A new limited series, via Valiant, will tell the story of a foe from the team ripped from the pages of Unity, War-Monger, in The Forgotten Queen.
The premise for the series, from the creative duo of Tini Howard and Amilcar Pinna, will follow the main character as she ascends from her presumed death to wreak havoc on the Valiant Universe, “Long ago, the mighty generals of the Mongol Empire rode from Siberia to Carpathia and conquered all who stood in its way. Legends tell of a witch who walked with them, who could infect the hearts of any warriors in her midst with an unquenchable thirst for battle and bloodshed … a War-Monger. And now she is walking again.”
“I’m a sucker for unlikable women, I’m a sucker for immortal heartbreak and I’m a sucker for defining a villain. I couldn’t resist,” Howard stated. “The Forgotten Queen is dirty and bloody, mean and ancient and modern. There are fights, sacrifices and kissing. We start on a modern research vessel working hard at sea, and we stick around to uncover what kinds of mysteries sink to the bottom of the ocean.”
This series will continue what has already been set into motion with Valiant’s ‘Beyond’ initiative, which will carry the publisher into 2019 and further expand the Valiant Universe.
Look for The Forgotten Queen #1 (of four) to land on shelves on Feb. 27, 2019, but do also keep an eye out for more exciting projects from Valiant, which will be celebrating its 30th anniversary next year, having launched in 1989.
Click HERE for an exclusive look, via Valiant, at the three variants for the first issue, including some preview pages. Comic Book Resources broke the news, more from them, HERE.
From the evil space empire with a rigid caste system bent on genocide, to the elaborate and over-the-top execution methods, Lightstep #1 is working with some classic tropes of the space opera. The new five-issue limited series from Dark Horse is a treat for genre fans. However, a wider audience can still find plenty to enjoy.
The Writing
Lightstep #1 is the comic book debut for writer Miloš Slavkovic. It’s an impressive premiere, though not without nitpicks. For example, the author does a great job at introducing us to this world and its mythology. However, that exposition comes at the expense of character development.
We don’t know much about our protagonist, January Lee. The reader understands she is undergoing some kind of internal conflict regarding the society and her relationship to it, and we get some existential rumination to go along with it. What we don’t get enough of is why the reader should care. We don’t really know enough about January Lee at this point to get fully-invested in her story. That would be fine, if the story were a bit slower-moving, but the pace doesn’t match the pathos.
Looking at it more broadly, fans of Pierce Brown’s Red Rising trilogy can draw a number of parallels with Lightstep #1. We have a society of gene-obsessed and brutal, yet effete elites that ruthlessly terrorize and destroy their inferiors. The book doesn’t delve into radically new territory, but it succeeds at what it attempts overall.
As I mentioned in my review of Outer Darkness #1 from Image, embracing genre tropes is not a bad thing. You just need to know how to employ them properly so it doesn’t come across as cliché. There are points where Slavkovic is in danger of crossing into that territory. However, he manages to stay within the lines. It’s a strong start to what I hope will develop into an even more impressive story as the series unfolds.
The Artwork
Slavkovic pulls triple-duty here as a writer, artist, and colorist, which is a bold move for a first comic. But, given he is an artist by trade, the work in Lightstep #1 is as impressive as you’d expect.
He does a great job at giving us an alien, yet still believable setting for the story. There’s a lot of attention to detail in the backgrounds, and each panel has a sense of liveliness to it.
Lightstep #1 works with a bright, pastel palette throughout. It was a good choice, as the entire book comes across like a rococo painting. The choice of colors helps to give the society an impression of being elite and regal to a fault. The only points at which we get a break from the oppressively-bright colors are in glimpses of the lives of commoners, highlighting the different worlds in which these people live.
Final Thoughts
I’d hesistate to say that Lightstep #1 is great, but it could be the beginning of a great series. I’m looking forward to seeing how it unfolds, and I recommend you check it out, too.
Spider-Man: Enter the Spider-Verse #1 continues the dimension-hopping adventures from the soon-to-be concluded Spider-Geddon. The one-shot sees surviving Web Warriors hopping between worlds to tie-up loose ends from an old Spider-Man adventure.
Despite the title, I don’t expect this to be a “must-read” item before the movie hits theaters next month. In fact, the story is not a particularly pressing entry in the larger Spider-canon at all. However, it can scratch the itch if you’re really hungry for more multiverse adventures.
The Writing
Spider-Man: Enter the Spider-Verse #1 isn’t necessarily targeted at younger readers. However, I feel this would appeal more to the all-ages demographic.
Marvel legend Ralph Macchio helms writing duties here, but don’t expect a ground-shaking adventure or anything. The team find themselves up against alternate universe versions of some familiar villains, though they never seem to pose much of a threat. The writing is light overall, choosing to eschew dramatic tension in favor of banter. That’s the main issue I have here: the book doesn’t read like a standard one-shot. Instead, the story feels like it should be an episode in a larger story. There’s not a lot in the way of plot, which can leave readers less than satisfied.
The book’s second half is occupied by a reprint of issue #1 of Spider-Man (2016). This reprints the first adventures of Miles Morales in the main Marvel universe, prepping readers for the upcoming Spider-Verse film.
The Artwork
The line work from artist Flaviano is solid throughout Spider-Man: Enter the Spider-Verse #1. Character designs are appealingly-detailed for the most part, and figures carry a sense of dynamic movement.
That said, the trade-off is that settings are sparse throughout the entire book. The artist elected to focus the characters and neglect backgrounds in favor of a more stylized look. While not unappealing, it would be nice to have a more even balance of style and substance in the backgrounds, as this can leave us unmoored in terms of setting and make it hard to orient ourselves.
Erick Arciniega’s colors are one of the book’s highlights. Everything is vibrant with a not-quite-but-almost-neon palette.
Final Verdict
As mentioned before, Spider-Man: Enter the Spider-Verse #1 will satisfy if you’re really desperate for more Spider-Verse adventures. However, it’s not an essential story, and it’s probably not one you’ll miss if you don’t pick it up.
Spider-Geddon #4 sees alliances shift and former allies betrayed as 2018’s big Spider-event moves toward its climax. The Inheritors race to resurrect Solus, while the many Spider-people of the Multiverse fight to stop them. However, the team’s greatest threat might come from within.
The plot feels a bit rushed here, leading to some less-than-developed motivations. It’s a solid chapter in the ongoing story overall, but not a standout moment.
The Writing
Overall, the keyword to describe writer Christos Gage’s work here is economy. Spider-Geddon #4 does what it needs to setup the climax coming in the next issue, but doesn’t take many chances outside of that. As a result, this issue doesn’t deliver much in the way of surprises.
There’s the follow-through on a betrayal telegraphed in the previous issue, involving the character you’d most expect to double-cross the others. Another betrayal in the issue’s last few pages came as more of a twist; however, I didn’t feel it was setup as effectively as it could have been. New developments introduced feel like they’re carried-out in the interest of plot expediency. For example, it’s not much of a spoiler to say the Inheritors resurrect Solus, as it happens within the first five pages with little setup or fanfare.
If you’ve followed Spider-Geddon up to now, you should find this latest chapter engrossing enough. However, I enjoyed the previous issue a bit more.
The Artwork
With an event book carrying the hype of Spider-Geddon, it would have been pretty easy for artists to cut corners. As with previous issues, though, the team behind Spider-Geddon #4 offers a coherent, strong presentation.
Figures feel lively against the detailed backgrounds. In every panel, characters maintain a sense of animation and kinetic energy. The settings and design never feel boring, despite half the issue taking place aboard Leopardon.
The page layouts land the beats of the dialogue well, and give us a good range of wide, panoramic views and tight close-ups.
Final Thoughts
Spider-Geddon #4 isn’t the strongest chapter of the Spider-Geddon event thus far. You get the sense that Gage was forced to compact certain elements to fit the five-issue run. However, it’s not a bad entry, and it gets us where we need to be for our next issue.
Since Chris Chibnall’s takeover of Doctor Who they have been episodes with a political edge and the latest episode continues with this trend.
The Doctor received a package she forgot she ordered from Kerblam! and discovers a message saying ‘help us.’ The Doctor always has to answer a call for help so goes to Kerblam’s moon size warehouse with her companions. During their investigations, they discover workers have been disappearing and that there is a conspiracy afoot.
Previous episodes in Series 11 have looked at the Civil Rights Movement, The Partition of India, and aiming some satirical swipes toward Donald Trump. The theme of “Kerblam!” is modern day working practices and the rise of automation, or to put it another way: The Doctor vs. Amazon. In this dark future Kerblam! is a huge conglomerate that people can buy anything and everything from and the company is so automated that the government mandates that 10% of the workforce have to be humans. The workers barely get to see their families and just like at Amazon warehouses – workers are constantly monitored to ensure they are productive. It is basically a futuristic workhouse, although it looks like a standard warehouse.
Whilst the commentary about Amazon’s work practices are on the nose “Kerblam!” does look at a socio-economic issue – the rise of automation and robotics. There are serious concerns about the role of human workers, especially unskilled workers due to the rise of automation and AI – or to put it another way “They took our jobs!” Due to the rise of the robotic workforce most people are unable to get a job and the few people who do are stuck doing menial tasks. However, it raises the question if most people are unable to work and poor – who’s able to orders from Kerblam?
“Kerblam!” does have solid little character moments. When The Doctor reads the message, she consults with her companions, and they agree that they should go and investigate. It shows their willingness to jump into action – not just being led by The Doctor and the TARDIS. Yaz and Graham have more to do because they have to work independently – so use their intuition. Graham shows his caring side when he works with Charlie (Leo Flanagan) who has a crush on a co-worker while Yaz gets to use her police training – she is the one who fights the villain. Yaz has the most emotional moments because of her connection with her co-worker.
“Kerblam!” had some recognizable guest stars, at least for British audiences. Comedian Lee Mack plays one of the workers at Kerblam! and his role is mostly to deliver some jokes – yet he does have some moments of sincerity. Coronation Street alumni Julie Hesmondhalgh’s role as the head of HR weirdly reminded me of Tilda Swinton’s character in Snowpiercer due to the wig and the glasses. The most memorable character was Kira (Claudia Jessie) because she was sweet and positive despite her grim surroundings. I was surprised to find out she was 29-year-old because she looked and acted like she was 10 years younger.
The production values of the latest season of Doctor Who has been of a high standard. They come crashing down in “Kerblam!” The Kerblam Men robots were fine, but the episode looked cheap. The warehouse setting is no different to a real warehouse and will remind a lot of people of their day job. The episode has some of the worst CGI in the season when Yaz, Ryan, and Charlie go down a conveyor belt.
The other notable aspect was the references to previous versions of The Doctor. They will give fans a little smile and shows that producers still recognize Doctor Who‘s long continuity.
Some fans have said that “Kerblam!” is the best episode of the season so far. This is not the case in my opinionbecause the story is a standard Doctor Who investigation and “Rosa” and “Demons of the Punjab” are better and more ambitious episodes. Yet “Kerblam!” is a decent, inoffensive story.
Web Of Venom: Carnage Born finds Donny Cates, with the art team of Danilo S. Beyruth, Cris Peter and Clayton Cowles, continuing to build on the symbiote mythology in this blood-drenched one-hot that brings back the original spawn of Venom; Carnage!
A cruel cannibal obsessed with death and murder, few mourned Cletus Kasady after he seemingly died in VENOMIZED. But now a cult devoted to the madman has gathered, hoping to resurrect their fallen idol and return his madness to the Marvel Universe…
Web of Venom: Carnage Born Written by: Donny Cates Art by: Danilo S. Beyruth Colors by: Cris Peter Letters by: Clayton Cowles
Writing
Web of Venom: Carnage Born is first and foremost a horror title. There are cults in robes, blood and gore aplenty. Having that aspect of the story is a great way to add mood with setting and atmosphere. Its one of the many things done well by writer Donny Cates. Cates is no stranger to horror, and it shows. There’s some truly scary and creepy shit in this book. Cates even adds an almost Freddy Krueger like myth to Cletus Kasudy’s origin, a nice touch that saves the necessary re-telling from being purely exposition. It pushes Carnage further into being a monster.
Cates uses that same deft touch to summarize much of what he has been doing with the symbiotes in various places/titles/events. It makes Web of Venom: Carnage Born accessible to new readers, yet not boring to long-reading fans. The mythology running through these books has become vast but not impenetrable. That’s not an easy thing to do.
This being Cates, you also get one hell of a fucking set-up at the end that puts Carnage on a collision course with just about every major player in the Marvel Universe. The final image is a treat that will get you stoked on what is to come. (You can see it below at the end of this review).
Art
The art team of Danilo S. Beyruth and Cris Peter comes together here to create images that ooze crimson and viscera. There’s plenty of blood and gore around. The slashy line work and vibrant colors create a very unique, lurid look.
The way the symbiotes look has always been one of the selling points on the concept, and Beyruth and Peter combined, create one creepy looking Carnage and one disturbed as fuck Cletus Kasady.
Veteran letter Clayton Cowles also does great work with his fonts and word positioning. There are both sparsely lettered pages and pages with heavy dialog and narration yet both look great, not feeling empty or crowded.
Conclusion
Donny Cates has been creating a very unique mythology with these symbiote books, and Web of Venom: Carnage Born is a nice place to start if you haven’t checked these out yet. With it’s accessible, yet compelling story and unique art, it’s one book not to be missed.
Uncanny X-Men is back and on a weekly basis. Everyone’s favorite Marvel mutants are back in the proper place. Marvel’s previous ResurreXion initiative was just a warm-up, now we’re in for a real return to greatness.
***SPOILERS LIE AHEAD***
Our new weekly series is wasting no time in establishing itself as a 90’s X-Men comic with more to say. Writers Ed Brisson, Kelly Thompson and Matthew Rosenberg are quickly finding a groove together, not stepping on each other’s toes or making the script seem disjointed.
There’s a major Madrox problem and our teams are split-up handling crisis’ of all sorts. There’s a lot happening but the pace and screen time for each character makes this an easily digestible epic that fans of any amount of familiarity (or lack of) can jump in.
Rosenberg’s recent Multiple Man mini-series gave us a brilliant, fresh take on Jamie Madrox. Utilizing him here as an unpredictable mystery problem is exciting. Remember the recent years when there were ZERO appearances by Jamie in an X-Men title?
One of the major adjustments and strengths this series has early on is the roster chemistry. All of these interactions are satisfying, no matter how seemingly minor. Our trio of writers have been doing their homework (probably for a very long time) and have no issue settling into the voices of their characters.
Juggling multiple subplots does a lot of good for Uncanny X-Men in an effort to make this series feel like the X-Men stories of old. Thompson, Brisson, and Rosenberg are tapping into the elements that worked for ResurreXion and discarding the safety net. We’re going to get some stories that push boundaries in a time where we could really use it.
Having one of those subplots focus on the younger mutants, yet to become full-time X-Men, is crucial. Every successful era of X-Men has a young crop of students looking to make the big league roster. This group has been cooking for years now and it looks like they’ll finally be taking steps towards finally graduating.
Uncanny X-Men #2 ends with the arrival of David Haller (Legion), another classic character added to an already stacked cast. It’ll be interesting to see what this creative team does with Legion, he’s a character that works best the deeper you dive into the weird.
Most of the nostalgic appeal comes from the art team. R.B. Silva’s pencils are smooth and precise. The redesigns we’ve gotten so far are sleek and practical for comic book crafting purposes. There are a lot of new, distinct designs but none of them are drastic or desperate attempts to leave a “mark” on the character.
Rachelle Rosenberg is one of the best colorists in the business, it was a wise choice to hire her to add a ton of life and layer to Uncanny X-Men. She’s got a tough job in managing this massive cast of colorful characters without any of them looking too similar and she’s doing great work.
Inker Adriano Di Benedetto and letterer Joe Caramagna play their part in making sure Uncanny X-Men is the complete package. The inks don’t take anything away from Silva’s pencils, only strengthen them. This art team is strong, the real test comes with how we fair trying to keep up with the weekly release schedule.
Uncanny X-Men #2 keeps the pace and energy level of the massive introductory issue. This is truly the ResurreXion we were promised by Marvel a year ago. That first batch of Gold and Blue books was an appetizer, now we’re back in serious business!
The series has gotten off to a great start and we haven’t even touched anything with Adamantium or eye-beams.
Welcome to the 163 episode of the Monkeys Fighting Robots podcast, this week we review PRODIGY #1 and DIE #1 (Two amazing books you should add to your pull list immediately.)
Thanks for listening, and enjoy the show.
DIE #1
Written by Kieron Gillen with art by Stephanie Hans.
THE WICKED + THE DIVINE writer KIERON GILLEN teams up with artist supernova STEPHANIE HANS (THE WICKED + THE DIVINE 1831, Journey Into Mystery) for her first ongoing comic! DIE is a pitch-black fantasy where a group of forty-something adults have to deal with the returning unearthly horror they barely survived as teenage role-players. If Kieron’s in a rush, he describes it as “Goth Jumanji.” That only captures a sliver of what you’ll find in oversized debut issue—where fantasy gets all too real.
PRODIGY #1 (OF 6)
Written by Mark Millar with art by Rafael Albuquerque.
Edison Crane’s not content being the world’s smartest man and most successful businessman—his brilliant mind needs to be constantly challenged. He’s a Nobel Prize-winning scientist, genius composer, Olympic athlete, an expert in the occult, and now international governments are calling on him to fix problems they just can’t handle.
Both books hit your local comic book store on December 5.
Do you have a question for the show? Email robotsfightingmonkeys@gmail.com
Never heard of Matt Sardo? For starters, he made the Kessel Run in less than 11 parsecs. Prior to that, he gave Doc Brown the idea for the flux capacitor and led the Resistance to victory over SkyNet – all while sipping a finely crafted IPA. As a radio host, he’s interviewed celebrities, athletes and everyone in between. He’s covered everything from the Super Bowl to Comic-Con.
Cathy Yan’s heroine-led superhero movie has rounded out its cast. According to Variety, Ella Jay Basco has joined the cast of Birds of Prey as Cassandra Cain.
Basco will join the cast which already includes Margot Robbie, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Jurnee Smollett-Bell, Rosie Perez, and Ewan Mcgregor. Her previous work includes small roles on Veep and Grey’s Anatomy.
Birds of Prey will see Harley Quinn (Robbie) team up with Black Canary (Smollett-Bell), Huntress (Winstead), and Renne Montoya (Perez). The plot will center around the group attempting to protect Cassandra Cain (Basco) from the main antagonist of the film, Black Mask (McGregor).
Cassandra Cain made her comic debut in 1999 as Batgirl. She took over the mantle from Barbara Gordon, who was paralyzed by the Joker in the iconic The Killing Joke storyline. It appears unlikely that we will see Basco take on that role in the upcoming DC project as the actress is only 11 years old. However, don’t rule out the possibility of seeing her suit up as the member of the Bat Family somewhere down the line.
Yan, best known for her film Dead Pigs, is set to direct the female-centric film. Robbie is also attached as a producer and has been heavily involved in the development of the film.
Robbie had this to say about the project:
“Actually, the ones that excite me most don’t have superpowers at all but they have, you know, pretty great backstories and all could kind of live in the world with Harley and create this cool dynamic. Because I don’t think girl groups… I mean all my girlfriends, we’re a huge girl gang and we’re not all the same person, everyone’s very different. I guess I was really trying to put that on screen — the way we exist in everyday life as a big girl gang. Why can’t we watch that in films more?”
Are you excited to see Basco take on the role of Cassandra Cain? Let us know in the comments below!
The Party’s Just Beginning stars Karen Gillan (Guardians of the Galaxy, Doctor Who) as a woman suffering from the loss of her best friend to suicide and how she’ll rebuild her life without him. The British film premiered at the Glasgow Film Festival in February and gets an official release December 7, 2018.
About The Party’s Just Beginning
Official Description: When her best friend takes his own life, Liusaidh has to deal with stresses of such a situation.
Karen Gillan is not only the star here but the writer and director. Reportedly, it took Gillan six years to get the film done, from writing to financing but it’s here, and overall it’s received good reactions. Based on the subject matter, the film seems like a deeply personal project for Gillan.
Karen Gillan as Liusaidh
Lee Pace as Dale
Matthew Beard as Alistair
Jamie Quinn as Ben
Paul Higgins as Liusaidh’s Dad
Siobhan Redmond as Liusaidh’s Mum
Rachel Jackson as Donna
Paul Tinto as Peter
Stephen Nelson as Chip Shop Guy
Angela Hoisington as the screaming wife
It’s an impressive feat to write, direct, and star in a film. Each of those aspects, on its own, is difficult. To do all three is indeed a masterstroke for Gillan. You go, girl! It’s a heavy film to swallow but one that will resonate with people who have been through the pain-filled haze of dealing with the death of a loved one. The added layer of suicide makes the death all the more confusing. Gillan certainly has the acting chops to pull off this role. The question now is how good she is at telling a story that’s entirely under her control.
Did this trailer get you excited for The Party’s Just Beginning? Leave your comments below!
