MFR Newsletter 10/17/2020 — It's you, it's me, it's us.
Anyone else binge THE HAUNTING OF BLY MANOR this week?
Hey there, comics ghosts and ghouls! EIC Anthony here again, dropping some A+ comic book chatter in your inbox.
My fiancé Brooke and I are currently house hunting, and with every house we look at, she looks for either a space for my “library” or the potential to build said space. Every house. So I just wanted to acknowledge how lucky and appreciative I am, and to say to you all: If you find a partner who makes your books a high priority when looking for a home, a) hold on to them, and b) make sure that home has plenty of space for plants (or whatever their version of books and comics is).
On with the news of the week!
Advance Review: TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES: THE LAST RONIN #1 (Spoiler-Free)
Manny Gomez took an early look at the highly anticipated THE LAST RONIN #1. If you’re not familiar, it’s an old story idea that Eastman & Laird came up with back in the early days of TMNT. Eastman found it recently and decided to make it a real thing! It takes place in the future. Only one turtle remains, and he’s on a mission to avenge his fallen family.
I also read the first issue, and even though I’m relatively new to TMNT, I really enjoyed it. The action if fast and fluid, and the story packs a good punch.
Comics Studies: An Emerging Academic Field
Darryll Robson breaks down “Comics Studies” in this editorial piece — what exactly does the term mean, and where does it fit in the world of academics?
Interview: Ryan O’Sullivan Talks A DARK INTERLUDE, Unreliable Narrators, And More
I interviewed writer Ryan O’Sullivan about A DARK INTERLUDE, his upcoming “not-quite-a-sequel” to FEARSCAPE at Vault Comics.
FEARSCAPE was my favorite comic of 2018 (and the MFR team actually voted FEARSCAPE #1 our favorite single issue of the year), so I was very excited to chat with Ryan. You should definitely check out A DARK INTERLUDE when it comes out, and also pick up FEARSCAPE. It’s a very bold series with a unique voice that’s unafraid to take big risks. If you like SANDMAN, you’ll probably like this.
Review: RORSCHACH #1 Refuses to Live in WATCHMEN’s Shadow
Resident Tom King aficionado Zac Owens reviewed the first issue of RORSCHACH. Now, Zac and I bond over our mutual appreciation for King’s work, but I have to be honest: I was more looking forward to Jorge Fornes’ art than the actual writing or story of this one (especially with Dave Stewart’s colors on it). Either way, Zac’s review has me looking forward to checking this out for myself.
Dinosaurs, Mermaids, and Friendship Galore in LUMBERJANES #74
As BOOM! Studios’ LUMBERJANES moves towards its conclusion this December, I just wanted to point out that the wonderfully prolific Cat Wyatt reviews just about every issue of this series. You should definitely get caught up on her work and see why you need to pick up this series and give it a read before the animated series hits HBO Max.
My copy of WHAT’S NEW KEANU? came in the mail this week, and it was just the pick-me-up I needed. It’s a minicomic by cartoonist Tom Neely collecting a bunch of strips about his dog Keanu, and it’s perfectly wholesome, adorable, and hilarious. It highlights all the cute, fun aspects of owning a small dog, as well as the…less glamorous (but no less funny) parts.
Neely draws in a style reminiscent of old rubber hose animation, which just adds to the allure of the strip. And he does some really cool things with motion in some of the strips that really stand out. There’s a real love for the medium in Neely’s work; you can tell how much he cares for the craft, and that goes a long way.
But, even if you’re not an art junkie and you just want to enjoy cute strips about a precious doggo, WHAT’S NEW KEANU is a must-read.
You can order the minicomic on Neely’s website here, and you can check out some of the strips for free on his Instagram as well (you can also follow the real-life Keanu on his own Instagram!).
(Also, while you’re on Neely’s webstore, may I also recommend another of his minicomics, PASTICHE. I picked up a copy from the man himself at last year’s SDCC, and it’s probably the best book I took home from that trip. It’s a lot more abstract than the Keanu strips, but just as excellent.)
COMIC STRIP • TALES OF MFR #71
KABOOM!
Catch up on the series 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:
That’s all for now! Remember: Darkseid is… but so are we.
Until next week,
Anthony Composto
@The_Great_Ace
@monkeys_robots
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