Space Bandits #1 Review

It’s no secret that entertainment companies feel obligated now to make films about women. As a woman, I think this is a good thing. As a person who like quality entertainment, this can be a bad thing. It can result in shows made from a bland recipe of data analytics and market predictions. Netflix is known for this approach. And I fear that with Space Bandits, Mark Millar might be garnering a similar reputation.

Since 2017, Netflix owns Mark Millar’s creative properties. Anyone who’s finished a Millar comic since then has seen the Netflix brand logo at the end. The interesting thing is that Netflix came up with the concept for Space Bandits, while Millar is tasked with putting the story on shelves. I’m more interested in that business relationship — and what it says about the direction of the comics industry — rather than Space Bandits and its many clichés.

In this comic, protagonists Thena Khole and Cody Blue are notorious space bandits on the hunt for the ultimate reward: revenge on the men who betrayed them. In issue one, both women meet in prison after they were abandoned by their partners in crime and apprehended. To the audience, it will resonate with recent reporting on how women are getting screwed over personally and professionally by men. To me, it weakly accomplishes that. So far, Space Bandits seems to be a typical brains vs brawn story.

Millar suggests that he was filling a gap in the market with this comic. “In a world with a billion superhero properties and gloomy, rain-soaked dystopian sci-fi, there’s a gap in the market for sci-fi that’s upbeat and fun. I wanted to combine all this into a big, high-octane story.” His assessment of the market is spot on. His description of the story is not.

The only “big” thing for me in issue one is the 100-mile long dead lobster that is “being mined by thousands of the universe’s most dangerous prisoners” — including Thena and Cody. Whether or not this is Millar’s critique of the prison-industrial complex remains to be seen. Apparently, this crustacean floating in outer space used to be worshipped as a god before been mined for the cure to at least 42 fatal diseases. I’m curious to learn how the lobster died, whether or not that’s why the universe stopped worshipping it, and what significance this strange symbol has to Millar’s broader ideas.

The only upbeat thing in issue one is the fixation on 1980s fashion sensibilities and pop culture. There’s shoulder pads, teased hair, leg warmers, a Lionel Richie cruise ship, a Molly Ringwald district. Matteo Scalera (art) and Marcelo Maiolo (colors) create an atmosphere that exudes the big personality, bold colors, and attitude of the ’80s. Why this decade is of importance to the storytelling, I’m not quite sure yet.

I might be premature in my judgment of this series. Maybe because I just finished my second reading of Watchmen, I have higher-than-usual expectations for stories written at the height of geopolitical angst and global uncertainty. There’s no doubt that Millar’s stories resonate with people around the world. But this does not feel like his best effort, and I suspect that’s because Space Bandits wasn’t his idea.

In the grand scheme of things, this comic is just another meaningless blip in the cosmos of content that includes women, but doesn’t do them the honor of including them in a good story.

6 Comics to Pick up this Week (07/03/19)

Aero #1 Artgerm Variant

Marvel Comics
(Wr) Zhou Liefen (A) Pop Mhan (CA) Artgerm
Shanghai-based super-heroine, Aero, gets her Enligsh-language debut in the first issue of her solo series, in which she teams up with Filipina heroine, Wave, to battle ominous forces that are turning the buildings of Shangai into… golems? Sign me up! (I am going to pick up the Artgerm cover for this first issue, which is absolutely BEAUTIFUL!)

Savage Avengers #3

Marvel Comics
(Wr) Gerry Duggan (A) Mike Deodato (CA) David Finch
The Diamond description of this comic hints that Conan wields a “deadly new Savage Sword.” From the looks of the cover, it appears his new Savage Sword could have our favorite Symbiote giving it an extra boost..?

Lois Lane #1 (of 6) Jenny Frison

DC Comics
(Wr) Greg Rucka (A) Mike Perkins (CA) Jenny Frison
Lois Lane carries a secret that could uproot Superman’s life. She embarks on a journey full of “conspiracy, intrigue, and murder” to uncover a threat to her husband and protect him from the grips of those who wish to bring him down. (Being a huge fan of Jenny Frison, I have to pick up this stunning cover.)

Superman Up In The Sky #1 (of 6)

DC Comics
(Wr) Tom King (A) Sandra Hope, Andy Kubert (CA) Andy Kubert
Superman Murder Mystery Theater! Batman tips Superman off about a home invasion turned murder that occurred in Metropolis, only to find out that it has a connection with the world of Rann?

I am not Superman’s biggest fan, but I do love Tom King’s writing, so I’m hoping that my appreciation of Tom King will help me to embrace Superman and all of his boy-scouty-goodness.. *Fingers Crossed!*

Sea of Stars #1 

Image Comics
(Wr) Jason Aaron, Dennis Hallum (A/CA) Stephen Green 
Jason Aaron’s story of a Space Trucker (who may have just manifested strange powers), talking Space Dolphins and Space Monkey, and a Space Truck that gets chomped in half by a Space Leviathan? This sounds like one WILD ride, and I’m buckling my seat belt and diving right in!

Space Bandits #1 (of 5)

Image Comics
(Wr) Mark Millar (A/CA) Matteo Scalera
When two women who are “Most Wanted” felons get betrayed by their criminal crews, they want revenge — and chances are, they’re going to get it. I have enjoyed everything that I have read of Mark Millar’s, so I am eager to pick this story up!

Batman: Damned Review

Brian Azzarello’s and Lee Bermejo’s disorienting run together on Batman: Damned can be interpreted in many different ways, and I think that’s partly the point. I won’t be the authority on this story. I think the closest person to come to that — other than Azzarello himself — is Rich Johnston in his recent review, which connects the Damned to Alan Moore’s Killing Joke and Azzarello’s Joker from nearly a decade ago. Instead, I’ll share my interpretation, which is one I didn’t find elsewhere in the other reviews I read.

I’ll skip over the controversy of Bat Wang, the complaints about Azzarello’s relentless punning, the bitching about how flat the blood looks, and get right to the point of my review. I think that superhero comics, at their best, are always a mythology story. Batman: Damned is a mythological story about a man confronting fear, lack of control, judgment, childhood trauma, and desire. It features infidelity, weeping, attempted rape (a more sensible version than the attempted rape in Miller’s Superman: Year One), empathy, confusion, and all the other emotions that make being human so damn exhausting.

I reread the all three books of Batman: Damned in one day, and still struggled to be confident in my interpretation — until the start of my fourth go-around when I realized that the narrator implies that the hero is in hell, and that his quest is more about finding himself than finding out if the Joker is truly dead: “Literally bloody hell. I say that, havin’ a knowledge of it. An’ the depths we’ll go to ESCAPE it.” (If you’re curious about the heavy-handed Britishness of the quote, it’s because narrator is Constantine, who’s more a vehicle for Azzarello’s voice and style than anything else. That’s all I have to say about that.)

Once I accepted that Batman is in hell, and that the myriad of supernatural DC characters were there just to add to the story, the entire plot that follows from that moment in issue one onward became much more straightforward. The laws of storytelling become more flexible, leaving Azzarello and Bermejo plenty of room to craft creative transitions and moments of poetry.

The “Batman is actually dead this whole time” interpretation explains all the abrupt transitions in setting from hotel to cathedral to underground rap concert to graveyard to magic club. It means that the moment Batman falls from the bridge (which is what we’re misled to think actually happened) is really his descent into hell and the beginning of his judgment. It means Batman died on top of trash bags in the street after the Joker stabbed him, and he’s touring hell awaiting the judgment that finally comes in issue 3. Once he’s in the G.C.P.D. morgue, Batman fittingly decides his own fate, finally surrendering himself to death.

This storytelling technique isn’t what makes the books of Damned mythology or even part of the comics canon. It’s Batman’s true foe in the story: not the Joker, but Desire and Fear of Desire, the character otherwise known as Enchantress. She is a demon who strikes a deal with young Bruce: “no tears for fears.” This serves as Batman’s origin story. She torments him his whole life — from childhood to manhood — like death trying to claim him, to get him to surrender. Her presence is associated with Thomas Wayne’s infidelity to his wife Martha, and Bruce’s discovery of how this torments his mother. Even when Batman “defeats” Enchantress, she ultimately wins in the end. No matter how strong the hero, no matter how much money he has, no matter how long his wang is, he will always have to surrender to death.

Speaking of heroes, Lee Bermejo’s art is a herculean achievement. I place him in the elite rank of Alex Ross, and would even dare to say that I prefer Bermejo’s renditions of the human form, cityscapes, facial expressions, action sequences, and landscapes to those of Ross. I was especially impressed by the way he conveyed the aftershock when Harley Quinn’s bombs went off in Gotham, and how he illustrated the confusion Batman experienced while drugged. He made this story horrific.

It’s a real shame that people didn’t have more patience for Damned, and it’s an even bigger shame that the executives at DC cowered from the clear momentum that this book had.

Advance Review of LEAVE ON THE LIGHT #1 from Antartic Press

The comics world is experiencing an onslaught of horror books. DCEASED and THE BATMAN WHO LAUGHS are just some of the popular titles satisfying and inspiring a bloodlust in comics fans, who are highly-anticipating ABSOLUTE CARNAGE on the horizon.
Recently, Bradley Golden has unleashed some bloodshed of his own. His new series, HORROR COMICS, debuted on May 29, sparking a lot of conversation among fans of violence and gore. His upcoming series, LEAVE ON THE LIGHT, keeps the horror craze alive…with a lot of death.

What’s LEAVE ON THE LIGHT #1 about?

“In a small town near New York, an undead serial killer has begun claiming the lives of children using the city’s electrical system.” This is the pitch sold to backers of Bradley Golden’s Kickstarter for LEAVE ON THE LIGHT, a supernatural horror comic published by Antarctic Press and the author-owned Second Sight Studios. This three-issue, 24-page horror mini series was supposed to debut on June 26, according to a recent interview with economics in comics, where Golden discussed his forthcoming series. According to a recent tweet from Golden, however, the launch date has been delayed until July 10.

Set in suburban New York, LEAVE ON THE LIGHT begins with the sudden, brutal murder of a little girl, Kassey, and her mother, Claire, the night before what would have been her daughter’s first day at a new daycare. The murderer is an escaped inmate wearing a prison uniform. He has gaping lesions on his face, electric currents pulsating from his body, and a heavy stream of drool oozing from his snarled mouth. 

As police pore over the crime scene that night, we meet Detective Gary Marshall, assigned to look into the murder of the Maxeys. After some broody inspection and chain smoking, he thinks the dismembered bodies and crime scene look identical to those of Thomas Butcher Lassey, a child killer who was sentenced to death by electric current eight months ago. 

Troubled by the resemblance of this crime scene to others, Detective Marshall and his partner, Sarah McKinney, begin their investigation. One of their lives is in danger by the end of book one.

The Writing

Generally, the story is intriguing, but the writing and art need more attention to detail. 

Using well-timed moments of restraint, Golden makes you ask questions about multiple elements of the story to build demand for the next book. I found myself curious about characters’ pasts, and wondered if what I was seeing in the panels was real. To refrain from any spoilers, I’ll say that the killer is likely supernatural. It’s clear that Golden has an interesting plan for this tale of depravity and revenge.

Sometimes, the storytelling was interrupted by stiff dialogue in scenes where characters are alone. In one bit of dialogue, Detective McKinney talks about how she’s going to put down some toilet paper on the seat because the gas station bathroom is dirty. I think the author felt like he has to fill the silence in these necessary moments and convey something to the reader. 

Bradley Golden is credited as the writer and editor of LEAVE ON THE LIGHT, and it shows. There were a few mistakes in the copy that I’m sure will be resolved by the launch date. (He does tell me, however, that he’s working with an editor before this book releases — and that he welcomes suggestions from fans.) 

The Art

There are really well-drawn cars in this comic. There’s also expressive faces and moody color palettes. Props to penciler Alex Sarabia, inker Lehkem Amiyr, and colorist Shannon Smith. Letterer Hector Negrete adds to the composition with his evocative sound effects. Be on the lookout for a funny cameo they create together in a couple of panels toward the end of issue #1!

Some visual elements were confusing. For example, heavy speed lines made backgrounds less detailed, and they seemed to occur faster than the pace of the actual action. In my first reading, I thought the “VZZ” and “FZZ” lettering effects were cell phone vibrations when they were actually bursts of electric current that power the killer Thomas Lassey.

There were also some inconsistencies in the art. In one scene, the killer has large lesions on his face. In his second appearance, his skin is unblemished. (Perhaps this shows he’s getting more powerful and gaining strength? It wouldn’t be outside the realm of the supernatural. Still, it took me out of the moment.)

Rating 

6.5/10

Kickstarter comics like Icarus and the Sun have been getting a lot of buzz lately. So has horror. Those two trends meet in LEAVE ON THE LIGHT from Antarctic Press. 

  • Feels like a classic horror story with supernatural elements. Reminiscent of A Nightmare on Elm Street and Poltergeist. 
  • The art and writing are limited in depth.
  • Because of good pacing, there’s lots of room for the story to developed.

7 Comics to Pick up this Week (06/26/19)

ASCENDER #3

IMAGE COMICS
(Wr) Jeff Lemire (A/CA) Dustin Nguyen
This is the third installment of Ascender‘s five-part story arc, with STUNNING artwork that plays perfectly with a captivating story of a father and daughter’s fight for their lives against the All-Powerful “Mother.” 

CANTO #1 (OF 6) COVER A ZUCKER

IDW PUBLISHING
(Wr) David M. Booher (A/CA) Drew Zucker
“Canto’s people once had hearts, now they have clocks.”  This all-ages story looks like a fantastical trip of mystery and adventure that the whole family will love.

ISOLA #8 CVR A KERSCHL

IMAGE COMICS
(Wr) Brenden Fletcher, Karl Kerschl (A) Karl Kerschl, Msassyk (CA) Karl Kerschl
I LOVE THIS SERIES. We have had to patiently wait for this issue after Isola #7 was released in March, but it is so worth the wait. It does not happen often when the artwork in a comic book takes you on an emotional trip and leaves you absolutely breathless, but the artist, Karl Kerschel does this in every single issue. I am SO excited to pick this comic up on Wednesday. 

THANOS #3 (OF 6)

MARVEL COMICS
(Wr) Tini Howard (A) Ariel Olivetti (CA) Jeff Dekal
This series has been a really interesting read. It explores the early interactions and relationship of Gamora and her “father-figure,” Thanos. While we all may be feeling a little burned out from Thanos, this is a refreshing take on the character and I have really enjoyed this mini-series so far.

WOLVERINE EXIT WOUNDS #1

MARVEL COMICS
(Wr) Chris Claremont & Various (A) Salvador Larroca & Various (CA) Ryan Stegman
WOLVERINE, CHRIS CLAREMONT, SALVADOR LARROCA, and RYAN STEGMAN…NEED I SAY MORE, BUB? This issue is going to be amazing. A superstar lineup of creators come together to give us brand new stories of our beloved Wolverine. It’s bound to be bloody and I am here for it!

BATMAN DAMNED #3 (OF 3) (MR)

DC COMICS
(Wr) Brian Azzarello (A/CA) Lee Bermejo
Holy smokes, we have waited what feels like an ETERNITY for the finale of the series that shook comic fans to the core. All Bat-Wang jokes aside, the only thing that was disappointing about this series was how long we have had to wait for this final issue of this “Mature Audiences” story.

From my understanding, after the controversy of BATMAN DAMNED #1 from the now infamous “First Appearance” that flashed in a shadowy panel at the Bat-Cave, the higher-ups at DC decided to revise the rest of the series to avoid any more upset. I am supportive of the creative team’s initial decisions, and am bummed that after the controversy it was censored and revised, but I am still interested in the story and curious how they wrap it up.

WONDER WOMAN #73 VAR ED

DC COMICS
(WR) G. Willow Wilson (A) Jesus Merino (CA) Jenny Frison
While I am not currently reading WONDER WOMAN, I can never pass up a Jenny Frison cover — all of them are jaw-droppingly gorgeous.

Secret Society Comics had the pleasure of meeting her and getting a few things signed by her at Heroes Con in North Carolina.

Top 5 Releases of 2019 (So Far!)

Alright, it’s June!!! Halfway thought the year, and we have so many exciting new releases already. I wanted to take the time to tell you what I’m currently freaking out over and what has my full attention.

5. METALSHARK BRO by Bob Frantz, Kevin Cuffe, & Walt Ostlie

This new Scout Comics release was only sold as a single issue, with the rest of the story being released as a trade on July 31st this year. It’s a really fun story about a Shark who eats a man who’s meant to claim all the souls that pledged allegiance to Satan. As punishment, the Shark becomes anthropomorphized and has to kill all the people who swore their lives to Satan. Until he is done with his task, he can’t become a regular shark again. The premise for this comic is wild, and it’s a very entertaining read.

4. GHOST TREE by Bobby Curnow & Simon Gale

This IDW series is a four-part mini that tells the story of a man who returns to his grandpa’s house 10 years after his death to meet beneath a certain tree, like his grandfather asked of him. When he arrives at the tree, he sees his grandfather’s ghost — along with all of his ancestors! It’s a really beautiful story that has a suspenseful arc underlying the main plot. We’re only half way through, so my eyes are glued to the calendar as I await issue #3. 

3. BATMAN: LAST KNIGHT ON EARTH by Scott Snyder & Greg Capullo

I consider Snyder and Capullo to be legendary Batman creators at this point; their stamp is firmly set onto the history of Batman. This is the last dance, the final hurrah, the curtain call for Snyder and Capullo. Of course, they’re going to hit us with some crazy plot to put Bruce Wayne through the ringer. Only one issue in and I am chomping at the bit to get the next issue. (Don’t be surprised if you see this on my end of the year list.)

2. SPIDER-MAN: LIFE STORY by Chip Zdarsky & Mark Bagley

This is an amazing read. Go get it right now if you haven’t. This is not your typical Spidey story. Chip Zdarsky masterfully weaves modern American history into a history of Spider-Man told in real time. The book is cute, and funny at first, right up until the end of issue one when Flash Thompson volunteers to go fight in the Vietnam War. Don’t be surprised if you cry while reading. 

DAREDEVIL by Chip Zdarsky & Marco Checcetto

I consider this to be the best book out right now. Matt Murdock is framed for murder. It isn’t clear if he did or he didn’t commit the crime. Matt certainly doesn’t think he did, and that fact that even readers aren’t sure yet makes you feel so involved with the story. Additionally, Marco Checcetto’s interior work is some of the best Daredevil art I’ve ever seen. On top of that smorgasbord of awesome, the always-incredible Julian Tedesco is drawing the covers. If anything else I hope that by end of this read you pick up Daredevil. Trust me it’s the best thing out right now and you can take that straight to the bank!

Superman: Year One is the Comic that Nobody Needed, Especially in 2019

If you’re going to judge a book by its cover, then comic books are perfect for that. The covers for Superman: Year One #1 are pretty uninspiring. So is the book itself. But it’s more than uninspiring. It’s cruel.

Frank Miller and John Romita Jr. team up for a modern-day retelling of Superman’s origins — except there’s nothing modern about it. Let’s get the stale plot out of the way so that we can talk about the stagnant idea behind it, the cancerous stereotypes, and the dusty tropes.

Krypton blows up. In a rocket made by his father, Kal catapults through the galaxy. He crashes into earth, where he meets his parochial parents and becomes Clark Kent. Immersed in Miller’s version of Americana, Clark grows up, fights off some bullies, saves his crush from a gang-rape (more on this disastrous scene in a bit), plays some football, gets laid, and then enlists in the Navy.

Father-son “wisdom” at the expense of women everywhere. Classic!

As you can see, the plot isn’t innovative or remarkable. But it does make you see Superman in a new light. That light isn’t flattering.

Clark doesn’t have any interiority here. If he does, all we get is his sense of superiority and frustration. Sure, Clark’s a teenager, but his thoughts reek of Miller’s own prejudices and teenage hangups — from sexist comments, creepy innuendos, obnoxious bravado, to stubbornness that’s nothing more than stupid.

Before the bullies escalate their crimes against innocent podunk Kansas to rape, they’re doing the classic bully stuff that has been portrayed in American film and TV for decades. Amid this yawn-inducing buildup, Clark says, “This is madness. Madness. Why?” It’s because they’re bullies, Clark. This is as deep as Clark Kent gets in Miller’s hellscape.

The bullies achieve obligatory villain status when they attempt to gang-rape Clark’s crush, Lana. She’s on the dirt, crying, with some hands holding her down, others touching her where she’s vulnerable. Clark saves her before the violence escalates, commenting on how feeble human beings are all the while. He then whisks Lana up into the clouds before dropping her at home and asking “Let me court you, Lana Lang” with no regard for what she just endured, no curiosity, no compassion, no sorrow, no anger. It’s incel savior mentality at its worst.

Clearly, the intent and ideas behind Miller’s writing are lacking. So is his style. The voice of the narrator drunkenly wobbles between Miller and Clark Kent. There’s a matronly-looking teacher who says “dumplings,” “my blossoms,” and “angels” within four fucking panels. There’s establishing narrative captions, like “Back home. Supper time” that are entirely pointless because we can see that Clark is indeed at home eating food.

The worst and most prominent lack of style is the unnecessarily bolded font. In the very next panel after the rape scene, here’s what Frank Miller has to offer the people who paid eight dollars to read this: “Boning up there, Mr. Kent?” (Lana) “Damn if Lana doesn’t just have a way of saying things…” (Clark). Excuse me while I go hibernate in a nuclear winter.

An unoriginal sex pun. Nice!

Comics are collaborative, so Miller can’t fully bear the weight of this book’s crushing failure — with the exception of letterer John Workman and colorist Alex Sinclair. Workman excels at making Miller’s gratuitous dialogue highly legible, neat, and crisp. Alex Sinclair imbues finer textures, like prairie grass and hair, with colors that feel natural and bright. John Romita Jr. may have sprung from the loins of a legend, but apparently it takes more than that to draw children’s heads proportionally. Many times, Clark Kent looked like a bobblehead. Danny Miki’s crosshatching is too clumsy and spaced out, while his line weight is unbearably light and heavy. Then again, no inker could salvage Romita Jr.’s creepy take on the human form.

The first installment of this new Superman series was the perfect opportunity for Miller to explore Clark Kent’s boyish charm in a complex, characteristically dark way for the author. Instead, we all can see how immature Frank Miller really is. There’s nothing charming about it. While this Black Label retelling of Superman’s origin is supposed to deviate from the world’s first superhero who we know and love, it’s nothing more than a perversion.

Rating 3/10

7 Comics to Pick Up on 06/19/19

CRUCIFIED #1

Scout Comics
(Wr) Sheldon Allen (A) Armin Ozdic

The introduction of a brand new series about a NGO on a mission to kill a man believed to be the modern day Jesus — at any cost.

FAITHLESS #3 (of 5) Cover B Erotica Strips Variant

BOOM! Studios
(Wr) Brian Azzarello (A) Maria Llovet (CA) Dani Strips

Polybagged erotic cover art & the continuation of a truly amazing mini-series. Check out Reece’s review of FAITHLESS #1 here!

LAB RAIDER #1 (of 4) (MR)

Black Mask Studios
(Wr) Matt Miner (A/CA) Creees Lee

Young vigilantes break into a lab to free animals from being experimented on, and they discover that top-secret experiments are being performed on these animals to turn them into monstrous weapons. The rescuers quickly become the prey in the introduction of this highly anticipated mini-series. 

AQUAMAN #49 Variant

DC COMICS
(Wr) Kelly Sue DeConnick (A) Viktor Bogdanovic, Jonathan Glapion (CA) Joshua Middleton

I will definitely be picking this comic up, simply because Joshua Middleton’s cover is just THAT stunning. 

SUPERMAN YEAR ONE #1 (of 3)

DC Comics
(Wr) Frank Miller (A/CA) Danny Miki, John Romita Jr

DC’s premiere issue of Black Label, BATMAN DAMNED #1, shook comics fans across the world. This next phase of their Black Label retells Superman’s origin, putting fans in an absolute tizzy. I’m not particularly thrilled about either cover, but I will definitely be picking up a copy to read Frank Miller and John Romita Jr’s rendition of Superman’s origin.

MARVELS ANNOTATED #4 (of 4)

Marvel Comics
(W) Kurt Busiek (A/CA) Alex Ross

The final issue of the 25th Anniversary reprint of MARVELS, which changed the way we view super-heroes. These issues have been chalk-full of commentary from the creators and are an amazing addition to any comic collector’s vault.

GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY #6

Marvel Comics
(W) Donny Cates (A) Geoff Shaw (CA) David Marquez

This issue is promised to be action packed with Guardians vs Dark Guardians vs Hela and Black Order. It’s also been teased that Thanos will be resurrected.

Review of SILVER SURFER: BLACK from Donny Cates and Marvel Comics

Silver Surfer: Black is a passion project for Donny Cates, and it shows. It’s the culmination of boyhood dreams, professional ambition, meticulous plotting, expansive imagination, and hours spent writing, refining, writing again.

Issue one of Silver Surfer: Black is a cosmic blend of Donny Cates’s soul and Marvel corporate. Each an invincible force gleaming with incomprehensible power like the Surfer himself.

In order to write something this plotted, you have to really love comics. I’m not sure enough people know that Editorial at Marvel really does love comics. Sure, their names are credited in the issue, but…

Since Marvel’s Editorial team so relentlessly and effortlessly interweaves story arcs, characters, and universes, I’ll leave it to them to catch you up on the cosmos before we get into Silver Surfer: Black.

To save his planet, Norrin Radd surrendered his freedom to become herald to the world-devouring Galactus. Coated with galactic glaze, given a surfboard obeying his mental commands and granted the power cosmic, he now soars the universe as a shining sentinel of the spaceways! The galaxy was in chaos after Thanos, the mad titan, was killed. The cosmos’ greatest warriors gathered to hear the reading of his last will and testament — only to be attacked by Thanos’ Black Order! In the ensuing battle, the Black Order opened a black hole and cast several heroes — including the Silver Surfer — into the abyss. Now, drowning and unmoored in an endless void, the surfer is lost…

Silver Surfer Black, issue one preface

Reading experience

For us, Silver Surfer: Black is a comics zeitgeist moment. A tribute to the past and beginnings of the Marvel Universe, publisher in a time when the future of comics never seemed so bright, from self-published webcomics to global movie domination. This comic is a spectacle worthy of the infinite variant covers it has spawned. It’s the most poetic and vulnerable comic I’ve ever read.

For Marvel, it’s a boon. A comic that can increase their dominant market share just a bit more, get readers to buy into new universes. To fully understand this departure from reality in your hands, I’d say you need to know your Guardians of the Galaxy — and Donny Cates’ entire magnum opus. (I took Marvel Editorial up on their advice and acquainted myself with Guardians of the Galaxy — Annual #1 and Guardians of the Galaxy #1, both released in 2019.)

Cates’s writing is poetic and ambitious. (My favorite line: “Celestial tides crash upon me, starless and infinite.” My favorite words: “felled,” “cull,” “unmoored,” “bedlam.”) The story reads as if it is fresh off the lips of an omniscient being shouldering the trauma of millions, rather than a guy in Austin, Texas.

The framing of the story is equally poetic. Cates’s Silver Surfer begins by saying he is known as Death, and ends by affirming “I am not death. I am a blazing light in the abyss — and though drowning in the shadows — overwhelmed and suffocated by the dark —I ignite. I shine.”

How’s the art in SILVER SURFER BLACK?

There is, of course, another poetic element to this story. The dynamism between the words and art shows just how far back Cates and Tradd Moore go, from former classmates at Savannah College of Art and Design to the top of the most world-renowned comic book company.

The history here — between Cates and Moore, Cates and Stan Lee, and Lee and Kirby’s surfer plus the Surfer of 2000s movies & modern angst — is something to behold. And it is a visual spectacle to behold, indeed — with a texture, weight, arrangement, and palate unlike anything else currently published.

The fluid expressions of Moore’s lines, Stewart’s colors, and Cowles’s letters are perfect for this epic. It’s hard to imagine the fabric of reality tearing apart into something timeless and infinite, but these guys can.

My favorite visual moments:

  • Silver Surfer crying as he relives the worst period of his life. The tear fades into a speed trail.
  • The black hole pages have psychedelic borders made of earthy tones. If there were a shirt with these patterns on it, I’d buy.
  • The physical and atmospheric deformities caused by the torrent of motion and time in the black hole.
  • The revelation of the Surfer’s black, iridescent hand is absolutely iconic.

Contains Spoilers: What happens in SILVER SURFER BLACK issue one?

Norrin Radd — the Silver Surfer, Sentinel of the Spaceways, the Herald of Galactus unchained — goes by many names, including death. Throughout, he grapples with his complicity in decimating people and planets by Galactus’s side. He feels remorse over his “cold stare” and “stone inaction.” He sheds a silver tear.

After this recap, we see Norrin fall into an endless wormhole with the other Guardians of the Galaxy. He implores Beta Ray Bill to summon Stormbreaker and create a chasm black hole. (If you don’t take my word for it, then consult an interdimensional galactic physicist or Donny Cates.) After this disruption, the Silver Surfer tears through the abyss, his speed and power cosmic eventually breaching the fabric long enough for his fellow heroes to escape.

After they are safe, he collapses. Saving pantheons of heroes absolves his guilt only partially. Now he must ponder his guilt indefinitely as he careens through something beyond spacetime. He floats and falls for years, hurting, healing.

Suddenly, he senses that there is a planet eons away where evil forces are killing the innocent. He answers the call and is confronted with three giant sentries guarding some phallic metal thing. They engage in a battle, against the Surfer’s wishes and pleas for help.

Instead of killing the sentries, he restores light to this dark, barren world. The hand he used to birth that infant star becomes black and iridescent.

Is the black hole part of him now? It seems so. It seems the blackness might consume him.

The sentries are revealed to be “goddesses of some abandoned pantheon.” They must have been under some spell, because their faces are revealed when they were concealed before, and their faces are beautiful.

He investigates the mysterious metal structure, now opened. In a Marvel-Cates checkmate moment, Knull awaits the Surfer inside. (It is implied that the Surfer was catapulted to the beginning of time, and now he stands before the father of Symbiotes, Knull.)

9/10 Rating

6 Comics to Pick Up This Week (06/12/19)

BATMAN WHO LAUGHS #6 (of 7)

DC Comics
(Writer) Scott Snyder (Artist) Jock (Variant Cover Art) Jenny Frison

Mini-series extended to 7 issues. Features stunning cover by super-star, Jenny Frison.

EVENT LEVIATHAN #1 (OF 6)

DC Comics
(Wr) Brian Michael Bendis (A/CA) Alex Maleev

Monthly mini-series spans the DC Universe and threatens to bring every character to their knees.

SILVER SURFER BLACK #1 (OF 5)

Marvel Comics
(Wr) Donny Cates (A/CA) Tradd Moore

After Silver Surfer is “blown” through a black hole, he has to fight to save his soul in order to survive. Donny Cates, writer of COSMIC GHOST RIDER, is sure to make this a story you’ll never forget. There are 12 covers for this trippy series debut.

VENOM #15

Marvel Comics
(Wr) Cullen Bunn (A) Iban Coello, Alberto Jimenez Alburquerque (CA) Kyle Hotz

This WAR OF THE REALMS tie-in should be an incredible read. Goblins, Giants, and Symbiotes? OH MY!

ARCHIE #705: ARCHIE & SABRINA PART 1)

Archie Comic Publications
(Wr) Nick Spencer (A) Sandy Jarrell (CA) Veronica Fish

This issue introduces the beginning of a new story arc: a romance between Archie and Sabrina the Teenage Witch!

SONATA #1 CVR A HABERLIN & VAN DYKE (MR)

Image Comics
(Wr) David Hine, Brian Haberlin (A/CA) Brian Haberlin, Geirrod Van Dyke

This issue introduces the world of a peace-loving people meeting a group of war-mongers in a land that belongs to neither, and a girl who is willing to put everything on the line to find her own path somewhere amidst the chaos.