Monomyth #1 Story by David Hazan Art by Cecilia Lo Valvo and Marissa Louise Review by Cameron Ely, The Great Escape
Monomyth is a story that combines traditional fantasy style magic with modern day realism. In a world where magic is almost entirely extinct a mysterious wizard calls upon seven people from all over the world that all have magic deep in their bloodline. From San Francisco to Siberia these seven people are seemingly teleported from their near deaths to a mysterious island. After being chased by glowing red eyed beasts and traversing through a maze of staircases the group finally starts to realize that there is something supernatural going on and magic is in fact real.
It is clear that there is much more in store for this group of wizards with writing from David Hazan (who has also written the Nottingham series) and artwork from Cecilia Lo Valvo (Grim Tales from the Cave & Postal) you won’t want to miss this exciting mini-series! If you’re looking for an eerie dark fantasy tale or are a fan of The Old Guard then Monomyth is for you.
Deep Cuts #1 Story by Kyle Higgins and Joe Clark Art by Danilo Beyruth and by Igor Monti
Review by Krystal Moore, The Great Escape
Image Comics' Deep Cuts #1 is the first of a 6-part series chronicling six decades of Jazz in America. This first issue takes place in 1917 in New Orleans and is titled "What it Means". Charles Stewart is a gifted clarinetist, but he's too young to be in the bars where the music he loves is played. But when Jack Cartier, leader of a hot up and coming band hears him play, he offers the boy a job. Charles is disappointed though, when he finds the job is just carrying his cornet case for him as the band plays in a street parade. But Charles' parents are gone and his religious Grandmother would not approve of her grandson hanging around, much less going inside the bars and brothels of New Orleans' Storyville, anyway.
Naturally, Charles' talent eventually gets Jack to introduce him to "the Professor" who takes Charles under his wing after realizing he'd played with his father years before and not really trusting Jack to look out for the boy's best interests. Storyville is shown as a colorful place, both literally and figuratively. The buildings and streets are drawn at night in rich purple hues and when the reader enters the place and the music is playing, bright golds and reds take over. I won't tell you how Charles' story ends. I think the characters are all based on real people and I definitely see some Louis Armstrong in Charles. If you're a Jazz fan or a history buff, you'll probably really like this series. In a one page panel showing what's coming up in issue #2 it looks to take place in 1928 in either Chicago or New York. Pick this one up while we still have copies!
The Seasons Have Teeth #1 & #2 Story by Dan Watters Art by Sebastián Cabrol and Dan Jackson Review by Felix Whetsel, The Great Escape
What if the seasons fought back? In the world introduced to us in The Seasons Have Teeth they do exactly that, manifesting as mystical, highly destructive monsters à la the Greek Titans. Andrew, a retired war photographer with nothing but his camera left, is on the mission to the impossible: catch world-changing pictures of each of them regardless of how dangerous of a task it might be.
Andrew, a retired war photographer with nothing but his camera left, is on the mission to do the impossible: catch world-changing pictures of each of them regardless of how dangerous of a task it might be.
Issue one follows Andrew as he sets out to capture a photograph of Spring, staying behind in a town evacuated in preparation of the sprawling growth that will rip the buildings to shreds. As he attempts to hunt down the monstrous manifestation of the season of life, he reflects on how his own life brought him to head out on a suicide mission for the sake of a career he left behind. While issue one followed Andrew on a solo mission for Spring, the stakes are raised ten-fold in issue two when he’s sent to hunt down the fiery wrath of Summer alongside well-established and Pulitzer nominated photographers. He may be out of his element but he’s on a mission, has nothing left to lose, and his lack of self-preservation may just put him ahead of his peers.
The Season Have Teeth is a four-party mini-series and yet another excellent horror comic to come out of Boom! Studios. It’s both equal parts monster-of-the-week and a look into one man’s methods of dealing with his own grief. The first two issues are out now, and issue three is scheduled to hit the stands on June 28th.
Disney Villains Anthology Series Scar #1,2 written by Chuck Brown, art by Trevor Fraley Maleficent #1 written and illustrated by Soo Lee Review by Krystal Moore, The Great Escape
Dynamite Comics has come up with a genius idea of telling us the backstories of some of Disney's most iconic bad guys. We all know villains are way more interesting anyway! So far, Scar issues #1 and 2 have come out, as well as Maleficent #1
Scar, whose real name, by the way, is Taka (which means "waste" or "desire" in Swahili) knows as long as Mufasa and Simba are in the pridelands, he'll never be king. We open with Rafiki trying to reason with him, but we all know how that ended up. He begins to scheme ways to get rid of his brother and nephew, starting with enlisting some female lions to hunt for him, but they realize quickly that two hunts just means waste. However, waste to vultures and hyenas is simply more food for them, so in exchange for this extra food, they give him ideas and information about how he can climb back up the royal ladder. Thus begins his fall into villainy. As issue 2 closes, he's on his way to meet with the Hyena Queen, who is sure to be a cool addition to the cast of Lion King characters we already know.
In Maleficent #1, she's already the most powerful and feared sorceress "in all the lands", which I found a little disappointing because I wanted to know how she got there. Fear of her though, hasn't stopped young Reynard from traipsing around, snooping and getting lost in her forest. This guy has got nerve, maybe a little too much because when he meets her, he asks for her staff. She's impressed, rather than irritated at that point, so instead of killing him, she gives him a magical looking compass, which he uses to find her again. He steals the staff and deservedly so, she turns him into what looks like a fox with horns? Either way, he had it coming, just sayin'. Issue #2 of Maleficent is due June 7th, and I guess we'll find out if he gets out of the bind he's gotten himself into. The next title will be Hades and I believe Ursula will get a turn as well. So far, these 4-issue villain stories don't disappoint!!
