This week the Wednesday Comics Reviews team kicks off the year with Lucky Devils #1, Death of Copra #1, and much more! Warning: there may be spoilers.
Are you a weekly comics sicko? You’ve come to the right place. This is where The Beat’s review team writes about the new #1s, finales, and other notable issues out in shops from non-Big 2 publishers…enjoy!
Lucky Devils #1
Writer: Charles Soule
Artist: Ryan Browne
Colorists: Ryan Browne and Kevin Knipstein
Letterer: Christopher Quinn
Publisher: Dark Horse Comics
Review by Jordan Jennings
What happens when two disgruntled devils are assigned to turn the most nice and wholesome people in the world bad? Why they decide to turn Hell upside down. Lucky Devils is the latest project from Charles Soule and Ryan Browne following Eight Billion Genies and the Lucky Devils gets off to a strong start.
Charles Soule’s writing is sharp and witty in this first issue. The interspersed looks at the lives of the Cam Stane and Starr Wilson, two main humans, was a wise choice as we see the devils try to warp them into being the worst possible people. Throughout the first act of the issue there is a lot of misdirection and swerves. We see Cam and Starr have moments of temptation to succumb to their more visceral emotions. This is done by playing around with parallel storytelling and symmetry between the character stories.
What is interesting is how Cam and Starr’s lives parallel that of the devils Collar and Rake. The devils themselves are dissatisfied with their lots in lives and appear to be morally okay demons, at least as far as devils go. The premise of Hell as an office job is nothing new, but the Devils’ plan to upend the system is decidedly novel and fun. Given how much time is spent with Cam and Starr, it is impressive how much of each character’s motivation and drive gets established. Soule is economical and decisive with his story telling decisions and I love that.
Ryan Browne’s art is gorgeous. Browne plays around a lot with the parallel and symmetrical storytelling in the page layouts. Often by playing around with double page spreads or laying the panel for each demon and human in a column so we see the symmetry play out. The character designs are visually distinct and expressive. There is a lot of weight on the human emotion to set up the tone and frustration of the humans as well as the demons.
Ryan Browne with Kevin Knipstein’s colors have this wonderful painted style that plays around in either acrylic or gauche. It gives the book this visual distinctly look and texture the use of color for tone and mood is quite prevalent especially to convey the effects of either Wrath or Envy on the humans. Nice visual cue and something that is simple and effective.
Lucky Devils #1 is a strong start to the new series. The general concept is familiar but finds a novel way to make it stand out of the crowd. The story of two devils taking down hell itself. Soule and Browne deliver a comic that is enjoyable, heartwarming, and thoughtful. If this continues, they will have another hit on their hands. Now, I find myself moving Eight Billion Genies up to the top of my read pile.
Verdict: BUY
Death of Copra #1
Writer / Artist / Letterer: Michel Fiffe
Publisher: Image Comics
Review by Zack Quaintance
Death of Copra #1 begins the ending of one of the great indie comics achievements of our time. If you’re not familiar, Copra is an auteur comics vision by Michel Fiffe, who started self-publishing the book in late 2012 and has gone on to make more than 50 issues of Copra, as well as a behind-the-scenes book about the achievement, Creating Copra. It’s a sort of riff on 1980s-era Suicide Squad comics, conveyed through Fiffe’s bold page layouts, striking and precise character designs, and complex emotional character arcs. Death of Copra #1 is slated to end the series, launching a four-part miniseries.
As a stand-alone issue, Death of Copra #1 is a continuation of ongoing storylines done in a way that feels accessible, punctuated with reminders of who characters are and what’s happening. Fiffe’s comics-making is as sharp as it’s ever been. Like all of Copra, the book looks fantastic, and it hooks you quickly with how smart and clear the storytelling is. In this way, it’s a bittersweet read, as it always tends to be when a long-running series is headed toward a conclusion despite never losing a step.
If you’re already in on Copra, you’ll surely enjoy this issue. And if you’ve never gotten on board, I think this issue could be a pretty good litmus test as to whether you want to go back and read everything that has come before it. The issue has everything in it that defines Copra, from the ongoing superhero espionage homage to the nuanced, experimental cartooning.
So yeah, I loved this first issue. I liked it so much that I might just prepare for the end of Copra, by going back and re-reading all that’s lead us to this point.
Verdict: BUY
Wednesday Comics Quick Reviews
- Cruel Kingdom #1 (Oni Press): This is a fantasy anthology full of monsters; the ones we create and the ones we attempt to ward off. Four short stories make up Cruel Kingdom #1, giving each creative team the space to tell a tight and intriguing story. The first, “Blood of the Robo King” is written by Greg Pak with art by Leomacs and colors by Iñaki Azpiazu, and it’s a bloody tale of the employ of machines in an effort to keep human hands clean. The second, “Friendly Visitors” is written by Al Ewing with art by Kano, and it follows a space explorer’s visit to a fantasy village. The fantasy settings work well here to strengthen the analogies at play, exploring weapons of war, tools of colonization and the justifications made to excuse slaughter and subjugation. At the heart of all these stories are looks at the human condition; our hubris, our selfishness, our capacity for violence. The third story, “Death and Pickaxes” is written by Chris Condon with art by Charlie Adlard, and it’s about a dwarf, consumed by rage and vengeance over a woman whom he failed to see as anything more than an object. The fourth, “The Demon’s Face” is written by Ben H. Winters with art by Andrea Mutti and colors by Michael Atiyeh, wherein a sword is lodged in stone and the desire for individual greatness supersedes caution. Lettered by Richard Starkings and Comicraft’s Tyler Smith, each story here is beautifully illustrated and expressively lettered, contributing to the whole; a haunting fantastical look at where we are as a society and as individuals. I think it is well worth picking up and sitting with. —Khalid Johnson
- Those Not Afraid #1 (Dark Horse Comics): Kyle Starks Tis a writer I am willing to follow anywhere, even to genres I normally avoid like horror and thriller. One thing Starks does consistently well is take high concepts and ground them in the mundane, often to comedic effect. Here, the laughs are minimal but the use of that contrast is just as effective. In a small town, two serial killers spurred on by a true crime podcast vie to break the state record for serial killer murders. The book is properly unsettling. Starks makes it compelling with pitch-perfect dialogue and ability to characterize individuals through the way they interact. And still even amidst all the bloodshed, he makes room for small moments of dark humor. It’s not perfect, though. Some clunky layouts and unclear transitions make several scenes difficult to follow; one of our leads is introduced in a series of panels where it is hard to tell what he is doing or how they relate to one another. There are some lettering choices that dampen the actual reading experience, as well. For example, the dialogue is written in all capitals, but when referring to Los Angeles as “LA,” it blends in with the rest of the words and the meaning is not readily apparent as opposed to utilizing punctuation or some stylization. On their own, these small moments are easy to brush off but combined it makes the book feel disjointed. A stronger editorial hand to point out these moments where the action or words are not clear would benefit the book. For the most part, though, Patrick Piazzalunga’s art is compelling. The use of heavy black and the way he reduces the killers to minimalist facial features to emphasize their lack of humanity is striking. It’s the big concept and Starks’ scripting that will have me checking back in on this one despite the speedbumps. —Tim Rooney
The Prog Report
2000AD 2414 (Rebellion Publishing): The headline story in this issue is Judge Dredd: Soft – Part 1, which continues the Judge Maitland, police reform storyline that came to a head in one of last year’s best comics, Judge Dredd: A Better World. On this new story, writers Rob Williams and Arthur Wyatt are back, teaming with artist Jake Lynch, colorist Jim Boswell, and letterer Annie Parkhouse. We already found out what happened to Major Domo, one of the villains of A Better World, in a different short arc last year. Now, this new story is interested in how the fallout effects the city, and, perhaps, Dredd specifically. There’s some interested track laid to complicate Dredd’s life here, unbeknownst to him so far. I thought it was a strong start to a story I’ve been anticipating basically since A Better World Ended. I also had some thoughts about Fiends of the Western Front – Wilde West (which I’m really enjoying), but I’ll wait for a future Prog report to share those. As always, you can pick up a digital copy of The Prog here. —Zack Quaintance
Read more entries in the weekly Wednesday Comics reviews series!
Next week the Wednesday Comics review crew tackles the extra-sized finale of the second story arc for Nights, the newest story from The Horizon Experiment, and more!
English (US) · 