Bright Lens Horror
It's like regular horror but sparkly
People always ask us how we pick our comics to review. They come up to us on the street or break into our homes. One time a plane crashed into our Malibu beach house. The pilot crawled from the burning wreckage and with his dying breath asked, “how do you pick your comics to review?”
And to that we say…uh…at random.
Mostly.
Kelley “I like my horror jaunty” Malloy with this week’s reviews.
Wildcat…pkow
Matt Kindt is a master of offbeat storytelling. He’s basically Wes Anderson in 2D. That is, if Wes Anderson wrote quirky spy books and locked-room murder mysteries. Kindt is a singular talent, easily writing and drawing his own books, but Hairball needed something…a little different:
I was actually sick to my stomach when I finished writing the end of issue 1. I grossed myself out. I knew that I’d need someone fearless to draw it. (There was no way I was going to.) I knew that Tyler [Jenkins] was the perfect artist and co-creator for the story. And when Tyler and Hilary started sending his pages in, it was just as horrible as I’d imagined —in the very best way.
In the story thus far, Anna’s journey to track down her childhood cat, Bestie, has led her across the Atlantic to Athens. On her trip, she ruminates over the long feline history and wonders if humans have ever owned cats or if cats have allowed us to believe that’s true. Upon her arrival in Athens, Anna runs into another young woman with her identical ritual scarring (a special gift from the creepy cat, Bestie).
Tyler Jenkins’ paper-thin line work feels like peering into someone’s diary and seeing sketches of people wandering through a city. Hilary Jenkins’ bold colors bellows the line work while bringing out textures that black and white rendering could not convey. But its in the action and close conversations where Tyler’s ’ art really shines. With just a few scant lines, he delivers deeply-felt expressions.
I love a bright lens horror instead of the usual dark and gritty washed colors. It also helped that the backdrop of Hairball #4 is set against the winding alleys, markets, and produce shops of ancient Egypt and modern Greece.
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Legends Never Die
Ann Nocenti is a legend in the comics world. I don’t want to say its because I wasn’t born when Nocenti was first writing Daredevil that I slept on her masterful run for so long, but I’m going to go out on a limb and say I totally would have been a fanboy if I had been alive.
Captain Marvel: Dark Tempest #1 follows Carol Danvers, the current leader of the Avengers, as she juggles Earth Avenging, space patrolling, and helping sailors dock boats during a storm in Maine. But something is brewing in deep space, drawing Carol’s attention away from Earth. Nitro, the exploding villain, is suffering headaches that are causing his explosions to happen more frequently. He is recruited by a mysterious woman named Nada to kill Carol and bring about a tech-free paradise.
Paolo Villanelli’s page layouts are gorgeous and dynamic. His action sequences beg the eye to roam the page. Nocenti’s writing is fun, but I’ll need to read more to tell if I’m fully engaged. The first issue reads as if the team is in favor of the Luddites, harsh on Gen-z, and casts Carol as a little arrogant and tone-deaf. But who knows, I am a dinosaur after all.
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Events Here! Get Your Events Here!
The DCU was just dropped into a two-month event called Knight Terrors. Whether you’re a fan of events or not, all of DC will be getting a new #1 as the main continuity is on hold until Knight Terrors wakes up. A new villain, Insomnia, has plunged the world into a deep sleep while they search people’s dreams for the Dream Stone.
G Willow Wilson has been absolutely killing it and Knight Terrors: Poison Ivy #1 is no exception. Ivy falls asleep, alone in her swamp, and wakes up to sinister June Cleaver-esque Harley, holding a torturous pie. The neighbors are all familiar faces but with a yuppie twist: Sandals-and-socks Batman, pregnant, 50’s housewife Catwoman, himbo Nightwing washing his car in daisy dukes. The story is saccharine and sterile. It’s skin-crawlingly easy for Ivy to submit to the dream world, but she does it because Harley seems happy.
The real highlight was Atagun Ilhan’s art and Mark Morales’ inks. The style is crisp and clean with thick, bold outlines, reminiscent of Yanick Paquette’s art, but with scary Junji Ito monster eyes. Mark Morales inks elevate Ilhan’s pencils while Arif Prianto’s colors are bright and pastel, creating an eerie sensation as Ivy goes from her shack in the swamp to the Vivarium-esque dream world. I don’t know if I’m here for the full Knight Terrors event, but Knight Terrors: Poison Ivy is a two-issue mini that I will be reading.
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The War for Civilization
Kong: The Great War #2 picks up on what I assume is Skull Island during WWI. A group of soldiers trudge through a swamp while creatures out of time and out of this world pick them off. As they continue to march through the thick foliage, they catch a glimpse of a giant ape-shaped shadow. And when they think they are clear of the creature and camp down for the night, the final panel reveals they are camping in an enormous hand print.
I’ve never heard of any of the talented folks on this creative team, but I will be sure to check their other works as this book was a surprisingly good time. Alex Cox’s soldiers from the turn of the last century deliver classic war-story tropes and outdated quips and jokes. Tommaso Bianchi’s art was reminiscent of Giuseppe Camuncoli in its sweeping, swirling, and liquid line work. But the standout was James Devlin’s colors. The thick, verdant foliage, the crimson velociraptors and the way he uses color to add just the right texture for shaved hair or shadows is remarkable. War stories aren’t usually my cup of tea, but I do love a good monster.
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The King’s Edicts
We have recommendations. You have eye holes.
Webcomics have become one of my favorite ways to read comics. With apps like Tapas and WEBTOON, along with the plethora of talented cartoonists publishing on their own sites, webcomics are quickly becoming an accessible way for people to make comics today. I’m intrigued by the skill and patience it takes to carefully craft compressed stories and release them a page at a time.
I’ve definitely come late to the party and binged complete works like Alec Longstreth’s Isle of Elsi or the incomparable O, Human Star by Blue Dellaquanti, I do enjoy periodically checking in with my favorite characters like Joe Chouinard’s Clown Corps. But thanks to Hannah McGill’s new story, Amphiox, I have a new weekly to add to my digital stack!
Amphiox follows Lyrat, a young explorer, who goes on dangerous spelunking expeditions trying to avoid the scary magic doom eels, the amphioxii. McGill’s line work is so solid and their understanding of moving action along visually is on par with mainstream comics. I was also a huge fan of the bright, rich, and super-saturated color palette and the way they play with lighting.
Don’t sleep on this and get in on Amphiox right at the beginning!
That’s it for this week. We’ll be back next week with a conversation with Christopher Lyons about Chris Claremont and the Phoenix Saga.
Oh, and of course, more reviews. How could I forget?