After over 70 years of silence, Kismet: Man of Fate has finally returned to comic books. The updated edition from A Wave New World places the first Muslim superhero in the midst of America’s political turmoil following the 2016 presidential election, assisting his friends in a resistance movement. The story poses a question that many of us have faced during this era of political divisiveness: How do we best use our gifts to stand up against injustice?
**Some Spoilers Below**
Story
Kismet, the man of fate, is an Algerian superhero made famous for fighting with the Allies against the Nazis in World War 2. Writer A. David Lewis beautifully interweaves Kismet and the other characters’ Muslim faith into the story’s narration. It’s as if you can feel Kismet’s crisis of faith as he cries out to Allah in desperation during the various tumultuous events throughout the story.
Lewis does an amazing job of taking the 1940’s superhero and fitting him into modern times. He first introduces us to a twenty-first century man named Qadar who’s come into contact with Kismet in some kind of sci-fi inspired astral plane. The two now inhabit one body but are able to swap them out depending on who’s in “control” at the time. They have also enlisted Qadar’s sister Deena and their friend Rabia to foil a plot contrived by Larue Lamont, a descendant of Kismet’s nemesis from the war. She has plans to betray a group of her supporters at an upcoming dinner.
Kismet experiences traumatizing flashbacks of his encounter with the older Lamont, a leader who promised liberation to an oppressed nation but ultimately betrayed them to the Nazis. For him this isn’t a run-of-the-mill criminal; this is history repeating itself.
What’s more, these events happen to coincide with the airing of the 2016 presidential election results. This leads to an even more tense situation among the characters as they await the outcome. One can almost feel the tension throughout the scene, especially in the all-too anxious personality of Qadar.
A confrontation with Lamont soon follows and results in her unleashing harmful chemicals into the air. Fortunately, Kismet takes over and finds an electric panel that is controlling their release. But upon breaking it he receives an electric shock that erases all traces of Qadar’s consciousness.
Kismet, racked with guilt, tells the others what happened just as a cloud of more sorrow descends on the group as the election results show on television. We see beads of sweat trickle down his back as the implications of what just happened set in.
The fear of going through life without a loved one evokes feelings of sympathy with the group, especially Deena. But seeing the election results adds that final nail into the coffin; there is no hope of solace in sight. Muslims, and minorities everywhere, will have to live in an even more oppressive society.
Now Kismet and the team must find a way to move forward without Qadar and navigate the country’s new political landscape. A stark change overtakes Rabia as she resolves to take action against the injustices sure to follow. Her determined spirit jumps right off the page when calling the others to action.
Deena’s sorrow from her brother’s death and fear of persecution leads her to push Rabia’s call further by questioning Kismet’s motivations: “But there’s a question nagging at you. It’s tugging at you more than any guilt over Qadar—More than Larue’s betrayal. All of it…You need to decide—now, in this new strange life: What do you stand for?”
Despite a growing confusion over the reasons for his arrival, Kismet now has the task of deciding how to help the country: Should he use his fists to fight injustice or his words to take a stand against it? Can a Muslim immigrant turn the tide of a culture dead set against him?
Kismet’s challenge is one we all face in trying times: standing up against injustice. And the crumbling world around him only adds that much more pressure to his choice of action.
Art
Noel Tuazon, Rob Croonenborghs and Taylor Esposito weave together beautifully designed scenes in this fantastic story. Tuazon draws panels with squiggly lines that often overlap, representing the high levels of uncertainty in the characters’ lives. This is coupled with Croonenborgh’s warm hues mixed with shadows to pay homage to the original comic artwork.
Esposito’s lettering distinctly highlights each character’s dialogue, especially with Kismet and Qadar. The use of various dialogue box colors gives a clear indication of who’s talking as well as how central the text is to the scene.
Conclusion
With so much anxiety surrounding our country’s political landscape, it’s refreshing to read a story that speaks to those searching for a way to stand against injustice. What’s more, KISMET: MAN OF FATE offers hope to Muslims and other minority groups throughout the country who have been further marginalized.
What do you think of this revitalization of the hero Kismet? Did you like the political nature of the story? Let us know in the comments below!
What If? Classic: The Complete Collection Vol. 1 is out this week from Marvel Comics, and we’re counting down five of the series’ best stories.
For the uninitiated, the title of the series really says it all: what if things in the Marvel Universe had happened differently? At the start of each issue, The Watcher brings the reader back to a pivotal moment in Marvel lore. A slight alteration is made, and the audience gets to sit back and see how things could have played out differently with the change. These simple one-shot stories ranged from fun and silly to philosophical and thought-provoking, and were put together by some of Marvel’s biggest creators (including Jack Kirby, during his late-70s Marvel comeback).
So without further ado, let’s take a look at five of the best What If? stories you’ll be able to read in the new collection:
What if Spider-Man had joined the Fantastic Four? (What If? #1)
By Roy Thomas, Jim Craig, Pablo Marcos, Janice Cohen, & John Costanza
The story that started it all. Remember way back in Amazing Spider-Man #1 when Peter Parker tried to join the Fantastic Four because he wanted a salary? (The FF don’t get paid for their superheroing, by the way.) This story shows what could have happened if the team accepted Spidey into their ranks. It’s a fun action story that perfectly introduces readers to the concept of alternate timelines. It also immediately shows how even a seemingly positive change can have tragic results, something that would become a theme of the series.
What if Jane Foster had found the hammer of Thor? (What If? #10)
By Don Glut, Rick Hoberg, Dave Hunt, Carl Gafford, & Carol Lay
Well this sure sounds familiar, doesn’t it? Decades before Jason Aaron would put Mjolinir in the hands of Jane Foster, the idea was tackled by Don Glut and Rick Hoberg. This issue is especially interesting to read in light of Aaron’s current Thor run. Despite the large gap in publication dates, the two stories tackle a lot of the same issues, such as sexism, and how Odin, Asgardians, and other heroes react to a female Thor.
What if the original Marvel Bullpen had become the Fantastic Four? (What If? #11)
By Jack Kirby, Mike Royer, Bill Wray, & Carl Gafford
King Kirby himself wrote and drew this crazy story, where he became the Thing, Stan Lee was Mr. Fantastic, Flo Steinberg was the Invisible Woman, and Sol Brodsky was the Human Torch. This is a great read for so many reasons. First off, it’s Kirby, so you get the big, bombastic action that made him infamous. The comic also marked the first time in eight years that Jack had worked on a Fantastic Four comic, and the first time that he had written one himself (although, granted, it’s a very different team). It’s one of the last comics that the King worked on for the House of Ideas, and it’s a must-read for fans of the iconic artist.
What if the Hulk had the brain of Bruce Banner? (What If? #2)
By Roy Thomas, Herb Trimpe, Tom Sutton, Glynis Wein, Joe Rosen, & Tom Orzechowski
One of the deeper issues of What If?. Hulk has always been a character that elicits philosophical discourse. His comics are all about the duality of man, and the monster that lives inside us. Roy Thomas and company take the time to ask what would happen if that monster had the brain, and therefore the logic and reason, of the man. The team explores how differently people would have treated Hulk if he had Banner’s brain, and again we’re left with a shocking ending that turns the positive premise of the story on its head. No spoilers here, but the Watcher’s closing words are a perfect summary of the series: “There is, perhaps, a cosmic scale somewhere — an inescapable balance which decrees: for every gain, there must be a loss.”
What if someone else besides Spider-Man had been bitten by the radioactive spider? (What If? #7)
By Don Glut, Rick Hoburg, Sam Grainger, George Roussos, & Rick Parker
This is perhaps the original Spider-Verse story. We get three different stories packed into this issue, asking what could have happened if the radioactive spider had bitten Flash Thompson, Betty Brandy, and John Jameson, respectively. This is a fun read for Spider-Man fans, especially in the wake of all the recent Spider-Verse stories we’ve been getting, both in comics and film. The Flash Thompson one has actually been revisited recently as well, in the new What If? series from 2018.
Additional stories in the new Complete Collection include “What if Captain America had not vanished during World War II?” and “What if the Avengers fought evil in the 1950s?”
What’s your favorite What If? story? Let us know in the comments, or on Twitter @monkeys_robots!
With Marvel’s cinematic universe building toward April’s Avengers: Endgame, the comics arm of the company is about to join the party. Marvel will be releasing a series of key Avengers-centric $1 reprint comics to coincide with the movie’s opening.
New York, NY—January 11, 2019—This April, the Avengers will take a stand in Marvel Studios’ Avengers: Endgame. And fans can relive some of the most classic Avengers moments in Marvel history with a line of Avengers themed TRUE BELIEVERS comics, available only at your local comic book shops.
Reproducing some of the most iconic Avengers stories of all time at the suggested retail price of $1, TRUE BELIEVERS are perfect for readers new and old. Whether it’s your first time reading these memorable tales or your hundredth – you won’t want to miss this special celebration. Look for your favorite classic stories with new and colorful re-printings!
TRUE BELIEVERS: AVENGERS – NEBULA #1: Reprinting material from Avengers (1963) #260 #35, #49
TRUE BELIEVERS: AVENGERS – THANOS VS. THE MARVEL UNIVERSE #1: Reprinting material from Infinity Gauntlet (1991) #4
TRUE BELIEVERS: RONIN #1: Reprinting material from New Avengers (2005) #30
TRUE BELIEVERS: AVENGERS – STORMBREAKER #1: Reprinting material from Thor (1966) #339
TRUE BELIEVERS: AVENGERS – THANOS & GAMORA #1: Reprinting material from Warlock and the Infinity Watch #9
TRUE BELIEVERS: AVENGERS – ENDGAME! #1: Reprinting material from Avengers (1963) #71
TRUE BELIEVERS: AVENGERS – THE GATHERER’S SAGA #1: Reprinting material from Avengers (1963) #343
TRUE BELIEVERS: THANOS: THE FINAL BATTLE #1: Reprinting material from Infinity Gauntlet (1991) #6
And stay tuned for these special True Believers to be revealed at a later date!
TRUE BELIEVERS: AVENGERS – CLASSIFIED A
TRUE BELIEVERS: AVENGERS – CLASSIFIED B
The specific issues they’ve chosen might offer some clue regarding key elements of the film’s story. Then again, 1969’s Avengers #71 — a story featuring Kang, the Squadron Sinister, and the Invaders — seems to share only a title in common (“Endgame!”).
Does anticipation for the new Avengers movie have you excited discover (or rediscover) some classic Marvel material? Comment below!
Starting in 2019, Monkeys Fighting Robots will shed our film and TV coverage, and focus exclusively on comics.
Comics is a unique, rich, and diverse medium deserving of a website’s full attention. Dedicating our team of writers to just comics will not only allow for more content, but more in-depth content. This means we’ll be offering our readership more exclusive interviews, analyses, and thought-provoking pieces about the intricacies of comics, in addition to our usual reviews and news stories.
It also means that we’ll be able to dedicate more time to smaller publishers, as well as independent and self-published creators.
If you’re a publisher, writer, artist, or creator of any kind who would like to see your comics covered on MFR, please contact anthony@monkeysfightingrobots.com.
What do you hope to see from MFR now that we’re comics-exclusive? Let us know in the comments, or on Twitter @monkeys_robots!
Monkeys Fighting Robots has launched a new sister-site, POPAXIOM, dedicated entirely to film and TV coverage.
Now that MFR exclusively covers comic books, we’ve moved our talented team of film and TV writers over to POPAXIOM.com, where you can continue to read their reviews, opinions, interviews, and news stories about your favorite shows and movies.
Similar to MFR going comics-exclusive, having a website dedicated entirely to film and TV will allow our POPAXIOM team to provide more thoughtful, in-depth, and extensive coverage.
POPAXIOM will cover all of the latest releases, from blockbusters to indies, and from premium cable to anime, with a special focus on streaming services, including (but not limited to):
Netflix
Hulu
Amazon Prime
Disney+
HBO Now
CBS All Access
YouTube TV
…and more!
Almost everything is available via a streaming service, so if you can watch it, you can read about it on POPAXIOM.
Be sure to follow our new social channels so you never miss a beat:
And subscribe to POPAXIOM’s YouTube channel to watch red carpet footage, interviews, and panels, like this one about the upcoming SPIDER-MAN: FAR FROM HOME…
What kind of coverage would you like to see from POPAXIOM? Tell us in the comments, or tweet us @POPAXIOM!
Star Trek: Discovery is the flagship show for the fledgling CBS All Access streaming service and making the show look slick and stylish is costume designer Gersha Phillips who brings decades of experience creating fashion for fiction.
Star Trek: Discovery survived crossing a galaxy full of geeks around the world who hold the Enterprise and the world of Starfleet very dearly to become a hit for CBS All Access. Season two, premiering Jan. 17, continues the adventures of the 23rd century, and Gersha’s mission is to keep boldly updating the looks of the legendary science fiction landscape.
PopAxiom spoke with Gersha Phillips and did a little temporal gymnastics to discuss bringing 60s fashion about the 23rd century into the 21st century.
Engage!
Discovery is a movie-like TV show and so “For what we’re doing there’s a need to expand the look of the show.” Originally, it was re-thinking the world of Starfleet 10 years before the first series. However, as the end of season one reminded us, time moves forward and the new show meets the old. “For the enterprise, we didn’t do a lot. Obviously newer fabrics, but just evolved the basic look.”
A lot of people have taken note of the “desexualized” look of Discovery. The uniforms are non-gender conforming, offering the same general silhouette and the mirror universe, once the most risqué place in Star Trek lore, leaned more lavish than luscious. But what is sexy for Gersha? “I think people think sexy means you have to show skin. I like to think sexy is a presence of character.” With that said Gersha adds, “Everyone to me on Discovery is sexy by the way they carry themselves.”
That’s Inspiring
Discovery is like several shows in one featuring diverse worlds across a massive new galactic community. So what inspires all of that? “In general, I feel like I’m moved by so many different things; traveling, experiencing new cultures, going to museums. I love fashion, so I try to see fashion shows. I love Alexander McQueen. Art is also a very inspiring thing for me.”
In short “The world is an amazing place.”
For Star Trek, Gersha continues, “The technology of the future is super-inspiring and exciting.” Every day we move a little closer to some of the realities of the Trek-verse “With this season, I had more time to think about what’s the reality of what we’re doing. What could the future really be?”
Gersha considered many things “ … gender fluidity and sustainability. Being more conscious of what we’re using and how we’re using it.” Because for her, it was about “Trying to design something that feels like it’s a future evolving into something that’s more … conscious.”
Here Come The Klingons
Gersha shares some insight on the initial look of the Klingons. “The first set of [Klingon] costumes came from Suttira Larlarb, and I think the original inspiration was conquistadors meets samurai?”
As every Star Trek show does, Discovery grows and evolves. “When we did Kol, we wanted to do something more traditional but also take into account that Klingons have double-organs!” Gersha turned to the cultures of the globe for inspiration “I looked at a lot of armors from all over the world.”
From inspiration to illustration to final product “There will be very specific ideas that I send to the illustrator. As we bring it to life, it sort of becomes its own thing. It pulls on so many different elements as the process moves forward. Even as we decide on fabrics, it changes and evolves.”
Star Trek: Discovery Season Two
What can expect to see in the upcoming season of the show which officially begins January 17? “We have Michael in a more traditional Vulcan look. We did some other things to expand the world,” Gersha laughs, “I can’t really talk about them entirely. But we do a lot of really cool new looks for what fans loved in season one.” About the rookie season of Star Trek: Discovery “It was the first time dealing into these things. Season two, we learned so much from last year, and we’re bringing more to the table. Evolving things.”
To hype up fans a little more about the upcoming fashion in the science fiction series “I feel like we up the ante and took things to a new level.”
Wrapping Up
Star Trek spans a galaxy of unique alien species with cultures all their own. But we 21st-century humans only have our one planet for that “If you want to tell stories about different worlds I feel like you want to experience something different and get out of your world.” We are each other’s aliens, so-to-speak.
To date, Star Trek has a bazillion different aliens. But a few stand out to the costume designer and she’d love to get her hands on their look “I’m very partial to the Borg. I’d love to get a chance to work on them. The Romulans for sure. And I’ve been watching a lot of Deep Space Nine with my daughter so I’d love to work on the Bajorans.”
What’s Gersha’s final word on the work she does for Star Trek: Discovery? “I love this level of creativity. It’s so gratifying.”
Thanks to Gersha Phillips, Impact24 PR, and CBS
for making this interview possible.
Deconstruction may prove to be the trend that will define this period of comic book history. We’ve recently had Tom King’s run on Mister Miracle, plus Margaret Stohl’s Life of Captain Marvel, both excellent titles. Now, Martian Manhunter #2 continues writer Steve Orlando’s wonderfully-inventive exploration of a character that is so often pushed to the sidelines in the DC main roster.
J’onn’s disguise fails following the accident at the end of our last issue, exposing his true form to his partner. J’onn grapples with whether to erase her memory in the present. Concurrently, we see extended glimpses of his past life as both a cop and a family man back on his home world, plus anxious hints at the coming cataclysm that will eventually render J’onn the last son of Mars.
The Writing
As mentioned above, deconstructing and exploring J’onn J’onzz as a character is at the heart of Martian Manhunter #2.
An extended flashback to J’onn’s past life on Mars occupies half of the book. This offers perhaps the most fleshed-out glimpse we’ve ever had of Martian society. We learn more about their customs, physiology, and way of life. More than anything, though, it provides a look at what made J’onn the Manhunter we know today.
There are no real surprises to be had; we already know the story of J’onn’s past won’t end happily. Despite that, you can’t help feeling the tension mount as H’ronmeer’s Curse starts to impact Martian society. Martian Manhunter #2 does a great job of laying on the dread.
The Artwork
From an artistic standpoint, the Martian segments were standout moments in the first issue. With much of Martian Manhunter #2 centered there, Riley Rossmo’s designs really get the chance to shine.
Rossmo’s work on the issue centers around lots of fluid and rounded figures, giving it a nicely-stylized, cartoonish vibe. Even under that, though, you still get an appreciation for the brilliantly-creative design work. We’ve seen comparatively little of DC’s Mars in the past. Thus, the artist enjoys carte blanche to invent the aesthetics of Martian society as he goes.
The colors play an important role in that process, too. Earth is marked by muted, naturalistic tones. However, this contrasts with Ivan Plascencia’s wildly creative, alien colors for the Martian segments.
Final Verdict
Martian Manhunter #2 takes everything that was great in the first issue and expands on it. This may prove to be one of the best limited-run titles of 2019.
SUICIDE SQUAD #50 hits your local comic book store on January 16, but thanks to DC Comics, Monkeys Fighting Robots has an exclusive five-page preview for you. The final over-sized issue comes out guns blazing with a cover by Jim Lee, Scott Williams, and Alex Sinclair.
About the issue: The infection in Temho Me4ta prison spreads, and cannot be allowed to reach the surface. The Suicide Squad is all that stands in the way of a global pandemic. It’s line-in-the-sand time: Will the Squad be forced to live up to its name? Don’t miss this extra-sized anniversary issue!
FINAL ISSUE
The book is written by Rob Williams, with art by German Peralta, Brent Schoonover, and Will Conrad. Gabe Eltaeb worked on the colors, and Dave Sharpe lettered the final issue. The variant cover of SUICIDE SQUAD #50 is by Francesco Mattina.
This most recent iteration of Suicide Squad was part of DC’s Rebirth initiative, and drew inspiration from the DC Extended Universe film which banked $746 million worldwide, featuring a lineup of Amanda Waller, Rick Flag, Deadshot, Harley Quinn, Captain Boomerang, Killer Croc, and Katana.
Check out the preview below:
Are you reading Suicide Squad? How do you think it will end? Comment below with your thoughts.
The new TARDIS crew find themselves embroiled in the greed and dastardly actions of a privileged, rich, Alien life form whose behavior does not impress The Thirteenth Doctor one bit.
Jodie Whittaker has made the role of The Doctor her own while at the same time drawing inspiration from all of the past incarnations. That ethos is evident in Titan Comics ongoing monthly Doctor Who: The Thirteenth Doctor. The TARDIS and her crew have been faithfully adapted by the creators and flung headlong into an exotic adventure with new friends and new foes. Everything you love from the T.V. show is contained within these pages.
Cover Art for Titan Comic’s Doctor Who: The Thirteenth Doctor #3
The Story
After rescuing fellow time traveller Perkins from certain death, the Doctor and her companions are shocked when he threatens to steal the TARDIS. However, The Doctor is not so easily intimated and intends to find out exactly what Perkins has been doing. And more importantly, who he has been doing it for.
This issue of The Thirteenth Doctor spends time engaging with the TARDIS crew and allows the reader to get to know what kind of woman The Doctor really is. It showcases all of the character elements that Jodie Whittaker has brought to the role; cheeky asides, expressive faces, quips, and the compassionate, trusting side that has made the character so charming. The confrontation with Perkins aboard the TARDIS allows writer Jody Houser to explore exactly who The Doctor has become in an entertaining and meaningful way. The whole scene is character driven, but it also moves the plot forward allowing the reader to discover elements of the greater story at the same time.
As the story glides along, the horrors of the back story are played out in short and subtle flashbacks while Perkins slowly realizes that not all hope is gone. Houser breaks up Perkins story so that the overall issue has an upbeat pace building to the suspenseful sequence near the end. This format works well for an issue that contains a lot of standing, or sitting, around in the TARDIS control room. At no point during the story do you feel weighed down by the exposition: the characters’ shine through giving each page a liveliness.
Titan Comic’s Doctor Who: The Thirteenth Doctor interior Art
The Art
Rachael Stott is ideal for this Doctor and this story. She has fine, detailed line work that picks up on the nuances of the characters but she also revels in the over top expressions that the new Doctor loves to pull. Almost each page contains a new, and often comical, facial expression from The Doctor which expresses the cheeky, lively portrayal of the character from the series.
Stott keeps the narrative moving with fresh layouts and changing panel styles. She uses a lot of overlapping panels and characters that cross over the gutter; this gives the comic a fast pace because it feels like everything is happening so quickly, over the top of everything else. The pages where this doesn’t happen stand out and make you slow down, absorbing the dialogue at a much slower speed.
The warm, embracing atmosphere that radiates from this comic is down to the colorist Enrica Eren Angiolini. So much of this issue is awash with the orange glow produced in the TARDIS console room; it seeps out into the other panels and across the pages. With the fine line work by Stott, the color is very powerful and the first thing that you notice on each page. For most of the story, this is used to calm the reader down and create a safe environment. All of this starts to change towards the end of the issue when the threatening elements start to appear, and Angiolini’s colors reflect this change in atmosphere. It will be interesting to see how the color work progresses over the series.
The lettering team of Richard Starkings, Sarah Jacobs and John Roshell have a difficult time of blending the speech balloons into the artwork, especially with the vibrant colors, but they succeed in their craft. The dialogue and speech balloons are evenly placed within the panels and help the directional flow of the narrative. Each aspect of the creative process melds together to produce a smooth reading experience.
Titan Comic’s Doctor Who: The Thirteenth Doctor
Conclusion
Doctor Who: The Thirteenth Doctor is a successful translation of the T.V. show as it captures not only the characteristics of the cast but also the general vibe of the series. The settings and aliens that they encounter are not exactly otherworldly; there is an element of ordinary about them yet through the eyes of the TARDIS crew everything is brand new and exciting. Where Houser and Stott succeed is in allowing the reader to experience everything through the cast and not observe everything as if they are outsides. The wonder is achieved because you feel you are actually there in the TARDIS or on the alien planet.
The characters are engaging, and the story is intriguing and new. The Thirteenth Doctor from Titan Comics soaks up the style and substance of the series and gives the reader more of the same. If you enjoyed the show, you will love this comic and be hooked for months to come. If you didn’t enjoy the series, there is nothing here that will change your mind but, then again, this comic has been produced for fans of the show.
Oliver #1 from Image Comics hits your local comic book store on January 23, but this creator-owned project is much more than a post-apocalyptic version of the Charles Dickens’ classic. The creative team of Gary Whitta and Darick Robertson have had quite an incredible creative journey getting to this point.
Whitta is an accomplished journalist, screenwriter, and video game designer. In 2001, he wrote the script for Oliver, and his writing earned him a foot in the door with Hollywood. In 2010, Whitta impressed nerds around the world with his screenplay for Book of Eli. He then took a throwaway line from A New Hope and wrote the story for Rogue One. But that original script that got him an agent and manager was never picked up. So, 15 years ago Whitta started having conversations with Robertson to turn his screenplay into a comic book. Roberston is most famous for his work on The Boys, Transmetropolitan, and HAPPY!. The artist has also had quality runs with Wolverine and several books under Marvel’s MAX imprint. Due to both creators’ successes, it took time for Oliver to come together and find a home with a publisher.
Monkeys Fighting Robots spoke with Whitta and Robertson about Oliver and the fundamentals of storytelling.
MFR: Gary, Oliver is 15 years in the making, and in a previous interview you called it a passion project. Did you need to publish Oliver, or did you want to publish Oliver?
WHITTA: I think every writer has a story or stories that really feel like they need to be told, and for me Oliver is one of those. That’s why I never gave up on it, even though it’s been a long and sometimes difficult journey. It started as an unmade movie screenplay, and as a screenwriter, I certainly have plenty of those, but Oliver was one that continued to nag away at me long after I had written it. I just knew deep down that it was cool and was never going to be satisfied to have it end its life as an unproduced script that maybe only twenty or so people ever read. So I was determined to find a way to tell the story in one form or another, and in going back over it, it struck me that it might work very well as a comic series. And now here we are! After Darick came aboard I knew we’d have a version of Oliver that looked phenomenal because all of his work is, but it still took a very long time both to find a publisher we were comfortable with and for Darick to find the time in his busy schedule to really give it the attention it deserved. The good news is, it’s all been worth the wait, I couldn’t be happier with the way the comic has turned out.
MFR: With the first issue, as a writer, how do you balance revealing enough to engage the reader and leaving enough mystery that the reader wants issue two immediately?
WHITTA: 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, the whole story is structured to be littered with little mysteries and clues throughout like a trail of breadcrumbs for the reader to follow.
MFR: Darick, Oliver #1 is a beautiful book. One aspect of your art that stands out is how detailed the world around the characters is. Why is that important to you?
ROBERTSON: Thank you! I like to create an environment for the characters to perform within that is as much a character as the people interacting within it, so that the reader feels grounded and enmeshed in the world. I think it makes the story stronger and more relatable. Growing up, Star Wars was always a huge influence on me and in my formative years as an artist. I loved how distinct all those sets were: Hoth, the Death Star, Tatooine, Dagobah, all those places were distinct to the characters and the scenes that happened within them. So I like to bring that sense of place and time as best I can.
MFR: The first issue opens with a very cinematic look. As an artist, can you talk about your use of camera angles and do you have a favorite page in the first issue when it comes to camera angles?
ROBERTSON: Being that Gary envisioned this as a film, I wanted to bring a cinematic sense to the storytelling and atmosphere. As we get deeper into it as a comic, I want to move more toward playing with the material as a comic, but in the opening chapters, I wanted to it to feel cinematic. As far as a favorite page goes, I like the scene where Prospero is showing Oliver destroyed London and explaining the past. I used my son, who was 10 at the time, as a model and having all these little portraits of him, brings back fond memories (as he’s taller than I am now!) Capturing the scope of the destruction was a challenge, and I’m pleased with how it all came together.
MFR: Darick has emotionally scarred me several times when it comes to his work on The Boys. How dark do you and Darick take OLIVER?
WHITTA: It starts out pretty dark, and it gets darker as it goes along. As in the Dickens original, Oliver is born into a very hard world that doesn’t really want him or have a place for him; it’s up to him to make that place for himself. Certainly the comic is violent, but hopefully never for violence’s sake, and later in the story, there are what I think are some genuinely shocking moments.
ROBERTSON: You’re welcome! I don’t like to put everything into the same bucket, as much as I try to hew what I do to fit the project I’m currently creating.
It’s dark in a different sense in that Oliver becomes a symbol of hope in an already dark world that he’s born into. It’s not anywhere near The Boys by means of depravity, but The Boys had a great heart at the center of the story. It wasn’t just shenanigans for the sake of filthy shenanigans, there was always a purpose; a point. But Oliver is a very different story. There’s blood and violence. I don’t like to tame stuff when it comes to war scenes, so it’s visceral and full of pain, but where it evolves to is such a good arc. We set out to make a book for Harry Potter and Star Wars fans, like Gary and I are. Something my kids can read, but I think Boys fans will enjoy just as much.
MFR: In previous interviews, you both mentioned how the book has evolved over the past 15 years. What have been some of the biggest influences on that evolution?
WHITTA: So much has changed since I first wrote Oliver. I became a parent — my daughter is now almost seven years old — and on a larger scale we’re seeing my country of birth go down a potentially disastrous road with Brexit. So as I rewrite the story for each issue I think there’s a greater degree of empathy for the characters than was maybe evident in the original script, and it’s possible that the vision of a ruined futuristic England will seem more prescient now.
ROBERTSON: I’ve been dedicated to seeing it through in the style and design we set out to do, and we dodged a few well-meaning publishers along the way that had other ideas for what they would require to put their label on it, but we ultimately wanted to keep the rights as ours and see it through, as what it was always meant to be. So far that is exactly the book we’re making. My influences have always been a love for a Frank Miller/Will Eisner style of storytelling and just wanting to make great comics, and as I mentioned before, a love for Star Wars and fantasy films like Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter, etc… Gary and I bonded over this stuff when we met and in the 15 years since we decided to create this together, I co-created The Boys, and HAPPY!, and Gary wrote two hit films, so we’ve only gained in creative strength for our vision as we have put Oliver together as a comic.
MFR: Darick, this past year the wildfires surrounded the San Franciso Bay Area, and you were told to stay inside. During any of those smoke-filled days were you drawing Oliver and if so did the post-apocalypse get a little too close to home for you?
ROBERTSON: Well as harrowing the Paradise Camp Fires were, and especially for the people of Paradise who tragically lost everything, what it was for where I live in Northern California was a reminder of the fires in Napa and Sonoma that forced us to evacuate our home back in 2017. Seeing the smoke-filled sky and that red sun worthy of life on Krypton, was a painful reminder of the genuine fear that we might lose our home. I’m so grateful that we didn’t and deeply sympathetic to those that have. So that fear and vulnerability is something I see in Oliver. He comes from a fragile, precarious world where even food and water aren’t guaranteed and emerges from that a hero.
MFR: Each issue of Robert Kirkman’s THE WALKING DEAD is the perfect example of the last page cliffhanger and or gotcha moment. As you transitioned your film script to a comic book script, did you think about how to end each issue and how much rewriting was involved?
WHITTA: One of the areas where I think we got very lucky with Oliver was how the story was originally structured. As I mentioned earlier there were lots of little cliffhanger moments built into the story from the beginning, and as it turned out when the time came to revise the story for a serialized format many of those cliffhangers just happened to fall exactly where they needed to, right on the issue breaks, or close enough to them that I was able to make them land where I needed them to with very little revision. Certainly, the first issue ends on a big mystery moment that is designed to get the reader wondering what happens next, and that’s true of pretty much every issue.
MFR: Independent publishing is a tough business. How will you measure success with Oliver?
ROBERTSON: I will take a great deal of satisfaction if we get our full 12 issue run and people enjoy it. That’s success. It’s been such a long road to get to where we finally are, just seeing it published, at last, will feel like a triumph.
WHITTA: I’ll just be glad to see the story told from beginning to end. We have 12 issues planned, so we’ll keep our fingers crossed and hope that we can retain enough reader interest to stick to that plan.
MFR: You’ve mentioned Oliver is a good old-fashioned revenge story. What is your favorite revenge film and why?
ROBERTSON:Unforgiven is my all-time favorite revenge movie as it shows the futility of it, and at the same time, it’s so satisfying to watch.
WHITTA: One word: GLADIATOR.
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