Series Review: HEATHEN – Find Brynhild, Save Father, Kick Odin’s Ass

By

-

From writer & artist Natasha Alterici comes a beautiful, funny, and kickass take on old Norse mythology in Heathen. Featuring additional art by Ashley A. Woods and lettering from Rachel Deering and Morgan Martinez, this series is an impactful tale of love, acceptance, masculinity & femininity, and how to negotiate with mermaids. Featuring a fantastic character-driven plot and stunning visuals, Heathen is a must-read for 2022.

“Aydis is a viking, a warrior, an outcast, and a self-proclaimed heathen. Aydis is friend to the talking horse Saga, rescuer of the immortal Valkyrie Brynhild, and battler of demons and fantastic monsters. Aydis is a woman. Born into a time of warfare, suffering, and subjugation of women, she is on a mission to end the oppressive reign of the god-king

Odin.”

Writing & Plot

Natasha Alterici comes out of the gate tackling socio-political issues left and right in Heathen, while still crafting a wholly engaging and entertaining story. As the solicit states, Aydis – our protagonist – is a woman woman and a warrior, which isn’t *that* rare, but still, men will be men. On top of this, she has been banished from her village for her romantic affiliation with another woman. So, she journeys in exile to free the legendary leader of the Valkyries from a curse Odin placed on her. This is an era of warfare and superstition. Not only do the traditions of the Norsemen hold, but Christianity is making a growing impression on these Vikings’ homeland. All of these subjects and more are handled by Alterici via memorable moments throughout the story. As characters part ways for a time they come across different situations (side quests, really) that broach of particular subject matter. What’s special here is that it all fits so well. None of it feels forced, as the tone is light and fantastical enough that the whole comic has a sort of limitless story possibility. That being said, these sequences still feel grounded in reality.

Alterici’s choices in characterization and dialogue do a wonderful job of creating a consistent tone in the comic. Despite much of its serious subject matter, Heathen is often very funny. The back and forth among many of the characters is snarky and witty, without ever broaching too hard into Whedon/MCU style “quips” that are so prevalent in modern dialogue writing. While there are a lot of great scenes and memorable characters, I believe my favorites are Skoll and Hati. If they could get their own spinoff, that would be great. With all the levity this comic brings, Alterici still lands the serious moments perfectly. The importance and gravity of the major plot events and the more commentative scenes are all treated with care. Alterici pens some absolute magic in this book, with a cast of wholly memorable and unique characters and themes that will no doubt hit hard for many readers. While there is a bit of a plot contrivance near the end (some allies meeting up with other allies out of nowhere) and the final issue does feel a tad rushed, this series is very tightly constructed and wonderfully written.

Art Direction

What will doubtless stay in readers’ minds after finishing Heathen is how Alterici visually crafts her take on the Norse world. Her approach mixes a sort of watercolor and wax-pencil landscape design with phenomenal character animations to craft something completely unique. Readers will be immediately endeared to the cast just through how much attention to detail Alterici puts into facial expressions. There’s a sort of “Webtoon” style approach to her design, and this is meant entirely as a compliment. Every page has a definite “thumbnail” moment that nails down the book’s humor. On the other hand, all other ranges of emotion are felt deeply in how Alterici displays it in her cast. Animal and creature designs are also on point. It’s tempting to ask how Alterici felt while drawing so many horses and wolves, known pain-points for comic artists, but regardless she absolutely nails it every time. Her landscape and many other details are often kept to a minimalist sort of sketchbook style. This, combined with her earthy watercolor tones, makes the series feel more like an ancient scrawling of a mythical tale. This isn’t always the case, as many of the outfits and some structures are given considerable attention depending on the context of a scene. Alterici’s page and panel composition creates a steady, careful pace for the reader to move through the story with. Character moments have a great classic “comic strip” feel to them, where conversations come off as measured and impactful. The action is also well-choreographed and epic, making the badass sequences be, well, more badass. The lettering from Rachel Deering and Morgan Martinez is solid and easy to read, with a hand-drawn feel that fits the comic. The SFX notes sort of blend into the panels, making them noticeable while not standing out too much.

It should be noted that Alterici steps away from the art after issue #8, with Ashley A. Woods taking over for the final four chapters. The shift is clearly noticeable, but most readers should adjust quickly to the change. Woods does a great job of mimicking Alterici’s style and utilizing her designs to finish this comic’s story. Truthfully, I find Alterici’s work preferable, but Woods is still stellar in these final issues. Overall, Heathen is is a fantastic looking comic series with a noticeably unique visual style that suits its setting and atmosphere brilliantly.

Verdict

Heathen is yet another outstanding original creation in the Vault Comics lineup. Natasha Alterici, with the help of artist Ashley A. Woods and letterers Rachel Deering and Morgan Martinez, creates a powerful, meaningful, kickass, and hilarious 12-issue story that takes full advantage of its mythology by breaking all the fake rules that are placed upon it. With heartfelt and clever character-focused writing and perfectly fitting art, this full softcover collection of Heathen is a must-own for 2022. Be sure to grab a copy from your local comic shop today!

Monkeys Fighting Robots Youtube

Review: Firestarter offers a dull flame in new adaptation

By

Eric Trigg

-

Firestarter manages to tell an uninteresting story that also happens to be poorly written. The original film from 1984 starred Drew Barrymore in the titular role, and while not great, it is better than this latest attempt. Firestarter does show signs of potential but is held back by its weak performances, poor editing, and a script that cause a lot of unintended laughter. Leaving little room to connect with its characters, Firestarter will not be remembered in the near future.

Based on Stephen King’s Novel, Firestarter follows Charlie, a girl with pyrokinetic powers, hunted by sinister forces that want to use her gift for mass destruction. Directed by Keith Thomas, the film stars Ryan Kiera Armstrong, Zac Efron, Sydney Lemmon, Kurtwood Smith, and Gloria Reuben. Halloween Kills co-writer Scott Teems wrote this screenplay, and it offers one of the most uninteresting narratives this year. Armstrong is acceptable in the role of Charlie, but her scenes with Efron, who stars as her father, are not very convincing.

Besides its stale acting, Firestarter has a screenplay that will make a lot of viewers struggle to comprehend certain character motivations and decisions. For instance, Charlie is in public school despite her parents knowing the danger she could cause. They are trying to hide from this agency that is after Charlie, so this seems like an obvious thing to not do if you want to hide. Charlie’s parents are very familiar with this agency, which makes this decision hard to digest.

John Carpenter’s score for Firestarter is the strongest component when considering how inferior the other aspects are. It’s working overtime to add an ounce of tension or intensity to certain scenes. I can say that the practical effects used were impressive, but it felt like more care went into displaying Charlie’s powers than it did in giving viewers a compelling story. Every character is one-note or unlikable, minimal effort is put into telling you why you should be invested in this narrative.

Thomas’ direction here just completes this messy film, as a lot feels like it’s racing to a finish that isn’t worth witnessing. Poor pacing combined with these moments that do nothing to further the plot make Firestarter a chore to sit through. One of its worst bits of dialogue comes from a character highlighting that they shouldn’t trust everything on their TV. Perhaps the way it was delivered is what made it cringe, but it seemed like a hollow attempt to virtue signal.

Firestarter might be the worst film experience I’ve had so far this year, but I enjoyed certain parts of this film. As mentioned above, humor can be found in how idiotic this story gets. Laughable dialogue is one thing, but lining yourself up to be slaughtered when there’s room to escape is another level of hilarious. Charlie has a sequence in the finale where she is taking out those that stand in her way, and none of them seem to notice the failed efforts of their peers before deciding to battle Charlie themselves.

If there’s one redeeming quality about Firestarter, it’s that it doesn’t overstay its welcome. To those that feel like they are trapped while watching, don’t worry, the film won’t drag on. However, some might argue that it loses its steam after the opening credits. Firestarter just doesn’t have much going for it outside of the effects, which become horrendous once blood tears are introduced. If Carpenter’s score wasn’t here, this would be a very rough experience. Firestarter is going to work for some people, but as a whole, this one won’t be remembered in the years to come.

Monkeys Fighting Robots Youtube

INTERVIEW: HEAVY METAL DRUMMER’S Kiefer Findlow & Emiliano Plissken

By

Manuel Gomez

-

May 19, 2022

Heavy Metal Drummer (published by Behemoth) is one of the most insane comics I have read in a while. Like some kind of cosmic John Carpenter acid trip, HWD is immersive, mind-bending and completely atmospheric. So when I reached out to writers Kiefer Findlow and Emiliano Plissken about an interview and they agreed, I was beyond excited. So read the chat below and make sure you add Heavy Metal Drummer to your LCS pull list, you seriously have to be reading this book.

MFR: Kiefer and Emiliano, you both created this book together, so why don’t you each drop an ‘elevator pitch’ on Heavy Metal Drummer. Like how do you describe this insane book to someone?
Kiefer Findlow: I’ve had to explain it so many times and each time I get to that point of “how do I explain this in 25 words or less” and I don’t know if I’ve ever cracked it (laughs). I’d say imagine ‘They Live’ crossed with ‘Species’ with a twist of ‘Maniac’ all on a light dose of LSD. That maybe gets close to what it is as an experience.

Emiliano Plissken: The Cosmic Mirror would say: Words cannot explain the real nature of this book (laughs). I pretty much agree with Kiefer’s description. It’s an experience. If you are not easily offended and you happen to dig ’80s body & cosmic horror films, bizarre indie comics, heavy metal music and lysergic art, I think there is a big chance that you like this shit.

MFR: Yeah, I’d say that is actually a pretty good description. I didn’t even think about They Live but now that you mention it, I totally see it. You guys are dropping some vivid references I can totally see. Are there any direct comic book influences on HMD? A particular series, book, artist?
EP: Two cool comics that I really love and I would say they were big influences are The Filth by Grant Morrison and Space Riders by Ziritt.

MFR: What about them did you find inspiring?
EP: Reading The Filth for the first time was a really cool trip. That shit was crazy. I barely understood what was going on in there ha but I remember I really liked the experience of reading it, I was trapped by the dope imagery and the insane story. It inspired me to try to make that kind of comics. Also, we are all big fans of Ziritt’s art and we have used Space Riders colors as reference for HMD lysergic sequences.

KF: For me, this might sound left field but the Marvel Knights run of The Punisher by Ennis was always a reference point for the tone. That’s always been one of my favourite series and the way it would have these absurd moments of levity and comedy. But would also have quite disturbing, gritty elements balanced with it. Sin City as well and Jim Starlin’s run of Warlock probably factor in there too for me.

MFR: What’s your comic book origin story? What’s your history with comics?
KF: I think the first comic I picked up as kid was that one where Superman fought Tornados (laughs)? I think it was when Twister came out. Comics in Australia when I was a kid were pretty hard to come by. There weren’t a lot of stores and I grew up in the country so it was scarce. So films were the bigger exposure point.
I started properly getting into reading them at around 15 or so. Around the time Civil War was huge in 2006 I was right into it. From there I got to go back and read Alan Moore, Frank Miller and Gaiman’s The Sandman which all opened my mind to what comics could be. Things got progressively weirder and darker from there…

EP: Kiefer and I, are both filmmakers originally, we met each other at Monster Fest 2016 in Melbourne. I, personally, along with my wife Emilia, we started to work in comics at the end of 2017 after watching Jodorowsky’s Dune. We felt pretty frustrated at that time with not being able to get our films done, and in the movie, Jodorowsky says that if you can’t materialize your ideas into a film you should try to make it real using another artistic medium. We thought that comic books were a medium where our stories could fit pretty well so we gave it a try.

MFR: Alright, so we know film is a huge influence on you guys. But what about music? Emiliano mentioned heavy metal music and obviously, the book is literally called ‘Heavy Metal Drummer’…so do any particular bands or genres of metal have an impact? What would be the book’s soundtrack?
EP: I believe music is very important for all of us and it always has been a big part during the creative process. Most of the time, the ideas or the imagery for a new story comes while listening to a record. In our case, when we are working with Emilia on a new story, music helps us to set the tone of the story. We also have always a record playing in the background to get the proper setup for the writing. I can name a few albums that I was listening to at the time we were working on Hmd: Slayer’s Seasons in the Abyss, Sepultura’s Beneath The Remains, Morbid Saint’s Spectrum Of Death, Death’s Leprosy & Symbolic, Ministry’s Psalm 69, Pantera’s The Great Southern Trendkill, etc. Also some post-punk bands such as The Fall, Public Image Limited, Wire and some hip hop albums as well such as Danny Brown’s Atrocity Exhibition and Vince Staples’ Summertime 06.

KF: Yeah, totally. Music is a huge part of the creative process. I’ve been playing Bass since I was a teen and composed a few soundtracks for my own work. Having the right record on when writing is key. I’d have on a few different records, a mix of John Carpenter soundtracks (Prince of Darkness & once again They Live) and then lots of ’70s Metal and Prog Rock. Rush’s 2112, Black Sabbath’s Master of Reality, Dio’s Holy Diver. Some newer stuff like Earth’s Primitive but Deadly and The Sword’s Warp Riders got a few rotations too. Oh, and King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard were in the background a bit too.

MFR: Since we’re talking music, how did you guys link up with Behemoth? I know they put out music as well as books. Did you guys pitch this to them? And now that we’re on this topic, what was the initial origin of HMD?
KF: I’ll let Emiliano answer about how we got linked up with Behemoth. As for HMD’s origin, we had both wanted to work on something together for ages. Emiliano came to me with the idea of doing a comic after he and Emilia had produced The Gatherer and Purple Oblivion. From memory, I think Emiliano came to me with the concept of the alien cat parasites taking over these elderly ladies (you can fill more on where that one came from brother). From there we had a solid starting point and it just grew from us going back and forth with pages each. Where this madness originated from is a mystery to me because so much of it just seemed to organically flow.

EP: Yes, Kiefer is right. I had this idea of an alien virus that behaves like toxoplasmosis, first infecting rats and then using them to climb up in the food chain until they get to humans. I remember also that I had this idea of these aliens invading earth and possessing women in order to use their vaginas as a teleporter machine. If I remember correctly the first draft we start working on it was called Teleprostitutes from outer space or something like that and then it ended up being called Heavy Metal Drummer. Regarding Behemoth, we started working with them at the end of 2017. They were just starting the publisher and we were just starting writing comics. We sent him a short 16 pages pitch of The Gatherer OGN. They liked it and we started to work together. They are always down to publish our crazy stuff.

MFR: So what’s the creative process with you guys? How do you guys communicate and get things done?
EP: I think Kiefer put it perfectly when he said it’s been surprisingly smooth considering we have been working from opposite sides of the world (Australia-Argentina) It worked really on momentum. I would get a flow for a few pages and then when it stopped we would hand it over. Back and forth, we were able to build the story really organically. It would be great to get stuck at a point and then get Emiliano’s pages and just be thrilled… which then re-energized my momentum to pick up the next leg. We were oddly in sync the whole way through. I think that’s one of those special connections when artistic collaboration works at its best and I think it shows. I would like to add that we also had a big hand from Emilia, she helped us to get a better narrative close, and she helped us to get more explicit its “They Live-esque” vibes adding the reptilians in the main story, something we had missed during the writing process.

MFR: I also love the size and dimensions of the book. It’s very unique. What led to the book’s smaller size?
EP: That’s a question for the guys from Behemoth. They took care of all the matters regarding the printing and stuff.

KF: As much as I would like us to be able to take credit for it (laughs)! I think it really did add to the experience though of picking it up for readers. Its size gives it that unique underground comic look and kinda signposts that “this is something really different”. So the process of writing was a back and forth, ‘ take a leg of pages and then send them over to Emiliano, He’d add and work on them and we would just build between each other’s flows. Sometimes one of us would have a really solid vision of say half an issue and then pass the baton on. Considering we are on opposite sides of the world it felt like we were always in sync about where the story was going. Once an issue was in a good state we would have Luca (HWD artist) work on the layouts from there. I believe Luca works digitally? (can you confirm Emiliano?). It’s been a really unique experience having such an international team through the process with Behemoth being in Texas, it’s been a real United Nations of comics!

EP: Luca has worked analog in HMD. Pencils, inks and colors have been made in photoshop.

MFR: Speaking of Luca, How did they join the team? Where did this fantastic artist come from?
EP: He was born in Chile but he lives in Argentina. I met him on Instagram when Kiefer and I were looking for an artist who can fit aesthetically with what we were looking for in HMD art. We get along pretty well from the very beginning. Now we are working together on a couple of projects.

MFR: Awesome. I think Instagram is perfect for finding artists. Social media at its best! So a couple of new projects? I am glad you mentioned that because that’s my last question. What’s next for you guys? What are you working on after that drum rolls for HWD?
KF: So we have quite a few coming down the pipeline. Together we have been working on 3 further books, one called Death Tripper which is a story about a cyberpunk cult of nuns that hunt down Neo-nazis and worship a worm-like being that feeds on the human experience of death. The second is a Thing-esque book about an alien rainbow liquid that begins assimilating the ground crew of a remote airport, that’s called The Unknown Spectrum. Also, a prequel to HMD called Heavy Metal Yakuza which will hopefully be the second of a trilogy. But I won’t say too much about that right now. Separately I’m working on a book called 1981 A.D. which is a post-apocalyptic, psychedelic, zombie mash-up set in rural Australia, two years after the world ends in 1979.

EP: Kiefer already told you about the new projects we are working on together. From my side, I am working along with Emilia and Luca in a couple of new projects. The Firstborns is a sci-fi horror five issues mini-series and Daemon is a horror five issues mini-series about a band of black metallers and their encounter with an evil entity summoned via an ancient mask. The Firstborns is already done and it will be published by Behemoth soon.

Follow Kiefer Findlow at:
Facebook: @kieferfindlow
Instagram: @theta_sigma_omega
Twitter: @opposite_number
Website: https://losthighstudios.com

Follow Emiliano Plissken at:
Instagram: @emilianoplissken, @plisskenstudio
Website: https://plisskenstudio.com/

Monkeys Fighting Robots Youtube

Check Out Five Pages From STAR WARS: THE MANDALORIAN #1

By

Matthew Sardo

-

May 19, 2022

Check Out The First Five Pages Of STAR WARS: THE MANDALORIAN #1

STAR WARS: THE MANDALORIAN #1 hits your local comic book shop on July 6, but thanks t Marvel Comics, Monkeys Fighting Robots has a five-page first look for our readers. The eight-issue adaptation of the Disney+ series’ first season is written by Rodney Barnes, with art by Georges Jeanty, and Rachelle Rosenberg drops the color.

About STAR WARS: THE MANDALORIAN #1:
The saga of the Mandalorian comes to Marvel Comics! Kicking off in July, STAR WARS: THE MANDALORIAN will be an eight-issue adaptation of the Disney+ series’ first season, giving fans a chance to relive the events and characters of Season 1 through the lens of writer Rodney Barnes and artist Georges Jeanty! From the thrilling introduction of Mandalorian bounty hunter Din Djarin to his unforgettable first encounter with the Child, these iconic STAR WARS moments will be brought to life in a brand-new way.

STAR WARS: THE MANDALORIAN #1
Written by RODNEY BARNES
Art by GEORGES JEANTY
Inks by KARL STORY
Colors by RACHELLE ROSENBERG
Cover by ADI GRANOV – 75960609986300111
Action Figure Variant Cover by JOHN TYLER CHRISTOPHER – 75960609986300121
Variant Cover by DECLAN SHALVEY – 75960609986300161
Variant Cover by DAVID AJA – 75960609986300171
Variant Cover by LEINIL FRANCIS YU & SUNNY GHO – 75960609986300131
Pride Variant Cover by PHIL JIMENEZ & ARIF PRIANTO – 75960609986300181
Concept Art Variant Cover by NICK GINDAUX – 75960609986300151
TV Variant Cover – 75960609986300141

Monkeys Fighting Robots Youtube

Review: A Dragon’s Dad in SHAOLIN COWBOY: CRUEL TO BE KIN #1

By

Hank Essman

-

After a five-year break, Geof Darrow’s signature creation has wandered his way into a new series. This time, the focus has turned towards a story about parenting. Where the child happens to be a Komodo Dragon. And the parent has to save said child by waterskiing through the desert tethered to a pterodactyl. Writer/Artist Geof Darrow, Colorist Dave Stewart, and Letterer Nate Piekos all work in tandem to continue the Cowboy’s never-ending journey through the surreal. It’s almost like he never left.

WRITING

The issue opens with the Shaolin Cowboy still standing in the same intersection the last miniseries ended in, clutching the wounds from his climactic battle with King Crab. But instead of being set from the Cowboy’s perspective, Darrow frames the issue around a pair of talking father and son Komodo Dragons. While the pair sit atop the roof of an old apartment, the Father immediately recognizes the Cowboy from a distance. It turns out the aged lizard had met who he calls “the Desert Wanderer” many years ago. In a flashback, we learn that shortly after hatching from an egg in the desert, the Father had been threatened with being eaten by his own father. Wandering by at an opportune time, the Cowboy stumbled on the attempted infanticide and chose to save the fresh hatchling. The Komodo Dragon immediately decided to take the Wanderer as a new father figure. But soon, the new partners are threatened by a diminutive man riding a giant jellyfish.

Looking at all the previous Shaolin Cowboy installments, Cruel to Be Kin is tonally closest to the very first miniseries, Start Trek. While all three past series had quite a bit of spectacle, the first went furthest in throwing different scenarios at the Cowboy, jumping from an all-out desert brawl, to a city perched atop the back of a giant creature, to an underground shark pit. This issue ending with a baby man on a chi-channeling jellyfish feels like a statement of intent. That after two installments focusing on threats which were relatively grounded by Shaolin Cowboy standards, the absurdity is being ratcheted back up. Darrow mused on his Facebook that this series was created during the height of the pandemic, developing into an effort to create something worth leaving behind in case the virus prematurely killed him. So the brakes are off. This is Shaolin Cowboy at its most feverishly creative.

Which isn’t to say that the issue lacks a thematic through line. Darrow’s main obsession throughout Shaolin Cowboy has been with consumption. The Cowboy himself was kicked out of his Shaolin temple for being unable to forsake earthly pleasures. The main antagonist of past issues was the product of the Cowboy losing control at an all-you-can-eat buffet. The world is choked with graffiti and garbage. So the real-world fact that Komodo Dragons often eat their young is a perfect launching point for the series. Whether the comic will remain in flashback is yet to be seen, though the title ‘Cruel to Be Kin” makes it clear that the relationship between the Cowboy and the Dragon won’t be a purely positive one. At least they haven’t tried to eat one another.

ART

Darrow’s a born maximalist, cramming everything he can into each and every page. It works hand-in-hand in a series obsessed with excess. And after a series set squarely in a crowded town, Darrow gets to return to drawing two of his favorite subjects: Majestic desert landscapes and garbage. Whenever the action kicks into gear, the swirling desert dust goes flying, along with countless cigarette butts and beer bottles. An ancient dinosaur skeleton is covered in graffiti, ranging from a McDonalds logo to the phrase “Dick 101.” But the wildlife aren’t exactly clean either. Darrow’s people and animals constantly sweat, bleed, and spit. A few frogs even smoke. Touch any surface in this comic and your hands will come back sticky or stained.

Dave Stewart’s coloring works to emphasize the hot and heavy, sun-bleached desert most of the comic takes place in. The sky is sickly yellow and the landscape varying shades of orange, pink, and brown. The only real cool blues come from the Cowboy’s ineffective sun-blocking umbrella, and the intentionally out-of-place giant flying jellyfish. The desert is rendered as a beautiful place (aside from all the garbage), but deeply inhospitable.

Nate Piekos is given an unenviable job lettering all the captions and dialogue. Because much like everything else in Shaolin Cowboy, there’s a lot of it. The Komodo Dragons constantly provide commentary on events throughout the story, sometimes losing focus and going on tangents. But much of the dialogue is given rhythm through liberal use of italics and boldface, especially for the baby man near the end of the issue. Speechless skeletons communicate only through lowercase “clik clak.” It all helps give the dialogue personality, which is important for such larger-than-life characters.

VERDICT

Shaolin Cowboy: Cruel to Be Kin #1 continues to maintain Darrow’s off-kilter sense of humor and spectacle. It’s a comic that feels like something that only Geof Darrow could make, which is one of the highest compliments a comic can get. It’s out today from Dark Horse, so make sure to pick one up.

Monkeys Fighting Robots Youtube

AfterShock Comics Exclusive Preview: WE LIVE: AGE OF THE PALLADIONS #3

By

Anthony Composto - EIC

-

May 19, 2022

we live age of palladions aftershock comics exclusive preview

WE LIVE: AGE OF THE PALLADIONS #3 hits your local comic book store June 8th, but thanks to AfterShock Comics, Monkeys Fighting Robots has an exclusive four-page preview for you.

About the issue:
A vision from Oracle starts to show its cards. Up in the skies, the storm does not appear to abate, falling upon everybody. Down below, the path of the hero begins to fade at every step. Nesbo sees how the lives that he took under his wings irrevocably slip through his fingers. Hototo and the reconnection team arrive at their mysterious destination; from this point on everything becomes uncertain territory that feels like moving sand. Meanwhile, Tala and Humbo’s journey to Megalopolis 9 has changed direction, and hands…

The series is by brothers Inaki & Roy Miranda (they co-write and Inaki handles the art), with colors by Eva De La Cruz, and letters by Dave Sharpe. The cover is by Inaki Miranda.

Check out the WE LIVE: AGE OF THE PALLADIONS #3 preview below:

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

Monkeys Fighting Robots Youtube

Read The First Six Pages Of THE HARBINGER #8

By

Matthew Sardo

-

May 18, 2022

THE HARBINGER #8 hits your local comic book store on May 25, but thanks to Valiant Entertainment, Monkeys Fighting Robots has a six-page exclusive preview for our readers. The book is written by Collin Kelly and Jackson Lanzing, with art by Robbi Rodriguez, Rico Renzi drops the color, and you will read Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou’s letter work.

About THE HARBINGER #8:
Psiot City is at war! A version of Peter Stanchek stands on both sides of the battle. It’s Harbinger vs. Renegade in the grand finale of THE HARBINGER, and only one version of Peter can remain…

Enjoy the preview below.

Monkeys Fighting Robots Youtube

Review: I HATE THIS PLACE #1 – Feed The Cows, Mind The Ghosts, Watch For Aliens

By

Justin Munday

-

Writer Kyle Starks (Six Sidekicks of Trigger Keaton, Rick And Morty) and artist Artyom Toplin come together for a collage of farmhouse horror in I Hate This Place #1. Featuring colors by Lee Loughridge and letters from Pat Brosseau, this opening chapter fires a shotgun blast of monsters and ghouls at the wall for one of the most fun creature features in recent memory. With fantastic, tense scripting and stellar visual work, this is a must-read for fans of off-kilter horror comics.

“After inheriting a farm house, Trudy and Gabby are ready to start the next chapter of their lives together…except it’s already home to a mysterious force that’s attracted ghosts, aliens, and all kinds of supernatural beings for decades.”

Writing & Plot

Kyle Starks puts together an immensely fun script for I Hate This Place #1. Every aspect of the plot and dialogue feels measured while still coming off as naturalistic and tonally appropriate. Trudy and Gabby, our leading couple, both have perfectly distinct personalities and are a blast to read as characters. Their dialogue and mannerisms bounce off of each other in a way that mimics a real couple with excellent chemistry. The pair’s quirks and details all come about through Stark’s script naturally, making this one of the most fun married couples to read in recent memory. Their reactions to the insane crap that happens to them is calmer than one would expect, but it fits with the overall feel of the comic. Speaking of that insane crap, Stark throws a bunch of it out there and it somehow all lands. Like a mix of The X-Files and The Cabin In The Woods, this story takes a bunch of different horror monsters and lets the roam free in different spaces on this little farm land. The core concept that comes into play – living on this land and just dealing with these entities as just a part of the property – is both hilarious and terrifying. The most impressive part of Stark’s script is how easy it is to care about this couple and feel empathy and fear for them, in the midst of such an insane plot. This is a fantastic script from beginning to end, and I’m already eager to see the next issue.

Art Direction

A comic with as insane a plot as I Hate This Place #1 deserves an equally insane art style. Fortunately, Artyom Toplin is here to deliver. His pencils make for a distinct design aesthetic that works very well in this book. Toplin’s sort of left-of-center, off-kilter designs for monsters and characters make each face and locale memorable. Toplin’s style is like a mix of Ryan Browne and Regular Show creator J.G. Quintel, and this is said as nothing but a compliment. His compositions are sleek and smartly framed, making the pacing of this issue saunter along with tension while endearing us more to the characters. This comic’s horror exists because of how Toplin builds sequences, which is doubly impressive given the book’s wild plot. Lee Loughridge’s colors finish off the aesthetic with a dark spectrum of neon and vaporwave-style hues. His work in here is eerie yet fun to look at, which fits perfectly with the rest of the comic. The lettering from Pat Brosseau has a neat hand drawn feel in both the regular text and the SFX letters. Functionally, it does as expected and makes for an easy reading experience – but looks cool while doing it. Overall, this is a comic that will stick out on the shelf and in your mind after reading it.

Verdict

I Hate This Place #1 is a crazy horror concept that is greatly executed. Kyle Starks’ writing is loaded with fantastic character work, memorable monster-intros, and a surprising amount of tension considering how nuts the plot is. The visuals from Artyom Toplin and Lee Loughridge are vivid and memorable, doing a great job of setting the pace and crafting this comic’s unique horror light-horror atmosphere. Be sure to grab this new issue when it hits shelves on May 18th!

Monkeys Fighting Robots Youtube

Review: DUO #1 – Finishing Each Other’s…Biomed Projects!

By

Justin Munday

-

From writer Greg Pak (Star Wars: Darth Vader, The Incredible Hulk) and artists Khoi Pham (Teen Titans, The Mighty Avengers) and Scott Hanna comes a new Milestone comic with one unique couple dynamic in Duo #1. Featuring colors by Chris Sotomayor and letters from Janice Chiang, this new chapter is held aloft by a fantastic, engaging script but let down by some just *okay* visual work.

“Nanotech engineers Dr. Kelly Vu and Dr. David Kim are committed to only one thing more than each other: using their regenerative nanobots to save the world. And following a violent attack, those very same nanobots end up saving David and Kelly’s lives…sort of. Their salvation comes with an unexpected consequence: husband and wife awaken to realize that they now share one super-powered body! But how close is too close, with the love of your life literally in your head? And what happens when a couple so closely bound discovers they have very different ideas about how their newfound powers should be used?”

Writing & Plot

A capitalist conspiracy, a compelling couple, and genuine emotional stakes make for one great first issue script in Duo #1. Greg Pak charms readers with a happily in-love pair in Doctors Kelly Vu and David Kim, and makes them even better with his sense of dialogue and characterization. This is a couple that wants solely to use their knowledge and resources to improve the world around them. Pak hits us with these altruistic tendencies from the opening pages, and makes us fall even more in love with this couple via their excellent dialogue. This is a couple that is sickeningly in love, but the text never gets too bubbly or cringe-y. Pak effectively makes this pair so loveable so that when tragedy at the hands of greedy a-holes strikes, it’s genuinely upsetting. What develops after this book’s major catastrophe is a wild combination of cool yet conceptually terrifying. Two people occupying the same body, even the most loving of couples, is a mortifying thought. The potential of what this titular duo can do with this incredible nanobot-driven power is exciting, and I also cannot wait to see them kick the crap out of the fat-cats that are responsible for their situation.

Art Direction

The sort of bright, futuristic aesthetic of Earth-M in Duo #1 is brought to life by the pencils of Khoi Pham. His compositions and character animations carry this comic’s pacing and endear readers to Kelly and David. His designs for some specific enemies that arrive are creepy and outright unnerving, adding a slice of horror into this superhero comic. This issue’s sense of pacing is carefully cultivated by how Pham builds sequences. He makes decisive cuts and shots on mostly larger panels that make the reading experience flow smoothly across the pages. His work here is largely very solid. However, I hate to say it’s the other areas of the art that fall short. The inks here lack any sort of definition and, when combined with the color style, make the comic look almost clay-like. Character features end up appearing soft and gummy and it results in pages that can be difficult to fully engage with. The colors, while vivid and rich in tone, have a sort of hyper-digital effect that could rub some readers the wrong way. It isn’t inherently bad, but could be considered an acquired taste. Oddly enough, similar inconsistencies were a part of the first issue of the new Blood Syndicate, so maybe it’s just an odd creative choice in the new Milestone books. The lettering from Janice Chiang is clean and completely serviceable, with fluid font changes and solid SFX lettering that blends into the reading experience well. Overall, this is a perfectly readable visual experience that I wish had been looked over a couple more times.

Verdict

Duo #1 is a comic with a fantastic script and solid penciling that is let down by inconsistent detail work. Greg Pak’s writing here is compelling, with great dialogue and twists that will bring out genuine emotional reactions from readers. Despite some great pencils from Khoi Pham, the details work in the inks and colors leaves something to be desired. Overall however, this comic is absolutely worth a pickup, so be sure to grab a copy when it hits shelves on May 17th!

Monkeys Fighting Robots Youtube

Read The First Four Pages Of NIGHTWING #92

By

Matthew Sardo

-

May 16, 2022

NIGHTWING #92 hits your local comic book shop tomorrow, but thanks to DC Comics, we have a four-page preview to share with our readers. The book is written by Tom Taylor, with art by Bruno Redondo, Adriano Lucas drops the colors, and you will read Wes Abbott’s letter work. Variant covers by Jamal Campbell, Jen Bartel, and David Talaski.

About the issue.
Blüdhaven mayor Melinda Zucco is in trouble—pretending to work for Blockbuster while secretly trying to take him and his gang of criminals down, while also working alongside Dick Grayson to uplift the city. But as his half-sister sharing the last name of the man who killed his parents, it’s…a lot to juggle, and enough for one to accidentally let slip a secret or two in the wrong company if she’s not careful… Meanwhile, Nightwing and Oracle cuddle up and decide to finally define their relationship.

Enjoy the preview below:

Monkeys Fighting Robots Youtube