GOLD GOBLIN #2 hits your local comic book store on December 21st, but thanks to Marvel Comics, Monkeys Fighting Robots has an exclusive four-page preview for you!
About the issue: Being A Hero Isn’t For Everyone…Norman Osborn faced Chasm in DARK WEB #1 and has to face another terrifying opponent in this issue! Norman’s only been a super hero for a few days…but his tenure might be quite short!
The issue is by writer Christopher Cantwell and artist Lan Medina, with colors by Antonio Fabela, and letters by Joe Sabino. The main cover is by Taurin Clarke.
Check out the GOLD GOBLIN #2 preview below:
Are you reading Marvel’s DARK WEB? Sound off in the comments!
Danger Street, a new series for DC Comics from writer Tom King, artist Jorge Fornes, colorist Dave Stewart, and letterer Clayton Cowles, has no right being this good. You’d think a story like this would feel stretched thin. It has fantasy characters, gritty noir detectives, sci-fi aliens, and superheroes, among others. But as these characters and genres war for your attention, they create a dazzling spectacle in their wake that just works.
About Danger Street:
This is not the first time all of the characters in Danger Street have seen print. In fact, all of them appeared in a series from 1975, called DC’s 1st Issue Special. The 13 issue series was experimental, strange, but somehow it was also incredibly charming. Each issue was its own story and none of the stories were connected. All the characters existed in their own little worlds. So, when King, Fornes, Stewart, and Cowles signed up for a series that would bring all these characters back, it wasn’t as simple as “updating” an old book. This creative team had to figure out how a banished alien general could be connected to a group of child millionaires (yes, you read that right.)
Writing
King takes this challenge of combining stories and does you one better. Every page, almost every panel, combines storytelling styles. The narration, in bright yellow caption boxes, sounds like something out of an old-timey children’s fantasy book, overlaid onto scenes of intense action. But, it’s not so much the combination of genres that interests King, as it is the combination of these characters. In an interview with Monkeys Fighting Robots, King explained that the inspiration for Danger Street came from FX’s Fargo series, along with the movies of the Coen Brothers (which, themselves, inspired Fargo.)
The Coens have a knack for taking wild characters with crazy quirks and just putting them in the same place to see what will happen. That’s exactly what Danger Street #1 feels like. King immediately gives you a sense of who each character is, and then lets their interactions lead to widespread chaos. The experimental attitude of “let’s throw things together and see what happens” seems to have carried over from DC’s 1st Issue Special. You’ll be on the edge of your seat by the final page, because you’ll have the distinct feeling that anything could happen next.
Art
Fornes’ art is beautiful, but it’s also profoundly interesting. For one thing, we see a real deliberate use of the levels of each character’s gaze. When Starman talks with Warlord, he looks down a little, even though they’re sitting at the same height. When Manhunter bows before his master, we see Manhunter looking up in a way that almost feels feeble. And when Jack Ryder washes his face in the mirror, he actually is looking up a little at his own reflection. Fornes tells us something about the dynamics between all of these characters. We see how the characters feel about one another – estimate each other – by where they’re looking. We even see how much Jack Ryder looks up to himself.
Another brilliant moment is when we see Warlord, Starman, and Metamorpho driving down the road in a car together. Fornes gives us one image of the car that’s been split into two panels by a gutter running through the middle. Warlord sits on one side of the gutter, Metamorpho on the other, and while Starman sits mostly to one side, the gutter actually cuts through him. Starman feels like a character who is caught in the middle of a lot of things, and Fornes uses this visual cue to tell us that subtly.
Coloring
Stewart absolutely highlights the uniqueness of each world that these characters inhabit. The Dingbats of Danger Street, Lady Cop, and even our trio of Starman, Warlord, and Metamorpho, all look quite normal on the page. Metamorpho sports skin of purple and orange, and Starman is blue, but besides that they all live in worlds that are your typical hues of grey, brown, and green. When we see Manhunter, things are different. The panels Manhunter sits in are panels of gaudy, bright colors. The page after Manhunter’s introduction shows other characters driving through the desert against a white background. It’s nearly colorless in comparison. Stewart is really showing what diverse people we’re dealing with.
Stewart even shows how some characters are divided against themselves. We essentially see three versions of Jack Ryder. One version is the brightly clad Creeper, jumping through the darkness of a back alley, looking like a firefly in the night in his yellow costume. But as he lays into a thug, the colors fade until there’s nothing left but black, white, and the vibrant red of blood. The next page shows Jack clearing the blood off of his face in the mirror. The whole page is incredibly muted in its tones, you almost forget the Creeper and Jack Ryder are the same person. Stewart is doing so much with these simple choices. We get a window into the hearts and minds of these characters.
Lettering
There are so many brilliant choices from Cowles in these pages. Even small things, like a cop car’s sound effects being shown in alternating letters of red and blue. Or, when we see the laughter of the Creeper, looking like it’s been painted in blood against the page. Cowles writes the “VROOOM” of a dune buggy driving down a hill with the letters getting smaller the further the buggy gets away from us. But it’s in the smaller details that the magic really happens.
As shit really begins to hit the fan, we see Cowles’ letters begin to vary more. The “AAAAAA!” of someone getting grabbed by the throat is staggered, like the noise out of their mouth comes out unevenly. Another character looks on and simply says “What?” in small lettering on a large word balloon, which is echoed in format by another character’s ominous line of “No” only a page later. It’s stuff like this that just make this comic sing.
Verdict
Danger Street #1 is an incredible start to what’s going to be an amazing series. Danger Street is simply fearless. It brings together a wild cast of characters, and a superstar team of creators, and lets beautiful chaos reign. You do not want to miss this fantastic issue, which is out now at a comic shop near you!
Peace in the Valley is a 2022 film from writer-director Tyler Riggs starring Brit Shaw (Bones, NCIS) in a movie about a family dealing with the tragic loss of its patriarch. Katy McIlvaine worked her magic as music supervisor to enhance the film’s journey.
The film begins with Shaw’s Ashley Rhodes, her husband John (Michael Abbott Jr.), and their son Jesse (William Samiri) on their way to the supermarket. They’re a happy family, and all is well until gunshots ring out. John gets Ashley to safety and heads back into the chaos to find their son. But John is killed during his rescue effort kicking off the film’s central emotional struggle. How will Ashley and Jesse live on without John?
PopAxiom spoke with Katy about becoming a music supervisor, the unique challenges of her job, and Peace in the Valley.
Weird Move
Katy admits that growing up, she “butted heads with my dad.” However, with age comes wisdom. “But when I was around 25 and looked back, I thought, ‘wow, this is all because of you.'”
“My dad played music, and as a kid, I’d watch him play,” she continues. “It was always important to him that I learn music, so I took piano lessons and played percussion in school bands.”
But learning music and being a professional musician are two different things. “I hated theory, and I didn’t like performing. So, being a musician didn’t interest me at all.”
“I was good at math,” she adds, noting that around high school, Katy began “exploring career options in the music industry. Then, I thought I’d do something in finance.”
Katy grew up hearing she could be anything. So she decided to do something fun and go into the music industry!” She laughs. “It was a weird move, but here we are!”
How’d It Go?
“I went to school for music business. I learned about sync [licensing] and music supervision. So I started gearing everything, as many classes as possible, towards that.” Katy took music publishing and anything that would help her understand copyrights, which might sound easier today because “There are a lot of classes on music supervision now than there were 15 years ago.”
As the journey often goes for creatives, Katy “did a lot of internships.” She also began working at in-house positions. “It was great. I learned a lot. But those aren’t the best ways to build your client base. So I left and started supervising on my own.
Katy’s still-young career has crossed through shows like Empire and Power. “One of the first projects I got was with Andrew Carlberg; he’s great.”
Katy’s job sometimes entails being the bearer of bad news. “I tell him sometimes, ‘Hey, we can’t afford this song,’ and I feel like the bad guy. But he gets it. He asks what’s practical and works.”
About Peace in the Valley
Andrew Carlberg is a producer on Peace in the Valley, which led to Katy becoming part of the team. “The film started pre-COVID and had to pick back up. By the time they pulled me in, they were past that and in post. Their music licensing needs were growing to the point they needed to bring somebody on.”
“They had a sense of where they wanted music,” she says about the state of the project when she entered the scene. “They had music temped in, which can be helpful or hurt.”
Katy brings up a repeating condition behind the scenes of a film or television show. “We can deal with ‘temp love.'” A state of falling in love with a temporary track used by editors during rough cuts. The problem, however, is that “They love some song that’s twice the total budget. That has to be dealt with. How important is this song? If not, we can figure out some creative ways within budget. There’s always something you can do.”
“On Peace in the Valley,” she explains, “some of the temps stayed, a lot of it went. But, they were satisfied in the end with the music and where they wanted it.”
Katy likes to ask editors, “if you’re going to use some music, either use something I sent you or something so big that there’s no way we could get it.”
Supervising Music
That song you love in your favorite movie happened thanks to people like Katy. It might seem simple, but music supervising is sometimes unraveling spaghetti. “Another thing that comes up all the time, a producer says, ‘I found this little dusty song in the depths of YouTube that no one’s ever heard,’ then I come back with, ‘Actually, that’s a one-hit wonder from the 70s, and lots of people have heard about it.’ Those kinds of songs might still be paying for grandkids to go to college. It’s not that undiscovered.”
“You have to navigate all the licensing,” she continues. First, you have to figure out the rights, get clearance, and fees done. Then, we get those licenses initiated so that producers can send out payments. It’s a lot, and it’s complicated. It’s a weird little niche of an industry.”
Older songs often make things even more complicated. “Time goes on; people pass away. Things get divided up. Bands split up. Different writers claim different things. There was no ‘sync’ when there was the ‘record industry,’ and they didn’t know how to plan for this.”
“There are two sides to every song. There’s the ‘master recording’ and the ‘underlying composition,'” she says in response to the difference between a cover and an original version. “So, you could cover “Paint it Black” [Rolling Stones] right now, and you’d have your master recording, which you own and control. But you still have the underlying composition from Mick Jagger. So, regardless of which version, you’ll still have to get permission for the underlying composition.”
Of course, it gets more complicated from there. “Every band and approval party is different. Some parties might say, ‘yeah, that’s great; we can give it to you for X amount if you license the Stones version. Another might say, ‘well, we’d give you the underlying composition for this much, but since you’re not using our master, we’ll raise the price of the composition.’ A third party might say, ‘since you’re not using our master, then you can’t use any of it.'”
Wrapping Up
Katy listens to a lot of music. But she gushes about one band in particular. “My favorite band of all time is OK Go. I love them, and the first time I heard of them was through a TV show. That was my first realization of what sync was. I’ve seen their career grow over the decades. They’ve gone from an indie rock band, did the music video thing, then left their label. They’ve taken their art and made it the mechanism for exploring all these other things in life. I admire that.”
“As a music supervisor, you never know what you’re going to get,” she admits, but she also thinks that’s part of the fun. “Peace in the Valley is calm, emotional, and with a little twang because it takes place in the South. But the film I’m working on now is primarily public-domain Christian hymns, except they wanted to throw in one metal song. So it’s all over the place.”
Katy doesn’t keep this massive catalog of songs and bands in her head for future projects. Though, she admits, “It’s my responsibility to catch them all.” But every project is different so that mental space is better allocated to other priorities. “If I have a need, I rediscover a lot of songs. I ask, ‘what does this scene need the song to do?’ The potential music is “coming from all over the place,” she says. “Spotify, even TV shows. I Shazam more in stores than anything else.”
“It’s compartmentalized,” she explains how she separates music with work in mind versus music for fun.” But there’s no substitute for putting on a great album on a long car ride.”
Katy’s got a lot in the works. “I’m working with artists to collect a catalog to pitch to other music supervisors. I started that because I wanted to get in touch with artists. Also, I’m writing an e-book about sync licensing. I never thought I would write a book, but I kept getting asked the same questions over and over. So, I thought it’d make more sense to put it in a book.” Stay tuned for that and more from Katy while Peace in the Valley continues to receive critical praise.
Is Peace in the Valley on your watch list?
Thanks to Katy McIlvaine and Lumos PR
for making this interview possible.
From comics legend Mike Mignola and artist Rachele Aragno comes the follow up to their delightful vampire story from earlier this year with Leonide the Vampyr: A Christmas for Crows. Featuring frequent Mignolaverse collaborators Dave Stewart and Clem Robins on colors and letters respectively, this yuletide follow-up is a spooky and endearing second chapter following out new young vampire and the priest charged with protecting the world from her misdeeds. With a surprisingly deep script and outstanding visuals, this is the perfect night before Christmas comic for readers of all ages.
“When good and honest mountain folk come upon a small coffin among a carriage wreck, they find themselves among darker company than they bargained for.”
Writing & Plot
Mike Mignola has always been able to seamlessly blend suspense and creeping terror with light-hearted wit, and Leonie the Vampyr: A Christmas for Crows is no different. The Hellboy creator brings his Victorian horror story narrative tone and mixes it with that of a classical children’s storybook to make a comic that is delightful regardless of your age or tastes. Following up the previous and first chapter of Leonide, this issue sees our young vampire taken by carriage to a old manor, where she is still pursued by the skeletal priest sworn to vanquish her. From here, a sullen and bittersweet tale of a spooky Christmas night takes place. It’s a fairly simple story, made memorable by its distinctly “Mignola” characters and nods to Christmas-y ghost stories of old. Mignola’s dialogue is endlessly clever and fun to read, mixing that serious, stoic tone with sharp humor that always lands. If you’re a fan of Mignola’s creations and how his writing in stories like The Amazing Screw-On Head and various Hellboy projects, then this book will be a surefire hit for you.
Art Direction
Every Mignola project needs visuals that are up to par with those of the creator himself. Fortunately, Rachele Aragno is on hand to deliver an experience that looks and feels like a true Mignola comic, but is also something wholly unique. Aragno’s work in Leonide the Vampyr: A Christmas for Crows is as atmospheric and unique as any Mignola book, but with a specifically lighter charm that works perfectly for the tone. Her character designs and animations feel like something out of an illustrated storybook, but with sequential direction. Every page is so charmingly drawn it’s impossible not to feel endeared to Leonide, the Priest, some sharply-dressed crows, and this spooky world as a whole. Her excellent panel direction and transitions give the comic an even pace for this sauntering Christmas tale, making for a comic that is a perfect chemical mix of its script and visual storytelling. The colors from longtime Mignola collaborator Dave Stewart are perfectly atmospheric, with heavy shades leaning towards the darkness that encompasses the book. Stewart makes this comic feel lighter than other Mignola affairs with his use of lighting in his colors. Elements such as light reflections off of the moon and fires help make Aragno’s artwork shine with a fun and spooky tone. Clem Robins’ letters finish off the reading experience with his consistent and unique font he’s always used in Mignola comics. His dialogue and narrative bubbles are full of his hand drawn, naturalistic fonts. His SFX lettering provides the perferct punctuation for every page, with a bold style that makes itself seen without getting in the way of the panels. Overall, A Christmas for Crows is a standout comic among a stable of great looking books in the Mignola library.
Verdict
Leonide the Vampyr: A Christmas for Crows is a delightful Christmas follow-up to a new surprise hit from Mignola’s stable. The Hellboy creator spins a script that is pure spooky delight, with hints of melancholy and storybook charm that will undoubtedly win over anyone who partakes in its tale. Rachele Aragno, with help from Dave Stewart’s colors, stands out among Migonla’s collaborators with brilliant character animations and sequential design. Be sure to grab this new Christmas comics classic (and its predecessor) when it hits shelves on 12/14!
ALL AGAINST ALL #1 hit your local comic book store last week from Image Comics. The five-issue mini-series is written by ALEX PAKNADEL, with art by CASPAR WIJNGAARD, and you will read HASSAN OTSMANE-ELHAOU’s letter work.
In the Panel Breakdown, we look at the elements that create an unnerving story.
About the ALL AGAINST ALL #1: In All Against All, it is the distant future. Earth is long gone, but a race of alien conquerors known as “the Operators” have preserved its most savage animals in an artificial jungle environment they barely understand. With no bodies of their own, the Operators move from world to world, harvesting bodies for the organic exosuits they use to wage their endless wars. Ignored and underestimated by his captors is the habitat’s sole human specimen, Helpless. However, when their efforts to find and harvest an apex predator intensify, he gives them far more than they bargained for.
Violent Night is destined to join someone’s yearly watch list, but I’m still deciding if I want to revisit this blood-drenched Christmas affair. Living up to its title, Violent Night delivers one of the most action-packed Christmas Eves you could imagine. With enough humor to keep you laughing throughout, but don’t expect to find anything special from most of its characters. This highly entertaining experience felt like an R-rated homage to Home Alone that many will want to revisit.
Most iconic Christmas movies are packed with elements for the whole family to enjoy. Then there are some that parents will wait to watch once the children are put to bed. Violent Night is the latest action-comedy that will join the likes of Bad Santa, Black Christmas, or any holiday-themed movie that has garnered a cult following. While this film mostly excels during its action and kill sequences, the wish of a child acts as the heart and soul of its story. Directed by Tommy Wirkola, Violent Night stars David Harbour, John Leguizamo, Beverly D’Angelo, Leah Brady, and Alex Hassell.
The film centers on the Lighstones, a wealthy family that finds themselves held hostage by a group of mercenaries on Christmas Eve. This team wasn’t expecting an ally to arrive, which turns out to be Santa Claus (Harbour). Before continuing to deliver his presents around the world, Santa takes time to show this Nick is no saint. Josh Miller and Patrick Casey’s screenplay provides enough laughs to grow invested in the events on screen. Without the humor, most of the film is a chore to sit through since the Lightstone family is underdeveloped and unlikable. The exception to that is Trudy Lightstone (Brady), a child who just wants her parents to get back together this Christmas.
Admittedly, Santa himself is a compelling character as well and the two share a bond that grows as the film progresses. Trudy becomes tasked with helping Santa remember his significance, and Santa works to keep Trudy safe from the mercenaries. It’s their bond that allows you to connect with the storyline. In between their moments, Violent Night offers a vast collection of hilarious gags, sledgehammer madness, and some of the worst one-liners the year has to offer. Still, the jokes are often funny than unfunny thanks to the delivery by the talent involved. Especially when our mercenaries’ group starts to consider that they are dealing with the real Santa Claus.
Harbour excels as the drunk, sledgehammer-wielding savior that brings Christmas cheer to kids around the world. His father-like nature towards Trudy is heartwarming to see, and Brady’s performance as Trudy gives them great chemistry during their scenes. Brady’s delivery helps Trudy’s inner sadness shine through, as she prays Santa can get her parents back together for the holidays. As for the Home Alone nods, Violent Night is packed with several moments that offer childhood memories. One, in particular, is able to provide the most unique use of a nail in cinema this year.
Trudy and Santa Claus don’t hold back against the intruders, which makes for a good time with a large crowd. Even though most of the film feels like a chore, the pacing isn’t so bad that it will take you out of the experience. The performances from Harbour and Brady are the standouts, but everyone else is decent and not offering the same emotional pull. Violent Night is destined to become a Christmas classic that families will enjoy watching when their kids get older.
While this action-packed Christmas film doesn’t offer anything groundbreaking, the humor and gory sequences will be enough to please general audiences this holiday season. Violent Night is a good enough time thanks to the two lead performances, and its humor that only grows more infectious as the film progresses. I’m still uncertain if this will be added to my yearly rewatch list, but I will revisit this at some point in the near future.
From acclaimed writer Kelly Thompson (Captain Marvel, The Girl Who Would Be King) and artist Meredith McClaren (Hinges, Hopeless Savages) comes a Sci-Fi/Fantasy/Political Thriller/Murder Mystery with Black Cloak #1. Featuring letters by Becca Carey, this excellent genre blend is riddled with lore and excellent characterizations, all brought together by a unique visual aesthetic. Black Cloak is for readers who like their DnD campaigns with splashed of Saga and Far Sector in the mix.
“Blade Runner style mixes with SAGA-esque drama in a delectable fantasy/sci-fi blend as two Black Cloaks try to solve the murder of a beloved prince in Kiros, the last city in the known world, before his murder tips the city into war.”
Writing & Plot
Black Cloak #1 marks the first book at Image Comics for Eisner Award winner Kelly Thompson, and she makes one hell of an impression at the industry’s premier house of indie. Thompson seamlessly blends futuristic sci-fi, DnD-esque fantasy, and political intrigue all together then wraps it all up in a murder mystery plot. Every element of this comic is equally engaging, and this is due to both the comic’s extended length (triple-sized debut issue) and Thompson’s attention to characterization. Every character we meet in Black Cloak feels like a worn part of this world. From our lead detective with a complex political past to her irritable partner, and even to the shop-owners and urchins we meet in the small scenes, each person feels real. All this, despite the fact that most of these people are elves, minotaurs, or satyrs. Thompson brings in elements of class-consciousness that tie directly into the comic’s political intrigue, making the story feel all the more multidimensional. It’s grounded in reality while still being a fantastical genre book. Despite Black Cloak‘s serious subject matter and tone, it still knows how to be funny. The dialogue feels natural and the shots of humor – centered around character quirks – land more often than not. Each character has their own unique voice that makes them feel like their own piece of the story. Every layer Thompson uncovers is equally interesting, and discovering more about this back-alley political murder in this fantasy world will doubtless be an absolute treat going into the following issues.
Art Direction
A huge portion of what makes Black Cloak #1 stick out so much is the unique visual approach of artist Meredith McClaren. Her soft, rounded linework and expressive animations meld with her surprisingly detailed set design to make this sci-fi/fantasy world feel lived in. Her work very much has a modern indie comics/current generation animation feel to it, but this doesn’t stop it from being so impressive. Her specific facial details using simple linework and distinct features, as well as her mythical designs, make our time with each character distinct and easily relatable. It’s hard not to compare McClaren’s work with that of Fiona Staples on Saga, or Jamie McKelvie on The Wicked + The Divine, but she stands out on her own with her specific sequential direction. She tends to grab a lot of detailed closeups on characters, making readers feel as though they’re walking in on a conversation that keeps going despite their presence. Every panel carries weight, whether it be a simple shot of a character giving a sarcastic retort or a bird’s eye view of a suspected crime scene. McClaren’s color art is just as interesting as her penciling, as every page has its own tone and atmosphere. She uses a lot of low-light color features – fog in the outdoors sequences, dim yellow fluorescents in a coffee shop, a room at an inn lit only by a television – that bring a sort of oppressive, conflict filled tone to the overall story. There’s an uneasy alliance of beings living together in this city, and the atmosphere demonstrates just how tenuous life among these people is. Becca Carey’s lettering is an unexpected treat in this comic. Her dialogue bubble work has a unique, free-flowing style that is easy to read and move naturally with the tone of the character speech. Her SFX lettering is the real treat though. There’s an almost chalk-drawn aesthetic to her work in this regard that fits with the disparate urban setting, and her placement always makes for the perfect punctuation on every page. Visually, Black Cloak is a real gem of modern comics artwork.
Verdict
Black Cloak #1 is a fantastic start to this Image Comics debut. Kelly Thompson’s script seamlessly blends genres into an impossibly intriguing whole and crafts characters and lore that are inescapably compelling. The visuals from Meredith McClaren bring the wide array of mystical characters and this cyberpunk-esque sci-fi/fantasy to life with a distinct style and stellar visual direction. Be sure to grab this series debut when it hits shelves on January 11th!
Monkeys Fighting Robots got to sit down and chat with the incredible Tom King about his upcoming series, Danger Street and the series it was birthed from, 1976’s DC’s 1st Issue Special. We also talk about FX’s Fargo, the movies of the Coen Brothers, and existential malaise!
Danger Street #1 is out from DC Comics on the 13th of December, and along with writer Tom King it has artist Jorge Fornes, colorist Dave Stewart, and letterer Clayton Cowles. It’s fantastic, you don’t want to miss it! If that recommendation isn’t enough for you, here’s a peek at what’s inside:
Painted with Raven is a competition series on Wow Presents Plus in its second season. Hosted by Ru Paul’s Emmy-winning makeup artist and right-hand wo[man] Raven, the series is all about creating beautiful work with up-and-coming makeup artists.
Drag queens are like superheroes with secret identities behind their fabulous costumes. In Raven’s case, her not-so-secret identity is David Petruschin, born in Southern California. Today, Raven’s flown far from her desert home and traveled worldwide, creating fabulous looks along the way. She’s become friends with the queen of all drag queens, Ru Paul, and now has her own series, Painted with Raven, that opens the door for other makeup artists to show their skills.
PopAxiom spoke with Raven about becoming a makeup artist and going from David to Raven.
Inspired
“I know how to click the link. I forget that the camera is on. I don’t have my microphone ready. I’m still learning.” We had technical difficulties starting, all on my end.
Raven’s story begins in Victorville, California. “When I Was a kid, I loved playing with makeup. I loved doing my sister’s makeup. I was a boy in the 80s and was not supposed to wear that. Everything was very — blue is for boys, pink is for girls. You only saw a guy wearing makeup because he was in a rock band.”
“I knew I wanted to do it,” she says. “I’d watch my mom putting on makeup. Anytime anything came up like Dynasty, the beauty and makeup, it was so enthralling.”
In secret, young Raven “started playing with it myself. In high school, I would do my friend’s makeup. So I knew I would love to be a makeup artist.”
“It wasn’t until I started dabbling in glamour boy makeup, just before I got into drag, I thought, I want to do my makeup,” she explains. “I like doing my own. So it went from drag to getting on Drag Race to painting the Queen of Drag Ru Paul really fast.”
Raven doesn’t take for granted the wild change in her life. “I went from wanting to do makeup to painting the person who inspired me to start doing drag and doing my makeup.”
Journey Into Drag
What was the learning process like for becoming a drag queen? “I feel like I’m still learning. I feel like people should always be learning. You should always download new software or upgrade to a new version of yourself.”
“I remember going out to clubs before I started doing drag, and I loved watching drag shows; the audience responded and how beautiful and glamorous it all looked.” But back in time, things were different. For example, “… the resources there are now did not exist. You couldn’t find tights in a bunch of different colors, cosmetics, wigs, costumes, or jewelry. You had to be very self-sufficient and be able to utilize what was within your radius.”
Raven’s early shows as a backup dancer were part of the learning process. “I would watch what everyone was doing and wanted to do it. But it wasn’t until I saw Chad Michaels, who won All-Stars 1 … I knew that’s what I wanted to do. In the show, I watched him go from Celine Deion, then about 20 minutes later, he came out as Cher, which is his thing. Twenty minutes later, he came out as Marilyn Manson.”
“So, on my journey, it’s been different versions of myself,” Raven explains all those versions of herself. “There was the gothic dark princess version, the glamazon, the club kitty version. I feel like I have all that stuff, and I can pull that out once in a while. I feel like I’m not just one type of queen but a little bit of everything.”
Raven’s philosophy for versatility is simple. “Why not? We’re playing dress up. So why not be anything you want to be? You’re given this body, and on official papers, you have a certain name, but if you can spend a couple of hours dressed up decorated as something else, it’s fun, it’s freeing.”
Becoming Raven
“There’s not much of a difference,” Raven says about herself and the man behind the mask. “It’s a little bit of a character. There are different ways I carry my hands and act and walk. It’s an extension of who I am. Ru always says, ‘drag reveals who you are.’ There’s that little bit of a diva or a bitch or old lady inside of you that when you get in it, it comes out, and you exude that. I feel that Raven is not one thing; she’s everything.”
But there is a ritual to bringing Raven to life. “The process is the invoking of the spirit. I like to give myself four hours to get ready. I don’t necessarily need it, but I just like that. I take my time. I do a little this and sit back a minute instead of feeling rushed. I can think about things. I have a formula for the way I do my makeup. I love the process of getting into it.”
“It’s always laying right under the surface,” she says about all of us and that liberated alter ego. “Once you put on those lashes and high heels,” she snaps, “it comes right out. I’ve seen even the straightest of men put on the costume and makeup, and there’s a little ‘swish’ in the step. Drag gives you a sense of empowerment.”
Wrapping Up
Raven’s got a long list of [super]heroes. “There are so many greats. Madonna has always been. Cher, Diana Ross, Tina Turner, Liza Minnelli, Judy Garland, all of the greats.”
“The reason that these people are the gay icons a lot of people say they are,” she says about the super-list, “is because they are drag. They were putting up all of this gaudy stuff, lashes, heels, makeup to go out and do these shows that made a lot of drag queens say, ‘I want to do that.’ So to be someone that others want to impersonate, I say, makes you iconic.”
Raven’s inspiration draws “… from the 20s, 50s, 60s, eras from long ago. You look at them and know what era it is because it’s so distinct. Everything was so polished, and it’s come around again. The influx of the beauty industry where now everyone is doing a little bit of contour, highlight, lashes, and lipstick.”
“Because we went through a spell where it was just sweatpants, sweatshirts, and trucker caps for everyone,” she reminds us, though not disparagingly. “Not that it was lazy, it wasn’t that little extra where you see every woman wearing lashes, even men. People are going out into the world and have bought themselves a couple of little trinkets they put on.”
It’s been one dynamic journey from mere mortal to drag queen. “I went from being a stifled kid growing up in the desert thinking this is what the rest of my life would be like to my early twenties realizing there’s a whole world out there. I’ve become the makeup artist for the number one drag queen in the world and compete on her show. I’ve been given my own show now too!”
“I wanted to travel the world and show the world what I do,” she adds with a big smile, “I’ve been able to see the way different cultures do drag. All these things we do here but in their way.”
More is to come from Raven as she considers the future. “I think the next step would be collaborating with someone on a makeup line.”
“Painted with Raven season 2 on Wow Presents Plus” is where you can find Raven for now. “It’s an amazing ride. Eight fabulous artists from all over the country. Each brings their expertise and learning from the other along the way. It’s an amazing thing to watch.”
Is Painted with Raven on your watch list?
Thanks to David Petruschin and Metro Public Relations
for making this interview possible.
Welcome to Self-Published Spotlight, a regular interview column where I will be highlighting self-published comics and the creators and small print publishers who make them.
Jerome Cabanatan came onto my radar, like so many other amazing creators, through the Cartoonist Kayfabe Ringside Seats group. Jerome, both an accomplished martial artist AND cartoonist, has been self-publishing work for years. However, TREE VS FOX, his latest project, is his first shot at a Kickstarter campaign. Like a lot of his work, TREE VS FOX bridges his passion for martial arts and comics to create an action-packed narrative with just about the best choreography you are going to find in any comic. I hit up Jerome for a chat and he graciously agreed. Check it out below and make sure to go support and get yourself a copy of TREE VS FOX!
MONKEYS FIGHTING ROBOTS: Jerome, what’s your comic book origin? How did you get into comics? Jerome Cabanatan: I’ve always been into comics and cartoons… Space Ghost was the first superhero I remember but when it comes to comics I’ll always remember the time my Lolo (grandfather) visited from the Philippines dragging a suitcase full of my brother’s old comics, which happened to be bootlegs of a bunch of different Marvel Comics. Byrne or Cockrum X-Men, Shang Chi, Daredevil and for some reason Man from Atlantis still sticks out in my head.
MFR: Oh wow. That bootleg experience must have been quite different. Not the typical way to discover comics. JC:I didn’t know the difference between a real comic and a bootleg until later, so it made no difference to me. Both had words, pictures and panels!
Art by Jerome Cabanatan
MFR: So at what point did you realize you wanted to MAKE comics? What sparked that? JC:I don’t think you can read a comic without wanting to make one, so I think the first time I looked at one I was doomed (laughs). But as far as ACTUALLY making one, it was back in 2011 when I retired from fighting competitively and started an after-school Taekwondo program. I needed to create a poster to advertise it and google just gave me the same pictures every other martial art school used. So I drew it myself on a computer that was gifted to me by a family that I taught. And when the kids started asking questions about the characters… I inadvertently started to world-build. And it rolled from there.
MFR: So for you, martial arts and sequential art are really connected? Two lifelong passions. JC: Yes, seeing life through the lens of both is something I really can’t help anymore.
MFR: So tell us about Tree vs Fox. What’s the pitch? JC: It’s an all-action, magazine-size, black and white, fight comic follow-up to my Amazon best-selling Tree Kids of Troop 44. It’s a love letter to martial arts and comics. As Troop 44 was more of a pseudo instructional manual, TVF hits harder in the action and I express more of my thoughts and opinions on how the martial arts lifestyle relates to everything rather than explaining a kick or a punch. Those that want just a fight comic will get a really good one but I’m hoping that the theme of finding strength through challenges resonates with anyone with ambitions. It’s about being more than what people think you are. It’s about trying, failing, and trying again. I think those are important themes in life and art. But as far as the plot… Years after their controversial match at the “All City Troop Fight Championships” went viral, Vaughan, the Tree Kid, and Burad, the young fox, are drawn together by their fighting spirits and face off to prove their supporters right and their haters wrong.
MFR: That sounds amazing! And how come you went with Kickstarter for the first time? JC:Tree vs Fox is something that’s been brewing in me for quite some time since the end of Troop 44. It’s been the constant project I’ve been chipping away at for the past year, and the one I’m most precious about because of how close the subject matter is to me. There are quite a few crowdfunding platforms, Kickstarter has the brand recognition for comics that I am hoping to leverage
MFR: And when does the campaign end? JC: December 20 at 11:44 EST!
