TRADE REVIEW: Adventureman Vol. 1, The End And Everything After
Adventureman Vol. 1, The End And Everything After is a thrillingly pulpy epic with dazzling artwork and strong, inclusive storytelling.
Read MoreAdventureman Vol. 1, The End And Everything After is a thrillingly pulpy epic with dazzling artwork and strong, inclusive storytelling.
Read MoreBy Keigen Rea — Between its elaborate non-conventional format and sporadic shipping schedule, I feel like November hasn’t gotten the attention it deserves as one of the finest comics of 2020. Which to a certain degree also feels disingenuous. Any mention of it has been positive, at least from what I’ve seen, but it feels like people are over emphasizing writer Matt Fraction’s role, and, crucially, under-emphasizing artist Elsa Charretier.
Read MoreBy Keigen Rea — Sex Criminals #30 delivers a narration-heavy plot-dense issue on the tail of a narration-heavy plot-dense arc. Fraction describes it as “the MOST un-drawable issue,” in the letters column, and it feels like it in places. It’s an issue that pulls the series together thematically and provides a satisfying cap to the plot. It isn’t overly predictable, confusing, or unpredictable, but it wasn’t as whole as I would have liked. I am very happy that Sex Criminals #30 isn’t the end of the series.
Read MoreBy Jacob Cordas — Genre fiction is often a trip into disappointment. While I have a deep seated affection for the swashbuckling and screams that make up this world, so much of the time the classics are filled with toxicity that you need to tune out to enjoy the pieces. Modern examples often attempt to avoid these issues by acting like that past toxicity doesn’t exist (i.e. 2003’s Pirates of the Caribbean). Occasionally we’ll get an attempt at modernization, that wants to engage with those elements of the source material but struggles under the weight of the seemingly incompatible goals (i.e. 2016’s Tarzan).
Read MoreBy Keigen Rea — November is about three women being brutalized by cops and the broken systems in society. It’s a story about a city under siege and the effect it has on a few ordinary citizens, which is to say; it feels like this last week in the US. Right now, pretty much any media I consume reminds me of the protests and brutality by racists taking place across the United States, because, well, it seems to be the only reasonable thing to think about right now.
Read MoreBy Zack Quaintance — There’s a lot going on in Adventureman #1. First, the book is heavy. Literally. Written by Matt Fraction (Hawkeye, Casanova, Sex Criminals) and illustrated by Terry and Rachel Dodson (X-Men / Fantastic Four), Adventureman #1 clocks in at 56 pages (an absurd bargain given the price tag is the usual $3.99). It’s nearly triple the length of a standard issue. I suspect there is significant utility in making the first issue that length, stemming from this debut reading like two distinct comics.
Read More