The main review this week is Welcome to Maynard #1. add, The Wednesday Comics team typically lists new #1 comics, finales, and other noteworthy issues from non-Big 2 publishers, all of which you can find below…enjoy!
Welcome to Maynard #1
writer: james robinson
Art: J.Born
color: Ian Herring
letter: Jim Campbell
Publisher: dark horse comics
reviewer Clyde Hall
It’s been too long. I haven’t indulged in it for too long james robinson story. Long ago, I ventured vicariously into a fictional landscape that straddled the human world and the realm of elven folk. Changeling: Dreamland or Mage: Ascension. It’s been too long since I’ve indulged in the mysterious detective antics. Cast a deadly spell. Then enjoy an early holiday feast in this delightful format Robinson and J.Born cooperate.
Pippin Dale is a lively young half-wizard, the son of human and wizard parents, and therefore struggles to balance the mortal and mystical facades of our world on a daily basis. The story follows Pip’s first days as a waiter at the famed Maynard Hotel, which provides San Francisco’s premier accommodations for wizards and wizards.
Maynard has also had its share of recent robberies, committed by a cunning spellcaster who has so far failed to escape the clutches of ruthless otaku Sam Flynn. Pip becomes involved in an undercover plan to capture the supernatural thief, but a climactic chase suggests the process won’t be easy. It can even be fatal.
Introduction to Maynard Hotel staff and guests is classic, seamless and pure Robinson. He draws in many suspense actors, including Pip himself, with dangling details and fascinating insights, and leaves readers ready to find out more. J.Bohn’s The art keeps the tone as light as Pip’s. This is an important part of the narrative structure.
Pip can see the squalor of real-life San Francisco, with its enchanting crystal fences, the wonders of Maynard’s magical patrons, and the reality of the criminal infestation within its hallowed halls. But she’s not tired. She maintains a loving family life with her partner but also keeps her true nature and workplace a secret. Her abilities, can-do attitude and genial curiosity are astonishing. She is a coworker who can make even the worst shift better just by being there.
Robinson’s Clearly in his element are not just the characters and suspects sketched here, but also the hot air balloons in the ballroom, the Pegasus frolicking on the rooftops, and the Viking longships in the sky crossing the skyline. J.Born is the perfect recipient of the whimsical yet dangerous elements of the screenwriter’s imagination. He transcribed these visions into a sinuous, vibrant tapestry begging for a hand-drawn animated adaptation.
The entire creative team worked together to create Welcome to Maynard #1 is an open invitation to enter a magical world that is similar to other magical worlds but has its own unique flavor and atmosphere. It’s a powerful blend of noir crime mystery and horror transgression, and its arrival now feels like an extra goodie for our Christmas stockings.
Test #1
writer: Chris Moses
artist: Andrea Giannini
Colorist: James O’Freday
Writer: Reed Hinckley Barnes
Publisher: Crazy Cave
Comments by Jordan Jennings
and Test #1we presented a near-future science fiction story through an elevator speech.”Neon Genesis Evangelion But together with the pilots of the MK Ultra program”. In this parallel future, people are increasingly discovering strange pill-shaped UFOs. The origin of UFOs remains unknown, but there appears to be a connection between UFOs and the remains of some large alien machinery buried around the world. The U.S. government contracted Synap Technologies to handle the cleanup of the alien machine’s remains. Additionally, Synap has been training potential robot pilots, and by training, I mean injecting them with LSD to unleash their telepathic potential.
Chris Moses Crafting a story that utilizes elements of supernatural science fiction, but with the purpose of telling a story of family, failure, and trauma. Test #1 It functions like the beginning of a larger narrative. Moses took the time to briefly introduce the main cast and tease elements of the larger overall narrative. This does mean that none of the characters are truly fleshed out, but we quickly get hints of the backstories and motivations of the main characters’ siblings.
For older brother Shiloh, pilot number eight, the program’s newest pilot, the problem started on his first day of training. Through him, we learn Synap’s dark history and glimpse into his fractured relationship with his father, a case manager, and a ruthless man.
Shiloh’s sister Angeline is implied to be a failed driver, and we see her drinking throughout the issue. Moses spends a lot of time with Angeline in the book and gives subtle hints of her personality, such as her frequent sips from a flask throughout the story. We also learn about her past through brief flashbacks to her past as Driver Seven.
What I found particularly effective about the writing was how efficiently Moses built the plot while giving us these character moments. Whenever I read a story about a giant mecha realm, I always think back to Pacific Rim. The film, while highly enjoyable, is plagued by long expositions that tell us how the world is different rather than showing it. Exposition has its place in fiction, and it should never come at the expense of pacing and momentum. There aren’t any real exposition dumps outlining the history of this world or the characters’ painful pasts. Moses maintains momentum by interspersing character-building moments with world history.
in art, Andrea Gianniniwhich brings fantastic animation effects to this issue. Through a smooth, dynamic art style, we get strong expressions and body language in our characters. Some of these moments are combined with the writing to provide the pacing of small characters, such as Angeline’s flash-lit sip, or having a character put on sunglasses to hide her emotions from others. I love seeing little moments because they lend themselves to the “show, don’t tell” approach to comic book storytelling.
Giannini’s character designs are solid. You can see the manga/anime influence on the character models, whether it’s their daytime uniforms, these sick jackets and sunglasses, or the driver suit, which is so reminiscent of G Gundam or Neon Genesis Evangelion. Giannini’s world design helps set the setting for the near future of 2030.
James O’Freday’s Use a different monochromatic palette to create a visually striking book. Throughout the issue, there are panels and pages filled with blues, reds, and greens, setting the tone and environment of the story in the process.
Test #1 It’s an interesting start to what feels like a larger story. It’s intentionally kept secret in an effective way to generate interest in the comic but not overwhelm the issue with a mystery box. This issue is visually engaging through fun designs and fast-paced action sequences. It ends up being a little light on the actual plot, but there’s something intriguing here that makes me want to come back and see where it goes.
Conclusion: Browse
progress report
AD 2000 2410 (Rebel Publishing): This week I wanted to check out the ongoing SWAT Judge: Comfort Zone story, author mccarroll, artist Ben Wilsher, colorist jack davis, and engraver Anne Parkhouse. This story seems to me like a set of vignettes, unified by its setting outside the walls of a megacity. It’s kind of interesting because I feel like I don’t know where things are going to go each week, with the cycle of new SWAT allies and adversaries popping up. The masses of people who rule, the lines they draw between categories, and how to talk about them is one thing, but serving them is another thing entirely. It’s not the most coherent story, but it doesn’t need to be. There’s something interesting here at play in the little narrative mosaic it weaves together. I definitely enjoyed it. As always, you can get a digital copy of this week’s Avant-garde here. —Zach Quentins
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