Ease my sorrows and increase my joy
Hey comics fans, EIC Anthony here once again. Hope you’re all having a good Saturday.
Yesterday was a somber day for comics: Denny O’Neil passed away at age 81. It goes without saying that Denny was a legend and an icon. His contributions to comics were innumerable. My heart goes out to his family and friends.
It feels right to share a moment from the seminal GREEN LANTERN/GREEN ARROW run that Denny created with Neal Adams in the 70s. It’s a prime example of the work that he did - work that changed comics forever, that pushed the medium forward, and that feels as relevant and powerful today as it did 50 years ago.
“Make me laugh. Make me cry. Tell me my place in the world. Lift me out of my skin and place me in another. Show me places I have never visited and carry me to the ends of time and space. Give my demons names and help me to confront them. Demonstrate for me possibilities I've never thought of and present me with heroes who will give me courage and hope. Ease my sorrows and increase my joy. Teach me compassion. Entertain and enchant and enlighten me.
Tell me a story.” - Denny O’Neil
Rest in peace Denny, and thank you.
Monkeys Fighting Robots: The Magazine Update
There are still 12 days to go in our Kickstarter campaign for the magazine. HUGE thanks to everyone who has backed us and shared the campaign with their friends. We’ve broken $3,000 - a personal record for Matt on Kickstarter (it’s the first campaign I’m working on, so it’s also a record for me by default).
The magazine will now be 28-pages long and will feature even more articles and comics. As an added “thank you,” all backers will now also receive a copy of MONKEYS FIGHTING ROBOTS #1, the first comic Matt ever put out (co-created by Ruben R. Diaz, Vanessa Cardinali, and DC Hopkins).
Here are a few preview images of some of the comics being featured in the mag:
Orange Blossom Monkey Clan by Erik Klaus
Teenage Bigfoot: It’s The End Of The World As He Knows It - by Jeff Manley
You can see even more previews of some of the other comics over on the Kickstarter. Again, there are 12 days left if you want to get in on the fun: back MFR The Magazine
(You can also secure a copy by becoming a patron over on Patreon.)
How NIGHTWING #71 Reignited My Love For Comics
Colin Tessier writes a ringing endorsement of NIGHTWING #71, and how it reminded him about the healing power of comics after COVID-19 seemed to break his spirit. I’ll be honest, Dick Grayson is one of my favorite superheroes, but I haven’t been reading NIGHTWING since he lost his memory and became “Ric” Grayson. I might have to give it another chance though…
Review: OXYGEN #1 RED Is An Exhilarating Breath Of Fresh Air
I learned about this really interesting self-published sci-fi comic thanks to Darryll Robson’s review, and I thought you should too. That cover reminds me of Kubrick’s 2001, and that’s good enough for me.
DOOMSDAY CLOCK and Geoff Johns’s Apolitical Superman
One of our newer writers on MFR, Matthew Brake, writes an in-depth editorial on DOOMSDAY CLOCK and how Geoff Johns writes Superman in relation to politics.
Review: KISS ZOMBIES #5 Is Awesomely Weird
Listen, I’ll read almost anything. But if you were to ask me what kind of comic I wouldn’t go out of my way to read, “KISS fighting zombies” would be pretty high on the list. However, this review from Gabe Hernandez has me thinking otherwise…
How ALIENS: THE ORIGINAL COMICS SERIES Takes Advantage of Its Lack of Color
Black and white horror comics can be pretty damn chilling, as David Weber shows in this retrospective on the original ALIENS comic series.
Review: ADVENTUREMAN #1 Showcases A Brilliant New World
Matt Fraction and the Dodsons working together on a new Image series that pays homage to old-school pulp adventure comics? I’ve been looking forward to ADVENTUREMAN since it was announced, but Zac Owens’ review cranked my excitement up to eleven. Maybe it was his inclusion of the phrase “steampunk-meets-Golden-Age-comics” …?
What I’m Currently Reading
Scout Comics and writer Aaron Crow were kind enough to send me all three issues of the upcoming series IT EATS WHAT FEEDS IT, and I dug the hell out of it. It’s about Kenny, a recent high school grad who takes a job helping a sickly (but stunning) middle-aged woman around her giant mansion in the Louisiana bayou. You know right away that there’s more than meets the eye, especially once you see the blood-soaked kitchen and the locked attic door that Kenny’s not allowed to open.
It’s a relatively simple 3-issue story, but it’s the tone and atmosphere that’s got it sticking in my brain. There’s this creepy, evanescent fog that permeates through every page, and I love it.
Written by Crow and Max Hoven, and illustrated/lettered by Gabriel Iumazark. Issue #1 is out July 8th - I highly recommend you pick it up if you like horror stories, especially those set in the swamp. Read Zac Owens’ review.
I also finally got to read SUPERMAN: UP IN THE SKY by Tom King, Andy Kubert, and company. This is that Superman story that was originally put out in those hard-to-find Walmart Giants. It’s out now in hardcover, and I feel like it’s essential reading for fans of Big Blue. I was in desperate need of an uplifting story full of hope, as many of us are right now, and this fulfilled my need. It’s a celebration of everything that makes Superman great, particularly his undying determination to do good and help whoever he can.
And yes, it’s Tom King, so it takes some turns into despair at times, but trust me, it all circles back. He gets a bad wrap for his dark stories, but I truly believe that King is the master of turning despair into hope.
TALES OF MFR • COMIC STRIP
Chapter 60 of TALES OF MFR is on its way. In the meantime, catch up from the beginning here: TALES OF MFR
The war between monkeys and robots has raged on for eons; these are the stories that have survived. With art by Jamie Jones and the occasional words by Matt Sardo, Tales of MFR hits the web every Sunday.
For more reviews, interviews, and “Legends of the Longbox”, head over to the website to see what the team’s been working on this week:
Bit of a longer one this week, but what can I say. Comics are great, and I love talking about them.
That’s all for now, but remember: Amazon bad! Local Comic Shop good!
Until next week,
Anthony Composto
@The_Great_Ace
@monkeys_robots
ABOUT US
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CONTACT US
Send your comments, questions, & concerns to: info@monkeysfightingrobots.com
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