RICK AND MORTY SEASON 5 Ranked

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August 14, 2022

Rick and Morty is a pop culture icon. It has a devoted fanbase, for good and for ill (who can forget the Szechuan Sauce Incident). The impact has been so great that many adult animated shows have tried to copy Rick and Morty’s visual style and humor and writers like Mike McMahan and Michael Waldron have gone to work as showrunners on Star Trek: Lower Decks and Loki respectively.

However, Season 5 has been the most divisive in Rick and Morty’s run, so far. It was a season that produced some of the best Rick and Morty has had to offer, and some of the worst episodes in the show’s history. This wide range in quality means that the episodes of Season 5 can be ranked.

10. Rickdependence Spray

Three words: ‘Giant Incest Baby.’ That sums up “Rickdependence Spray,” an episode that has gathered the reputation as one of the worst episodes Rick and Morty has produced.

“Rickdependence Spray” was just a long gross-out gag that involved giant sperm monsters, sex jokes, and an underground race of cannibal horse people. It was like the writers shouted out random words and tried to fit them into an episode. This episode took the worst aspects of Family Guy and South Park’s styles. The claim that someone needs a high IQ to understand Rick and Morty will be debunked with this episode.

To show how bad “Rickdependence Spray” was just view the behind-the-scenes video. The production staff seemed like they were shocked and embarrassed by what they made.

9. Gotron Jerrysis Rickvangelion

“Rickdependence Spray” was a terrible episode and yet the showrunners thought it was a good idea to double down on it. “Gotron Jerryis Rickvangelion” saw the return of the giant incest baby who played a prominent role in the second half of the episode.

Besides the giant incest baby, “Gotron Jerryis Rickvangelion” was a parody of mecha anime, like Voltron, and had a narrative like a Martin Scorsese gangster film. It chronicles the rise and fall of the Smiths becoming mecha pilots and battling monsters from other dimensions. It was an episode that was more focused on parodying genre tropes and relied too much on it. It was not like previous episodes that could parody pop culture and still be funny in their own right.

8. Amortycan Grickitti

“Amortycan Grickitti” was the episode that followed “Rickdependence Spray” and it was a massive improvement on its predecessor. But as a standalone episode “Amortycan Grickitti” was a weak offering from the series.

“Amortycan Grickitti” was split into two stories. The A-Story involved Rick and Jerry hanging out with some Hellraiser-style demons, leading to Jerry getting taken to Hell. The B-Story was about Morty and Summer taking Rick’s car on a joyride around the galaxy.

The A-Story was the stronger story since it was a lot funnier, but it suffered from a major issue. When the episode went to Hell it felt like a repeat of the rescue mission in “Claw and Hoarder: Special Ricktim’s Morty.”

The B-Story was much more reliant on pop culture references, particularly American Graffiti, Transformers, and Marvel Comics.

7. Rick & Morty’s Thanksploitation Spectacular

“Rick & Morty’s Thanksploitation Spectacular” was the sixth episode of Season 5 and it was the first episode in the season where Rick and Morty went on an adventure together. This episode saw Morty accidentally releasing the hidden robot in the Statue of Liberty, leading to Rick and Morty going on an elaborate mission to get their yearly Presidential Pardon.

Rick and Morty must disguise themselves as turkeys so they can get the Presidential Pardon. However, the President was prepared for them and sent out a team of special forces soldiers to stop them. A mishap involving a turkey getting infused with the President’s DNA leads to an unholy alliance between the scientist, the boy, and the politician.

“Rick & Morty’s Thanksploitation Spectacular” was a funny episode with the idea that Rick and the President played this game every year. The jokes involving Congress enabling a Presidential doppelganger, and Rick and the President verbal sparring were particularly funny. The comedic high point was the parody country song ‘Turnin’ Turkey.’

The episode fell apart in the third act because it pulled out a solution from its ass. It involved a group of alien pilgrims and Native Americans being found hidden under Washington D.C. and teaming up with Rick, Morty, and the President to defeat mutant turkeys who have taken over the American capital.

6. A Rickconvenient Mort

“A Rickconvenient Mort” was an episode of two halves, one being a great A-plot and a weak B-plot. This episode sees Morty fall in love with Planetina, an environmental superhero, and sees the teen enter into a serious relationship with the green-haired woman. In the B-Plot Rick and Summer go on an apocalypse party tour by going to three planets that are about to be destroyed.

“A Rickconvenient Mort” was a more emotional episode because Morty falls in love and had the emotional highs and lows and heartbreak a teenager would experience. Alison Brie was an excellent guest star as the Captain Planet-esque character who was wholesome at the start of the episode before exploring her dark side as the episode progressed. The breakup scene was sadly tragic, and Brie excelled with her delivery.

The scene when the song ‘Flowers’ played was a high point of the episode. It showed the highs of Morty and Planetina’s budding relationship before Planetina shows her dark side by taking more extreme action to save the environment.

The B-Plot was a one-note joke where Rick and Summer’s hedonistic partying gets derailed when Rick brings along an alien shagging buddy. The third apocalypse party gave us a warning of things to come because it had an incest joke.

5. Forgetting Sarick Mortshall

“Forgetting Sarick Mortshall” was the penultimate episode of Season 5 and it was a more balanced and consistent episode. In this episode Rick replaces Morty with two crows after Morty’s unauthorized use of the portal gun. Rick attempted to show how dispensable Morty was, but he ended up getting too close with his aviation companions who dared to have compassion. Morty teams up with Nick, a man who has a portal on his thigh and was locked in a psychiatric faculty.

“Forgetting Sarick Mortshall” was an exploration of Rick and Morty’s relationship and this focus made the episode more potent than other episodes. The episode had a theme, and it was a character-driven episode, especially for Morty who finds out Nick had been used by Rick. However, there was a reason why Rick cut Nick loose.

“Forgetting Sarick Mortshall” did have a strong end where Morty was able to stand up to Nick, and Rick and Morty were willing to part ways. However, the ending was undercut when they reteamed again in the following episode.

4. Mort Dinner Rick Andre

“Mort Dinner Rick Andre” was the opening episode of Season Five and it was a strong start. In this episode Rick must negotiate with his nemesis, Mr. Nimbus, king of the ocean after Rick and Morty crash into the ocean. The night of negotiations just happened to coincide with Morty’s date night with Jessica. Even worse for Morty, he gets into a conflict with a race of dog people from a pocket dimension.

“Mort Dinner Rick Andre” was classic Rick and Morty action because Morty’s libido and acts of kindness from characters (i.e. Hoovy) results in an escalating situation. Morty ends up in a war with an increasingly advancing people. It was an episode that had a cynical viewpoint that Rick and Morty has become known for.

The issue with “Mort Dinner Rick Andre” was it felt similar to the Season 4 opener, “Edge of Tomorty: Live. Die. Rickpeat:” because that episode also saw Morty go on a rampage so he can ensure a future relationship with Jessica.

3. Mortyplicity

“Mortyplicity” was the mindfuck episode of Season 5. In this episode it was revealed that Rick had made robot duplicates of the Smith family and placed them around the United States. The aim was to use the robots as decoys to protect the Smiths. However, the robots come to the realization that they may be duplicates and go out to hunt each other.

“Mortyplicity” was a battle royale of an episode. It was carnage as the duplicates kill each other in hilarious and violent ways. It was an episode that showed the duplicates react in extraordinary ways to their situation, from disguising themselves as squid aliens to one version of Smiths capturing duplicates so they can harvest their skin.

The episode openly stated it was a parody of Highlander because the duplicates conclude that there can only be one. The use of the song ‘Who Wants to Live Forever’ was a great topper for the episode.

It was the most insane and chaotic episode of the season and was full of surprises.

2. Rickmurai Jack

“Rickmurai Jack” was the final episode of Season 5 and was an all-important lore episode. This episode saw Rick and Morty having to go to the Citadel for the first time since the events of “The Rickshank Rickdemption.” Rick takes Morty to the Citadel so he could be de-aged back to his real age. However, they get captured by Evil Morty and the character reveals his big plans.

“Rickmurai Jack” was a game-changing episode. It was an episode that solved a lot of mysteries the show has set up. Evil Morty revealed the dark secret of the Citadel where the Ricks had closed themselves from the rest of the multiverse and engineered an endless supply of Mortys. Evil Morty aimed to break this system and destroy the Citadel. It had the biggest cliffhanger the series has had, so far.

The episode had strong jokes in the beginning, like a spot-on parody of anime shows, and everything involving 40-year-old Morty and his de-aging was funny. There was a terrific montage that showed what Rick did when he was trying to hunt for a rogue Rick and became more dejected as time went on.

1. Rickternal Friendshine of the Spotless Mort

Topping the list was the eighth episode of the season, “Rickternal Friendshine of the Spotless Mort.” When the Smith family goes away for a short break Rick uses his alone time to try and resurrect his friend Birdperson. But to do this Rick has to go into Birdperson’s mind so his friend can face his trauma, and forces Rick to face some of his own.

As the title suggests “Rickternal Friendshine of the Spotless Mort” was a reference to the 2004 film Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. Like that film, the episode was an exploration of the mindscape, and the relationship between two characters. It was one of the most dramatic and character-driven episodes in the series. It also showed more of Rick’s backstory and gave audiences a shocking reveal, a reveal that was followed up on in the season finale.

“Rickternal Friendshine of the Spotless Mort” was a more serious and dramatic episode from the series and showed when Rick and Morty do character-driven episodes it does them brilliantly.

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Marvel Comics Exclusive Preview: HULK #8 — “BANNER OF WAR” FINALE

By

Anthony Composto - EIC

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August 11, 2022

marvel comics exclusive preview hulk thor banner war

HULK #8 hits your local comic book store on August 17th, but thanks to Marvel Comics, Monkeys Fighting Robots has an exclusive four-page preview for you!

About the issue:
“BANNER OF WAR” FINALE

The time for victory has come! In the final installment of the epic crossover between the HULK and THOR series, Marvel’s two heaviest hitters expend their rage on one final, brutal brawl that will answer once and for all which of these heroes is the strongest. But in a fight between gods, monsters and men, what becomes of the victor? The loser? And who really has the authority to decide? Revelations about Hulk’s past and choices Thor makes about the future will shake the Marvel Universe to its very core!

The issue is by writers Donny Cates & Daniel Warren Johnson, and artist Martin Coccolo, with colors by Matt Wilson, and letters by Cory Petit. The main cover is by Gary Frank and Brad Anderson.

Check out the HULK #8 preview below:

Are you reading HULK? Sound off in the comments!

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Z2 Comics & Gorillaz Co-Founder Jamie Hewlett Resurrect PHOO ACTION: SILVER JUBILEE

By

Justin Munday

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August 11, 2022

Z2 Comics & Jamie Hewlett Resurrect the Gorillaz Co-Founder’s Anarchic Blockbuster Comic in New Art Book, PHOO ACTION: SILVER JUBILEE

Preorder Now at: https://z2comics.com/phooaction

Written & Curated by Mat Wakeham

The coffee table tome includes every comic from the Get the Freebies comic strip, process art, a new prose novel, and an exclusive look into the 2008 BBC pilot

LOS ANGELES —Following the releases of The Gorillaz Almanac and The Gorillaz Art Book, Z2 Comics is proud to once more collaborate with artist and design luminary Jamie Hewlett with PHOO ACTION: SILVER JUBILEE, a new oversized art book featuring the comic and show that serve as the kinetic missing link between Tank Girl and Gorillaz.

Written and curated by PHOO ACTION co-author Mat Wakeham and featuring original designs by Hewlett, the book will present the full trajectory of what would become the cult sensation—from the Get the Freebies comic strip first presented in UK magazine The Face from 1996 to 1997, to the 2008 PHOO ACTION BBC pilot and beyond.

Meticulously assembled by Wakeham with forewords that serve as an oral history of the evolving project, PHOO ACTION: SILVER JUBILEE shows the origins of Whitey Action, a cynical teen and potty-mouthed heroine, alongside Terry Phoo, a hapless kung-fu super cop. Born from counter-culture superhero chic and hyperactive pre-millennial angloism, the comic features the pair waging a two-person war against the mutant Freebies gang, led by an outlandish, hysterical crime boss with a basketball for a head.

“To say that I hold dear these characters and this property is an understatement. I am so extremely grateful to be their current custodian and curator—and that I still get to be a creative collaborator in their world, too,” Wakeham says. “This book is my open love letter to some of the funniest, most reprehensible, and inspired underground comics of the late 20th century, from the hand of one of Britain’s leading cultural luminaries—Mr. Jamie Hewlett.”

For the first time, this book will collect the entirety of the 12-part Get the Freebies comic in English, alongside a cover piece from Hewlett—the first new official comic art of Terry and Whitey to celebrate their 25th anniversary. PHOO ACTION: SILVER JUBILEE will also include a never-before-seen introductory comic to a planned second season that was never produced, with a prose novel from Wakeham detailing the rest of the chapters. The novel will feature original illustrations from iconic comic artist Philip Bond (The Invisibles, Kill Your Boyfriend). A treasure trove of unseen development and character artwork from Hewlett presents a definitive and exhaustive timeline of this cult masterpiece.

Z2 Comics, Jamie Hewlett, and Mat Wakeham present Phoo Action: SILVER JUBILEE in standard hardcover and deluxe hardcover with a clamshell cover. The deluxe hardcover will come with enamel pins, magnets, and embroidered patches.

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C2E2: Celebrating 60 Years Of Spider-Man With Mike Del Mundo And Skottie Young

By

Roger Riddell

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August 11, 2022

C2E2: Celebrating 60 Years Of Spider-Man With Mike Del Mundo And Skottie Young

Marvel Comics was at C2E2 this past weekend and held several Spider-Man panels celebrating the character’s 60th anniversary. On Saturday, Mike Del Mundo And Skottie Young held court to celebrate 60 years of Amazing, Spectacular, and Sensational Spider-Man.

Play-by-play of the panel:

Everyone is welcomed to the Amazing, Spectacular, Sensational Spider-Man panel. It’s joked that fans of the “Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man,” however, won’t be accommodated today.

Mike Del Mundo and Skottie Young are introduced. Young jokes that it’s funny that the two guys who showed up are cover guys.

They’re asked what their first exposure to Spider-Man was.

Del Mundo says his was the “Double Trouble” safety PSA comic.

Young says his was Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends, the cartoon.

“To me, it’s funny now that I understand all the stuff of Spider-Man, but my version had a fireplace that you pull a statue and it turns around to a computer lab.”

It also provided an inroad to every other part of the Marvel Universe because there was a guest star every other episode.

He also remembers watching the Nicholas Hammond live-action show, but it’s probably for the best he doesn’t remember it — no offense to Nicholas Hammond.

They’re asked what the point was where they really knew they dug the character.

Del Mundo says Todd McFarlane and then Erik Larsen.

Young says Todd was sick, but Erik gets overlooked. Hypes his Sinister Six arc.

Young also cites a Doc Ock book that told his origin and framed him as more of a tragic/sympathetic figure.

“Spider-Man’s the one figure that we feel like we can all connect.” – Young

He says a lot of comics are about middle-aged dudes, and you think, “You should be old enough to maybe deal with these issues a little bit better.”

He says a lot of comics are about middle-aged dudes, and you think, “You should be old enough to maybe deal with these issues a little bit better.”

Favorite Spider-Man villain?

Young says he loves Doc Ock because he thinks he looks ridicuuuuuuulous. Sandman looks dope, but the original Doc Ock with the triangle/hexagon glasses and the arms is wild.

Young jokes that even in Spider-Man 2, he’s a guy who wants to give free energy to the world. And then he accidentally grafts arms to his back and wants to EVILLY give free energy to the world.

Vulture is also ridiculous — an old man dressed as a bird? But there’s something classic and simple about the ridiculous villains.

Superior Spider-Man is also praised because you got a true rise and fall, redemption storyline.

Young says the Superior Spider-Man stuff was really cool to watch unfold in real-time in planning meetings, with Dan presenting ideas and then there’s “No, you can’t do that.”

Del Mundo says the best part of that series is Ock realizing Peter was holding back his punches all those years. (Reference to him accidentally punching Scorpion’s jaw off.)

Del Mundo says he also loves Doc Ock because he’s really fun to draw. He loves his bowl cut.

A fan is asked who his fav villain is. He says Green Goblin, because he’s the opposite of everything Peter Parker is.

Another fan is asked. He got into Spider-Man from the ‘90s cartoon, and he loves Kingpin and all the schemes he hatched around Spider-Man. It was also weird seeing this “big fat guy” give Spider-Man so many problems, but it’s also all muscle.

Young adds that everyone also underestimates Kingpin’s intellect and determination.

Another fan: Green Goblin is his favorite because he started reading comics when Norman was brought back, and he learned how personal the vendetta between Spider-Man and Norman was over time.

A final fan is asked: He loves Ben Reilly. He’s been good, bad, good again, and then bad again. Fan says he’s underrated.

Young adds, “Also, sleeveless blue hoodies are amazing.”

Who’s the best Spidey girl? (Everyone Peter’s had a relationship with who’s a nudge above friendship.)

Del Mundo and Young both say Mary Jane.

Young says he loves the relationship in the new Spider-Man movies with that version of MJ.

The panelists note that Gwen was crucial and easy to take for granted at times, but her death was the first to really matter long-term.

A fan is asked: He says Silk is his favorite, though she’s often overlooked.

Spider-Gwen came out around the same time and sort of lapped her. Young chimes in, “Spider-Gwen had a hoodie!”

Next fan says he loves Black Cat/Felicia Hardy.

“No other Black Cat/Felicia fans? You guys must be here with your girlfriends.”

Best supporting cast member?

Del Mundo and Young both think… “Who do I draw on covers?” – Young

Young liked the dynamics of the period during Paul Jenkins’ time writing Spider-Man where he had a couple roommates and was in college. “I feel like for that brief period, I got to look through the window of him as a young person and not always fighting bad guys.”

Del Mundo has to give it up to Aunt May.

J. Jonah Jameson also gets love. He works as a foil but is a very 3-dimensional character who deep down believes in social justice.

A fan is asked and says Curt Connors. In the 90s animated series, Curt is one of the most reliable people in Peter’s life…but he also kind of unintentionally creates most of Peter’s bad guys.

Another fan says Robbie Robertson because of how he plays off of Peter and JJJ.

Another fan says Flash Thompson, who eventually gets redemption after being a total jerk.

One last fan is asked and says Miles Morales is his favorite supporting character. (A couple people groan at the idea of Miles being a supporting character.)

What’s been the best thing about working on Spider-Man projects and what’s the secret to his longevity?

Young says it’s two artists up there, so all their answers are gonna be going back to art.

Young says part of it is because the design is so classic and it works. Every time you try to mess with it, “it’s like putting TNT in your mouth.” Trying to change the costume is often like trying to reinvent fire. We already have fire, and fire works.

Young also says his first series at Marvel was a Spider-Man series. He had done a fill-in series for Ice Man. He went from that to Legends of Spider-Clan mini-series. Now 21 years later, he’s on panels talking about Spider-Man.

“That’s the power of things that people make up is that it can change real people’s lives forever, you know what I mean?” – Young

Del Mundo says it comes back to art for him, too. Spider-Man is able to transition through different art styles across different eras. Not many characters work as well with that.

“He’s also very easy to draw. All those webs hide everything.” – Del Mundo

Young says his go-to for Spider-Man is he has to be spindly, like how McFarlane brought him back to being visually.

Bulky Spider-Man doesn’t look as right.

Young also loves that Spider-Man puts the mask on and feels the confidence to be like, “I’m gonna clown you right now.”

A fan asks the panel what their favorite Spider-Man team-up is. Young loves Spider-Man and Wolverine. Del Mundo says he’s always loved Spider-Man and Deadpool. “I drew some of those covers.” Everyone laughs.

Young says he also loves the Spider-Verse team-up. He says he’s seen it like a trillion times, and he puts it on in the background a lot and never gets tired of it.

Steve Wacker is called to the panel.

Wacker says the best team-up Spider-Man has had was Stan Lee and Steve Ditko. Everyone laughs.

But his favorite team-up has got to be… “I can’t think of any!”

“That’s how you edit.” – Wacker

(Wacker edited Spider-Man from 2007 to 2013)

What’s everyone’s favorite costume?

Young says Manga Spider-Man.

Wacker says Bombastic Bag-Man.

A figure of that suit is finally coming out this year as a Target exclusive.

“Nice plug for Target.” – Wacker

Best friend for Spidey?

Wacker says the person he thinks he could best connect with and who they haven’t done enough team-ups with is Ben Grimm.

Beyond that, Aunt May.

Wacker also says Human Torch. He recalls a time that Stan Lee called him and pitched a Sunday comic style short to run in the back of Spider-Man for several months. The premise: The first time Spider-Man met the Fantastic Four. He jokes that he told Stan he thought that was Amazing Spider-Man 1, and then he had to put Stan on speaker phone because he was yelling at him at that point — and as a Catholic, the guilt kicked in and he felt it was all his own fault. But they ended up doing the shorts anyway!

The panel wraps up.

What did you think of the panel? Hit us up on social media to continue the discussion.

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C2E2: A Spider-Man Retrospective with C.B. Cebulski and Ryan Stegman

By

Roger Riddell

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August 11, 2022

C2E2: A Spider-Man Retrospective with C.B. Cebulski and Ryan Stegman

Marvel Comics was at C2E2 this past weekend and held several panels Spider-Man celebrating the character’s 60th anniversary. During the Spider-Man Retrospective, Editor-in-Chief C.B. Cebulski and artist Ryan Stegman sat down with fans to discuss our favorite wall-crawler’s past and future.

Play-by-play of the panel:
CB welcomes everyone to the panel. He says it still amazes him he’s the Editor-in-Chief of Marvel. 7-year-old CB is still pinching himself over that.

They have some slides and announcements to go through, but first, they want to discuss 60 years of Spider-Man comics.

One of the things that have always defined Spider-Man is the artists who drew him. They run through examples from Ditko to the Romitas to McFarlane to Ramos.

Stegman says his first Spider-Man was by McFarlane, but he didn’t know it at the time.

It was the Spider-Man story with the Wendigo.

After that, he went and bought the McFarlane Spider-Man run. His dad saw that interest and got a bunch of his own old Spider-Man comics out of the attic.

Other than Todd, who else impacted Stegman? Cebulski asks.

Stegman always loved Michael Golden’s Spider-Man in Marvel Fanfare. He says Zeck is also underappreciated. And Ross Andru.

Cebulski notes that it’s funny you hear Zeck’s name, and he’s more associated with Punisher. But he and Stegman both say Zeck was good at drawing ALL the characters.

Cebulski notes that in a pre-Amazing Fantasy 15 story, Ditko created characters named Aunt May and Uncle Ben. Somehow, those names stuck around.

Cebulski, say it’s fascinating to see how artists drew Spider-Man over the years and the art process.

He asks people to yell out their favorite artists. Among them: Marcos Martin, Gil Kane, Ron Frenz.

The Clone Saga comes up.

Stegman says he hadn’t read it when it came out, but he remembered it being made fun of in Wizard a lot.

He said, in retrospect, it wasn’t that bad but was too long,

Cebulski says it’s important to remember at that time that the EIC of Marvel wanted to kill Peter and make Ben Reilly the new Spider-Man because it had been decided Peter was old news and not relevant anymore.

They had to pivot halfway through because of all the outcry they received. They didn’t want that to happen.

But at the time, they were very deeply invested in Ben Reilly as Spider-Man being the new long-term direction.

Cebulski recommends that people track down “101 Ways the Clone Saga Should Have Ended” because it’s a fascinating read.

Cebulski adds there are no bad characters, there are only characters that haven’t been written well yet.

He cites Bullseye, who was almost a joke when he was created. But then Frank Miller came along and made him what he is today.

Likewise, The Clone Saga produced a lot of characters like Scarlet Spider who had longevity and are still used today.

Additionally, it’s also been so long now that The Clone Saga is looked back on fondly.

They pivot to Stegman’s 2011 Scarlet Spider series with Kaine as Scarlet Spider. He says Skottie Young helped him a little with the Kaine/Scarlet Spider II costume design

Cebulski flags this as a “Secret of the Spider-Panel”

Superior Spider-Man is talked about next. “Steve Wacker made this happen for me,” Stegman says, noting the first issue is the highest selling book he’s ever had.

Cebulski said they were worried about Superior early on in regard to whether it would be another Clone Saga, because people HATED it.

They found out that “the people who were complaining about it and were the most vocal hadn’t even read the story,” Cebulski said.

Come issue 3 or 4, a lot of people changed their tune.

Stegman says the people he hears say they hate it most are still people who say they won’t read it.

After Superior, Stegman “constantly begging to work on more Spider-Man” landed him a role drawing and then later writing the “Renew Your Vows” series.

Cebulski asks Stegman who his most inspirational cover artists are. He says McFarlane and “all those Image guys”

He’s super proud of his Superior Spider-Man 1 cover. “It’s hard to do anything as iconic as that ended up being.”

Stegman says when he did his first Marvel Adventures Spider-Man series early in his career and then received a check with Spider-Man on it, he looked at his wife and said, “I guess I did it.”

Cebulski says when he got his first check from Marvel with Spider-Man on it, he almost didn’t want to cash it.

Stegman’s first time doing Venom for Marvel was the Venom Inc. crossover written by Dan Slott and Mike Costa.

Then he did the Venom series with Donny Cates — their first time collaborating.

Stegman was thinking about doing a creator-owned story before editor Devin Lewis contacted him about doing the Venom series with Cates

Donny called him and told him his idea about the necrosword and the symbiote dragons, and he was sold.

That series went about 33 issues, not including Absolute Carnage and King In Black.

He says the way he and Donny works is all Marvel style. There are times Donny gives him 15 pages that are the overall plot and tells him to go crazy.

Cebulski explains there are versions of that, and then the alternative is screenplay style written like a movie script with exact specific descriptions.

Most comics now are written screenplay style, but some teams still prefer working Marvel style.

They pivot to talking about Amazing Fantasy 1000, coming out this month.

Stegman has a story in it written by Armando Ianucci, who worked on Veep.

Stegman also has an “X-TREME MARVEL” variant to Amazing Spider-Man 13 as part of the launch of X-Treme X-Men by Chris Claremont.

He said when he turned that cover in to Spider-Man editor Nick Lowe, he joked he had a pitch for him for “Gun Spider-Man.”

Dark Web is a Spider-Man and X-Men crossover coming up at the end of the year. Chasm (who is Ben Reilly) is teaming up with Madelyne Pryor — the two best-known clones from each of their franchises.

“Spider-Man and X-Men are going to get involved in all kinds of hijinks, a la Inferno.”

Dark Web runs in November and December and carries over into January.

Fan question time

First is a little girl. She asks Cebulski and Stegman who their favorite live-action Spider-Man is.

Stegman says he likes them all, but he was even more impressed with Andrew Garfield after the last one.

Cebulski says he was never a fan of Tobey Maguire as Spider-Man. His favorite Peter Parker is Tom Holland, and Andrew Garfield is his favorite Spider-Man.

Next fan question is from the girl’s dad.

He says he isn’t sure a comic has made him more mad recently than when Ben Reilly was made into Chasm. Should he give up hope or is there more to the story?

Cebulski says there’s a long road ahead of Ben that they’ve had planned out for a while, so wait and see!

“You can always find hope or some good in the villains.” As the story progresses, fans will see that, Cebulski says.

Cebulski says he had a guy come to his table at a con last week in Connecticut and unload on him about Ghost Rider being “terrible” and not good in the last 15 years.

The guy told him the last good Ghost Rider was by Howard Mackie

The guy came back to his table the next day and told him he had the best night’s sleep the night before and he was glad he got to tell someone everything on his chest.

Then the following day, the guy came back and told him all the other things he LIKED about Marvel’s comics now.

Next guy says his first issue of Spider-Man was when Ben was revealed as the “real” Peter Parker. Does Cebulski know if the plan all along was to make Norman Osborn the ultimate mastermind behind the Clone Saga?

Cebulski says if they hadn’t pivoted on Clone Saga, Norman probably would have stayed dead much longer.

Maybe someday the storylines will pop up.

Next fan says it seems like there’s a large percentage of the fanbase that wants Peter to have a family. Does Cebulski ever worry about Peter’s perpetual arrested development?

Cebulski says they have these discussions all the time. Peter has had various marriages, relationships, families, fake families, etc. But giving a character marriages, families, and kids really starts dating them — especially in younger fans’ eyes.

Part of the challenge is navigating the line between what’s most relatable for new readers and what keeps old readers satisfied.

They have to handle those decisions “very delicately” as a result.

Next fan says he really loves how Chip Zdarsky does Spider-Man. Stegman jokes, “You know he’s my enemy, right?”

The fan then asks how do Cebulski and Stegman define Spider-Man.

Cebulski says to him, the lesson of Spider-Man is “Get knocked down, get back up.” Stegman says it’s the same for him.

Next fan asks about Japanese Spider-Man and whether it will officially come over. Cebulski says for years, the whole series was available on Marvel’s YouTube channel, and there’s also an episode about the series in the Disney+ 616 docuseries.

Dan Slott’s upcoming Spider-Man series that wraps up the Spider-Verse saga will also feature Japanese Spider-Man.

Dan Slott’s upcoming Spider-Man series that wraps up the Spider-Verse saga will also feature Japanese Spider-Man.

Cebulski says Mary Jane will always be Peter’s true love, but true love doesn’t always find a way. But they’ll always be best friends. He also says “Zeb has so much planned for them.”

There’s also a Mary Jane and Black Cat book launching later this year that will explore their relationship.

Cebulski says “Love is a battlefield”. They will never disregard or disrespect Mary Jane, but Peter and MJ might not end up together.

The panel wraps up.

What did you think of the panel? Hit us up on social media to continue the discussion.

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AfterShock Comics Exclusive Preview: WE LIVE: AGE OF THE PALLADIONS #5

By

Anthony Composto - EIC

-

August 11, 2022

aftershock comics exclusive preview we live age of palladions

WE LIVE: AGE OF THE PALLADIONS #5 hits your local comic book store August 24th, but thanks to AfterShock Comics, Monkeys Fighting Robots has an exclusive four-page preview for you.

About the issue:
The curtain falls. Like rain, like tears, like heroes.

Sometimes omens show you the way but not the consequences. Truth hurts; sometimes it heals, sometimes it consumes you.

Dark clouds gather over Megalopolis 9, over the Palladions, over Hototo. They spread over a promise that was made.

Sometimes storms pass. Sometimes they don’t.

The series is co-written by Inaki Miranda & Roy Miranda, with art by Inaki Miranda, colors by Eva De La Cruz, and letters by Dave Sharpe. The cover is by Inaki Miranda.

Check out WE LIVE: AGE OF THE PALLADIONS #5 preview below:

Have you been reading WE LIVE? Sound off in the comments!

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Review: A New Gripping Immersive Hunt Begins With PREDATOR #1

By

Anthony Wendel

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Predator #1 brings the iconic movie monster to Marvel Comics. After years of being published by Dark Horse Comics, the creature now arrives at a new publisher and a new era begins. This fresh expedition ensnares the audience thanks to Ed Brisson (Writer), Kev Walker (Art), Frank D’Armata (Colors), and VC’s Clayton Cowles (Lettering).

Summary

HUNT. KILL. REPEAT. In the near future, a young girl sees her family slaughtered by the deadliest and most feared hunter in the universe: a PREDATOR. Years later, though her ship is barely holding together and food is running short, Theta won’t stop stalking the spaceways until the Yautja monster who killed her family is dead…or she is. Ed Brisson (IRON FIST, GHOST RIDER) and Kev Walker (DR. STRANGE, DOCTOR APHRA) forge a violent, heartbreaking and unforgettable new chapter in the PREDATOR saga not to be missed!

Writing

The issue opens by introducing Theta, a character on a quest for vengeance against the Yautja who killed her family. To achieve this goal, Theta has immersed herself in the culture of the hunt in an effort to track down the creature and exact her revenge. There is a good sense of pacing as Theta’s history, purpose, and mission are laid out smoothly. The audience is also able to grasp how this path is weighing on Theta.

Writer Ed Brisson achieves a lot in different areas of this issue. Attempting to both introduce the Predator mythology to Marvel Comics and tell a good story is no easy feat but Brisson is able to accomplish it. This is accomplished with Theta, a character who has submerged themselves into so much Yautja culture it is becoming dangerous to her safety. This is made obvious when Theta is attacked by the local aliens of the planet she visits, only to be attacked because she is wearing Predator armor. The possibility of where this path will lead Theta will ensure people come back for the second issue.

Artwork

Kev Walker achieves an impressive feat by presenting a great balance of action and emotion through the artwork. Theta is shown as both a powerhouse and a sympathetic character thanks to her facial expressions and mannerisms. At the same time, the action scenes are intense and bloody.

The color work by Frank D’Armata adds to the action and intensity of the scenes. Making sure, of course, to present them with neon green blood. The color work also sets an immersive tone, such as on the Theta’s spaceship. It features a rundown look to convey how taxing this mission has been on Theta’s equipment.

The lettering by VC’s Clayton Lowles adds to the atmosphere of the issue. There is some great sound effect work present complete with the Predator removing their helmet with a satisfying “Fsssst.” There also is a nice bit of work where the sound of an alarm going off carries over from panel to panel continuously, making it really feel like an alarm is going off.

Conclusion

Predator #1 is a gripping introduction to the character and an astonishing read for new and old fans. It offers a likable character in Theta and hooks the audience on her journey for revenge. One can only hope Theta doesn’t get lost in the hunt along the way.

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INTERVIEW: Re-Recording Mixer Karol Urban Discusses HBO’s Made For Love

By

Ruben Diaz

-

August 10, 2022

Freedom is oddly rarely free, and in the Emmy-nominated HBO series Made for Love starring Cristin Milioti, the series wrestles with the meaning of freedom, abusive relationships, and rediscovering yourself.

Made for Love follows Hazel Green (Milioti), a woman that escapes from a suffocating 10-year marriage to tech billionaire Byron Gogol (Billy Magnussen). But her newfound freedom reveals the shocking discovery that she’s been implanted with a tracking device by her husband. No matter where she goes, Gogol can track Hazel, even see through her eyes and gather “emotional data.” The drive to regain her freedom propels the series’ many twists and turns.

PopAxiom spoke with Karol Urban about becoming an audio professional and a week in the life of working on Made for Love for HBO.

Dreamed

Karol worked on the recent Bel-Air remake on Peacock and the Apple TV sci-fi series For All Mankind. So, where did the journey to mixing sound begin? “I have horrible eyes. As a result, I think I have a hyper-focus on sound. I’m observant of frequencies and changes in sound.”

“At age 13, I started studying in a recording studio” she says, attending a public magnet school at the time. “By the time I got to college, I knew that I wanted to work on sound for picture.”

After college, Karol “stormed the area I was living in for gigs. The Washington, DC area has work, so I entered the glamorous world of political advertising. Not soon after, I went into documentaries doing a lot of work for Discovery Channel. My career really began there and has expanded ever since.”

“It’s everything I dreamed of as a child,” she declares about working in mixing sound for picture. “It takes my attention and focus but gives me peace while also being a challenge. It’s the most fun ever. I never want to do anything else.”

About Made For Love

Karol admits that industry work is often “a little less structured than you would think. The industry is project-based and as there are many moving parts to creating a series or feature, schedules often morph.”

Made for Love is a half-hour series, so there’s a “shorter turnaround time,” Karol explains. “Typically, we have a first day to go through the show. I have an effects partner who takes care of foley, backgrounds, and sound effects. Meanwhile, I take care of ADR, production dialogue, group and music. It’s a wonderful system. We ignore each other while we review the material.”

“We get it to where we think it should be to tell the story. Then we marry those two together. Highlighting or diminishing where we think that needs to happen to best display the narrative.”

The next day, the pair watch the show together and make further tweaks. “Later the clients come in and watch. During COVID, a lot of that happened through the studio’s remote system for playback. We take their notes and talk about what they want to achieve. Then we make more tweaks based on that until we have a final version. Then we review with the client again.”

“Made for Love creates some unique sonic spaces. They’re beautiful. The world outside of the hub is dirty, layered, and chaotic with many dimensions. In the hub, it’s clean, hygienic almost; it’s extremely sanitized and flat. Because of that, in the hub, the dialogue must be clean. If you can hear the reality of production, then I’ve failed. It’s a challenging show in that way, but beautiful.”

Karol intimately works with the series’ unique music from composer Keefus Ciancia. “He is an incredible talent. His music is funny, its commentary, it makes the situation light but dramatic with texture and layers.”

“It’s a dark comedy,” she says about Made for Love. “It’s exaggerated and grounded in a funny way. You even have a synthetic life partner who is basically a sex doll, and a talking dolphin. But, it’s all anchored by the characters. Hazel is so relatable that you fall into her world despite all the crazy around her.”

Wrapping Up

What’s the hardest thing to get right in a mix? “The ‘right’ sound and the ‘right’ mix is the one that tells the story the filmmaker wants to tell. It can be challenging to get into their heads, but when it happens, it’s beautiful. You get their unique perspective of the world.”

“But there are times,” she adds, “where you’re bending the laws of physics to get things to work. For instance, sometimes the production material, for whatever reason, doesn’t jive with what the creators ultimately want. So, When there’s a technical and creative clash, it can be a difficult situation.”

What’s a dream project for Karol? “I feel like my dream project is the opposite of whatever I’ve worked on most recently. I love the sandbox. I tease people that I love to play mind games with sound.”

Karol’s been in the business for a long time and watched it evolve. “There’s so much originality happening with the rise of streaming. It used to be that a show had to have a large mass appeal. Now, you can create for a more niche market because the reach of distribution is so targeted.”

Is Made for Love on your watch list?

Thanks to Karol Urban and Kingmaker Communications
for making this interview possible.

Find more interviews from Ruben R. Diaz!

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Self-Published Spotlight: Nate Garcia is Trapped By Comics

By

Manuel Gomez

-

August 10, 2022

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

Barely into his twenties, cartoonist Nate Garcia is a force to be reckoned with. With just a few (excellent) self-published books under his belt, Nate has already made major waves and impacts in the world of indie comics. I’d been following Nate for a bit, both on social media and the various reviews and press he’s been getting in everything from ‘zines to The Comics Journal when I finally ordered a copy of his comic ‘Alozno Sneak’ (I would have bought everything else had had but he sells out of A LOT of stuff). I was immediately floored and had to talk to Nate. So I reached out and we chatted via Messenger for a few days. So read on for the chat, and make sure you start grabbing Nate’s work before it sells out.

Monkeys Fighting Robots: What’s your comic book origin? When and how did you get into this most wonderful of mediums?
Nate Garcia: I read comics in my school library. Stuff like the BONE collected paperbacks from Scholastic by Jeff Smith. Not really a lot of superheroes if any at all. My first-grade teacher had a crazy life and would fill us in on her mid-20s drama. After a while, I’d come to school the next day with 16-page comics of these stories. She would start to give me folded and stapled paper to take home daily and from 2008-2010 I was making these books for her. She’s still got them, there are around 50 issues.

MFR: That’s incredible! I’ve never heard of anything like that before. Was she a comics fan herself?
NG: Not that I know of, but most 20-something-year-olds are egomaniacs. I’m sure putting her as the main character was the best thing going on at that fragile, rapidly changing period of time in her life. Either that or she just loved the fact that I was doing something and staying busy. A lot of kids were just loud future wall punchers and carjackers. Stole calendars and stuff. I only stole a pen (ONCE!) but that was for drawing. She was extremely supportive and bought me colored pencils. We’d stay at her house a lot, my brother, and sister and I and she showed me the TV show ALF for the first time and my first Bone Comic as well now that I think of it. She was important, and I owe a lot to her.

MFR: Have you kept in touch? Has she seen your work now?
NG: Yeah! She’s never bought anything, but she sees what’s going on on Facebook and stuff. She’s busy! Not mid-20s anymore.

MFR: So did you just keep making comics from that point on?
NG: Pretty much, it was on and off. I’d get really discouraged in high school and started a bunch of stuff that never got finished. Wanted everything to be perfect and elaborate and “DEEP!” But it’s funny, cause that’s not the stuff that’s fun to make when you’re starting out. And it’s also the stuff that’s impossible to make. Wasn’t until the end of my senior year in high school that I started to take comics seriously again and began self-publishing strictly for me. Because I wanted to.

MFR: Were you consuming comics consistently, or did that wax and wane as well?NG: I was always consuming comics. Me starting to self-publish in my last year of high school was the inevitable thing I’d been putting off forever. Out of fear, laziness, and excuses out the nose. But I always wanted to make them. I was reading a lot of Derf Backderf, Craig Thompson, and old Zap Comix issues, and a lot of the shitty undergrounds from that era too. The 60s underground stuff was really impactful for me at that time because no issue had a linear focused story. They were all short, cartoony, and incoherent for the most part. The pressure to do a huge “meaningful” story was lifted from reading those.

MFR: I know what you mean about the underground books. I recently found a few copies of Yellow Dog Comics in a dollar bin. I hadn’t heard of it but I knew what kind of book it was as soon as I saw it.
NG: Yeah love that stuff.

MFR: So when did you decide to start sharing your work with the world?
NG: End of high school, I just made like 5 at-home printed zines and gave to my friends in 2020. It was just a few one-pagers and sketchbook pages, I decided I wanted to fill out the whole zine with comics and self-publish one every couple of months as a time capsule for myself. I’d just graduated high school during the pandemic and wanted to have that reminder I was alive. Cause time was moving way faster in the early pandemic days. You’re sitting there like “shit is it June?” So October 2020 I self-published Hornrim No. 1 which was just a shitty one-man anthology I did. I’d just turned 18 and moved outta my parents’ house. I put the comic up on my Etsy at the time which I made just to sell and mail stuff to my friends back home. Like less than 20 people bought a copy the first time round and they were all from my high school.

MFR: What kind of response did you get from those people? Is that what made you keep going?
NG: Eh not a lotta people said anything. What made me keep going was my wanting to make a better comic, cause once you put something out you realize how much it sucks…Feels bizarre talking about my “origin story starting out in comics” when I feel like I’m still very much in that. I don’t have any perspective or anything quite yet. I haven’t stopped cleanly for almost three years working on these comics like 8-10 hours a day. So my mind is clouded.

MFR: How do you balance all that cartooning with life? You seem impressively productive! I know you were working at a Zoo, are you still working there?
NG: Quit the zoo in May of this year (2022) to do comics full time. I was drawing caricatures for the company for 5 years since the day I turned 14. I was ready to be out. The pays never more than Mcdonald’s and you’re just breaking your hand each day. I just started making a lot of money in comics. And now I can justify the hours spent somewhat. I mean, I live very bare bones and cheap. Shit apartment, don’t drive a car, etc. gas prices mean nothing to me… But I balance it pretty unhealthily, my relationships with people are totally fucked if not involved in the work in some way. It’s something I “say” I want to get better with, but it’s an endless fucking wormhole. I’ve only become more of a workaholic. I feel worthless and horrible if I’m not working on something, and can only feel good when I am. But I could be doing worse things, like heroin, or getting people pregnant. It’s the one thing I get the most joy and fulfillment from in the whole world. I’m trapped for life.

MFR: Trapped by comics. So I want to talk about Alonzo Sneak. I love the character. When and how was that sneaker-wearing cowboy born?
NG: I was drawing cowboys a lot in my sketchbooks when I was like 17 or so. Got really obsessed with horses around that time too, it was natural. I was drawing horses and cowboys with these really elaborate tennis shoes endlessly. I just started thinking of stuff they’d do/talk about and everything was vivid in my mind. Felt right. Did d a bunch of comics that I didn’t show anybody for a while and eventually put some in the Hornrims. Just snowballed since then.

MFR: He’s a great character. He feels like he could have been around in those undergrounds. Are you gonna be sticking with him for a while?
NG: As of right now it’s all I’ve got written for the next year or so. I love working in a focused setting with characters I kind of understand and love. I’m trying for a Scooby-Doo, Love & Rockets.

MFR: And what else are you currently working on?
NG: Right now I’m almost done penciling the next zine “Plum Pocket” which I’ll have out in September in time for the San Francisco Permanent Damage Comics show which I’ll be tabling at with Josh Pettinger & Jasper Jubenvill.

MFR: That’s a solid table! Jasper and Josh are amazing. love how supportive you three seem to be. Of each other and indie comics in general.
NG: They’re just my best friends, we talk every day. I’ve probably talked to Josh every day since 2020. When we were all trapped inside. He was stuck doing a bunch of grueling animation gigs back in those days, and we’d always need company while working. Josh is a huge influence and has been there for me thru it all. Jasper too. Love them to death.

MFR: And finally, where is the best place for folks to find your work and contact you?
NG: People can buy my comics at Nategarcia.bigcartel.com and Instagram the best place to stay up to date with new stuff: @nategarciascartoons.

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REVEALER Bares Itself As An Ode To ‘80s B-Horror

By

Roger Riddell

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REVEALER Bares Itself As An Ode To ‘80s B-Horror

A stripper and an evangelical religious protester get trapped together in a peep show booth amid the onset of the apocalypse.

The premise of director Luke Boyce’s Revealer is the perfect setup for plenty of low-hanging fruit punchlines that are sure to plague at least a handful of hipper-than-thou reviews. But with a shoestring budget, two locations, a cast of just a few people, and an impressively well-executed mix of practical and digital effects, Revealer is a stripped-down love letter to ‘80s B-movie horror classics like Evil Dead and C.H.U.D.

Written in a mere eight days by comic scribes Tim Seeley (Hack/Slash, Money Shot, Superman vs. Lobo) and Mike Moreci (Burning Fields, Roche Limit, Black Star Renegades) and filmed during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic in the summer of 2020, the film takes place in 1980s Chicago amid the height of the Satanic Panic. Unbeknownst to Seeley and Moreci, a whole new Satanic Panic would be in full swing by the time of the film’s release.

Following a screening of the film at C2E2 Friday evening, Seeley told attendees that part of his inspiration while working on the screenplay was a fascination with how some religious people treat their lives like a weird voyeuristic thing where God is watching them strip. “A person’s relationship with God should be very small and personal, but a lot of people turn it into a show,” he said.

That metaphorical theme looms large for main characters Angie Pitarelli (the aforementioned dancer, played by Caito Aase) and religious protester Sally Mewbourne (played by Shaina Schrooten) throughout the film. The duo bring plenty of heart to their performances, leaving the viewer to alternatively root for or be put off by their choices at varying intervals throughout.

Aase and Schrooten both told C2E2 attendees that the script was written in such a way that they could see themselves in the roles. This could be a testament perhaps to Seeley’s years of writing penultimate horror movie “final girl” Cassie Hack in Hack/Slash, as Seeley himself has also admitted that he generally feels more comfortable writing women.

Beyond the heart in the script and performances, the attention to detail in the wardrobe and set design — not to mention a synth-heavy soundtrack with just a touch of hair metal — bring the ‘80s nostalgia full circle for a package that somehow encapsulates both what was cool and what sucked about that decade.

Revealer isn’t rewriting any cinema conventions or leaving you with a high-concept moral to ponder, and that’s perfectly OK. Not everything needs to, or should, aspire to high art. As its B-movie inspirations once showed a previous generation, sometimes — a lot of times, let’s be honest — it’s good to just have a leave-your-brain-at-the-door escape from reality.

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