Review: BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER #1 Slaying Us All Over Again

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.

Art From Buffy BOOM! Studios — 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.

Buffy Art BOOM! Studios — 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.

BOOM! Studios Buffy Art Work — 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.

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Review: Standing Out With THE AVANT-GUARDS #1

Darryll Robson

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.

Art from The Avant-Guards issue 1 — 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.

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.

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.

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INTERVIEW: Composer Dan Marocco Talks Trying To Keep A Straight Face While Scoring Brooklyn Nine-Nine

Ruben Diaz

January 22, 2019

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.”

WATCH THE MOMENT HERE

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.

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MARVEL TEAM-UP Series Returns In April

Kevin Sharp

January 22, 2019

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!

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[Review] OLIVER #1 Brilliantly Reimagines the Dickens Classic

David DeCorte

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.

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INTERVIEW: Editor Patrick J. Don Vito On Movie 43, Jason Vorhees, And Green Book

Ruben Diaz

January 21, 2019

The Green Book is a film starring Viggo Mortensen and Mahershala Ali that’s getting a lot of Oscar buzz, and veteran film editor Patrick J. Don Vito made the magic come together in the editing room.

Patrick J. Don Vito started his career in the early 90s, and today he’s on the verge of being part of an Oscar-nominated film. PopAxiom cut together this conversation with longtime editor Patrick J. Don Vito about making the different roles of an editor, Movie 43, and Green Book.

Let’s Ride

Long before the Green Book, Patrick’s first steps into a life as an editor began “… in high school. My brother is five years older than me. He ended up at Chapman University where he studied film. So I’d help him out with his projects.”

Helping his brother sparked a thought “I can have a career doing this? This is fun!”

Soon after “… I went to Chapman and studied film. And back then you could do whatever you want. Check out the equipment and go out and shoot your film. I really gravitated to editing.”

During school, the young editor “… got an internship at a show called Trials of Rosie O’Neil as a runner in post-production. “So I worked for this show taking whatever they needed to wherever it had to go.”

The experience provided a lot of opportunities for Patrick to learn more “In my spare time, I would talk to the editors and assistant editors to learn from them.”

Office In A Morgue

Rosie O’Neil eventually ended “When the job was over, one of the editors went on to do Jason Goes To Hell, and I became his apprentice.”

Making movies is hard work, but it can be fun in some unique ways “Every morning I would walk through the morgue set and go through a door, and that was my office.”

As a horror fan, Patrick was lucky to watch one of the legends to play Jason at work “One day I came out, and Kane Hodder is standing there in full Jason outfit. And he was awesome. He used to put on headphones and listen to Metallica and other stuff like that and stomp around get into character.”

Patrick shares a moment with Hodder “So one day I see Kane there, and I ask if I can take a picture. A second before the photo he grabbed me by the throat and choked me out. So I have this photo of Jason choking me.”

From high school to intern to opportunities “But my first few jobs all started from that one show.”

About Green Book

The Green Book is a drama with comedy or a comedy with drama. Either way, it’s funny, and it’s sentimental and serious. But there was no formula to how much comedy or drama the film should have “It’s very much about feel.”

There was a critical aspect of the comedy that the crew kept in mind “Let’s make sure the comedy comes out of the scene. If it sounds like a joke, it’s out of tone with the film.”

Balancing the humor and drama was “… really about the balance of the tone.”

For editing, Patrick “What do I absolutely need to tell in this scene? Do I even need this scene? But I like to strip it down and then add back stuff if necessary.”

The Fixer

Some say there are always three movies: One that’s written, one that’s shot, and one that’s edited but is anything in Hollywood even that simple? “Ultimately, a good script you hope will get you 90% there but some jobs are sort of ‘fix it’ jobs where they bring you in to fix story problems. Those can be tough jobs.”

What does Patrick think about those ‘fix it’ jobs? “They’re fun. They’re fun because you’re coming in fresh. Everyone else has been living this movie for however long. You can come in and suggest all sort of things that they may not have thought of. You get to give people a fresh look.”

Movies are massive beasts of production “Most of the time when you’re brought in on a ‘fix’ it’s just to help because movies are such a big thing. Sometimes it’s about the studio wanting a new editor to come in and try something new. It gives the studio a chance to see the film in a new light.”

However, there are harsh realities as in any industry “In extreme versions directors are fired, and people are brought in to salvage a movie.”

Hugh Jackman’s Chin-Balls

In 2013, a movie called Movie 43 came out which featured dozens of short films. It was condemned by critics (currently holding four percent on Rotten Tomatoes) but has since become a cult film. And that was the plan “The idea was to make another Amazon Women on the Moon or Kentucky Fried Movie.”

However, selling the movie required some convincing “… the producers went out and shot that skit with Hugh Jackman and the balls on his chin. That got everyone on board.”

Movie 43 came together when “Charles B. Wessler put out a call for crazy short films and whittled it down to the best ones. In fact, one of the shorts was even a student film.” In case you’re wondering it’s the short titled “Machine Kids.”

For Movie 43, Patrick came and “… did the sequence shot by Steven Brill and then they had me stick around, and I got to recut all the shorts with the directors. So I got to work with Brett Ratner, Griffin Dunne, James Gunn, Steve Carr …”

Movie 43 isn’t a work of genius, Patrick defines precisely what it is which makes the critical response irrelevant “It’s supposed to be this filthy comedy … it’s not supposed to be high art.”

Wrapping Up

Patrick’s career has been going strong for nearly 30 years, so who’s influenced him along the way? “I think Jay Roach was a big influence early on when I was working on the Austin Powers movies. I love working with Donald Petrie he’s so much fun and a great storyteller.”

Green Book is likely to get plenty of Oscar nominations but for Patrick, the job is done. So, what’s next? “A movie I worked on hasn’t been released yet which is Three Christs, John Avnet’s film. It’s a true story with Richard Gere, Peter Dinklage, Walter Goggins, Bradley Whitford. Gere is a psychiatrist who has three patients that all think they’re Christ. So he puts them in a room together to see what happens. It’s really funny, but dark, and sad. It has everything.”

Thanks to Patrick J. Don Vito and Impact24 PR for making this interview possible.

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BLACK PANTHER Meets Star Wars In “The Intergalactic Empire Of Wakanda”

Anthony Composto - EIC

Black Panther: The Intergalactic Empire of Wakanda Part One is out this week, and it’s an epic cosmic adventure worthy of a king.

The series is by National Book Award-winning writer Ta-Nehisi Coates and artist David Acuña (with special thanks to David Navarro). Artist Jen Bartel worked on issue #6, with layouts by Paul Reinwand and colors by Triona Farrell. Joe Sabino letters the series.

“Two thousand years ago, a detachment of Wakandans established a small, desolate colony on the outer edges of the cosmos.

Separated from their homeland and besieged by the whims of deep space, these Wakandans pushed their country’s traditional notion of self-defense to radical ends — true self-defense meant the conquest of all potential foes.

On this bellicose ethic, a small, starving colony was transformed into an empire spanning five galaxies. Now these space-faring Wakandans have set their acquisitive eyes on a new galaxy — our own.

This is the story of the only man who could stop them — a king who sought to be a hero, a hero who was reduced to a slave, a slave who advanced into legend.”

The comic gets its hooks in you on page one with these words. You know immediately that this is going to be a Black Panther story unlike any you’ve read before.

If you’ll allow me a moment of subjective thought, I’ll give you my personal experience with this story. I stopped reading Coates’ initial Panther run around issue 10. It supposedly found its footing after that and people were really enjoying it, but I never followed up on it. Wanting to get back into the series, I decided to give “The Intergalactic Empire of Wakanda” a shot because I heard it was a good jumping-on point. I went into the story ice-cold, not bothering to catch up on the previous series.

To quote one of television’s best shows: holy mother forking shirt balls, you guys. This series blows you away. It’s got grand, cosmic action, the story is intriguing and mysterious, the characters feel familiar, and Daniel Acuña’s art is phenomenal. His colors are surreal, and his linework is sophisticated. The art is full of energy and motion to keep your eye moving. The colors have distinct Kirby-vibes to them, which is about as high praise as you can give comic art. In one character in particular, the cosmic Kirby influence is especially apparent.

This is a hard series to talk about, because the mysterious element is largely why it’s so great. You should really go into it cold, as I did, to get the full effect. However, if you want some very light, non-spoiler discussion about the story, read on.

We meet T’Challa as a prisoner in space, a slave to the empire founded in his name, with no memories of his past. He’s broken out by rebels, after which he joins their cause to take down the Intergalactic Wakandan Empire. The rebels have familiar names, but are they the same characters fans have come to know? It’s unclear. And how did T’Challa get here? Also unclear. What is going on? Who the hell knows.

Coates and Acuña don’t hold the audience’s hand with this comic. They throw you into the deep end and trust in your ability as a reader to follow along. That trust creates an urge to keep reading, and a need to know what’s happening. You won’t be able to put this comic down. And because of Acuña’s fluid art and Joe Sabino’s lettering, you’ll be through it in no time.

And speaking of Sabino’s work, his sound effects on Black Panther are really something to study. The way he letters them, they’re fun and playful, and they match the Kirby-esque vibrance of the art. They don’t feel like traditional comic book sound effects; they look unique, which just adds to the book’s special quality.

“The Intergalactic Empire of Wakanda” is Star Wars by way of Black Panther. The influence is obvious: you have a band of rebels trying to take down an evil galactic Empire, the members of which are repeatedly referred to as “imperials.” The space battles all look and feel like something out of the Original Trilogy. And, to be clear, none of this is detrimental to the series. It doesn’t feel derivative or lazy; it feels awesome. This is a mashup that we didn’t know we needed, but now that we have it, it’s so fulfilling. Can you imagine getting this up on the big screen in the MCU?

Suffice it to say, you should definitely pick up Black Panther: The Intergalactic Empire of Wakanda Part One. It’s something totally unfamiliar to the world of T’Challa as we know it, and yet it speaks perfectly to the heart of the character. It’ll have you craving the next volume as soon as you finish it.

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How EXTERMINATION Fulfills The Original X-Men’s Mission

Anthony Composto - EIC

January 20, 2019

Extermination is out January 23rd from Marvel Comics, concluding the six-year story of the time-displaced Original X-Men.

The story is written by Ed Brisson, with art and colors by Pepe Larraz and Marte Gracia, respectively. Ario Anindito did the pencils for issue #4 (following Larraz’s layouts), with Dexter Vines’ inks and Erick Arciniega’s colors. Joe Sabino lettered the series, and Mark Brooks did the covers.

Summary:
Cyclops. Iceman. Angel. Beast. Marvel Girl. The original X-Men assembled by Professor X years ago were brought to the present to find a world they barely recognized but were determined to help. Now mutantkind’s future lies squarely in the hands of its past! With Ahab hunting the young mutants, and an unexpected yet familiar face targeting them for his own mysterious agenda, the present-day X-Men are called to arms to protect the original five. If even one of them perishes, the future is lost. But how many — and who — will die protecting them? To safeguard the timeline, the X-Men must risk everything to answer the biggest question of all: Can the original five’s fate be changed?

This is a very grand, traditional X-Men event. You get all of your favorite mutants from all the various X-teams thrown together and fighting for their lives. There’s lots of bright, vibrant, explosive action, thanks to Larraz, Anindito, Gracia, and Arciniega. As stated, this is a very traditional event in this way. It’s a fun, accessible read even if you haven’t been following the story of the Original Five, but it especially rewards readers who have been here for the ride the whole time.

X-Men comics’ greatest strength has always been their character dynamics. The best stories and events are the ones that highlight the team as a family and have the characters play off one another. Brisson pulls this off in Extermination, which is huge, because this very much needed to be a personal story more than an action-driven one.

Beast brought the Original Five X-Men to the present day because the current team(s) had fallen way off-track and needed a reminder of who they were supposed to be. So, six years later, how strong is the payoff?

Warning: Spoilers Ahead

Pretty strong, to be honest. The Original Five make it back home in the end, and even though the plot and the action is a lot of what we’ve seen before in X-Men events, it’s heartwarming to see the effect that the young team had on the present day members. The two Icemans (Icemen?) in particular have a nice moment where adult Bobby Drake thanks his younger self for helping him accept himself for who he is.

Young Jean Grey ultimately saves the day by implanting memories in her own mind that allow her older self to defeat Ahab. It’s a good reminder about how we can learn from our younger selves in times of crisis. Young people are typically more idealistic and view the world with more hope and optimism. A lot of people lose that feeling as they grow older and experience loss and hardship, and arguably no one’s experienced more loss and hardship than the X-Men. It’s nice to see a story where a character has to literally reflect on a old memory to overcome an obstacle.

There’s an excellent shot at the end of the story, when the X-Men are attended a funeral for the three teammates they lost over the course of Extermination. We see all the mutants together, and we get a separate panel where we see Jean, Bobby, Hank, and Warren – the adult Original Five – walking away together. The four go get milkshakes, reflecting on the recent events, recapturing the feeling of their youth, and toasting the absent Scott Summers. It’s clear that their younger selves did their jobs, and that the modern day X-Men definitely learned something about getting themselves back on track.

If you’re a regular X-Men fan, Extermination is a must-read. It’s a fitting conclusion to the saga of the Original Five, and a heartwarming reminder to take some time and reflect on who we are compared to who we once were.

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MOONSHADOW Lands At Dark Horse Comics

Kevin Sharp

January 20, 2019

The long journey of Moonshadow has taken the title to a new destination: Dark Horse Comics. This cult favorite comic, written by J.M. DeMatteis and painted by Jon J. Muth, Kent Williams, and George Pratt, was first launched as a 12 issue series as part of Marvel’s Epic line back in the mid-1980s. Taking its title from a 1970 Cat Stevens song, Moonshadow combines elements of science fiction, fairy tale, fantasy, and coming of age stories. Famous names such as Ray Bradbury and Frank Miller are among the series’ fans.

It was republished in 1994 via DC/Vertigo — including the single issue sequel titled Farewell, Moonshadow — and collected in 1998 as The Compleat Moonshadow. Now Dark Horse is delivering what looks to be the most comprehensive edition yet, a deluxe hardcover “with over 500 pages includes a new introduction by creator J.M. DeMatteis, as well as a bonus section featuring early concept work.”

From the publisher’s announcement:

Moonshadow tells the story of a romantic, unreliable narrator who leads us through his interplanetary coming-of-age story, as an older Moonshadow recounts his strange birth in outer space, his escape from a deep-space zoo, and his struggles to survive in a war-torn universe.

Featuring gorgeous watercolor artwork by Eisner Award Winner and Caldecott Honoree Jon J Muth (Neil Gaiman’s The Sandman: The Wake), this influential “fairy tale for adults” includes the Farewell Moonshadow illustrated novella that gives fans a look at Moon’s life after his tumultuous, space-faring teens and misadventures with the miscreant Ira. Digitally restored and including all original cover work, this volume also includes illustrations by Kent Williams (Epic Illustrated, Havok, Wolverine: Meltdown) and Eisner Award Winner George Pratt (Wolverine: Netsuke, Epic Illustrated, Enemy Ace: War Idyll) and lettering by Kevin Nowlan (Lobster Johnson, The Goon: Noir, Doctor Strange). A sci-fi fantasy that Ray Bradbury called, “Beautiful, original, haunting,” and DeMatteis himself calls “Dickens’ David Copperfield meets Siddhartha in space.”

In addition to this new hardcover treatment of Moonshadow, J.M. DeMatteis will also publish The Girl in the Bay, a new comic series with artist Corin Howell, on February 6, 2019. The Girl in the Bay is the next installment in Karen Berger’s critically acclaimed Berger Books imprint at Dark Horse.

The new edition will be in comic stores June 12, and in bookstores June 25. It’s currently up for pre-order on Amazon and Barnes & Noble.

For Moonshadow fans, or readers who have never experienced it before, does this new edition sound like something you’ll pick up? Comment below!

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George Pérez Announces His Retirement from Comics

Kevin Sharp

January 20, 2019

Legendary artist George Pérez — who has drawn almost every DC and Marvel character over his 40+ year career — announced his retirement from new comics work via Facebook. While he will be attending a few conventions in 2019, his announcement also indicates those will stop as well. Pérez has struggled with various health issues over the years, including problems with his vision, which have led to delays in his past work.

Pérez’s long, distinguished career began at Marvel Comics back in 1974. He penciled characters as diverse as Deathlok, Man-Wolf, the Fantastic Four, the Inhumans, and had his first stint on The Avengers. Along with writer Bill Mantlo, Pérez co-created the Puerto Rican hero White Tiger.

Many would cite Pérez’s move to DC in the 1980s as the beginning of his superstardom. He not only penciled Justice League of America, but co-created The New Teen Titans with Marv Wolfman. In 1985, he and Wolfman re-teamed for Crisis on Infinite Earths and its followup History of the DC Universe. Pérez also both wrote and penciled the post-Crisis relaunch of Wonder Woman, and did some late 1980s work on Action Comics.

His return to Marvel in the 1990s saw him illustrate the beginning of the Infinity Gauntlet miniseries (before health problems caused him to step aside), and team with Kurt Busiek for another run on The Avengers as well as the Avengers-JLA crossover miniseries.

Pérez came back to DC in 2006 for a run on The Brave and the Bold with Mark Waid, and the Legion of Three Worlds miniseries with Geoff Johns. He’s also done work for CrossGen and BOOM! Studios over the years.

These are, of course, only highlights of a genuinely epic comics career.

Here is the full retirement announcement:

DATE : JANUARY 19, 2019
FROM : George Pérez

To all my loyal and kind fans who have supported me throughout the decades,

In recent months, there has been a great deal of speculation as to the future of my career, my health, my ability to draw and my future convention appearances. As a result, I would like to clear up everything first hand so that, hopefully, any rumors, speculation, and misinformation can be laid to rest.

With respect to future published work in comics and such … while I know it’s been no secret that I’ve been dealing with a myriad number of health issues (diabetes, heart ailments, vision issues, etc.), they have indeed have forced me to, for all intents and purposes, formally retire from the business of creating new comic stories.

As for home commission requests, I’m afraid that my retirement must now extend to privately commissioned drawings as well. While I am gratified that all of the customers who have received their pieces were more than pleased with the results, some even consequently commissioning more of them, it’s just becoming too much of a strain on my eyes to produce the fully rendered ink and pencil-tone pieces on a quality level that justifies the price I’m being paid for them.

In regards to convention sketches, I will need to cut back on those as well. While I will no longer sketch at the conventions themselves, I will, through my art agent Spencer Beck of The Artists Choice, be taking orders for 5 ( FIVE ) con-style head sketches, per convention day that I am in attendance which will be done at home to be collected at the conventions. Fans placing orders must be personally present to pick up the piece, NO PROXIES. The price for these will be a good deal pricier than in the past, going for $100 each, but please take some solace that all the monies I earn for these sketches, as well as my appearance fees, will be donated to various charities. To place an order, or for initial details, please contact Spencer / The Artist’s Choice directly at Spencerbck@aol.com. Any changes or further announcements will be made by Spencer and myself on his website theartistschoice.com/perez.htm and on my fan website george-perez.net

Furthermore, for those that are interested … although I will only be attending about six conventions this year and one make up convention in 2020 ( *** see below for complete schedule ) 2019 will more than likely be my last year touring this great land meeting so many great fans. As the next decade begins, I have two shows, Dragon Con and Fetish Con that have personal meaning to me which I intend to attend yearly unless circumstances prevent it … but, for all intents, 2019 will wind down that part of my career as well. The good news is, even though I will not be sketching at the shows, I will still be autographing and be available for photo ops, and, as has been my policy throughout my career, I will not be charging for either.

In closing, please don’t feel sorry for me about all these life and career changes. Thankfully I earn more than enough income through royalties to have a comfortable life wherein I may never need to work again. Unless, of course, something really tempting comes along and I’m given sufficient lead time. Hey, you never know.

Long story short, I will be just fine. I’ve had a wonderfully good run doing exactly what I have wanted to do since I was a child. Now I can sit back and watch the stuff I helped create entertain whole new generations. That’s a pretty nice legacy to look back on.

And so much of that is thanks to all of you, the GREATEST fans in the world. I am humbled and forever grateful.

Wishing you all a safe, happy and healthy 2019 and beyond,

UPDATE: Mr. Perez will not be accepting requests until approximately 30 days before each specific show. Sketches will be approved at one per person, family or address. First come, First serve. So, please check back 30 days before the show. He will only be doing 9 x 12 headshots, and they must be paid for in full at the time the order is accepted.

2019 CONVENTION SCHEDULE

AMAZING COMIC CON ALOHA – FEBRUARY 22 to 24, 2019

C2E2 – MARCH 22 to 24, 2019

EAST COAST COMIC CON – MAY 17 to 19, 2019

NIAGARA FALLS COMICS CON – JUNE 7 to 9, 2019

TERRIFICON – AUGUST 9 to 11, 2019 ( FRIDAY ONLY )

FETISH CON – AUGUST 9 to 11, 2019 ( SATURDAY & SUNDAY ONLY )

DRAGON CON – AUGUST 29 to SEPTEMBER 2, 2019

george perez retirement

What is your favorite of George Pérez’s work? Comment below!

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