WAKANDA #1 hits your local comic book store on October 12th, but thanks to Marvel Comics, Monkeys Fighting Robots has an exclusive five-page preview for you!
About the issue: The Black Panther is no longer welcome in Wakanda! Who is this proud nation without its king? This exciting new miniseries answers that question as each issue spotlights a different fan-favorite Wakandan character.
First up: Shuri proves that being without the Black Panther doesn’t mean Wakanda is without heroes to protect it – and that there is a reason she too once wielded the power.
Plus, part one of the “History of the Black Panthers” backup story, providing for the first time anywhere a definitive overview of every Wakandan who has ever held the mantle of the Black Panther!
The issue features two stories: “Shuri” is written by Stephanie Williams, with pencils by Paco Medina, inks by Walden Wong and Elisabetta D’Amico, and colors by Bryan Valenza; “History of the Black Panthers” is written by Evan Narcisse, with art by Natacha Bustos, and colors by Jordie Bellaire. Joe Sabino letters both stories, and the main cover is by Mateus Manhanini.
Marvel Studios’ Black Panther: Wakanda Forever hits theaters next month on November 11th.
Check out the WAKANDA #1 preview below:
Are you picking up WAKANDA #1? Sound off in the comments!
Comics and the horror genre have had a long, fruitful partnership. In the United States at least, both modern incarnations have their roots in the pulps and penny dreadfuls of yesteryear: cheaply produced promises of chills and thrills often aimed at children or anyone else with a few nickels to spare. So it makes sense for a once-maligned genre and medium to stick together. Leonide the Vampyr: Miracle at the Crow’s Head from writer Mike Mignola, artist Rachele Aragno, colorist Dave Stewart, and letterer Clem Robbins calls back to the simpler gothic tales of the past with the story of a mysterious Vampire girl and the unsuspecting townsfolk that gather around her.
A long gloom has fallen over a crumbling little town by the sea. An innkeeper confesses to his wife that he longs for death. Barring that, he wishes for a single hour to relive his youth. Another townsman regrets a life spent without seeing the world. But while the two lament their fates, an old ship crashes near the town at midnight. No crew is found in the wreckage. Only a strange white coffin. The moment the casket is opened, a mysterious child springs to life from within. Impromptu celebration grips the town as they rejoice in the girl’s miraculous survival. Though her presence may come from forces more sinister than the town suspects…
Mignola writes Leonide the Vampyr as a simple, direct morality tale. Characters enter the story speaking aloud their fears and desires. Only Leonide herself remains elusive, talking in mysterious aphorisms like “Do not question when a fair wind blows…” But it’s the sparse, to-the-point prose that helps gives the story its power. The dialogue focuses mostly on grander, universal human wants and follies, while the quieter moments let the art bring out an individual sense of personality and atmosphere. Which isn’t to say the dialogue doesn’t offer character of its own. Leonide is often a source of dry wit. But it’s an impressive balancing act to tell a complete story in 22 pages that relies on quiet atmosphere and gives the art plenty of room to breathe.
It was Rachele Aragno’s sketch of a vampire girl that first provided the inspiration for this story, and it’s easy to see why. For as adept as Aragno is at illustrating the more horrific parts of the story, she never fully shows her hand when it comes to Leonide. The young vampire girl is playful, but not in the overtly creepy way often seen in horror stories about children. What’s off-putting about Leonide is how breezy and casual she feels. It’s a great contrast to the weary, put-upon world she inhabits. All the houses in the town feel crooked and twisted, brick often peeking out from behind peeling wallpaper.
Dave Stewart uses plenty of grey, beige, and dark blue throughout the issue, hammering home the dreary atmosphere of the small sea town. Leonide, in contrast, is a striking off-white with red hair and golden eyes. And when a party is thrown to celebrate her resurrection, the palette brightens to greens, purples, and a warm brown. Though the townsfolk to bear to listen to a monk who warns them of their mortality, a brown, emaciated walking corpse dressed in black and grey.
Clem Robbins letters the issue in clear, bold, capitalized letters. The sound effects are all fittingly simple, often going for thick bubble letters filled in a single, solid color. Though there are slight variations to bring out the texture of each sound. The gong of a bell gets elongated, squashed-together text, which a sudden thump gets slanted, jumbled letters.
VERDICT
Leonide the Vampyr: Miracle at the Crow’s Head is a simple, self-contained tale that makes an excellent read to welcome the Halloween season. It’s available from Dark Horse now, and well worth your time.
From writer Stephen Graham Jones (The Only Good Indians, My Heart Is A Chainsaw) and artist Davide Gianfelice (Northlanders) comes a story about saving the world by killing America with Earthdivers #1. Featuring colors from Joana Lafuente and lettering by Steve Wands, this debut issue offers up a brilliant premise from a perspective we desperately need more of in our fiction. With a compelling and tense script and beautifully detailed visuals, Earthdivers is off to a stellar start.
“The year is 2112, and it’s the apocalypse exactly as expected: rivers receding, oceans rising, civilization crumbling. Humanity has given up hope, except for a group of outcast Indigenous survivors who have discovered a time travel portal in a cave in the middle of the desert and figured out where the world took a sharp turn for the worst: America. Convinced that the only way to save the world is to rewrite its past, they send one of their own on a bloody, one-way mission back to 1492 to kill Christopher Columbus before he reaches the so-called New World. But taking down an icon is no easy task, and his actions could prove devastating for his friends in the future.”
Writing & Plot
Stephen Graham Jones, mostly known for his horror titles, jumps into the comics medium with an apocalyptic time-travel tale with a specific Native American perspective in Earthdivers #1. The plot’s main core – “kill Columbus, thereby preventing America, thereby saving the world,” is a unique premise made up of familiar tropes. What Jones is able to do in his script is implement very human character complexities we seldom get from time travel stories. The character who is selected to go back in time is sent because he knows the most languages and, supposedly, would be able to blend in the best. However, when planted on a sailing ship in 1492 with the job of blending in as a sailor, it’s amazing just how much can fall apart. Watching the lead character struggle and cave to baser instincts in order to stay on mission is like watching a fascinating and intense human experiment – which is exactly what great sci-fi often is.
Jones’s experience as a novelist makes itself known with this comic book debut. As comics go, this issue is on the wordier side – but no words feel wasted. Jones stuffs a lot of info and context into the pages of this comic, and while it may be dizzying for some readers not used to denser comics, it’s still a very well-constructed script. If there is a nitpick to be made, it’s that the in-story “present” plotline isn’t as interesting as what’s going on in 1492. Not that what’s going on with the supporting cast isn’t engaging – it is – but what’s going on in that apocalyptic era is clearly still developing and will no doubt become more interesting as the story progresses. Stephen Graham Jones nails his comics debut with a complex and intense script in this opening chapter.
Art Direction
Earthdivers #1 will immediately draw readers’ attention with the stunning detail and visual direction of artist Davide Gianfelice. His characters are full of expression and each person has their own unique design that makes them memorable. Both timelines have appropriately detailed sets, from the desolate rocky landscape of a dying Earth to the decks of Columbus’s ships, every set piece is detailed and draws readers into the world with ease. Gianfelice’s sequential direction comes off as natural despite being deceptively complex. Smaller panels are inlaid over larger ones to add context and extra details that improve the depth of the story. Conversations are carefully constructed to get the most out of character interactions. Gianfelice’s work here really makes the most of all the info given in Jones’s script. The colors from Joana Lafuente are deep and vivid, finishing off the comic’s stunning high-fidelity yet tonally complex aesthetic. The real gem in her work is how she uses sunlight. From the warm red sunset over barren rock in the “present” timeline to the glaring heat over the sea in the past, Lafuente utilizes sunlight (and moonlight) to noticeably influence the color palette and overall visual experience on every page. The lettering from Steve Wands has a distinct hand drawn style to it while still being very readable, making for the perfect punctuation point on this comic. Overall, Earthdivers is off to a strong start with an excellent visual presentation.
Verdict
Earthdivers #1 is a complex and unique piece of time travel sci-fi. Stephen Graham Jones enters the comics scene with a dense but fascinating and well-paced comic with tasty dash of political commentary, as every great science fiction story should have. The visuals from Davide Gianfelice and Joana Lafuente are well-directed and stunningly detailed, making for a wholly immersive reading experience. Be sure to grab this stellar debut issue when it hits shelves on October 5th!
Pink Lemonade’s been on quite the journey over the past few years. Starting from a daily series of strips centered around an enthusiastic biker, it soon became clear that the character’s story had begun to outgrow the format. So, here we are with Pink Lemonade #1 from creator Nick Cagnetti and letterer François Vigneault, an issue that begins with an explosive, psychedelic action sequence the old format could only dream of. Pink Lemonade’s moved to bigger pages, and there’s no promise even that can contain her.
Hopeful drifter Pink Lemonade has been confused a lot, of late. For one thing, “Pink Lemonade” isn’t her real name, just a title given to her by a child running a lemonade stand. Her entire past is a blur. The only things she knows for sure are that she has a lust for adventure, a motorbike, and a taste for sweet drinks. Following a psychedelic dream sequence, she awakes on a park bench, greeted by the young girl that named her. Introducing herself as Pammy, the child has brought her mom to see the “cool motorcycle chick” that visited her lemonade stand. The mom, Linda, invites Pink Lemonade back to their house for a mac-n-cheese dinner. Linda makes her living drawing comics, and expresses a deep love for retro superhero OJ-Bot. Inspired by the hero’s example, Pink Lemonade decides later in the day to burst onto a movie set to save a child’s balloon. But despite her good intentions, Pink Lemonade’s impulsiveness might just land her in hot water.
She may have a mysterious past, scar, and a huge helmet that hides her face, but Pink Lemonade is a character who’s about as earnest as it gets. Mac-n-cheese is the best meal she’s ever had. Cartoons are wonderful. And she’ll greet an artist with “I like to color things with crayons!” It might make her stick out in the world at large, but for talking about cartoons? She’s got the right attitude. In fact, it’s her conversations with Linda over OJ-Bot that make up the core of the issue. Pink Lemonade is a walking, talking retro-comics throwback who can’t help gushing over why people liked those comics in the first place. Which means love for whimsy, puns, and a can-do-attitude.
Though, the comics couldn’t stay pure forever. Linda briefly goes into OJ-Bot’s descent into grim n’ gritty posturing, the character’s new direction shown through pastiches of usual suspects Watchmen and Dark Knight Returns. It’s no coincidence, then, that the first person to challenge Pink Lemonade’s attitude is a man drawn like he stepped out of a 90’s comic. There’s also a strange grim reaper wearing her face. following her; how real the figure is doesn’t matter at this point. We just need to know Pink Lemonade is running from something. So it comes down to whether her chipper, childlike attitude can survive run-ins with angrier outlooks, harsh reality, and her own past. That, and Hollywood. Hopefully some whimsy can make it out intact.
Nick Cagnetti’s art shows fondness for the American comics of yesteryear, clear meat-and-potatoes storytelling embellished with thick outlines, colorful costumes, and a touch of psychedelia. Pink Lemonade’s enthusiasm comes across through the exaggerated superhero storytelling used in scenes as mundane as eating mac-n-cheese. A yellow circle frames her, scarf blowing in the wind, as she browses a longbox. A handshake emphasized with a splash of bright orange. Not to mention the several changes in style Cagnetti uses to get across different comic eras. Stuntman Rick Radical is given harsh shading and bulging neck veins to evoke the 90’s, while OJ-Bot is a simple design straight out of a kid’s cartoon, a cylinder with limbs and friendly eyes.
The coloring is bright and flat, favoring solid blocks of color textured with Ben-Day dots. Dramatic moments turn the background bright red, or blue, and Pink Lemonade’s signature yellow and pink help her stick out in any given scene. Though her colors are also used in more subtle ways, like how a sunset where she faces the mysterious reaper turns the sky pink and orange.
Vigneault’s lettering is thick, blocky and all-caps, with occasional hand-drawn sound-effects and exclamations. A kid shouting “My balloon!” is drawn in red bubble letters, which wobble and spill into one another. Even the simple “Glug glug” of drinking pink lemonade is given poppy hand-lettering, colored a fitting bright pink.
VERDICT
Pink Lemonade #1 is about the simple joys of old-fashioned hero stories, starring someone who hopes to follow in their footsteps. Though reality threatens to creep in around the edges. The book is out now from Oni Press, so give it a try if you want something sweet.
HULK #9 hits your local comic book store next week, but thanks to Marvel Comics, Monkeys Fighting Robots has an exclusive three-page preview for our readers. The book is written by Donny Cates, with art by Ryan Otley, Cliff Rathburn is the inker, with lots of color from Marte Gracia & Matt Hollingsworth, and Corey Petit is the letterer.
About HULK #9: New Arc – HULK PLANET!
Thoroughly shaken by his battle with Thor and Titan’s impact on his friends, Bruce Banner decides that his best company is himself – and only himself. As he sets Starship Hulk on a far away course, he begins to reckon with what it means to be healthy – and encounters an alternative to isolation he’d never thought to dream of. But this alternative begs the question – who exactly is Monolith?
Enjoy the preview below.
Are you excited for HULK PLANET! – drop us a line on social media.
MARK OF KINGS #1 is out now from Heavy Metal, but thanks to the publisher, Monkeys Fighting Robots has a four-page preview for our readers. The book is written by Fernando Perez and Suzy Stein, with art by Matthew J. Fletcher, Robert Grove is the colorist, and Alexander Lugo did the letters and book layout. MARK OF KINGS is available via Heavy Metal’s website or digitally via GlobalComix.
About MARK OF KINGS #1: An ex-priest must find the secret heir to a vampire kingdom to stop the resurrection of a centuries old war between the Vampires, the Vatican, and the Military. When the Vampire King Augustus is found murdered, no one knows who to trust. Was it the military’s Vampire Hunters or the Vatican’s Archangels? Or was it an inside job? Reluctant Vampire Ben Bishop learns that Augustus secretly had a son, but the new Vampire King Lucard will stop at nothing to keep the throne and the power that is holds.
ASTRONAUT DOWN #4 hits your local comic book store on October 12, but thanks to AfterShock Comics, Monkeys Fighting Robots has an exclusive four-page preview for our readers. The book is written by James Patrick, with art by Rubine, Valentina Briški drops the colors, and you will read Carlos M. Mangual’s letter work.
About ASTRONAUT DOWN #4: Douglas has crash-landed in a new reality. He’s stranded there, his ability to send a transmission is gone, and the worst thing possible has happened: In this reality, he’s a hero, and everything he’s ever wanted exists…including his wife. But it all comes at the expense of his own reality. Every thank you, every gift, and every dream come true is now torture since he can’t save the dying world he once called home…or can he?
Halftime is a documentary taking viewers behind the scenes of Jennifer Lopez’s dazzling 2022 halftime show at the Super Bowl. Music editor Katerina Tolkishevskaya (The Morning Show, Claws) worked quickly behind the scenes to get the music just right for the peak behind the magic of such a legendary performance.
In 2022, the Los Angeles Rams played the Cincinnati Bengals in the Super Bowl, one of the most watched events in the world. Performing legend Jennifer Lopez dazzled fans during the halftime show with a brilliant display of visual flare and music to make us dance. But that show was only the beginning. Jennifer Lopez used the experience to create a documentary called Halftime that takes viewers through music and the madness behind the scenes of such a large-scale event—making the documentary required a crew of cameramen, producers, editors, and audio specialists.
PopAxiom spoke with Katerina Tolkishevskaya about becoming a music editor, learning on the job, and the making of Halftime.
Something Worked Out
Becoming a musician wasn’t exactly Katerina’s decision. “My mom made me go to piano lessons at five before I even went to elementary school. So I wouldn’t say it was my choice at that point. But I didn’t mind. She would also not let me quit until I was 17,” she says.
“A majority of it I enjoyed,” she adds, “but like any teenager, you don’t want to do that thing anymore at some point. So I competed professionally for classical and jazz piano, which was pretty intense.” And while this was already a rigorous and impressive music feat, Katerina’s music lessons did not stop there.
Katerina added voice and singing lessons, then became interested in the production side of music and ultimately studied at Berklee in Boston.
Once at Berklee, Katerina started with voice performance, but decided it wasn’t going to happen. Her passion drove her towards production, and the school provided a rough road map with Berklee having a good video game audio minor.
After setting her sights on sound design, Katerina moved to Los Angeles. Upon her arrival, the jobs rolled in slowly but surely. “A few friends of mine reached out to score for their shorts. That was fun. At the same time, I was interning as a composer’s assistant,” Katerina explains. “Scoring those short films made me understand that it is close to what I’d want to do, but not quite there yet.”
Katerina found herself searching for where her musical talents and passions best fit. One of those paths was when she assisted on the TNT show Claws. “That was an interesting experience,” she says about the show that set her direction. “That was my first big project, during which I had the opportunity to take on a lot of responsibilities. It was stressful, but it stuck. It’s been six years since then, so something worked out.”
About Halftime
The filmmaking biz takes shape in various ways from project to project. How did Katerina become part of the Halftime team? “Halftime already had a brilliant music editor, Robin Whittaker, who was working on the score. But schedules lately are a little crazy, especially after the last couple of years with everything being delayed. I worked with [producer] Terry Leonard on the Biggie doc, and he was one of the producers of Halftime. I got a call from him saying, ‘can you take care of source music this week?’That’s how Halftime happened for me,” she laughs.
Katerina recognizes that it’s not the typical journey for a music editor. “Generally, we’re brought on pretty early to help with the temporary score,” she says about life as a music editor. “It’s an interesting in-between job. First, you’re working with directors and producers to determine what they like. Then, you also work with the composer to help with score placement and picture change.”
It seems like a creative endeavor, but there’s another side. “You’re also working with the music supervisor who’s working on licensing and all that. So it’s a little creative and a little technical. You’re helping with creative decisions and keeping track of the music in the picture. On the technical side, it’s similar to an editor but just for music. Fitting songs in just right.”
The job description of music editor was no less creative and wide ranging. “On Halftime, since we had an editor working on the composer’s score, I was busy working on all of J.Lo’s songs for rehearsals and Super Bowl performance,” Katerina explains. “When it’s a music doc, it’s crucial to get the music synched up. There are plenty of nerdy technical things that happen during all that.”
What has Katerina learned from year one to now, year six? “From year one to now, I would say, I’ve learned that building a good relationship with the people on your team is important. When they’re starting, some music editors think more about the technical aspect of going into ProTools and cutting things up. That’s probably less than half the job. A lot of the time, when you have those relationships, those people would look to you to say, ‘you’re not feeling that song because it starts too early or it needs to be cut a different way or the chorus needs to start here.’ It’s a lot about trusting your instincts and not being afraid to speak up. Most of the time, that’s what people are looking for from you.”
Wrapping Up
“I was fortunate early on to work with two outstanding editors,” Katerina says about the people who have influenced her work. “They were open to mentoring me. On Claws, I worked with Brad Hamilton. He was very trusting, letting me do my thing. He encouraged me and told me that I knew what I was doing. Then, I worked with Michael T. Ryan. He used to teach, so he was a good mentor. He’d go out of his way to show me whatever I needed to know. Finally, on The Morning Show, I got to work with Adam Smalley.”
Katerina’s worked on a variety of shows. Is there a type of project she’s looking forward to trying? “Music documentaries have been very fun,” she says. “I love dramatic shows like The Morning Show. I haven’t done a kid’s animation, and I think that would be fun.”
What’s coming next for Katerina? “A lot of stuff, but nothing I can tell you specifically. Some Christmas stuff for Netflix and a series on Paramount.”
Is Halftime on your watch list?
Thanks to Katerina Tolkishevskaya and Impact24 PR
for making this interview possible.
A.X.E. Judgement Day #5, out this week from Marvel Comics, delivers something that will change the game for mutants in the future, as well as the people of Earth. Where things go from here is anyone’s guess, but this issue is integral to the Marvel Universe moving forward. Kieron Gillen writes this issue with Valerio Schiti on pencils, Marte Gracia on colors, and Clayton Cowles on letters.
WRITING
Gillen has been doing some wonderful things since his return to the X-Universe. Immortal X-Men is one of the best X-titles on the shelf, thanks to his impressive plot and pacing. With Avengers-X-Men-Eternals Judgement Day #5, we get to the world’s destruction. This is not a test or an illusion. Gillen delivers on the action side of this issue. Your favorite characters get destroyed. This isn’t a spoiler because literally everyone gets annihilated. What works for this is the internal monologue from the Celestial. Gillen lets us know why he’s killing our heroes, and he describes how he does it. This is a book that turns the Marvel Universe upside down. Things are in disarray. It’s not your typical end-of-the-world issue where one main character dies. It all goes south pretty quickly. Gillen also makes sure to give us little character moments too. There is a touching moment between Captain America and Jada as they bond while the world burns. This is where Gillen makes his money. He gives us thought-provoking storytelling that allows the reader to think about their own life.
ART
Once again, we’re treated to Schiti on pencils. Schiti has a tough task with this issue since most of the book is either fighting or emotional moments. As mentioned earlier, the Jada and Captain America conversation works well because we can see that both characters make small talk as the world collapses around them, and Schiti portrays these panels with a sense of uneasiness as these characters let out an uncomfortable smile or a look of great concern. Action sequences are handled perfectly. It’s rare that you can see so many of your favorite heroes die and be perfectly fine with it because the art is amazing. The splash page with every hero going into battle is inspiring. Schiti draws this image and doesn’t dip any quality. Event books are tough to do, but Schiti continues to crush the art duties.
Gracia has become one of the best colorists on Marvel’s roster. There is a lot of red in this issue as the world burns around the heroes. Gracia uses dark reds as bridges collapse, or heroes fall. There are also some cooler whites and light blues used in this issue as well. With the Jada and Captain America conversation, Gracia uses a lighter blue to capture the background. White ash falls from the sky, which plays a nice contrast to the grayish blue in the calmer sky. Gracia rocks this issue with perfect colors that fit the dire need of our heroes.
The letters are handled by Cowles. Sound effects in an issue like this are crucial. As Nightcrawler transports Captain America to the battle, “Bamfs” are perfectly curved around the teleports. Another key part of this issue is the narration boxes. Cowles uses red and black lettering. Normally this might seem like a bad combination that is tough to read, but Cowles makes it work by using a lighter red for the words.
CONCLUSION
A.X.E. Judgement Day #5 is a huge issue that changes things in the Marvel Universe. Gillen absolutely crushes this issue. Throw your expectations out the window, as there is no way to predict what will happen next. The art is amazing and enhances the reading experience. You might not find better pencils and colors on a book this week. A.X.E. Judgement Day #5 is on sale at a comic shop near you!
Writer Christopher Cantwell (Halt and Catch Fire, Star Wars: Obi-Wan) and artist German Garcia (Ka-Zar: Lord of the Savage Land) team up for a dark twist on the fairy tale genre with Briar #1. Featuring colors by Matheus Lopes and lettering from AndWorld Design, this first chapter takes the beloved classic fairy tale and throws it headlong into the savagery of Robert E. Howard-style Sword & Sorcery. With a tense, clever, and darkly compelling script and unique & brilliant visuals, this first issue is a gem for people wanting a true twist on some known fantasy conventions.
“What if Sleeping Beauty never got her happily ever after… and instead had to save herself? Set in a brutal fantasy world that time forgot, this isn’t the fairy tale you know!”
Writing & Plot
Christopher Cantwell‘s script for Briar #1 succeeds not just because it’s wholly entertaining, but because it dissects and twists these respective fantasy genres so well. The original Sleeping Beauty princess, or this comic’s Aurora stand-in, leads the stereotypically charmed life guided by a lofty narrator until getting pricked by that infamous spindle. After being betrayed and ignored by her supposed “Prince Charming,” she awakens 100 years later to her castle in ruins and her world shredded. Long gone is the era of royal balls and frivolity, for the time of the sword and the axe is nigh. Briar almost literally sends us from a Disney princess film to a Robert E. Howard Conan novel. The switch is jarring for sure, but is also surprisingly natural feeling. The notion that the barbarous and brutal setting of a sword and sorcery story would come after the era of fantastical royal courts, and not the other way around, is in itself a unique concept. Cantwell’s idea too that the narrator in fairy tale is the core component for guiding the story to its lighthearted conclusion, and taking that voice away brings chaos, is a very clever idea. Cantwell’s use of different types fantasy-speech, from storybook fairytale to tavern-dwelling freebooter, is sharply written and pulls the reader into this comic’s experience effortlessly. Briar starts off with an original and highly compelling script that makes me eager to see where these characters go – and just how far Cantwell pushes the boundaries of these fantasy genres.
Art Direction
Bringing a suitably unique and memorable visual aesthetic to Briar #1 is Ka-Zar art team German Garcia and Matheus Lopes. The duo behind one of the best-looking comics of the past couple years now lends their talents to this outstanding fantasy tale. Thanks to them, the transition from bright and beautiful fairy tale to the blood-soaked wastes of sword & sorcery is sufficiently jarring but still comes off as natural and within the comic’s aesthetic feel. Garcia’s character and world design is certainly familiar, but comes off as so singular because of his unmistakable penciling style. His thin pencils, thicker detail touches, and no use of shading or hatching allows for a reading experience that comes off as almost dreamlike – fitting for a fantasy tale about Sleeping Beauty rousing into a nightmare. Garcia’s sequencing perfectly paces the reading experience, lending both intensity to the survivalist aspects while making the passage of time feel appropriately massive. Mat Lopes’s watercolor approach adds to how unique Briar’s aesthetic is, while offering a surprising amount of range for this sort of coloring style. While Lopes’s work lends itself perfectly to brighter sequences, it’s also surprising how dense the nighttime and more gory scenes come off as. So much of this comic’s atmosphere is built around what the colors are doing, and with former The Dreaming colorist at the helm the results are fantastic. AndWorld Design’s lettering is dynamic and matches the comic’s setting perfectly. They switch from a classic medieval-fantasy font for the narration in the intro to excellent, hand drawn-styled dialogue lettering that shifts with characters’ tones naturally. Every aspect of Briar‘s artistic approach successfully draws readers in to make for one hell of an engrossing comic book.
Verdict
Briar #1 is an unsettling and brutally engrossing hybrid twist of fantasy genres. Christopher Cantwell crafts a script blending a classic fairytale with the savagery of Conan the Barbarian and nails the landing with a comic that is a tense blast to read. The visuals from German Garcia and Matheus Lopes are stunning and shift from the dreaminess of a princess story to the blood-filled wastes of sword & sorcery, with a distinct artistic approach making for one of the best-looking comics of the year. Be sure to grab this debut issue when it hits shelves on September 28th!
