rendered and their resemblance to the actors in the T.V. show is amazing. So much so that on the opening page you know exactly who Buffy is watching despite the fact that they haven’t been introduced by name.
There is so much detail in each panel. The energy of the character’s bursts from the page making them stand out however, the backgrounds complete the pictures and create a perfect setting. Raul Angulo’s colors create mood from one scene to the next and there is a definite tonal shift from the day scenes to the night scenes. Angulo has a good grasp on light sources and uses this to the advantage of the narrative highlighting aspects of the panels with subtle shadows or glaring spotlights.
Ed Dukeshire has perfect placement for the speech balloons keeping them out of the action. The contrast in balloon designs helps the reading experience. This is most notable between the human and vampire speech. The human balloons are smooth ellipses whereas the vampires have an uneven, wavy edged balloon with crooked tales. This means that, even before you have read any of the dialogue or seen the images, there is something different between the two species. On a very simple level the clean, ordered balloons represent ‘the good’ while the uneven balloons represent ‘the evil’. This is such a simple signifier that the reader accepts it subconsciously and processes the information instantly so that it doesn’t interrupt the pacing of the confrontations.
Buffy The Vampire Slayer issue 1 Credit: BOOM! Studios
Conclusion
Nostalgia is a powerful thing. It has inspired a great number of people to work on projects that reboot and re-image T.V. shows, movies and characters from all of pop culture. It’s especially prevalent in comic books with DC and Marvel making a game of reintroducing characters back to the same reader’s year after year. But to tackle something like Buffy The Vampire Slayer is a brave and difficult decision. There are legions of fans all who love the Buffy-verse with varying levels of intensity. A reboot of this kind is going to be laid under a microscope and systematically dissected.
Luckily for BOOM! Studios, Bellaire and Mora have produced an excellent comic worthy of the Buffy legacy. The love for the series is evident on every page and the influence of the show is there in the dialogue, the action, and even the nuanced storytelling elements. ‘Welcome Back to the Hellmouth’ is an apt name for the story because this comic manages to be a reboot without it feeling like a reboot. The readers will instantly feel at home with the characters and will unconsciously be drawn back into Sunnydale and all the delights it has to offer.
Where the story goes from here? Who knows but it promises to be as wild a ride as the original series was way back in 1995.
Who loves the Buffy-verse? What characters are you hoping will reappear in this retelling of the famous story? Share with us in the comments below.
Following on from a string of popular sporting themed comics, The Avant-Guards, published by BOOM! Studios, is a teen drama centered around a basketball team comprised of drama school students.
Writer Carly Usdin (Heavy Vinyl) takes the reader back to college and reminds us how difficult it can be to settle in and make new friends.
Interior Art from The Avant-Guards. Credit: BOOM! Studios
The Story
The adventure opens with Charlie Bravo on her first day at the Georgia O’Keeffe College of Arts. Having just transferred to the college, she feels isolated from the other students and builds a wall of indifference around herself. Despite trying to avoid unnecessary contact with people, she is strangely drawn to Liv, captain of the college basketball team.
Usdin has created a varied cast of characters and introduces these to the reader en masse in the first issue. Using Charlie as a focal point, the reader starts as an outcast and can only engage with the rest of the cast as Charlie does. This helps to establish the isolated atmosphere that is so important in this issue. Usdin wants you to understand how Charlie is feeling so that as the series progresses any emotional high, or low, that she feels you will also feel. This is achieved surprisingly well in the first issue of The Avant-Guards.
Usdin gives the reader snippets of insight into Charlie’s life, just enough to understand her reactions in certain situations, but not too much that there are no secrets left. We identify with the central character because we recognise these smaller interactions that she has.
The dialogue is befitting the cast and several of the characters already have distinctive voices that shape our understanding of who they are.
Just like BOOM! Studios other hit sporting drama Fence, The Avant-Guards has a niche market, especially if you are considering the sport of amateur basketball, but the true story is not the setting or sport, but the character’s development. Usdin has created a fascinating collection of students for her story and instantly makes the reader want to follow them through their adventures.
Interior Art from The Avant-Guards. Credit: BOOM! Studios
The Art
The art work has that Young Adult appeal that has made comics such as The Lumberjanes so popular. The pencil lines are fine outlines which define the shapes of the characters and setting. The art works to tell a character based story and Noah Hayes is wonderful at capturing expressions and emotions in a minimalistic way.
His strongest attribute in The Avant-Guards is his ability to create an emotional reaction from positioning and scale. At one point he demonstrates exactly how isolated Charlie feels by drawing her small in an already, unusual shaped, small panel. In contract to the rest of the panels on the page this moment seems significant to the reader as all they are faced with is a tiny Charlie, on her own in a sea of nothing.
Later on Hayes uses the minimalistic approach to illustrate how empty Charlie’s life is. A panel in her bedroom seems so much bigger than it is because of the empty space. A single poster adorns the wall and half of the panel is made up blank wall space. Here the colors by Rebecca Nalty really help to hammer home the point. By leaving so much of the panel color free, it emphasises the expanse of space a lot more.
Another wonderful coloring technique that Nalty applies to this issue to help the narrative theme is to defuse a lot of the background images with bleached colors. This makes the central character of Charlie stand out in a sea of people that are different to her. A quick glance of the opening page and the reader knows that Charlie is an outcast.
The lettering on the sound effects is muted and play full. The coloring is a cool blue so it never imposes on the art work but still stands out when it needs to. Ed Dukeshire has a lot of dialogue to handle on some of the pages which he does by evenly spacing the text and allowing for plenty of free space in the speech balloons so that they never seem over crowded. He also distributes the dialogue between a number of different, often linked, balloons. This gives some pages the impression of a lot of speech which in turn makes the silent pages somehow quieter.
Page Art from The Avant-Guards. Credit: BOOM! Studios
Conclusion
The Avant-Guards is another intriguing entry into BOOM! Studios’ BOOM! BOX imprint. It fits in perfectly with the titles that have come before it, especially the sports based comics such as Dodge City and Slam!. Just like those titles the sport element itself is merely a literary device to get the characters to interact and give them a challenge to overcome. Usdin proved with her previous title Heavy Vinyl that she can create intriguing characters and she has done the same here. There is a fairly large cast of characters waiting to be explored and the story is barely beginning.
The combination of clever artwork and a commitment to making it easy to read means that The Avant-Guards is easily accessible for new comic book readers but contains enough for seasoned comic lovers. It’s humorous, fun and bounces along at a steady pace.
Composer Dan Marocco has scored many movies and TV shows but none like the Andy Sandberg starring Brooklyn Nine-Nine, the former FOX comedy that was saved by the fans and continues on NBC without missing a beat.
Dan Marocco is approaching 20 years in a career scoring for film and television. He’s gone from playing with Dirty Sexy Money to Pillow Talk and faced a few demons along the way (Demonic, 2015). PopAxiom got into Dan’s mental squad car to talk about making music for the Brooklyn Nine-Nine and beyond.
Texas To Japan
Dan’s life started off in the United States where he was born into a musical family “My dad was a high school band director, so I’ve been around music my whole life.”
However, it wasn’t just any high school. Dan’s dad taught at a school in Japan. For Dan, his teens years were spent in the land of the rising sun “I grew up in Texas and had a very specific view of how the world worked, and that got turned on its head. All kinds of different influences … music and art. It really opened my world up.”
About Brooklyn Nine-Nine
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HblwLcAR4r4
Watching an episode of Brooklyn Nine-Nine will instantly make you smile with its fun and infectious, 70s funk-inspired theme song “I wanted to capture the spirit of the show in the theme song. Make it fun, make it exciting.”
Brooklyn Nine-Nine had a five-season run on FOX but “The day when we were canceled the silver lining was the fan reaction. We’ve never gotten crazy high ratings … it was fun to see all the fans come out of the woodwork.”
Why does Dan think Brooklyn Nine-Nine is so loved? “I think it’s a fun, very comforting show to watch. When that got taken away I think a lot of people were like ‘no, no, no, don’t take that away!’”
Naturally, Dan was excited when Brooklyn Nine-Nine was saved by NBC “To have it come back to life was a really cool feeling. We get to do it again. It’s amazing!”
The feel-good sitcom exists in a weird place that thankfully repeals cynicism “The show sometimes deals with issues that are difficult for some people, but I think it does it in a loving way. There are occasions when it’s a little critical of parts of society I think, but it’s not a cynical show, for sure.”
There’s a saying that all press is good press and Brooklyn Nine-Nine benefited from the fan outcry “In the months since it was canceled and saved, I’ve talked to more people about the show than ever.”
How hard is it to keep a straight face while scoring an episode? “I don’t have to. I’m in my own room. I can laugh every time.”
Dan shares one of the show’s moments that kept making him laugh “… Probably around season three. It’s a silly thing. I’m doing a scene over and over. But Boyle says the line ‘Corn freakin’ noodle’ and the way he said that … I laughed every time of the 100 times I watched it.”
Dan adds “That’s an awesome part of the job is to be able to laugh.”
Psychology of Scoring
The process for scoring begins with understanding what the story needs and what the filmmakers want. It requires a composer get into a particular headspace “I did a horror film … you can get into a pretty dark place. Working on this film 14 hours a day.”
Dan continues “When you’re doing a scene and rewatching it, you have to keep building tension and tension. When you watch that scene in the movie, it’s one, two minutes long. I lived with it for days.”
From horror to comedy and back again “It’s an interesting thing how what you’re working on can affect your psyche.”
While the horror movie might lead to the dark side, there is light to counter it “The flip side of that is Brooklyn Nine-Nine that just cracks me up.”
Dan shares a bit of difference between the process for TV and film scoring “For Brooklyn Nine-Nine, we’ll have a meeting going over the scenes and what each one needs. For a film, there’s a bit more back and forth mostly because there is just more time.”
Making Music
Whether it’s a week or a month, making music for TV and film includes a temporary or “temp” track “The first time I watch a film there’s usually a temp track there. If I feel like it’s off … I mute it out, I can do that separately. But for the most part, I watch it as is and learn what I can from it.”
For Dan, there are definitely benefits to temp tracks “It gives me an idea too of what the director and producer want. That gives me a jumping off point.”
Temp tracks can be music from almost any source “Often I provide temp music … that might work for it. I do that really early in the process that way I have a bit of a say in the direction and then refine it as it goes along.”
Sometimes though “There’s definitely a time when you get into ‘temp love.’”
What does he do to combat ‘temp love’? “… it’s fun to beat the temp and show people what I can do.”
Dan adds more to the talk about temp tracks “When an editor is cutting a film to the music he likes, he’s moving to the rhythm of that music.”
Back To Brooklyn
For the excellent Brooklyn Nine-Nine though “There was no temp track for that.”
So how did the song come together? “There was the idea of the horn sample, and beyond that, nothing was guiding it. More than 90% of the time there’s some temp.”
Theme songs are kind of going the way of the dinosaur, and many shows don’t use any sort of intro music at all “We discussed that for the opening. Should it be something that works in five seconds or ten seconds? Should we be able to adjust it for the needs of each show? But [producer/co-creator] Mike Schur was adamant that he wanted something substantial … that was there every episode.”
With the decision made and the horns as a foundation; idea “I had to build off that to make it exciting and punchy and try to make it something that people don’t skip through.”
Wrapping Up
When asked about what’s in Dan’s musical DNA he says “…gotta start with the Beatles and those Paul McCartney bass lines that are the heart of so many of the Beatles songs.”
Thanks to Sir Paul’s influence “I usually start writing with the bass which is not very common.”
But the bass proved particularly useful “Especially on Brooklyn Nine-Nine which has that influence.”
From specifically the composing side of things, Dan loves “Alexandre Desplat, John Williams, Thomas Newman … they’re fantastic.”
What’s next? “I’m doing thirteen episodes now of Brooklyn Nine-Nine and during the summer, the off-time, I’ll pick up another project. It’s always fun to work on something new.”
Thanks to Dan Marocco and Impact24 PR for making this interview possible.
Longtime Marvel fans no doubt remember the original Marvel Team-Up, which ran from 1972-85 and saw Spider-Man paired with just about every hero in the Marvel Universe. Now comes news that the series is returning this April.
The first arc of the new Team-Up will see Spider-Man joining forces with Ms. Marvel (Kamala Khan), written by Ironheart scribe Eve Ewing and illustrated by Joey Vazquez.
Speaking to the Chicago Tribune, Marvel editor in chief CB Cebulski said,
“With [Ewing’s] ability to not only capture the feel of the Marvel universe, but to make her characters move so naturally through it with their actions and dialogue, we knew it was only a matter of time before she was writing more for us. With Marvel Team-Up, Eve will be able to play with different characters and lend her voice to our heroes’ relationships, both old and new.”
Ewing spoke with Marvel.com about a variety of topics related to the Marvel Team-Up relaunch.
On matching these unlikely teammates:
“They’re just two characters that I adore and think are so fun. I’m enjoying getting into each of their heads and working through their strengths, weaknesses, anxieties, and challenges.”
On similarities and differences between Spider-Man and Ms. Marvel:
“I love that they’re both hometown heroes—people who are deeply rooted in where they’re from. For this story, their age difference and cultural differences are going to matter a bit. Pete was definitely very similar to Kamala once upon a time, but now he’s, you know, a grown dude. His situation with Kamala is going to force him to put himself in the mind of a teen again in some unexpected ways, and Kamala is going to have to get into the head of an adult who has been in the game a lot longer than she has.”
On the Ms. Marvel character overall:
“With Kamala, it’s always crystal clear who the person beneath the mask is, and that person is so strong and also tender and endearing that she just wins you over. I think she brings a different sensibility to what it means to be a Super Hero, because one of her greatest powers is actually her kindness and care.”
Marvel Team-Up #1 will be in comic stores in April.
Are you excited by the return of a regular team-up series with different characters in each story arc? Comment below!
There’s no shortage of stories out there taking a well-known tale and giving it a modern veneer. Actually, we have a number of books and films resetting classic stories in dystopian or post-apocalyptic settings, so the bar is high if you want to stand out for this brand of retelling. Creators Gary Whitta and Darick Robertson don’t disappoint with Oliver #1, though, transforming a classic into something entirely fresh and engaging.
The book retells the Dickens novel Oliver Twist, transplanting the characters from the Victorian era to a post-apocalyptic vision of the future. A colony of men living in the wreckage of a bombed out London find themselves caretakers of a newborn. Naming the child Oliver, they watch as he grows at an accelerated rate. However, the child’s development isn’t the only thing unusual about this gang of survivors.
The Writing
Whitta recently sat down for an interview with Monkeys Fighting Robots and offered some insights on the series. “Figuring out how to keep the reader turning the pages is one of the age-old challenges for any writer, and I’m proud to say that I think Oliver does it better than anything else I’ve written,” he says. “The whole story is structured to be littered with little mysteries and clues throughout like a trail of breadcrumbs for the reader to follow.”
Whitta definitely succeeds in that goal. Oliver #1 does a great job of both establishing the world and the characters that occupy it.
In many comics, the desire to create mystery and intrigue ultimately comes across as vagueness or abstraction. Oliver #1 does an amazing job of pacing, though. Whitta seeds mysteries, but gives us enough information to stay firmly grounded in the story.
We don’t learn in this first issue exactly how the war panned out or what the outside world looks like. We do, though, uncover the sad circumstances that created Oliver’s surrogate family. The hints provided are enough to not only maintain interest, but heighten it. The story sinks its hooks in and makes you desperate to discover more about this world.
The Artwork
Robertson provides wonderfully-detailed artwork in Oliver #1. Every pile of rubble, broken storefront or collapsed column is intricately designed and inked. Thus, despite the grim and dark setting, the level of care applied to the images gives it a beautiful characteristic.
The character designs are reminiscent of Robertson’s work on Transmetropolitan. But, while characters in that series had a light sense of vibrancy that concealed a darker tone beneath, these characters provide the opposite. Through expressions and poses, you feel the weight of the situation and just how beaten-down these characters feel.
Colorist Diego Rodriguez applies a dark, grimy palette to Oliver #1. This fits the tone of the story, as well as Robertson’s line work. Everything is appropriately gloomy, helping sell the bleak, post-apocalyptic setting.
Final Thoughts
Oliver #1 delivers a great beginning to this inventive retelling of the Dickens classic. The writer provides enough unique story elements to make it feel completely new, backed by outstanding artwork. Please, Mr. Whitta, I want some more.
