KAIJU SCORE: STEAL FROM THE GODS #4 hits your local comic book store July 27th, but thanks to AfterShock Comics, Monkeys Fighting Robots has an exclusive four-page preview for you.
About the issue: An ancient kaiju has just awoken, and Michelle and her crew are partly responsible. The question is, do they try to fix the problem or do they salvage the heist? It isn’t an easy question, since one of those answers will likely cost the lives of more of her crew. Everything comes crashing down – and up – in this final installment, and it’s not going to end like anyone expected.
The series is by writer James Patrick and artist Rem Broo, with colors by Francesco Segala, and letters by Dave Sharpe. The cover is by Broo.
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IMMORTAL X-MEN #7 is due to hit your local comic shop in October, but thanks to Marvel Comics, Monkeys Fighting Robots has the privilege of revealing the cover and solicit text for you today!
The comic is by writer Kieron Gillen and artist Lucas Werneck, with a cover by Mark Brooks.
About the issue: A SERIOUS BAMF! — A.X.E. TIE-IN!
Even if you’re the heart of the X-Men, there’re days you want to tear out people’s heart. Judgment day is one of them. What extreme steps will Nightcrawler take in the name of the Spark?
Each issue of IMMORTAL X-MEN focuses on a different member of The Quiet Council, the current leaders of mutantkind, with this issue turning the spotlight to Nightcrawler. As the solicit text states, this issue will also serve as a tie-in to JUDGEMENT DAY, Marvel’s summer event starring the Avengers, X-Men, and Eternals (A.X.E.).
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From Audible series creator and screenwriter Travis Beacham (Pacific Rim, Clash Of The Titans) and artist Stephen Green (Sea Of Stars, Hellboy) comes a unique and entertaining blend of apocalyptic survival in the prequel one-shot Impact Winter #1. Featuring colors by Matt Hollingsworth and lettering from Andworld Design, this double-sized one-shot provides great backstory, excellent pacing, and compelling lore to help flesh out the world and cast of characters from the hit Audible series. Featuring a stellar script and fantastic visuals, this is a great start for fans of horror and vampire stories needing something new, and a must-read for fans of the original Audible story.
“It’s been one year since a comet hit Earth and blotted out the sun. Now, the world is a dark, cold landscape ruled by vampires.
In the British countryside, a band of survivors has formed a resistance in the fallout shelter of a medieval castle. Among them is Darcy, a young, headstrong fighter waiting for the chance to prove she can be on the front lines. But when that opportunity comes, Darcy will come face to face with the true horrors of this new world.”
Writing & Plot
Taking place some time before the Audible series, Impact Winter #1 works great as both a jumping on point for newcomers and strong backstory for current fans. Travis Beacham’s script has the narrative feeling of an audiobook, but restrained enough to let the visual storytelling of the comics medium take the lead. The double-sized page count is well-utilized in introducing a young Darcy and the post-apocalyptic world she has to inhabit. All of the events leading up to this point, with Darcy and other survivor’s hiding in a castle against the night hordes of vampires, are handled with a compelling mix of character interaction and overhead narration. Beacham’s script handles exposition by way of Darcy’s journal, which functions as the comic’s narration. He handles this element particularly well, as the writing feels natural and like actual dialogue. As such, the exposition pairs well with the actual in-story dialogue, which is equally well-written. Every character has their own unique voice, making the story have more stakes and its world more lived-in. The plot itself, like most vampire stories in recent years, is a sort of genre-salad. There are elements of 30 Days Of Night, The Road, The Witcher, and even Rob Bowman’s 2002 dragon-apocalypse film Reign Of Fire to be found in this story’s potential influences. This is in no way a negative criticism, as this sort of influence-blending is precisely what makes this one-shot so entertaining, and makes for a fantastic backstory/entry point into Beacham’s vampire apocalypse.
Art Direction
With an influx of Vampire and post-apocalyptic comics over the last few years, making one of these stories stick out largely comes down to the art. Fortunately, Impact Winter #1 has Stephen Green on hand to craft this one-shot’s visual experience. Green’s wholly unique character animations and design language help craft this world into something that stands out to readers while still serving the overall story Beacham has created. Every cast member has a distinct look, with outstanding acting pulling the readers into the lives of these people – especially Darcy. Green’s careful eye for design and composition help keep this 44-page comic moving along at a tense yet brisk pace. The action hits hard with well-choreographed moments of excitement that melt away into scenes of quiet intensity and contemplation. The blending of modern appliances and weaponry with that of the Middle Ages looks seamless in this one-shot – likely a holdover from Green’s work on Hellboy.
This comic’s aesthetic is tied together by the colors of the massively talented Matt Hollingsworth. This new world darkened by ash and clouds is perfectly fleshed out by his heavy shadows and tones. His lighting work is especially impressive, as every page is rendered with pale moonlight or candlelight. There’s one sequence where Darcy and another character are having a conversation in a dark room lit only by a hall light through a partially closed door. The accuracy to which the lighting element of that scene is particularly stellar. Overall, this is a beautifully dark and exceptionally well-animated horror comic.
Verdict
Impact Winter #1 is a highly engaging and entertaining one-shot prequel comic. Travis Beacham’s script for this double-sized issue offers perfect pacing and an excellent blend of naturalistic, expository narration, great dialogue, and solid characterization that makes for a great starting point for his Audible story. The visuals from Stephen Green and Matt Hollingsworth are brilliantly animated, fittingly dark, and well-composed for an atmospheric and intense reading experience. Be sure to grab this one-shot when it hits stands on July 13th!
Japanese artist Piytotycho has been self-publishing Bonyeer stories since around 2015. Sold at cons and online, the Japanese issues of Bonyeer showed the popular Instagram artist’s growth from year-to-year, but also went through multiple sizes, a flip in orientation, and eventually introduced a dual-language format to support both English and Japanese readers. Bonyeer the Aromatic #2 is part of a new release of the series which, with the assistance of editor and letterer Eric Klaus, reprints all the Bonyeer stories from the beginning with a consistent translation, format, redrawn English sound-effects and — for the first time for the series — full color. No more digging for out-of-print issues in online auctions. For an introduction to Piyotycho’s stylish-as-hell work, this is a great place to start.
The issue opens on treasure-hunter Bonyeer declaring her newest plans to her partner-in-crime, Doc. She exposits on a hidden temple in Death Valley that holds a white stone with the ability to cure anything — which means the person who finds it is going to get very, very rich. Though, when the duo arrives, the building looks far more like a factory than an ancient temple. A factory with a big, angry minotaur stomping the halls. Matters aren’t helped by the two’s strange medical conditions. Bonyeer’s sweat produces a stench bad enough to murder zombies and wreck machinery, while Doc’s allergies leave him unable to venture the world without a gasmask. But the two are determined to force their way to fame and fortune. So long as it doesn’t kill them first.
Bonyeer the Aromatic takes a no-frills approach to cartoon storytelling. The second issue continues establishing how Doc and Bonyeer began adventuring together, the two’s friendship being the engine that drives the series. Their broad personalities — a vain, selfish treasure-hunter and a timid but obsessively curious amateur doctor — naturally bounce off one another, and lead to some pretty damn fun gags. This isn’t a series about slowly uncovering a large, secret history, or unraveling a giant meta-narrative. It’s about two characters that are fun to spend time with, and whatever weird scenario the artist can dream up next. It’s reminiscent of quite a few classic 90’s cartoons, and any cartoon where body odor is a plot point is also going to indulge in some 90’s style gross-out gags. Though, for being baked into the premise of the book, those gags are relatively understated and don’t go as far as the likes of Ren and Stimpy or Cow and Chicken.
Piyotycho’s cartooning is the main attraction here, and the book gives him plenty of room to flex his stuff. His characters are spindly and angular, the main points of focus being their oversized heads and hands. Said hands are always gesturing, many panels dominated by gesticulating hands and exaggerated facial expressions. Backgrounds are often simple and rendered in monochrome, keeping the focus on the cartoon acting of the main characters.
Speaking of the coloring, colorists can run the risk of overpowering comics originally published in black-and-white, but Piyotycho wisely goes for a simple, “flat” approach, leaving the shading to his use of zipatone. The colors he uses most are those associated with his main heroine, backgrounds rendered in the same pink, tans, and grays of her outfit. It gives the book an easy to understand color language, helps the cartoony, exaggerated tone, and keeps the characters as the book’s main focus.
As for Erik Klaus’ lettering, he’s left with the unenviable task of redrawing all the sound effects in English. And a book starring a heroine with a crowbar won’t be quiet. But all the “Bam’s” and “Thump’s” are rendered in hand-drawn bubble letters that quake and wobble to sell each sound. All do a great job of replicating the original effects in English, and end up feeling like a natural extension of the art.
VERDICT
Bonyeer the Aromatic #2 is a simple premise done right, and a great showcase of what makes Piyotycho’s art worth paying attention to. It’s out today from Keenspot, so pick it up and give a more offbeat book a shot.
Dark Horse Books announces that it will publish LIGHT CARRIES ON, an otherwordly LGBTQ romance from creator Ray Nadine. Perfect for fans of Mooncakes, Laura Dean Keeps Breaking Up with Me, and One Last Stop, this greyscale and spot color graphic novel will be presented in hardcover in March 2023.
About LIGHT CARRIES ON: When Leon’s camera unexpectedly breaks, he is forced to borrow a used one from his mom’s antique store. As he snaps the first picture, the ghost of the camera’s former owner is released, and the two are inexplicably linked. After taking Leon’s body for an accidental joyride, the ghost introduces himself as Cody, a queer punk rocker who died decades ago. Of course, he doesn’t remember how he wound up dead, but the two decide investigating might be the only way to end the haunting.
Leon has been reeling from a recent break-up with his boyfriend, recovering from his time in the military, and trying to become a photographer who can afford to take pictures of something more than high school proms and weddings. So, being the only one able to see and talk to a ghost that died before cellphones, Wikipedia, or iTunes seems like a great way to fill his ample free time. The two get closer as they travel around Chicago showing each other the landmarks of their pasts and trying to unearth the secrets around Cody’s mysterious death. They discover they have much more in common than expected as they explore the complexities of life, love, and afterdeath, taking breaks to jam out to tunes, hang out in planetariums, and slurp down frozen beverages.
About LIGHT CARRIES ON, Nadine said, “For most of my life, I lived in St. Louis, and in that time I created my first comic. It was an important story to me, an open love letter to the city of St. Louis, a processing of grief and trauma, and a means for me to live truthfully in a time that I couldn’t. Eventually, I outgrew the story; continuing to create it kept me in a depressing place I didn’t want to be. I still love St. Louis dearly, but years ago I moved to Chicago. And now, Light Carries On is my open love letter to the city of Chicago, to the thought that we’re not alone in our struggles, and to being unapologetically queer. All of my stories are that last bit, unapologetically queer, but Light Carries On carries what my first comic didn’t: a light of hope at the end. I hope that those who read it find that light, as creating it helped me do the same!”
The LIGHT CARRIES ON hardcover will be available at comic stores March 15, 2023 and in bookstores March 28, 2023. It is available for pre-order on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and at your local comic shop and bookstore.
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Modern comics all-star Chip Zdarsky (Daredevil, Sex Criminals) teams up with the monstrously talented Jorge Jimenez (Super Sons, Earth 2) to begin a new era for the Dark Knight in Batman #125. Featuring colors by Tomeu Morey and letters by Clayton Cowles, as well as artist Belen Ortega and colorist Luis Guerrero in the backup, this new chapter takes off running with one of the most intense Batman comics in recent memory. With shocking twists, tense mystery, incredible visuals, and an excellent backup story, this fresh starting point for Batman will be a treat for longtime fans and those looking for a place to jump in.
“Bruce Wayne is at a turning point, haunted by dreams of a dark future, while Gotham City billionaires are being gruesomely murdered. With the discovery of an archenemy’s involvement and a tragedy unfolding, the Dark Knight’s nightmares are just beginning.
And in the backup, there’s chaos in Gotham as the underworld fights over one of its crown jewels…and Selina Kyle is caught in the middle. Can she stop the bloodshed and maybe even make a little money in the process?”
Writing & Plot
Taking the reigns of both of the Big 2’s major street-level vigilantes, Chip Zdarsky comes over to DC to offer his take on the Caped Crusader in Batman #125. Following up on the story set up by Tom King, James Tynion IV, and Joshua Williamson respectively, Zdarsky interjects some gritty detective work into the current era of The Bat. Despite falling in line directly with the Rebirth and post-Rebirth Bat-story, this issue is still great start point for people who have been out of the loop for awhile, or are even new to Batman comics in general – so long as you know your basics. Zdarsky handles this era of the broke, mansion-less Batman by bringing him back to the bloody-knuckled sleuth he was back in the Snyder/Capullo era. After a long run of major crossovers, family matters, and (great) new character introductions, it’s refreshing to read a Batman comic that uses only the classics while still making everything feel fresh. The central plot, with Bruce tracking down a killer taking out Gotham’s billionaire class, is familiar yet wholly compelling thanks to Zdarsky’s kickass narration and careful mystery writing. This is the most threatening Batman has been in quite some time, putting the fear in criminals with his terrifying ambush tactics, knowledge of human anatomy, and insanely cool one-liners. The moments of quiet contemplation are punctuated by huge twists, great action, and reveals that keep this comic moving at a deliberate yet breakneck pace. Zdarsky looks to be bringing some of the weight and gritty punch of his Daredevil run to Batman, and it pays off brilliantly in this issue.
The backup is every bit as entertaining as the main plot. We’re treated to a Catwoman-focused story taking place after one of the major plot-developments in the central story. Featuring international criminals, robot-lawyers, and a Zdarsky-scripted Selina Kype being as snarky and delightfully cool, this issue’s entire script from main story to backup is an outstanding start tom this new Batman era.
Art Direction
Jorge Jimenez returns to draw the Dark Knight once more in Batman #125, and continues to cement himself as one of the best artists in mainstream comics today. His incredible level of detail, character acting, designs, and composition make this issue of Batman one of the most visually engrossing in recent memory. Jimenez’s usual brand of high-energy super heroics we’ve seen in his work on Super Sons and his prior Batman work has been fine-tuned – at Zdarsky’s request – into a properly dark detective comic. Jimenez drives the story forward with his brand of high-fidelity visuals, ranging from big action moments to tense conversations between Batman and his greatest foes. His work here perfectly captures Zdarsky’s goal of returning Batman to his darker, more intimidating self. There are panels and scenes here that capture the Bats at his most imposing, as he stalks bad guys though the shadows and – in one insanely cool scene – grabs them from the other side of a skyscraper’s window. Jimenez remains a master of composition and framing as well, utilizing blocking to focus on small details and odd angles to craft awesome and memorable panels. There are moments in this issue that are likely to go down as iconic Batman images. Jimenez’s frequent collaborator Tomeu Morey once again kills it in the colors department, with heavy shadows and a vivid, saturated palette that adds a high-production value polish we’ve come to expect from a Batman comic, while still selling the dark Gotham atmosphere.
Belen Ortega’s work on the backup is almost as impressive as Jimenez’s, albeit in different ways. Her more outright animated, digital style is perfect for the less gritty and more outright fun Catwoman story this story will be. Aided by Luis Guerrero’s polished, gorgeous color work, this backup chapter is visually on par with the incredible work in the main issue. Clayton Cowles letters the entirety of Batman #125, and as per usual his work here is as kinetic and thoughtful as every other part of the comic. He utilizes the same font and style of lettering that Batman comics have been using for over a decade now, but with his own artistic twists. The dialogue balloons flow brilliantly thanks to Cowles’s strategic use of bold fonts. His SFX letters are noticeable and effective without taking over the panels. Overall, this is a phenomenally well put together comic from the visual end, and one of the best looking mainstream comics on stands this year.
Verdict
Batman #125 is a tense and gritty start to this new era for the Caped Crusader. Chip Zdarsky pens a script that takes Bruce back to his most intimidating self, while mixing in genuine stakes, compelling conflicts, and absolutely kickass dialogue. The visuals from Jorge Jimenez, Belen Ortega, Tomeu Morey, and Luis Guerrero are astonishingly good, with a book that offers that stunning high-production effort readers are accustomed to while blending perfectly with the grease and grime of Gotham’s criminal underworld. Be sure to grab this new chapter in Batman history when this issue hits shelves on July 5th!
SAVAGE AVENGERS #3 hits your local comic book store on July 13th, but thanks to Marvel Comics, Monkeys Fighting Robots has an exclusive three-page preview for you!
About the issue: JOURNEY TO THE TEMPLE OF THE BEAST! Banding together the deadliest warriors of the Marvel Universe, Conan and the Savage Avengers have never been accustomed to playing defense. But after being hunted across the Hyborian Age by DEATHLOK THE DESTROYER, only one thing’s for certain — our heroes aren’t running anymore. Armed with a death-defying plan in the heart of a forbidden temple, can even the Savage Avengers fight against the future? Or will an ancient evil crush their victory before they’ve even begun? Everything changes in this sword-and-sorcery showdown between Cyborg and Cimmerian!
The issue is by writer David Pepose and artist Carlos Magno, with colors by Espen Grundetjern, and letters by Travis Lanham. The main cover is by Leinil Francis Yu and Sunny Gho.
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THE NAUGHTY LIST #4 hits your local comic book store July 27th, but thanks to AfterShock Comics, Monkeys Fighting Robots has an exclusive four-page preview for you.
About the issue: Jingle Bells, jingle bells, jingle all the way! Oh, what fun it is to ride in a two-door pick-up truck sleigh! As Nicholas and Plum continue their hunt for Santa’s Naughty List, they head to the city that never sleeps, coming face to face with RoShamBo and a showdown that will leave only one of them walking away with the Naughty List.
The series is by writer Nick Santora and artist Lee Ferguson, with colors by Juancho!, and letters by Simon Bowland. The cover is by Francesco Francavilla.
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Acclaimed veteran writer Christopher Priest (Deathstroke, Black Panther) and artist Montos step forth into the reality-breaking universe of Heavy Metal with Entropy #1. Featuring colors from Bryan Valenza and lettering by Willie Schubert, the events of this opening issue are a bit hard to parse, but it is overall saved by haunting and compelling moments and some truly great visuals. Heavy Metal is off to a solid start with a top-notch creative team throwing us into the chaos of their version of the cosmos.
“Henry Hanks had a good life, until he betrayed KAKO, the living embodiment of chaos and misery! With his whole world destroyed, Henry is killed and reborn as the newest herald of Kako, with the power to destroy entire worlds in his master’s name.”
Writing & Plot
Christopher Priest has long been known as a writer who plays the long game, and that’s exactly what he’s doing here in Entropy #1. His unmistakable style makes its presence known with a script that throws the readers narration and plot at a jarring pace while keeping the story feeling strangely enrapturing. What happens in this first issue can be a bit hard to parse, as we don’t yet understand why Henry Hanks has been chosen by KAKO or who is behind this comic’s narration. However, as stated earlier, Priest plays the long game. All of these questions will no doubt be answered in future chapters. There’s really no way to discuss the plot without spoilers, so all I will say is that there are some time-related hijinks at play involving Hanks and his becoming KAKO’s new herald. Priest has a tendency to unabashedly wear his influences on his sleeve in his work, and Entropy is no different. Elements of Green Lantern, the Fantastic Four, and Jack Kirby’s Fourth World are blatantly laid out as almost searing visual and narrative references, but there are even hints of Swamp Thing and Spawn to be found. The solicits and Priest himself tout Breaking Bad as a major influence, but that bit seems hidden in this issue. While entertaining in its own right, this is very clearly a classic Priest opening chapter that obscures many of its details in order to clear things up in later issues.
Art Direction
There’s an intricate and impressive duality to what artist Montos does here in Entropy #1. His work in this comic is split between two different settings. The first is Henry Hanks’s happy normal white picket fence life that falls apart. The other half is Hanks in space after he has become the herald of Kako. His work in both parts is impressive, but for very different reasons. The sequences in Hanks’s lost life of normalcy are marked by a kind of inconsistent visual style. Facial details and animations appear exaggerated at points, with certain characters and panels being strangely ugly. There are elements of genuine horror when this reality start literally falling apart for Hanks as he’s being called to serve. The pencils and inks here are mostly sharp, but there are still these moments of strangeness that, in any other context, would just be chalked up as a negative. However, the sharpened beauty of the space sequences shows that this may not be correct. Montos’s work with Henry as the herald is reminiscent of Gary Frank or Liam Sharp’s Green Lantern. The thick lines and detailing are a stunning contrast to the opposite sequence. Montos carries the narrative through his compositions at a breakneck pace that intertwines with the chaotic speed that Priest’s style demands.
Bryan Valenza’s vibrant, darker-skewed colors add a dense atmosphere to this comic’s experience. His work here makes this comic aesthetically appear like an issue from mid to late 2000’s DC, and I don’t mean this as in insult. This visual choice firmly plants the reader in the zone of what this comic truly feels like and what its influences are. All of this plus Willie Schubert’s solid, adaptive, and multi-font lettering makes this a great and surprisingly complex visual experience.
Verdict
Entropy #1 is a compelling yet inconclusive opening chapter. Christopher Priest is at it again with a comic issue that is presented in his usual chaotic but entertaining narrative style, and crafts a script that is absolutely intended as a first chapter rather than a story chunk all on its own. The visuals from Montos and Bryan Valenza are intentionally inconsistent and, at times, absolutely stunning, making this comic feel even more like its titular subject. If this dark space adventure seems like your kind of tale, then be sure to grab this issue when it hits shelves on July 6th!
From writer Andrew Wheeler (Another Castle, Love And War) and artist Travis Moore (Nightwing, The Wolf Among Us) comes a cathartic comic about a fabulous Robin Hood taking some…choice artifacts from their wealthy captors in Sins Of The Black Flamingo #1. Featuring colors from Tamra Bonvillain and letters by Aditya Bidikar, this first chapter is a hilarious and compelling salve for the disturbing reality we currently inhabit. With a script that is as surprising as it is engaging and absolutely stunning visual work, this is easily one of the best first issues of the year so far.
“OCCULT NOIR. MIAMI SLEAZE. Sebastian Harlow is the Black Flamingo, a flamboyant and narcissistic thief who gets his kicks stealing mystic artifacts from the wealthy and corrupt of Miami’s occult underground. When his latest job leads him to his biggest score so far, the hedonistic outlaw discovers something he wasn’t looking for—something to believe in.”
Writing & Plot
What Andrew Wheeler has done with Sins Of The Black Flamingo #1 is mix attitude-filled sleazy comedy with cutting societal commentary and dump in a bucket of supernatural mystery. What starts out as a particularly flavorful heist comic surprises its readers by presenting them with sudden very mystical and haunted hijinks. Equal parts Catwoman: When In Rome, Oceans 11, and The Birdcage, this inventive issue is constantly finding new ways to engage the reader while maintaining a consistent tone. Our debonair protagonist Sebastian Harlow is immediately likeable. His charm and confidence exudes from every panel (mostly due to the art, but we’ll get to that later) thanks to both his dialogue and his overhead narration. All of his word balloons are loaded with sass and snark, but it’s his commentary that really lets this book land in the right spot for this point in history. While Harlow’s words may cut a bit cynical for some, there’s an acidic bite to them that just feels right for how wildly bad the situation is mid-2022. The discussion of America as little more than a giant geographical trashfire that decent people can only hope to scrape by during feels cathartic and spot-on. There’s also a healthy amount of raging on the wealthy and great moments of cultural inclusion that makes this comic as meaningful as it is entertaining. All of this, plus plot points that will keep readers constantly surprised, help this first chapter to be one of the most cleverly written comics of 2022.
Art Direction
A glamorous protagonist deserves equally glamorous visuals, and Travis Moore delivers in spades. The former Nightwing artist brings along his stellar animations and character acting, combining them with sharp composition and detail. All of his character models are completely unique, from the absurdly handsome Sebastian Harlow to a random vagabond running in his underwear through Florida streets. Moore’s characters are a blast to witness as they interact and move through the story, making the already compelling plot many times more engaging. Moore has a great eye for bringing the deranged, teetering on complete insanity state of Florida to life as well. From the glitz of Miami’s wealthiest, to a scorched and humid parking lot in the middle of Key West, the liminal and chaotic nature of the Sunshine State is well captured here. Moore’s panel and page composition perfectly sets this comic’s pace as well. The comic’s opening sequence, which shifts from random snapshots of Floridian life to a fantastic heist scene, feels almost like a Soderbergh film. The deliberate manner with which ever page is blocked envelops the reader in this book’s tone, and makes every wild reveal feel just as massive and unexpected as it should.
Tamra Bonvillain, one of the best doing it today, is on hand for colors in Black Flamingo and she kills it as always. The sunshine and neon palette perfectly captures both the flamboyance of the book’s aesthetic, as well as the humid decay of the state it takes place in. There’s a high-fidelity sheen to the entire comic that makes the pages irresistible to ponder. This is mostly due to just how stunning Bonvillain’s work is. The lettering from Aditya Bidikar is, unsurprisingly, as readable and tonally rich as ever. The fonts shift naturally with character tones and Bidikar uses multiple styles based on what manner of character is speaking. The pink-on-black of the narrative boxes is the perfect touch to carry the tone of this comic’s reading experience. Overall, Black Flamingo is a stunning and aesthetically masterful comic book.
Verdict
Sins Of The Black Flamingo #1 is a stupendously fun, unique, and cathartic comic experience. Andrew Wheeler’s script is incisive, snarky, and genuinely compelling, with twists and reveals that will constantly surprise readers. The visuals from Travis Moore and Tamra Bonvillain are gorgeous and brilliantly composed, crafting a vivid aesthetic and great pacing that will fully engage you into the reading experience. With all the horrid insanity of recent events, this comic deserves your full attention – so be sure to grab it when it hits shelves on June 29th!
