Frank Miller Presents – RONIN: BOOK II #1 hit your local comic book shop today. The six-issue mini-series is written by Frank Miller, with art by Phillip Tan and Daniel Henriques, and you will read John Workman’s letter work. Miller also created the series and worked on layouts.
As part of the Panel Breakdown series, we analyze this issue and enjoy the spectacle and giant layouts used in the comic. Check the video below.
Did you pick up RONIN: BOOK II #1?
About RONIN: BOOK II #1: Frank Miller returns to one of his most critically praised and influential body of works, RONIN. This six-part mini-series follows the original work and takes Casey and her newborn son across the ravaged landscape of America. With layouts by Miller, the beautiful panoramic art by Philip Tan and Daniel Henriques captures all the energy and excitement of the original series, taking the characters and world into a direction all its own. Not to be missed!
WHO KILLED SARAH SHAW? is a Patreon-exclusive weekly webcomic, but thanks to the writer Frankee White, Monkeys Fighting Robots has a five-page preview to share with our readers. Adam Markiewicz is the artist on the series, with cover color art by Nicky Rodriguez, and Tim Daniel / Second Rocket handled the logo & cover design.
About WHO KILLED SARAH SHAW?: This project is a labor of love. It’s planned to be our longest story yet, hopping between past and present with a varied cast of characters in the fictional but fully realized town of Hardground.
Our hope for this story is that as you spend more and more time with the citizens of Hardground, you’ll become invested in the tangled web of their lives and become compelled to join Jes and Dave in their search for the truth.
The title of the story isn’t just a snappy eye-catcher; it’s a question, a plea, to you, the reader: WHO KILLED SARAH SHAW?
DAHLIA IN THE DARK #1 hits your local comic book store on December 7, but thanks to Mad Cave Studios, Monkeys Fighting Robots has an exclusive trailer reveal and the first four pages of the book to read. The book is written by Joe Corallo, with art by Andrea Milana, and you will read Micah Myers’ letter work. Andrea Milana and Chris Shehan worked on the covers.
About DAHLIA IN THE DARK: A washed-up hitman, Donny Dahlia, takes one last job transporting a package cross country in the hopes of seeing his estranged daughter again. Little does he know this job will get him caught in the middle of a war between the fairy realms that could determine the fate of humankind.
Enjoy a four-page preview below.
Do you have DAHLIA IN THE DARK #1 on your pull list?
From Ice Cream Man creators W. Maxwell Prince and Martin Morazzo comes a tale of fine art conspiracy, murder, and the madness behind the paintings in Art Brut #1. Featuring colors by Mat Lopes and Chris O’Halloran, as well as lettering from Good Old Neon, this opening chapter is a clear tribute to Silver Age adventure comics, but injected with Prince and Morazzo’s personal brand of modern absurdity. For fans of Ice Cream Man – or just inventive comics in general – this is a definite must-read.
“The world of fine art is falling apart, and only ART BRUT knows how to fix it. Alongside the Bureau of Artistic Integrity, Arthur Brut the Mad Dreampainter (and his trusty sidekick, Manny the Mannequin) must dive back into the very paintings that made him insane…or reality itself might just crumble to pieces. A colorful, gonzo romp through art and art history, ART BRUT is equal parts police procedural, hyper-fantasy, and psychological thriller-a veritable Pollock-splatter of comics genres tossed onto one giant pulpy canvas!”
Writing & Plot
Lovingly familiar yet wonderfully creative, W. Maxwell Prince’s script for Art Brut #1 is delightfully absurd in the most compelling ways. Like an episode of Johnny Quest after dropping acid at the Louvre, Prince’s story is a tribute to classic Silver Age adventure done with an exceedingly clever plot around the world of gallery art. Art Brut, an insane “Dreampainter,” is called upon to assist in solving a series of art-based murders happening across the globe. Little do his handlers know of the secrets behind the fine art world – and of the worlds existing behind the canvas. As readers of Prince’s work would expect, his script walks the tightrope of complete insanity and genuine humanity. In the middle of this abstract adventure comic lies a compelling story about a man whose sanity lies on the other side of the painted picture. Prince’s humor consistently lands and fits in with the tone of the story perfectly. While Art Brut does have its bloody bits, it isn’t a horror comic and stays consistently light-hearted throughout – with a couple melancholy scenes during the more intimate character moments. Brut is a character I can’t wait to uncover more about, and his adventures with his sidekick Manny the Mannequin are no doubt going to be a ridiculous ride as Prince explores the secrets behind this world of art.
Art Direction
Art Brut #1’s biggest draw for many is likely to be the unmistakable style of Martin Morazzo’s pencils. Before Ice Cream Man became a modern classic, Morazzo honed his unique sense of animation and character design in this eccentric indie comic. For those who may be worried that because Brut is an older comic the quality may not be quite up to snuff, have no fear. Morazzo’s work here looks as though this could be an Ice Cream Man follow-up instead of its predecessor. His signature style may be divisive to some, in a similar way Frank Quietly’s work is – after all, their penciling approach is alike. However, for those in tune with how unique this comic is and can accept an out of the ordinary art style, Morazzo’s work here is an absolute treat. His work here is perfectly complimented by the colors of Mat Lopes. The color artist behind The Dreaming and Ka-Zar brings his dynamic and dreamlike visual approach to this weird take on art itself and does so with a spectacular finish. Every panel smacks the reader in the face with vivid colorwork, and Lopes nails the transitions from the “normal” world to the weird artistic world with a smooth yet jarring finish. His work makes the pages seem like they could be reached into, much like the paintings Art and Manny investigate. Visually, Art Brut is an even more stunning achievement than Ice Cream Man, and captures this strange world of artistic conspiracy brilliantly.
Verdict
Art Brut #1 is a delightfully strange and utterly unique comic that wears its influences on its sleeve, but is still very much its own beast. W. Maxwell Prince’s script is often hilarious, but also deeply human, with a sense of levity brought out by his clever dialogue and Silver Age sensibilities. The visuals from Martin Morazzo and Mat Lopes bring out that familiar style that fans of Ice Cream Man will be pleased to see, but with a very different tonal approach due to the colorwork. Be sure to grab this remastered issue when it hits shelves on December 14th!
Arcade has always been an interesting foil for superheroes. Usually appearing in the pages of X-books, Arcade had a stint going after other characters in Avengers Arena. MurderworldAvengers feels similar to Arena, but this series allegedly features no super powered individuals. Jim Zub and Ray Fawkes write this issue. Jethro Morales is the penciler with Matt Milla on colors and Cory Petit on letters.
WRITING
Jim Zub has done some great work for Marvel comics. His work on Thunderbolts alone makes him a fan favorite writer. Having him take on something like Murderworld Avengers seems like a win-win for everyone. What works for this story is that we are introduced to a bunch of no name characters. Zub and Fawkes focus most of the story on Paul Pastor, a young streamer who has gained a decent following. He get an invite from Arcade to make a documentary about Murderworld, which he gleefully accepts. Zub and Fawkes also have a winner take all, survive or die million dollar competition going on at the same time. Things get messy and no one is safe. Another thing Zub and Fawkes establish is that Arcade is a ruthless and formidable villain. It’s almost as if Arcade is similar to Jigsaw from the Saw franchise. Things he says can be misleading and many things are booby trapped. For any regular character in this story, no one can be trusted and nothing is safe. Zub and Fawkes give us a wonderful introductory issue that will leave you questioning what happens next.
ART
The pencils by Jethro Morales do a very good job of portraying all the dangers of murderworld. The number of panels that have exploding duffel bags are effective and help establish danger. Morales makes his money this issue on the number of different facial expressions we see. Arcade alone goes from being sinister, to making a joke, to laughing all on one page. He truly seeks joy in the misery of others, and Morales captures that perfectly. When the “Avengers” show up, Morales allows them to look just different enough to throw off readers initially. Morales has great shading in this issue as well. As Paul tries to escape death, Captain America is by the monkey bars shaded wonderfully. The pencils really bring this concept to life. Morales’ pencils work well with the script and make this issue easy to look at.
The colors are handled by Matt Milla, who always brings his A-game to any book he’s on. Milla uses lighter colors to distinguish when Paul is on his live stream. This makes it easy for the audience to see what is being shown on the web cam and what is happening in realm life. After that, the colors a vibrant. Arcade’s red hair sticks out when he appears on panel. When something explodes, and lots of things explode, Milla uses bright reds and orange to capture the page. As always, Milla has a great showing as colorist. He’s truly one of the best in the business.
The letters are done by Cory Petit. In an issue like this, with lots of action and explosions, sound effects are very important. Petit utilizes that extremely well. As a player gets shot, a big “BLAM” appears above their head. This is perfect placement as well as a great font for the action. As the contestants are attacked by the villains in Murderworld, a contestant fights back. Petit uses a see through “FZAMM” in the middle of the page. This is good placement as well, and it’s see through so the letters don’t block any of the action.
CONCLUSION
Murderworld Avengers #1 offers readers a good script from Zub and Fawkes with a story that makes us believe no one is safe. The art elegantly brings to life the beautiful chaos that is Murderworld. There may not be a more exciting book on the shelves this week. Avengers Murderworld #1 is available at a comic shop near you!
Ultraman: The Mystery of Ultraseven #4 introduces humanity’s new hope, the Monster Attack Team a.k.a. MAT. The team of highly trained Kaiju fighting individuals makes their first debut in Marvel Comics. This impressive entrance comes thanks to Kyle Higgins and Mat Groom (writing), Davide Tinto (art), Espen Grundetjern (color art), and VC’s Ariana Maher (lettering).
There’s a brand-new team on the scene who are sick of Ultra chaos endangering the people of Earth — and with the most advanced weapon on the planet, they’re ready to take both Ultraman and Ultraseven out of the equation permanently. Ultraman and Ultraseven are playing right into the hands of the puppet masters — and is there anything they can do to break free?
Writing
MAT, The Monster Attack Team were the human allies in the TV series Return of Ultraman. They helped Ultraman Jack to fight against monsters and save humans from danger. With their first appearance in comic form the characters succeed in displaying their skills and show they are a force to be reckoned with. This is achieved by getting right in the middle of the battle between Ultraman and Ultraseven with some intense battle scenes unfold as a result.
Kyle Higgins and Mat Groom are truly showing their love for the Ultraman franchise with this issue. Not only by finding a way to bring in MAT and a form of Ultraman Jack (which isn’t really a spoiler as the cover gives it away) but also by making sure to bring in the plot hinted at in the second issue of the mini-series. The storytelling feels natural as if this was where the series had been heading the entire time without a major curveball to tie everything together. All while making sure to have some incredible moments of intensity as Ultraman and the members of MAT work to subdue Ultraseven.
Artwork
Davide Tinto’s artwork delivers a lot of energy to the issue. The scenes of MAT rushing to their vehicles and launching into battle are reminiscent of shows like Voltron: Defender of the Universe and Mazinger Z. This mixed in with the attention to detail with the vehicles, humans, and giants all helps to keep the energy high for the entire installment.
The color work by Espen Grundetjern energizes the fight scenes. From the MAT team’s ship launching and the Ultra’s fighting against each other, the coloring adds a fabriant atmosphere to the panels. It also aids an intense weather effect with the rain and lightning pouring down on the battlefield.
The lettering work by VC’s Ariana Maher adds very needed audio quality and an additional layer of energy to the issue. You can feel the fiery spirit of the MAT as they launch into battle. At the same time the sound effects help with each blow as Ultraman and Ultraseven continue to reconnect in a very bad way.
Conclusion
Ultraseven: The Mystery Of Ultraseven #4 introduces a new element to the miniseries. It adds a great bit of energy and helps to ensure the mini-series doesn’t run out of steam while it makes its way to the final issue. If the series manages to wrap everything up on a similar level in the next installment, it will be an ending fans of Ultraman will not want to miss.
I HATE FAIRYLAND#1 is out this week from Image Comics, and this book was a fun read because of the design elements involved with the page-turn. Also, the action sequences used your eyes and Jean-Francois Beaulieu’s colors to create movement. Check out the video for the full story.
About I HATE FAIRYLAND#1: Eisner Awarding-winning writer SKOTTIE YOUNG and artist BRETT BEAN bring back the hit comic I HATE FAIRYLAND for an all-new ONGOING SERIES! Everyone’s favorite green-haired axe-wielding crazed maniac returns in this Deadpool meets Alice In Wonderland-style adventure! Gert is all grown up and living in the real world. Times are tough and the only job she’s qualified for has her trying to find her way back to the place she hates the most…Fairyland.
Nate Piekos handles letter work, logo & series design.
DEADLY NEIGHBORHOOD SPIDER-MAN #2 hits your local comic book store on November 23rd, but thanks to Marvel Comics, Monkeys Fighting Robots has an exclusive five-page preview for you!
About the issue: The creepiest Spider-Story in years continues! Beset and beleaguered by the wicked power of DEMON BEAR, Peter Parker is having nightmares whenever he falls asleep and sometimes even when he hasn’t! Worse still, it’s making his time as Spider-Man even MORE difficult! But there’s no rest for a weary spider, and the web-slinger will have no choice but to dig in and hang on – unless he wants to meet a grizzly end! (Hah. Grizzly!)
The issue is by writers Taboo & B. Earl and artist Juan Ferreyra, with letters by Travis Lanham. The main cover is by Rahzzah.
Check out the DEADLY NEIGHBORHOOD SPIDER-MAN #2 preview below:
Did you pick up the first issue of DEADLY NEIGHBORHOOD SPIDER-MAN? Sound off in the comments!
From Olympia and Wyrd writer Curt Pires comes a delightfully fun and surprisingly deep teen-humor/sci-fi romp with It’s Only Teenage Wasteland. Joined by artist Jacoby Salcedo, Pires crafts a teen comedy with some surprise genre twists to make a comic story that has just as much heart as it does irreverent humor.
I sat down with Pires to talk about his process, his influences, and what working with his collaborators is like.
-MFR: What were some of your biggest influences – in any medium – going into creating this teenage comedy/apocalypse story?
-Pires: I was inspired by the hilarity of classic comedy coming-of-age movies like Superbad and the early 2000s Judd Apatow comedies, and combining that comedy with a serious grounded mystery box narrative, something akin to Lost. The idea of mashing up these two genres that typically don’t get mashed up appealed to me.
-MFR: Something that makes Wasteland so enjoyable is that its characterizations feel so genuine, which is something that is so hard for some writers to do when it comes to writing from the perspective of modern teenagers. What is your approach to writing these types of characters, and what are some elements you keep in mind?
-Pires: I think my approach to writing these characters was to pull from people that are near and dear to me in real life—real-life hilarious conversations, real-life human tics—and instill each character with a real-life relatability. All good character writing is grounded in humanism ultimately.
-MFR: Jacoby Salcedo absolutely kills the visual storytelling in this comic with his stellar character animations. How did you two come to work together, and what has the experience been like?
-Pires: Jacoby and I had a very close collaboration on this. Lots of going back and forth and ideating and refining ideas. It’s one of the best collaborations I’ve had in a while and we’re already figuring out what we are going to do next.
-MFR: How did the folks at Dark Horse help you bring Wasteland to life?
-Pires: Keeping the trains running and providing key infrastructure, but also getting out of the way at times and giving Jacoby and I room to create.
-MFR: Film and television have always been the home of slice of life teen stories (apocalypse notwithstanding). What about the comics medium sets itself apart to be able to tell this sort of story in a unique way?
-Pires: I really feel like comics are a medium not a genre. You can tell any story you want here. That’s sort of the magic of it.
-MFR: Do you think the genre twist in Teenage Wasteland allows you to explore your cast as characters in unique ways a slice of life wouldn’t? Or is it more about just making the book more fun?
-Pires: Exactly. You get to put them through a crucible of sorts—while still having the comedy and teen drama stuff. They’re still processing their feelings and this overwhelming metamorphosis of being a teenager when they’re thrust into this bigger scarier world.
Be sure to grab It’s Only Teenage Wasteland #1 from your local comic shop when it hits shelves on December 7th!
THE NEW GOLDEN AGE one-shot from DC Comics jit your local comic book store this week, and the book does something unique with time and art that you can not pull off in a movie. Very impressive.
The one-shot is written by Geoff Johns, with art by Diego Olortegui with JP Maher and Scott Hanna, Jerry Ordway, Steve Lieber, Todd Nauck, Scott Kollins, Viktor Bogdanovic, Brandon Peterson, and Gary Frank. The color work is by Nick Falardi, John Kalisz, Matt Herms, Jordan Boyd, and Brad Anderson. You will read Rob Leigh’s letter work.
About THE NEW GOLDEN AGE: From the Justice Society of America to the Legion of Super-Heroes, The New Golden Age will unlock DC’s epic and secret-ridden history of heroism, launching a new group of titles set firmly in the DC Universe. From the 1940s to the 3040s, heroes take on the great evils of their time. But in the aftermath of Flashpoint Beyond, those heroes and villains will have their lives turned upside down. DC’s future…and its past…will never be the same again. But how are Mime and Marionette connected to this? Why are Rip Hunter and the Time Masters the most unlikable heroes in the DC Universe? And who or what is…Nostalgia? Don’t miss the start of the strangest mystery to have ever plagued the DC Universe.
