On the eve of another #NewComicBookDay here is my review of Chapter 4 of Grey! Its been a long time coming (work being bonkers). But holy crap, #4 is ON FIRE!
Grey: Chapter 4 By: Kris Hornett, Ardee Arollado, Edited by Lisa Taylor and Cover/Additional Art by: Nicholas Sen, Kenet GuevarraOne of the thing that continues to take me back is how powerful some of these characters are for their youth. In this chapter, we are introduced to Asuka Yagu. One of the reasons it is easy to pick up on this character's background is thanks to pages like this: My jaw is left agape the entire issue as I not only watch the relationship between Asuka and Shuyin plays out, but my man Kale (who we already declared is my favorite) starts to fill us in on both information from the past (maybe the Sonoma Incident?) as well as his thoughts on how the law should operate within the realm of Criminality. As the issue progresses, we learn more about what may have happened and we watch more of the tek/knowledge base guys play out what they know. And then over a seemingly eventless dinner breaks out over the last two pages lets you know a simple through-issue is setting things up for a bat-shit crazy issue #5! I'm also going to guess I'm not breaking Kris' trust while sharing this DM....but he confirms it and it makes me salivate for #5!!!!!!! In the end, ya'll know this is hands down one of my favorite creator-owned/driven books of the year (and pay attention to my youtube for a breakdown of KS/creator owned books of the year to prove it) but ya'll don't wanna be sleeping on this one!!!!!!!!!!!
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Have I told you all how much I love Stonie Williams? Author of Vala the Beast Heart....Mad Cave Studios talent search winner, and author of Villainous, well he just shared with me a little sneak peak into Issue #2. Villainous #2 (Mad Cave Studios) |
Pantomime #1 Written by: Christopher Sebeka Art by: David Stoll Colors by: Dearbhla Kelly Letters by: Justin Birch In Stores: November 4, 2020 Price: $3.99 Diamond Code: SEP201329 |
The story focuses on Haley and Max. Haley is deaf and until they land in their new home, Max serves as her primary sign-language interpreter and protector. Life begins anew when they land at their new home, the Wafair Academy for Special Needs (which Haley hates the name, but she gets by). It immediately feels like home, as there are multiple people who can communicate with her with ease. Both of them are welcomed instantly with ease into a small friend group. Immediately, they become thick as thieves...eventually they become actual Thieves with a taste for justice. But as we learn throughout the rest of the book is like a taste for Lays potato chips...."I bet you can't have just one!"
There are several things to love about this story. First the way Haley's deafness is written into the story and used in the art is phenomenal from the squiggled lines of those actually speaking, the slight motions in the hands to show sign-language occurring, and the heavy reliance on text-messaging as a means of communication are all eloquently done. Additionally, there may be one of the first non-binary characters I've seen in a comic book without an storyline which focuses on Queerness and identity.
The art is both subtle and stunning, and the colorist and letterer both bring their talents to heighten your understanding of the characters' perspectives and makes life at the Wayfair Academy for Special Needs something you desire and wouldn't want to be torn away from.
This book speaks to everyone. Even if you are not intrinsically in love with comics, this is a story which feels relatable to everyone who's ever felt different for any reason. I'm excited to hold a physical issue of this in my hands and fall in love with it all over again on November 4th!
Don't believe my MCS Hype? How about this announcement on both Dryfoot and Stargazer #1:
To those who missed out on Stargazer and Dry Foot #1, we are happy to share with you the covers to their 2nd printing! Available in stores Oct. 28.
— Mad Cave Studios (@MadCaveStudios) September 16, 2020
Both issues are limited to 1000 copies so be sure to let your comic shop know you want them this time! pic.twitter.com/Gn3n4kOqWf
The nitty-gritty information:
Written by: Matthew Erman Art by: Shelby Criswell Letters by: Micah Myers Cost: $3.99 Diamond Code: SEP201331 In your shop: November 11, 2020 |
Two airplanes are en-route to New York City. One plane is your standard passenger flight. The other, is a cargo plane carrying some "exotic" cargo. You can tell pretty early that something's going to end poorly when the crew loading the exotic "animals" on a plane is questioning the new method to tranquilize these beasts during the flight. Spoiler alert, the handling crew was right and the eccentric billionaire was quite wrong.
At the same time our literal band of main characters are landing in New York the cargo plane is crashing after the beasts go wild and kill the onboard crew, and of course, they survive and invade the airport terminal, and the rest is an epic surprise I don't want to spoil....except for the line "An intoxicating burst of sweet orange."
Aside from loving the story, and Shelby's intoxicating art the one thing I absolutely love at the end of the book is the PLAYLIST! (I'll exclude the normal love rant....) However, the final page of the book includes a playlist shared by Kee, the band's drummer, to offer some of his favorite tracks to introduce who he is, and it is EPIC!
If you want a witty horror tale that feels like an amazing mash-up of Almost Famous, Night of the Living Dead, and Snakes on a Plane...then you should make sure you pre-order a copy of Terminal Punks hitting your shop this November!
A tip of the hat to the creative team, I think Mad Cave Studios has another #1 which will be ordered for a second printing on their hands!
Engineward #1 (Vault)---Releases 7/15 (preorders close 6/22)
By: George Mann, Joe Eisma, Michael Garland, Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou
Engineward takes place in some sort of rugged world (described as "when primal chaos remained wild). We are introduced to a small crew of folks who are out salvaging while looking for a specific item they dig from a rock wall...when all of a sudden they are attacked by a worm/dinosaur/tremor which they quickly dispatch of! But to label this world as prehistoric would date it incorrectly as there is are robots and other forms of technology used...which makes you wonder why outwardly the civilizations don't look fully technologically enhanced. |
Should you preorder this book?
If you like science fiction stories, or stories with a great deal of Mythos, then Engineward should definitely be on your radar. The story gets more interesting with each little nugget we discover about the past, and there is some sort of unknown complexity to the relationship between the individuals of the village AND the zodiacs.
The art in this book is also quite excellent, as the action scenes have nuance, the environment around dialogue-heavy panels, and just the contrast of the dusty old village to the opluent house of the zodiacs really pops.
Preorders for this book close on the 22nd, so you should quickly reach out to your LCS to make sure you have a copy!
Author
The journey of a 30-something father of three who's trying to break into the world of reviewing comics after a loooooong hiatus...
Rimmey is a high school history/government teacher & speech and debate coach in Kansas. He has slowly been rediscovering his love for comics since June of 2019.
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