THE OCEAN WILL TAKE US #2 hits your local comic book store May 11th, but thanks to AfterShock Comics, Monkeys Fighting Robots has an exclusive four-page preview for you.
About the issue: Piper and Casey manage to land themselves in detention, finding unexpected allies in their quest to take down the swim team – but as they delve deeper into the mystery, they uncover an evil that might just be beyond the power of five misfit high schoolers to combat!
The series is by writer Rich Douek, artist Carlos Olivares, colorist Manuel Puppo, and letterer Dave Sharpe. The cover is by Olivares and Puppo.
Check out our THE OCEAN WILL TAKE US #2 preview below:
Do you have THE OCEAN WILL TAKE US on your pull list? Sound off in the comments!
All Light, Everywhere is a film from Baltimore-based filmmaker Theo Anthony (Rat Film) about the intersection between filmmaking and surveillance, and the work of sound designer Udit Duseja wraps it in subtle sonic tension.
In All Light, Everywhere, viewers will see the world from satellite images of inner-city neighborhoods to ground-level police body cam footage. The film dives into the world within those two distant points to touch on surveillance’s significant cultural and technological aspects. What philosophical debates should we have when it’s so easy for tech to be objective and logical, but also open to manipulation and abuse? The film is part documentary, part experimental art-house film with an important message to deliver.
PopAxiom spoke with Udit Duseja about becoming a sound designer and creating the pseudo-science fiction sounds of All Light, Everywhere.
Global Sound
Udit began life in a small city in India named Gwalior. “It’s got a lot of culture and history. As a child, I learned and practiced Indian classical music there, which trained my ear and laid the foundation of understanding sound.”
“Later in life, I moved to Mumbai where I met people working in the film industry. I started as an intern, learning on the job and quickly learned how adding sound to a picture can change the meaning or bring a film alive.”
Following Mumbai, Udit did a Master’s course in Edinburgh then moved to London. He’s been working on American, British, and Indian films ever since.
“Every sound you add to a film is sort of self-conscious,” Udit explains his philosophy. “You have to make sure the sounds have meaning. Then, you can shape the narrative within an audience.”
Is working with sound learned or understood? To Udit, it’s a skill that develops the more someone works, but can also be a knack. “You can’t teach someone to have a musical ear. But it develops too.”
“It’s also so collaborative,” Udit explains the final truth in being a sound professional in the film industry. “The cinematography might inform the way I design a shot. Everything informs how you approach the film, which ultimately comes from a director.”
For Udit, good directors are the ones that give others the freedom to express themselves. Although every project is different and comes with its challenges, he finds “comfort being in a studio environment and exploring what I can do with sound.”
About All Light, Everywhere
“I met Theo through America, a short film that I worked on that won awards and even became an installation at MOMA,” Udit explains. The short caught the eye of director Theo Anthony, who liked the sci-fi, atmospheric sound and found it interesting. He wanted Udit to do what he’d done in the past, but more minimally.
In Udit’s words, All Light, Everywhere is an “experimental documentary film” produced by Memory Sandbox, and distributed by Neon. “It’s a take on surveillance and weapons. It finds narratives within that subject. How guns and cameras overlap; the whole idea of ‘shooting’ something.”
“It goes into archives and comes back,” he explains. “It’s a brilliant film. So, for me, it was about creating a minimal atmospheric sci-fi documentary soundscape. I tried to create unexpected connections between technology, weapons, and surveillance. So, the outcome was to illustrate critically the effect those things have on our lives.”
The film was crafted in the edit. The structure was as if the archive images were interacting with computer screens and surveillance software shots. “You go from archive to the future,” Udit says. “So the idea for me was to illustrate that in sound. The invasive-ness of technology. How it’s changed and changed us over the years.”
“The soundscape was built using room tone buzzers and subtle electromagnetic sounds to represent the technology always looking at you,” he continues. “The shots allowed me to do that. There’d be off-screen mouse clicks, crackles, and beeps to create tension that would build with each scene.”
Working with Udit’s design was composer Dan Deacon’s score. “He already laid his music down when it came to me. So there was a lot of room for the sound to help tell the story. The mix was also done very loud, almost like an assault on the viewer, then it cuts to a lot of silence and little technical sounds.”
“The sound wants to put you in the history,” he declares, “It was a lot of fun to use the theme of minimal sound design.” However, his initial approach utilized more sound. “They knew what they wanted, and we stripped it back. It was a great collaboration. Rather than just being more like a sound effect, the purpose of the soundscape was to create an atmosphere.”
Wrapping Up
Udit’s work is versatile but with a love-lean into one genre. “I would love to work on a science fiction film. That’s the genre I can get into. But anything works!”
“I’m working on a film based in Nepal and directed by an Italian director about a tiger cub and a kid,” he says about one of two projects he’s working on but can’t discuss just yet. “I’ve recently finished an audio play installation that’s borderline sci-fi / post-apocalyptic from British artist Aliyona Larinova. It’s about two sisters exploring storytelling while there’s an apocalypse outside. It is quite interesting and fun to create the world inside and outside their room without any visual reference!
Is All Light, Everywhere on your watch list?
Thanks to Udit Duseja and Impact24 PR
for making this interview possible.
As a writer/creator, Alex Segura is a man of two worlds. In one, he has had a life-long career in comics. He has worked for and written for DC Comics, Archie Comics (where he was co-president and wrote Archie Meets Kiss, Archie Meets The Ramones, and the short-lived yet fun on-going The Archies series). Currently, he holds the position of VP of Sales and Marketing at Oni-Lion Forge Press. In the other world, Segura is a crime fiction writer, publishing a number of mystery novels (the Pete Fernandez series). This past March, Segura bridged these two worlds with his latest novel, Secret Identity (published by MacMillian Publishers), a murder mystery set in and around the New York comics scene in the ’70s. The uber busy Segura took some time to talk to us at Monkeys Fighting Robots all about it. So check out the interview below and make sure to pick up Secret Identity wherever fine books are sold!
Monkeys Fighting Robots: So Alex, just for those readers coming in cold, can you give us a quick pitch on ‘Secret Identity?
Alex Segura:SECRET IDENTITY is a comic book noir set in 1975 NYC, starring queer Cuban-American woman, Carmen Valdez, a lifelong comic book fan who dreams of breaking into the industry. She moves to NYC from Miami and gets a job as a secretary at third-rate publisher Triumph Comics only to find her dream rebuffed – her blowhard boss refuses to give her a shot at writing a comic.
Things get complicated when her colleague, young assistant editor Harvey Stern, approaches her with an opportunity: he needs help launching Triumph’s first-ever female superhero. The only catch – Carmen would have to co-write and co-create the series anonymously, for now. Carmen is hesitant but sees this as the only path to achieve her dream. Hesitantly, she helps Harvey co-create THE LEGENDARY LYNX, which instantly becomes a huge hit for the company. The only problem? Harvey’s been murdered – and no one knows Carmen played a part in creating this amazing new hero.
Carmen is compelled to investigate Harvey’s murder, not only to figure out what happened to her friend but to reclaim this character that means so much to her. Interspersed throughout the book are actual comic book sequences from THE LEGENDARY LYNX comic, drawn by comic book legend Sandy Jarrell, with letters by Taylor Esposito.
Author Alex Segura Photo Credit: Robert Kidd
MFR: This is your first novel after wrapping up the Pete Fernandez series of novels. What made you want to do something stand-alone?
AS:I did a Star Wars novel before, but this is my first crime novel since wrapping up the Pete adventures, definitely. It’s funny, I thought Secret Identity would be standalone when I started writing it, but by the time I was halfway done, I knew there was more story to tell – which is why I’m working on a sort-of-sequel now. But to your question – I wanted to do something smaller, and more intimate. Something that could transport the reader not only to another time and industry but another world – comics, in particular. My favorite crime novels do that – tell a fun engaging mystery while taking you somewhere else, so that was my big goal with the book.
MFR: Did you do anything new or different in the creation of this book that you hadn’t done before?
AS:My outline was longer – I spent more time fleshing out the characters and plotting the comic book sequences. I didn’t want them to feel like a gimmick or something I did just for fun. I wanted them to matter and be in conversation with the prose. So I ended up doing a lot more research than I would for, say, a Pete novel – I spoke to people that worked in comics in the 70s, had a lot more beta and sensitivity readers, and read a lot about the comic book industry to make sure what I was writing felt like it was in the ballpark of what actually could have happened.
MFR: Did you always want to write something set in the world of comics?
AS: I did! I just didn’t think I was ready until now. When I started writing novels, I wanted to write a book about my hometown, featuring a detective that was like me, and to show that not every PI protagonist had to look and act a certain way. But as I wrote more and learned more, I expanded my scope, and Secret Identity is an example of that.
MFR: Did your own experience as a lifer in the comics world inform anything in the book?
AS:For sure. I’ve worked in comics for 20+ years in various ways. It’s given me a lot of perspective into not only how they’re made, but how the industry looks from various angles. It was really helpful in terms of putting down a framework for the story.
MFR: Was the goal always to write a mystery/crime story in that world?
AS: One of my first short stories, in college, was a literary piece set in a modern-day comic book company. So, I guess even then, I knew I wanted to write something in comics, in the vein of Kavalier and Clay. But I think genre gets a bad wrap a lot of the time, and you can tell really evocative and important stories, even within the sandbox of a genre, so it felt like a fun fit to do a murder mystery set in comics.
MFR: Carmen Valdez is very different from any previous character you have written. There are similarities to Pete Fernandez, but I feel there are even more differences. How did you approach writing her?
AS:Thoughtfully and with care. Carmen and I, and Carmen and Pete, have a lot in common, but we’re also very different – she’s a queer woman, for one. I had a number of sensitivity readers look at the manuscript in various stages to give notes on how she worked as a character, and the story as a whole, and that was very helpful. I also tried my best to spend time with women who worked in comics at the time, talking over the story and seeing if I was in the right ballpark. All that help really made the book better, and I’m grateful for everyone’s time and insight. I took their feedback and tried my best to integrate it into the manuscript.
MFR: Speaking of Pete, I caught one nod to your prior series with the quick mention of Pete’s police officer father. You told me there was one more that I missed, care to share it?
AS: All I’m gonna say is that it’s on the same page – in the same scene. The detective that mentions Pete’s dad is the link. I’ll leave it at that!
MFR: Did you have anyone from the comics community read it early?
AS:I had a bunch of beta readers who worked in comics, and many who gave me time to discuss the story or to pick their brains for their own stories – folks like Lida Fite, Laurie Sutton, Scott Edelman, Gerry Conway, Paul Levitz, Louise Simonson and many more. I’m eternally grateful to them for their time!
MFR: The book features pages from the comic within the book, The Lethal Lynx. How did you approach these pages? You’ve written a ton of comics before of course, so did you do anything similar or different there?
AS: No, though the glimpses you get are just that. But the work put into creating the character and her world was the same – so it was a lot of front-end stuff to make sure it felt genuine.
MFR: Any chance we will ever see a ‘real’ issue of The Lethal Lynx?
AS:We’re going to do it via Zestworld sometime next year!
MFR: Is this the last we have seen of Carmen and this world?
AS: I’m hard at work on a sequel, set in the modern-day, that will feature Carmen – but also spotlight a new protagonist.
MFR: What are you working on next, either in your day job at Oni-Lion Forge Press or in your own writing? Anything you care to plug?
AS:The Mysterious Micro-Face, the comic I wrote for NPR’s Planet Money podcast, with art by Jamal Igle, is out soon!
From all-star creator Cliff Chiang comes another brilliant chapter of love, loss, and thievery with Catwoman: Lonely City #3. Written, drawn, colored, and lettered entirely by Chiang, this issue continues to demonstrate just how massive of a talent the Paper Girls co-creator is. Featuring a plot that is both devastatingly emotional and an absolute blast, with visuals that are unsurprisingly stunning, this issue nearly seals the deal for Lonely City being the greatest Catwoman story of all time.
“Catwoman had assembled the crew of a lifetime for her heist of the Batcave, and everything was going to plan-until it wasn’t. When tragedy and disaster strike, she’s got to find a way to land on her feet…but as her need for answers grows stronger and more desperate, she might be prepared to make a deal with the Devil himself…”
Writing & Plot
A comic like Catwoman: Lonely City #3 is a prime example of what the DC Black Label initiative is truly capable of. Cliff Chiang pens a heartfelt, tragic, relevant, and still ridiculously fun comic by taking the classic Batman ingredients and crafting something brand new yet faithful and familiar. The reimagined appearances of classic characters in this dystopian post-Batman Gotham continue to be satisfying. The new characters feel like real characters and also bring out sides in Catwoman, Riddler, and others that make their arcs even more compelling. The tragic events that befall some people in this book come off as earned moments, and their weight continues to add on to the growing tension throughout the plot. Chiang also plays quite heavily with socio-political subject matter in this series, and especially in this 3rd chapter. As always, he nails the execution. The conversations he has about authority and gentrification through the lens of a DC comic are genuinely compelling and unfortunately relevant. I know I’m listing a bunch of heavy subjects that this comic deals with, but that is really what makes the fact that this comic still feels so light at points such a wonder.
What makes this comic so special on a more specific note is seeing Selina portrayed in this way that we’ve never seen before. Selina has always been a complex character, with her complicated feelings for Bruce and the way she waffles back and forth between hero and villain. Seeing her here, bereft of the man she loved and now feeling responsible for a team of like-minded people young and old, is both a treat and a distressing experience. Chiang makes the creative decision to show just how much Batman influenced and affected her, without just making her “Batman #2.” She’s written so well that we can be empathetic to her, feel heartbroken for her, and still yell at her through the page when she makes decisions out of fear. Chiang is doing incredible work here, and I can’t wait to see how this story ends in the final issue.
Art Direction
Surprise surprise, a Cliff Chiang comic looks amazing. Every positive thing I’ve said about the last two issues, I can repeat about Catwoman: Lonely City #3. Chiang’s character and set designs, detail work, and composition are brilliant as ever. He draws characters with a life and personality that is all his own and it’s something that has drawn me to his art ever since I picked up his work on Wonder Woman a decade ago. His conversational sequences are every bit as compelling to witness as his action scenes. This is really saying something too, as his action sequences are an absolute blast and always pack an impressive amount of energy. The composition of his panels makes for an effortless flow through each of his sequences. All of the tension and drama of the comic is rendered in a way that utilizes the medium to its fullest, but is easy to follow and catch every event as it happens.
Chiang’s colors are striking as ever, with his consistent use of single-tone pages to set the mood of a scene perfectly. That signature neon-esque color palette he uses is an iconic holdover from his work on Paper Girls, and it still works brilliantly here. Chiang’s lettering (yes he letters it too) is as much a part of the visual experience as the art is. His speech bubbles use contemporary, easy to read fonts that shift with the tone in a way that blends into the reading experience. His SFX letters pop in a way that doesn’t overwhelm the scene but naturally feels like a part of the visual experience. This is, as expected, an incredible looking comic that delivers a stunning engrossing reading experience.
Verdict
Catwoman: Lonely City #3 is a triumph of comic book storytelling. Cliff Chiang delivers a chapter that offers tragedy, loss, and drama while knowing how to perfectly use levity to the advantage of the book’s tone. His interpretations of Gotham’s villainous denizens may very well be my new favorites. Visually, Chiang is as much of a tour de force as ever, with his impeccable design, composition, and coloring making for a gorgeous and kinetic read. Please be sure to grab this issue when it hits shelves on April 19th!
Ambulance is a thrilling new heist film that will hold your attention from start to finish. While providing an edge-of-your-seat experience, the Bayness of it all might cause a headache. Ambulance has what you’d expect from a Michael Bay film, jarring editing, loud explosions, and a subpar screenplay. Luckily, the talent involved helps keep Ambulance entertaining through all of the endless chaos.
This action-packed film follows war veteran Will Sharp, who needs money to handle his spouse’s medical bills. Seeking help from his brother, Danny leads to a bank heist worth $32 million. Jake Gyllenhaal and Yahya Abdul-Mateen star as the brotherly duo with Eiza Gonzales joining them during their thrilling ambulance ride. While Danny is more of a villain, his connection to Will acts as an emotional wrench for Will’s progression.
Audiences are expected to understand Will’s (Abdul-Mateen) motivations for participating in the heist but makes it difficult to feel sympathy for the character. The respect the character gets begins and ends with his veteran status. Sure, he wants to keep helping his family, but this isn’t the appropriate way. Ambulance tremendously highlights how good people can make bad decisions when desperate.
Mateen’s performance allowed me to feel more sympathetic toward the character. Will is a devoted husband, brother, and unfortunately let his devotion inspire a bad decision. Ambulance is more concerned with getting the major characters trapped in an ambulance, so their development mostly occurs during the action-packed police chase. It’s clear that Will just wants to get home to his family, but doesn’t want to let his brother down either. This struggle in his mind allows you to understand where he is coming from, and forgive his participation in this heist.
Chris Fedak’s screenplay explores several important themes, such as forgiveness, which plays a huge factor in the film’s resolution. Ambulance includes some awful dialogue and is longer than it should be, but handles its characters well for the most part. Will and Danny have a bond that I wanted to see more of. Danny’s criminal ways make him unlikeable, but Gyllenhaal is having a blast in the role. The urgency of the narrative grows tiresome due to it never letting up.
Quick cuts and questionable editing will wear you out before the film has concluded. Impressive action sequences are welcome, just not with this frantic editing job Ambulance opts for. Certain conversations and action sequences become incoherent due to the abysmal editing. The action grows dull upon realizing there are no plans of ceasing any time soon. Overwhelming drone shots help maintain its appeal, allowing you to become glued to the destruction on screen.
Sadly, Ambulance starts to resemble a lot of pointless noise that overstays its welcome. The shaky-cam makes the action sequences unbearable at times and the pacing doesn’t allow the film to breathe. One highlight of the cinematography is that Ambulance does a great job at making you feel like you’re on a rollercoaster. The only problem with that is this rollercoaster is over 2 hours long. Gyllenhaal and Abdul-Mateen deliver strong performances despite the material being underwhelming. It was their chemistry that won me over in the end, which is why I enjoyed the film more than I should have.
Ambulance won’t be remembered as one of the best action films, which is fine because Bay has done better. While it keeps your attention, it just doesn’t have the best results overall. A much better film could have existed, but the talent involved is making the best of what was presented. Ambulance is a fast-paced Bay epic that overstays its welcome while putting you through the wringer.
BUNNY MASK: THE HOLLOW INSIDE #1 hits your local comic book store May 11th, but thanks to AfterShock Comics, Monkeys Fighting Robots has an exclusive four-page preview for you.
About the issue: Her name is Bunny Mask…and she’s back to ask the question…is there sickness? The HIT horror series returns!
Her footfalls don’t exist. She leaves no marks. Her eyes are a white abyss. Her name is Bunny Mask, and she’s free from her cave and moving through the city, searching for sickness and enacting her own unfathomable sense of justice. Can Tyler Severin control her? Does he want to? The answers are still hidden, but what’s clear is that Bunny Mask is back to grab you by your eyeteeth, and never let go.
The series is by writer Paul Tobin, artist Andrea Mutti (with Colleen Coover), and letterer Taylor Esposito. The main cover is by Mutti; there is also an incentive variant by Rafael Albuquerque, and a “mask variant” by Mutti (also with Coover).
“[Tobin and Mutti] have unleashed an eons old legend upon an unsuspecting world – one that’ll make your most horrific nightmare feel like a walk in the park!”
Check out the BUNNY MASK: THE HOLLOW INSIDE #1 preview below:
Did you read the original BUNNY MASK series? Sound off in the comments!
SPIDER-GWEN: GWENVERSE #2 hits your local comic book store on April 20th, but thanks to Marvel Comics, Monkeys Fighting Robots has an exclusive three-page preview for you.
About the issue: To stop another Gwen Stacy from corrupting the world, Ghost Spider must team up with Thorgwen and travel back in time! But will this new alliance be able to stand against the Super-Soldier might of Captain America Gwen? They will have to try as it looks like she’s out for revenge against ANOTHER Gwen Stacy!
The issue is by writer Tim Seeley and artist Jodi Nishijima, with colors by Federico Blee, and letters by Ariana Maher. The main cover is by David Nakayama.
Check out the SPIDER-GWEN: GWENVERSE #2 preview below:
Who is your favorite spider-person? Sound off in the comments!
TWIG #1 from Image Comics is an epic fantasy that made me miss Jim Henson and appreciate the creativity of Skottie Young and Kyle Strahm. The book is written by Young, with art by Strahm, colors by Jean-Francois Beaulieu, and letter work by Nate Piekos.
About TWIG #1: It’s the first day of Twig’s new job as a journeyer on a JEFF SMITH’s Bone-esque quest to save a The Dark Crystal/Labyrinth-style world. Join our hesitant hero for an inspiring and imaginative tale of hope, heartache, and determination to overcome insurmountable odds!
WRITING
The world-building sessions between Young and Strahm must have been spectacular, because the creatures and visuals are awe-inspiring. Young sets up the hero’s journey in the first issue, but also lets Strahm’s artwork breathe as he shows you the universe. There are five silent panels in the book that absolutely suck you into the universe of Twig and his sidekick, Splat. These panels put Twig’s world on display, and your brain can’t help but add the soundtrack to their journey. I could hear the splat of the fish as our heroes ate lunch on the river bank and feel the chill in the night air as they camped out. In addition, Young tastefully develops the character of Twig throughout the issue, dropping little nuggets here and there for you to digest. You can’t help but be drawn to Twig and Splat as the reader.
ARTWORK
Strahm knocks the character designs out of the park. The simplistic features of Twig’s big eyes and crooked teeth emphasize the childlike wonderment of the world we are about to enter. There is such a unique feel to the book. The Belly Mine creatures are brilliant and diverse. There is an homage to Henson, but the style is all Strahm. As mentioned above, Strahm puts the entire world of Twig on display, and the panel layout gives a bounce to Twigs step as your eye travels on the page. The “cinematography” of the book is beautiful. The wide shots display such detail that you search through each panel endlessly. But, when a close-up hits, you feel the moment’s emotion.
COLORS
Beaulieu’s color palette for the issue is warm and friendly. The blue of Twig and the gold of Splat work tremendously well to stand out against the spectacle of their world. Beaulieu goes the extra mile, as all the colors are rich and have a texture to them — you can feel the movement of the story. My favorite panel is of Twig and Splat sleeping out under the stars with “space turtles,” there is such a calmness to the panel because of the colors.
LETTERS
Piekos keeps it simple, and it works. The story is easy to follow, and the word balloons do not overshadow the art. Piekos adds a yellow tint to Splat’s word balloons which works well in conversations with Twig.
OVERALL
TWIG #1 is a fun book that would make Jim Henson proud. So many questions are left to be answered, and I’m excited to read the series. Young, Strahm, Beaulieu, and Piekos created an original universe full of possibilities. TWIG #1 hits your local comic book shop on May 4.
So this is how Sword of Hyperborea ends. Not with a bang or a whimper, but with a touch of the blues. The final vignette in a series of four, Sword of Hyperborea #4 eschews modern cavemen or monster hybrids for the story of a struggling blues musician. It’s not what most would expect from the climax of a story spanning generations, but being climatic isn’t what this story is really concerned with. There’s still a monster and an ancient sword, but expect a lot more café conversations and jam sessions.
WRITING
Rob Williams and Mike Mignola return to the sword one more time to tell the story of Elijah Bone, a blues musician who made a deal with a mysterious dark power for his guitar prowess. But more than just his soul, the force demands blood. Elijah begins to get cold feet, questioning how much success is worth. And of course, our old friend, the titular Sword of Hyperborea, is going to make an appearance before all is through…
Looking at the series as a whole, the Sword of Hyperborea has chosen to scale back the stakes with each successive issue. The first opened on the monster-infested end of days, shifting to cavemen fighting monsters beyond their comprehension. The second had a monster hybrid bringing down a Nazi zeppelin. The third focused on a deep sea diver getting caught in machinations of a dark brotherhood. And here we are at the end, with a character who wants nothing to do with any of this supernatural junk. Don’t expect firm answers on the spiritual forces at work, either the ones introduced in this issue or the series as a whole. Elijah himself doesn’t feel like a character that’s being set up for revisitations, either. He’s not the kind of character who you can imagine going on countless adventures outside the pages of this book. He’s someone who got a peek behind the metaphorical curtain and decided that was enough. It’s a quiet anticlimax, the kind Mignola’s storytelling uses as its stock and trade. Nice to see that after so long, the universe can still keep its sense of quiet mystery.
ART
Laurence Campbell’s paneling has been doing a lot of the heavy lifting throughout the series in giving the Sword of Hyperborea its sense of mystery, and the opening page gives a good example. It shifts from the sword, to a sword-shaped crossroads, to wind-swept grain and Elijah’s face, soaked in sweat. It immediately establishes the sword as draping a massive shadow over the rest of the issue, lingering in the mundane details of Elijah’s life and in the space between panels. His use of heavy shadows and realistic figure work also gives the issue a grounded, gritty feel that is promptly exploded in the surreal climax.
The coloring of Quinton Winter and Dave Stewart adds to the dark, brooding atmosphere by dominating the issue with cool blues and dark reds. But during that aforementioned climax, everything suddenly turns searing orange. And in the aftermath, ashen gray. It’s a color palette that really helps draw the emotion out of the simple storytelling style.
Clem Robins’ use of lettering is also displayed in that opening page, the clear, cartoony “Rrrruuusstttllleee” sound effect wobbling and wavering like the long grass it comes from. His lettering prioritizes cleanliness and clarity, but with subtle touches in his sound effects that really make them pop.
VERDICT
Sword of Hyperborea #4 brings a small-scale human story to the continuing saga of an ancient sword strapped by a caveman to a stick. On paper that shouldn’t exactly work, but it’s delivered with the cool confidence of a seasoned performer. No pacts with the devil needed. It’s out today from Dark Horse at all the usual outlets, so go ahead and pick one up!
If you backed the Kickstarter campaign, the digital copy of THE O.Z. #2 (of 3) hit your inbox last week. The book is written by David Pepose, with art by Ruben Rojas, Whitney Cogar drops the color, and you will read DC Hopkins’ letter work. According to Pepose, you will be able to buy the book from davidpepose.com once the hard copies arrive from the printer.
About THE O.Z.: Decades ago, when a young girl defeated the Wicked Witch of the West, she said farewell to the magical land of Oz… but unwittingly plunged the country in a vicious power vacuum leading to years of brutal civil war. But a generation later, the name of Dorothy Gale lives on in her granddaughter, an Iraq war veteran grappling with disillusionment and PTSD — yet when a tornado strikes Dorothy’s quiet Kansas town, this former soldier finds herself in the war-torn battlefield known only as The O.Z. Forced to navigate warring factions led by the Tin Soldier, the Scarecrow, and the Courageous Lion, Dorothy must come to terms with her legacy and her past if she ever hopes to bring peace to the Occupied Zone.
WRITING
The first two issues are oversized with solid breaks, which makes THE O.Z. #2 read like chapters three and four of the story. The first issue introduces all the characters and main plot points. Now, Dorothy is in the thick of the war, and the tension and stakes continue to build.
Pepose exceptionally writes the story’s pacing; as soon as you think the story starts to slow down, you get jerked in another direction. The changing of locations adds to the feverish pace, and in a world like OZ, the color palette is different every four pages. Then Pepose keeps raising the stakes of the story. It’s like a rollercoaster that continues to climb but never drops. Your heart gets tighter and tighter, desperately wanting the fall. Then you realize that this is only issue two, and the drop isn’t coming.
I can’t decide if Pepose is an amazing mixologist that takes familiar ingredients to create a new fantastic drink, or an early 90s hip-hop artist sampling all the different genres to create a unique sound and an epic album. All the concepts in this book are familiar, and we’ve seen them many times before, but THE O.Z. feels right. The land of OZ was always just a few steps away from straight-up scary. The story elements of a war-torn OZ and a broken hero’s journey work so well that I am begging for the third issue.
ART
Rojas has a ginormous task at hand as the book is always moving with action, different sets, dragons, and the all-powerful OZ. Rojas’ vision for the all-powerful OZ looks beautiful and intimidating. It could be my favorite part of the issue. Also, the emotional range that Rojas draws into a dog is ridiculous. His skills are top-notch.
The panel layout and storytelling elements of Rojas’ work are next level. The book’s pace is fierce due in part because how Rojas directs your eye throughout a page. You see the emotion and the action because Rojas wants you to, and the traveling line of sight also lends to the rollercoaster feeling you have at the end of the book because he brought you on this journey.
COLORS
Cogar’s color palette is brilliant. I felt emotion, action, and desperation. The flashback sequences have a beautiful, melancholic feel to them. You instantly know it is not the present and the moment’s mood. There is a page with a bazooka, and the colors frame and highlight the action. The choice of red and yellow puts the moment right in your face. Then there is a page where the reader looks up at the sky; Cogar’s color choices and Rojas’ art create an infinite depth. The depth allows you to get lost in the book. From desert to snow, from forest to underwater, Cogar created a unique color experience for each location.
LETTERS
Hopkins’ letter work in this issue is prideful. The detail and the minor tweaks are all there, and it looks like he’s having fun with every explosion. The BABOOOOOOOM above displays Hopkins’ craftmanship in a nutshell. He used multiple fonts, and you feel like Hopkins laid each letter on the page until it felt right. With all the onomatopoeias in the book, and there are many, Hopkins worked well with Cogar’s color palette. The sound effects look like part of the book, not a Photoshop afterthought.
OVERALL
THE O.Z. #2 (of 3) is the sum of its parts; the writing is solid, the art is spectacular, the colors are fresh, and the lettering is epic, which translates into a must-read book. I don’t know how the creative team will close out the series, but I’m excited to read the next chapter.
Read the first 11 pages of THE O.Z. #2 (of 3) below:
LETTERS
