MFR Newsletter 9/11/2020 — Stand tall.
Happy Friday, comics people. Today is the 19th anniversary of 9/11, so I just want to take a moment in remembrance of all the people and first responders that were lost.
AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #36 is one of the most powerful and impactful comics I remember reading as a kid. I’ll revisit it once in a while and it always brings me back to that time, reading on the floor in my basement on Long Island. I would guess it was the first time I saw a comic address something from the real world that I actually lived through. It’s a striking reminder of the power of fiction and its ability to help us process tragedy and get through tough times.
Anyway, there’s a lot of horrible shit happening in this country right now (and around the world), but I hope that if you’re taking the time to read my silly little comics newsletter that you’re doing well out there. Stay safe.
Self-Published Spotlight: TALES FROM THE DEAD ASTRONAUT
Manny Gomez chatted with Jonathan Thompson, writer and self-publisher of TALES FROM THE DEAD ASTRONAUT, an “anthology told from the perspective of a dead astronaut drifting through space retelling stories of things he’s seen as he slowly decomposes in the great wonder of the universe”
It sounds awesome, it looks awesome, Manny is an awesome interviewer — definitely give this a read.
Review: COMMANDERS IN CRISIS #1
Matthew Brake reviewed the debut of COMMANDERS IN CRISIS, giving it high marks and calling it “a beautiful pastiche of DC Comics crisis events with a timely message for the current social climate.”
Character Construction In LONELY RECEIVER #1
Darryll Robson wrote up a great editorial this week on the importance of building strong characters, tying it in with the new horror series LONELY RECEIVER.
I read the first issue myself this week, and I think this is going to be a really special series. It’s all about codependency in relationships with our growing codependency with technology, and it ties the two together in a really frightening way.
Advance Review: AN UNKINDNESS OF RAVENS #1
Justin Munday took an early look at BOOM! Studios’ AN UNKINDESS OF RAVENS, a series about the descendants of Salem witches all going to the same high school.
INTERVIEW: Shannon Wheeler And Steve Duin Of THE MUELLER REPORT Graphic Novel
MFR publisher Matt Sardo interviewed the creators of THE MUELLER REPORT graphic novel, which is (as the name suggests) a comic adaptation of the real-life Mueller Report. It’s a fascinating discussion about the report itself, the difficulties of unpacking the report, and the status of the “political cartoon” as a whole.
What I’m Currently Reading
I was lucky enough to get to read the first issue of SCARENTHOOD — an upcoming IDW comic by Nick Roche, Chris O’Halloran, and Shawn Lee — and it is a terrifying delight. It’s an Irish suburban folk horror about a group of parents whose toddlers go to the same pre-school. Some spooky stuff goes down, so while their kids are at school, the parents team up to play paranormal investigators.
First off, I love this premise. Horror can be so bogged down by tropes (which isn’t always a bad thing) but this story feels fresh and original. The protagonists aren’t high schoolers or babysitters — they’re parents who have to face their town’s demons and be done in time to pick up their kids after school. I can’t think of another horror story that has taken an approach like this. And I love the added tension that this premise comes with. Like yea ghosts and demons are scary but I was mostly on the edge of my seat while reading because I was worried about these fictional people’s fictional children!
To me, the best kind of horror story is the kind that taps into real-world fears and insecurities, and (from what I’ve heard) there’s not much scarier than parenthood.
Also, O’Halloran is one of the best colorists working today and this isn’t open to debate. Horror is all about the tone, and the way O’Halloran takes you from “everything’s fine” to “shit just got real” is *chef’s kiss* sublime.
If you’ve been reading this newsletter regularly, you may remember that I got deep into the films of Akira Kurosawa over the past summer. Well, I learned recently that Victor Santos actually wrote and illustrated a RASHOMON noir graphic novel a few years back, so you know I tracked down a copy online and ordered it that day.
I’ve been a fan of Santos since I read his and Frank Barberie’s Image series VIOLENT LOVE, which was an excellent noir story itself, so I was really excited to check out his RASHOMON. From what I can tell, Santos adapted the story from both Kurosawa’s film and the original short story by Ryūnosuke Akutagawa, but he centered it on an original detective character: Commissioner Heigo Kobayashi.
Anyway, long story short, RASHOMON is an awesome book. The sharp imagery, the use of black and white, and the striking splash pages are all very reminiscent of Frank Miller’s SIN CITY. In fact, I’d go as far as to say RASHOMON feels like a SIN CITY story set in feudal Japan. Plus the graphic novel collects two loosely-connected Heigo Kobayashi murder cases, so you definitely get some bang for your buck. Well worth it if you can get your hands on a copy.
I also read the play TALK RADIO by Eric Bogosian, which the Oliver Stone movie was adapted from. It’s a really fast-paced and intriguing character study about ego and how we view ourselves, as well as the nature of celebrity. I used to read a lot of plays but it’s been a while, so it was refreshing to get back into that headspace.
COMIC STRIP • TALES OF MFR
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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