Birds of Prey #1 - Comic Review

 

The Birds of Prey return with a whole new type of team for the first issue of this new series as Black Canary needs to assemble a group of absolutely amazing warriors to help save her sister.

Set after the events of Green Arrow issue six (spoilers for that series on the very first page of this one!), we meet up with a Black Canary that's in need of help. Her younger sister, Sin, is being held prisoner and is facing execution, something that Dinah can't just sit back and allow to happen. She also knows that she can't do it alone, and is looking to reform her old team, the Birds of Prey. Unfortunately, Barbara is unable to help her out with this one, and so Dinah is left to try and assemble a new team all on her own. 

We get given a cryptic reason for Barbara not being involved, and we're told that she doesn't even want to know what's happening. This, coupled with Dinah wanting to populate her team with people that will 'make you $@#% your pants' hints at something big to come, some kind of danger or situation that is going to need a group willing to go harder than most. 

Most of this first issue is spent with Dinah assembling said team, and we get introductions to each of the characters. First up is Cassandra Cain, Batgirl. Trained to be a deadly assassin since her birth, and one of the most loyal and trustworthy members of the Bat Family, Dinah picks her both for her deadly skills and because she knows Cass will have her back. Next up is Big Barda, the New God. An absolute powerhouse of a character, Barda is a big gun on a team of big guns.

Dinah also calls in a favour with Zealot, a teleporting assassin deadly with both guns and close quarters weapons. Despite the four of them being a group you don't want to mess with, Dinah feels like they're missing something, an x factor. Thus, Cass suggests the most surprising member of the group, Harley Quinn. With the team fully assembled, Dinah reveals the mission to the group, a mission that well see them having to fight a powerful army, possibly hurt some allies, and one that includes a visitor from the future.

For an issue where we're essentially just assembling a team, this does a fantastic job at keeping things fun and interesting, as well as packing a lot of stuff into the pages. Each character has a decent introduction, with a scene that brings them into the book in a decent way. The most enjoyable are probably Cassandra and Barda, as they involve fighting against ninja's, and vampires. But the book doesn't just rely of action to keep you interested, as there are some really enjoyable character interactions scattered throughout too, and you can already see some interesting bonds and relationships being formed.

When the book was announced and the roster was being slowly revealed there were some people who were unsure of the inclusion of Harley Quinn on the team. Harley has had a big push over the last few years, and there are some who don't like her new heroic turn. The book seems to have most of the characters take a similar kind of view, such as Dinah not trusting Harley, and not really wanting her on the team. But, as Cass explains, she absolutely does add a certain x factor to things, and her reason to agreeing to join up with the team to save Sin feels genuine and decent.

Whilst I really enjoyed the writing on the book the art was something that I have to admit didn't set my world on fire. There are some nice visuals in the book, and the two page spread of Dinah and Cass fighting a horde of assassins across a rooftop is a stand out for sure. But things felt a little too flat and simple for me at times. There's little detail in some of the characters, such as Batgirl being an almost fully black silhouette with a white line where the mouth part of her mask is, which makes the character fall very flat for me.

The issue ends with the reveal of what the mission is, and it's a reveal that I won't spoil as it's a genuine twist I did not see coming. It also makes it clear why Dinah had to assemble a team like this, and raised the stakes for the coming issues considerable. With big action on the horizon, and the promise that the book will feature a rotating cast of heroes, it makes this an exciting start.

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The Hunger and the Dusk #2 – Comic Review

 

Originally published on Set The Tape

The first issue of IDW‘s new fantasy series The Hunger and the Dusk introduced readers to a dark and dangerous fantasy world, one where humans and orcs have been at war for generations, and where raiding parties and armies would clash so often that the animosity and hatred for the other race was baked into each culture. But when a new threat emerges from the pages of myth and legend, those hatreds have to be put aside if both races are to survive. As such, a ground-breaking alliance was made, and an orc healer travelled to the human kingdoms to learn from them and form a bond of friendship.

The second issue picks up shortly after this, with Tara, the orc healer, trying to find her place within The Last Men Standing, a group of warriors and heroes who travel the land. Tara and the team’s leader, Callum, have already begun to form a friendship (and I think a few ships have been born about them already) but she feels like she’s too distant from the others. This gives the reader an easy insight into the other key members of the group, as Callum gives both us and Tara a quick intro to several members of the group. Unfortunately, the new team are soon tested when they come under attack from the savage Vangol.

Meanwhile, the orcs are continuing to form alliances and strengthen their own nations, with Troth Icemane (Tara’s cousin) marrying Faran Stoneback in an attempt to unite the two most powerful orc dynasties. But orc wedding’s aren’t simple affairs, and the two of them set out into the cold, snowy wilderness on a hunt that will either bring them honour and a united nation, or a grim and painful death.

One of the things that G. Willow Wilson did so well in the first issue was to create a world that felt easy to slip into. Writing for characters and worlds that are already established with readers can be a lot easier than creating a whole new setting, especially one with tons of history, but Wilson is doing a fantastic job at easing us into things. The first issue set up the threat, and the basic structures of the human and orc nations, whilst this issue gives us more insight into how the orc culture works through the wedding ceremony. Meanwhile, we get a very natural insight into how the humans of this world work via Callum and his troops. Small snatches of dialogue and tiny insights slowly build a larger picture.

This world building and the character moments are also well balanced with the action, with both of the story lines getting moments of action. The action in the book is something that I’ve come to really like even over just two issues. Things feel very visceral and dangerous, and there’s blood flying all over the place, yet things never feel like they’re gratuitous or gory just for the sake of it. The art works in such a way that it tries to draw your attention away from the worst parts of the violence, such as having a character in the background shouting an order to others, whilst someone is being beheaded in the foreground. The careful placement of the important characters and dialogue keeps your focus off the severed heads and pools of blood without omitting them completely, and it’s a wonderfully executed trick.

Speaking of the art, much like in the last issue review I have to spend some time gushing about how amazing the art on this book is. Every character looks unique and interesting, with fun designs and little quirks that make them instantly identifiable, and makes them able to stand out in a crowd. The environments look gorgeous, and the moments of action are all dynamic and filled with movement and energy, but also the smaller moments where characters are just talking keep your attention thanks to the emotions conveyed on their faces and the depth of personality on display.

The Hunger and the Dusk seems to have managed to keep up the quality of the first issue, showing that it wasn’t just a strong start for the series, but hopefully an indication of how good the entire thing is going to be. With ten more issues to go I’m already slightly sad that it’s not going to be a longer and ongoing, because if the book continues on like this it’s easily going to be one of the best comics of 2023.

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Batman #137 - Comic Review

 

Yet another comic event with war in the title, because war sells. Gotham War heats up in the second part of this Bat-Family civil war story as Bruce comes down hard on Selena's new plan for the city, and the rest of Gotham's crime fighters pick sides.

The first issue of this story laid out a very clear and concise plan, Catwoman wants to train the petty thugs, the goons and henchmen of Gotham, to become specialised thieves like her. The goal, is to give them a better way of making money, a way that means they can target only the wealthy, only those who can stand to lose a few pieces of jewelery and cash, and it stops the costumed criminals from having desperate people to pull into their schemes. It's not a bad idea on paper, and the book makes a point of showing that because of this violent crimes and killings have dropped a lot; but Batman isn't on board.

And this is perhaps the biggest issue with this story, and the reason why people are disliking what's going on. Batman is being a complete dick. He's refusing to listen, even for a moment, he doesn't want to see the data or the evidence, because he's in an all crime is bad mindframe, and doesn't seem to want to look at things a little more objectively. Some of that is understandable, he's been through a lot recently with Failsafe, the multiverse stuff, and Knight Terrors all happening to him in quick succession. There's a reason he's got Zur-En-Arrh screaming in his head, he's close to losing his mind.

This means that in this issue we have a Batman who's going off the deep end. He's purposely going after Catwoman's people, he's making a point of stopping them in the scariest and most violent ways possible. He sees himself as the ultimate law in Gotham, with only his way being the right one, and he will enforce that if needs be. Whilst this does fit with some versions of the character we've had over the years it doesn't mean it's a good thing, and we're seeing Bruce once again push his friends and family away from him and sending himself down a dark path.

The fact that there are very clear and distinct sides taken this issue too, with everyone but Damian standing against him kind of shows that Bruce is in the wrong here. Of course Jason was likely to go against him on this, but you've got Tim, Dick, Barbara, and Duke, reasonable level-headed folks taking a side against him too; that alone should make Bruce stop and think for a second. Sadly, thanks to the aforementioned series of traumatic incidents and slow mental deterioration, Bruce simply sees it all as a betrayal.

This is definitely the weakest of the stories we've had since Zdarsky took over the title, and whilst I don't think that this is the best story to be doing I most certainly won't be jumping on the 'he's been a terrible writer the whole time' bandwagon that folks on social media are running. This story feels like a DC editorial decision, one that he's been told that he has to do and that he's simply trying his best with. I might be wrong, maybe this was part of his plan the whole time. Either way, I'm not ready to throw an entire writer's worth away for one story that's less than perfect.

Whilst the story for this issue might not be the best, the art on the book, by Jorge Jiménez and Tomeu Morey, looks great. The action sequences are really well done, and even if you hate the idea of Bruce fighting his family the way in which it's presented on the page at least looks really good. The page reveal of Damian siding with his father (because of course he does) is a particularly great panel too.

We'll have to see how this particular story plays out, and whilst it might not be the best one we've had it certainly is perhaps one of the most interesting, and there is a good idea at the heart of this book. This plot will be divisive for sure, but you might find something cool here beneath the initial fan outcry.

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Enter The Clones of Bruce - Film Review

 

Originally published on Set The Tape

There are a few men that you can point to and say that they made an entire genre of cinema popular, but Bruce Lee is one of these. Thanks to his work, martial arts films became hugely popular in the US and Europe, and his untimely death only helped to make him even more popular, as fans and the general public were caught up in both the drama of his death and thoughts about what could have been if he’d have lived. With a huge demand for more martial arts movies, and for more Bruce, filmmakers in Hong Kong made a bold decision: to bring Bruce Lee back to life. Thus began an era of Bruceploitation, where multiple men stepped up to bring the star back to screens.

Enter The Clones of Bruce is a new documentary feature that takes a look at this era in Hong Kong cinema, which resulted in bootleg sequels, fake biopics, and claims of long lost movies from Bruce Lee, most of which introduced a new pretender to the throne. The film focuses on the years immediately following the death of Lee, and charts the ever growing rosters of imitators and the movies they made. And the film does a decent job at tracking down a large number of these replacement Bruce’s, and bringing them onto camera to talk about the wild days of Hong Kong film making where it seemed anything goes was the rule.

It’s interesting to see the progressive wackiness of events, of a style of film making so bizarre that it simply couldn’t happen today thanks to tighter copyright laws, as well as people being less willing to milk the dead in the same way. It seems that as soon as one replacement Bruce made his way onto screens other production companies were doing the same, with anyone even remotely resembling the man being put in a Bruce Lee haircut and large sunglasses. And some are so vividly different that it’s ridiculous it was even tried (Hong Kong film makers banking on white audiences not being too good at telling Asian people apart, it seems).

Because of how surreal the entire thing was, and how ridiculous the movies they made were, Enter The Clones of Bruce seems to walk this fine line between documentary and comedy, though not by choice. You can’t dive into this subject and not have the end result feel a bit silly, because the events were. Especially when multiple Bruce Lee replacements get brought together in one movie to play his clones, or when a movie had Bruce Lee going to the afterlife to fight people like Abraham Lincoln, James Bond, Clint Eastwood, and Dracula.

The film also shows us the global impact of Bruce Lee’s passing, and how there were huge demands for more movies, not just in the US but France and Germany too. The film makers speak to several experts on the subject, including people who were involved in the marketing of these movies in Europe. One of the more interesting and eye opening parts of the film shows us how these films were originally marketed, with images of Bruce Lee fighting on the posters, claims that he’d directed them, and even photographs of him in his coffin appearing before legal action resulted in them replacing his images with the real actors, and removing false claims of his involvement.

For those who like the ridiculous, who enjoy finding weird and wonderful pieces of history, and those who have an interest in quite cheesy Hong Kong cinema, Enter The Clones of Bruce is a delightful examination of a unique and unrepeatable moment of film history. It may even add a whole lot of new films in your to-be-watched pile.

Enter The Clones of Bruce screened at FrightFest 2023.

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Black Panther #4 - Comic Review

 

If you're part of comic social media there's a good chance you'll have heard about the fourth issue of Black Panther. Not because of a story beat, not because of some action, but because of people's reaction to a character being revealed to be trans. Over the last few issues writer Eve L. Ewing has been slowly building the new setting for T'Challa's latest series, transporting him to another city in Wakanda. Part of this has been inhabiting it with new characters, one of whom is the new vigilante/thief Beisa.

This issue it was revealed that Beisa is a trans woman. This new is something that, of course, didn't phase our hero at all. Wakanda is an advanced, enlightened culture, and of T'Challa is a good and decent man. Not only did this news not throw the hero, but he showed that he seems to admire Beisa even more because of it. The internet, however, was less cool about it.

There are a lot of folks out there who see this as good news, who are celebrating the inclusion of a new trans hero, and praising Ewing for the positive representation that's been given to the trans community. There are some, however, who have been less kind about it. There is of course the standard accusations of it being 'woke', because everything these people don't like anymore is 'woke'. There's been misgendering, and awful insults thrown towards the character and trans readers. There have been people making claims that the potential romance between the leads won't happen now because they don't see Beisa as a woman and don't accept T'Challa as gay. And there are those who have a similar outlook, but are seeing this as the 'turning gay' of T'Challa. In general, shitty people being shitty.

It's a shame, as based on a lot of the good responses I've seen this news has been well received, and it's also inspired people who've not been reading the series to go and give it a try because of Beisa being trans. Whilst I'm sure that the usual suspects are going to be pissing and crying about this for a while now, when all is said and done it feels like this is going to be an issue that people talk of fondly.

But what happens outside of this one scene? Well, not a huge amount. The issue begins with the fight with Deathlok, which ends super quickly. The rest of the issue is sent with T'Challa talking to N'Yobi, talking to Beisa, or talking to himself, about the mystery that he's been looking into all series. We get given a name for a person who might be behind it, but it's not one we or T'Challa know, and no one seems to want to explain who they are to him. As such, despite the action packed beginning, the issue feels quite slow. Sadly, this has been a feeling I've had for the entire series so far.

The issue does end on a note of escalation, however, and it's possible that things are going to increase in pace with the fifth issue. But that does feel like a very long time to be setting things up and introducing everything. It also means that the eventual first volume graphic novel for the series is going to be a book all about set-up; which I can't help but wonder if it might harm the series overall.

I've been liking the series as it is, but there's not a huge amount to Black Panther that has me excited for each new issue, and whilst the Beisa reveal might keep me reading a bit longer, it's not enough to get me very excited for the series as a whole.

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To Fire You Come At Last - Film Review

 

Originally published on Set The Tape

To Fire You Come At Last is one of the shorter films on offer at this year’s FrightFest, running at around 45 minutes in length. The shortness of the film works well for this historical folk horror, as it keeps things moving at a decent pace as the simple premise tries to get under your skin.

Set in 17th century England, the film centres on four men who have to transport a coffin along a long, remote walk in order to reach the churchyard. Local superstition surrounds the ritual, with stories about the devil and his minions haunting the walkway at night, and how those that transport the dead will be assaulted by various horrors.

As such, the men in the village refuse to help out at such a late hour, knowing that they’ll be out after dark, no matter how much money grieving father Squire Marlow (Mark Carlisle) offers to pay them. With only three men willing to help, Marlow’s underling Pike (Richard Rowden), his deceased son’s friend Holt (Harry Roebuck), and local drunk Ransley (James Swanton), Squire Marlow has to take up one corner of the coffin, and the four men set out onto the moor as the sun begins to set.

What follows is a series of conversations about the recently lost man, and how the four men transporting the body related to his life and passing in some way. The revelations here build up a picture of a tragic life; one where it seems like each of the men played a part in not only making it worse for him, but in his sudden and untimely death. The main issue with this is that these moments enter high drama, only to fizzle away to nothing. For example, Squire Marlow learns that Ransley used to expose himself to his son when he was a child, and as you can imagine this leads to a violent confrontation. But needing to finish moving the body the group then goes back to their task, with Marlow and Ransley chatting away as normal. It undermines the drama of the scene before, and makes the characters feel like they’re reacting in the moment and don’t really have much depth to them. The fact that this happens more than once adds to the tonal whiplash of these moments.

There are some moments of horror here too, however, and as the film goes on things get more bizarre and more horrific, with some creepy scares cropping up from time to time, though with them mostly being towards the very end of the film it’s possible to forget that you’re not just watching a period drama, but a horror film. By the time things do start to happen it almost comes as something of a relief as it means the film has finally gotten interesting.

Shot in black and white, the film at least looks decent. The lack of colour and the characters standing out as bright shades of white and grey in an oppressive sea of blackness helps with atmosphere, and in keeping the film looking interesting. The lack of colour is also used to decent effect when the horror is on screen too, with white spectral figures in the darkness working well.

To Fire You Come At Last isn’t a bad film, but it never feels like a great film either. The script has some faults in places, especially in the managing of character drama and balance of horror elements, and there are times when it leaves you waiting for something to happen. It also feels a bit mean-spirited at times too, relying on the cruelty of sexual assault more than once, and deeming one man deserving of death for falling in love with someone’s ex. Despite these issues, there’s a decent enough film here to keep you entertained for a short while, and the 45 minute length helps it to feel shorter.

To Fire You Come At Last premiered at FrightFest 2023.

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Fire & Ice: Welcome to Smallville #1 - Comic Review

 

When people think about the Justice League of the 90's they tend to think about JLA and the Grant Morrison team, which is fair, as it's both a great team and a great series. But for the majority of the 90's, and some of the 80's, the Justice League was a bit less showy, had a few fewer big guns on it, and at times was more of an odd comedy book than the headline team for the DC Universe. Fire & Ice: Welcome to Smallville picks up with a trio of characters from these simpler, weirder times for the League and sees what they're up to today. And might just be the first introduction to these characters for many readers.

After appearing in the Power Girl Special, Fire and Ice have found themselves moving to the small town of Smallville, former home to Clark Kent, hoping to prove to Superman that they have what it takes to be seen as decent, responsible heroes. Forgoing their original plans to live on the Kent Farm with John and Martha, the two of them have bought an old hair salon in town, and have moved above the business with their old Justice League robot friend L-Ron.

Tora very quickly discovers that charms that Smallville has to offer, and quite likes the idea of getting away from the busy world for a bit, and even considers re-opening the salon. Beatrice, however, lives up to her super hero moniker, and her fiercely burning personality refuses to allow her to see the good in their new position. As the two of them try to find their new places in the world their different approaches start to create a strain on their decades long relationship.

If you're coming to Fire & Ice: Welcome to Smallville hoping for action, this might not be the book for you. However, if you're looking for something a bit quieter, a character driven story with a lot of charm, and lashings of humour then this might be the best that DC has to offer you right now. 

As someone who really enjoyed the old Justice League International and Justice League Europe series, and the way that the books never really took things too serious, and always had time to put the characters and their interpersonal dramas first, this book really felt like a return to that kind of thing but with some much more modern sensibilities and style. Whilst the titular characters are very much at the centre of things, the book establishes some supporting characters for them to interact with. There's Martha Kent, who's a delight as always, L-Ron, who just seems to want a nice domestic life, Tamarind, who gets hired on to work the salon and is very unimpressed that her bosses are super heroes, as well as a host of Smallville residents who make brief appearances.

In only a few pages Joanne Starer manages to make the town feel like a lived in place, filled with people with their own quirks and personalities. The humour of the book helps with this a lot, and Starer manages to make things feel funny and enjoyable without turning it into something slapstick, or something that feels out of place in the wider DC Universe. Perhaps the one moment that feels like it might be going a bit too far is when King Shark turns up looking to fight, but he's presented very much like The Suicide Squad version of the character, so it's not too weird or jarring.

The art really helps with the tone too, and Natacha Bustos, and Tamra Bonvillain do a wonderful job at not just creating an enjoyable tone, but selling a lot of really enjoyable visual gags. The art has lovely bold, thick lines and bright colours with minimal shading that kind of give it both a classic comic look and keep it very modern at the same time. The use of solid colours rather than gradients really helps with this, and whilst the book has a more cartoon-like look than most of the other titles on offer from DC that it no way harms the book.

The first issue of Fire & Ice: Welcome to Smallville was a genuine delight to read, a book that I suspected I was going to like, but that I'm now sure that a lot of other folks are going to get a kick out of too. For those already familiar with these characters it's a great new chapter for their journeys, and for those who might only just have been introduced to them it's a wonderful jumping on point.

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Herd - Film Review

 

Originally published on Set The Tape

The best zombie movies, the ones that stick around and are remembered, are about more than fighting hordes of shuffling zombies; they’re a commentary on humanity. You need look no further than the works of George A. Romero to see that, as his early zombie movies dealt with issues such as race and consumerism, and those films are often held up as the pinnacle of the genre, yet his later movies are often forgotten as they don’t really try to say much. Herd is much like the early Romero work, as it’s actually trying to bring something new to the table as it dives into trauma and homophobia.

After a brief opening scene that sets up the dangerous infection narrative, we meet the films two principal leads, Jamie (Ellen Adair) and her fiance Alex (Mitzi Akaha). The two of them have recently suffered the loss of their daughter, and their relationship is suffering as neither is able to communicate with each other properly and deal with their grief. In order to try to fix things they leave the big city behind to take a camping trip, canoeing down the river. When the tension between them comes to a head they have an accident on the boat, and both fall over the edge, with Alex’s foot getting stuck under a sunken log and snapping. Jamie pulls her out of the water, and tries to get her to safety.

As they try to find help they come across a group of men out on the road, one of whom at first mistakes them for ‘heps’ and tries to shoot them. It’s then that the women learn that the infection they’d heard rumours about on the news has turned into a full blown outbreak, and that their lives are very much in danger. Whilst Alex is eager to trust the men, who offer to fix her leg and take them to a secure compound, Jamie is less eager to, realising that their trip has brought them to her old hometown, where her abusive father ran her out after finding out that she’s gay. Now the women have to contend not only with the dangers of the infection, but also the prejudices of a small town.

For those that fall into what could be considered the ‘standard’ and most common groups in our society – cisgender, heterosexual, white, able-bodied people – there’s often very little thought that goes into the safety of those who fall outside of that standard. They often don’t have to think about whether or not they’d be safe in certain situations, so often don’t consider that it might be an issue for others. I’ve seen family come to a shocking realisation when my sister mentions she has to rule out certain holiday destinations with her girlfriend, and the look on people’s faces when they recommend me places to go which I have to inform them would see me killed is quite unique. Herd seems to be wanting to do this with the zombie genre, trying to show audiences that the expected human drama isn’t the only thing that you’d have to worry about, but that old bigotries would continue on even at the end of the world.

Herd handles this surprisingly well, and the way that Ellen Adair plays a woman haunted by the abuse from her father is wonderfully done in places. The compound that the group takes the two women to is her father’s mechanic shop, and as such she’s forced into the environment of her abuse, with the memories coming up to the surface unbidden. For anyone who’s suffered trauma, who’s had the experience of that trauma coming crashing back, these scenes will feel very familiar. The film manages to not focus solely on this, however, and there’s enough drama with the infected, with warring survivor groups, and the troubled relationship between the leads to keep the contents of the film varied and interesting.

The film also plays around with the zombie genre in a decent way when it comes to the infected, and as it progresses and we learn more about the infected, it becomes clear that this isn’t the dead walking, but people suffering with a disease, and as such the film gives them some interesting rules. The creative team manages to subvert a lot of the zombie conventions, particularly towards the end, and I think that fans of the genre will be pleasantly surprised.

A very well made and decently performed movie from a first time feature film director. Steven Pierce has previously worked on a number of short films, but Herd shows that he’s more than capable of moving up to feature films with great skill.

Herd screened at FrightFest 2023 and will have its UK Home Entertainment release on 23rd October.

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Inferno Girl Red Book 2 - Erica D'Urso Interview

 

2021 saw the beginnings of a new tokusatsu inspired super hero comic, Inferno Girl Red. Funded through Kickstarter, the first volume was an immediate success, and was quickly reaching its goals. The book, featuring script from Matt Groom, and art from Erica D'Urso and Igor Monti, combined the best parts of teen high school drama and character driven story with the action, adventure, and excitement of Japanese tokusatsu entertainment. And this year the first book made its way to comic shops, giving an even larger audience a chance to enjoy the series.

And now it's time for the second book in the Inferno Girl Red series. As previously, Matt Groom has offered fans the opportunity to back the book via Kickstarter, complete with the chance to own an exclusive version of the book, along with a host of other extras such as art prints, and the opportunity to be in the book itself.

I got the chance to chat with Erica about working on the series, and co-creating these amazing new characters.

How did you get involved with Inferno Girl Red?

It was thanks to Francesco Manna, who was already working with Mat and Kyle on Ultraman at the time. He suggested my name and they reached out, I’m really happy we found the right chemistry to work along!

What was the initial process like of creating IGR with Matt? The first volume graphic novel shows some of the design work to creating the characters, was this a long process or were there certain areas that you found came pretty quickly?

I have to be sincere, there were some designs where I had already in mind a specific idea, drawn it, and even the team was like “this is it!”, Cassia and Thomas for example are one of these cases. Instead there were some points where I’ve been stuck for some time but nothing that a good brainstorm couldn’t fix!

Were you a fan of tokusatsu characters before this, and if not did you do any research into the looks and styles of the genre as part of the creation process?

Honestly, I didn’t know much and I’m a little embarrassed about it because many of my generation grew up with a lot of tokusatsu titles. I was aware of some of the biggest characters like Super Sentai or Kaiju monsters, but I didn’t have a precedent visual baggage to draw from. At the time of the creation process I needed to create a “mood board”, that’s usually in my head with my visual and reading experiences, with tons of images researched and sometimes also with the help of some more knowledgeable person than me. After finished Inferno Girl Red I started to look more into tokusatsu and I’m slowly catching up with Godzilla and Kamen Rider!

I absolutely love the monsters that feature in the book, and the style you’ve chosen for them is fantastic. What was it like coming up with them, and with them seeming to vary quite a bit each time they appear are there any particular things you’re looking forward to doing with the designs?

When I read Mat’s description about the Entropy monsters, I was thinking to that smoky stuff they’re made of, but I wanted to give them a magic effect, so the bones and the glow effects. I’ve also been inspired from some Salvador Dalì artworks and I tried to give them the long, quite-insectoid legs. I’ve never drawn much “horror” stuff before and maybe they’re still not scary like I wanted, but my goal was to make them the representation of the void and how the concept can be both ephemeral and concrete at the same time. The reason they’re always different, is because I thought of them as many shapes, every shape is close to an animal and they have different targets. I hope to draw more of them and be able to make them more scary!

The world of IGR has some fantastic looks to it, and Apex is always interesting to see. Some of the images released for the new Kickstarter have revealed even more of the city, with buildings built into trees. What’s it like coming up with the environment, is there an overarching theme that you’re sticking to, or are you being a bit more experimental with it?

Apex is an ideal city that works with green energy. Me and Mat worked a lot on it, he suggested some ideas providing references and I re-imagined it. I didn’t want to go too much into the future/sci-fi, but giving the reader the feeling that Apex could be a reachable possibility. For example I took photos in Milan, my city, where some buildings looks the same that are in Apex! I imagined how my city could appear with more of these flats and structures, without going too far into future, and Apex is the result! Also the Helix campus is based on a big park in Milan, Parco Sempione. It doesn’t seem because it’s filled with school facilities, but I’ve used the park map as a base for it!

The new book is introducing some new characters into the mix, including some new villains for Casia and her friends to have to deal with. Is there any particular character that’s been the most enjoyable for you to create and to make the art for that you get excited for whenever they turn up on the page?

Oh yes, I have to say that I can’t wait to draw the two twins. They’re two new characters introduced in book two, you can have a sneak on their study on our Kickstarter page. I love to design clothes and I was looking into tech wear from a while, but none of the characters I designed so far would have fit well with that aesthetic. When Mat made me read the first draft of the new book I was finally “Twins? You got me”. I was already thinking ‘bout them in tech wear and with both a yin-yang theme or with highlighter colors. They’re also some intriguing figures, I hope you’ll like them as much I do!

Aside from the fantastical creatures and the super heroes, who’s been your favourite human character to help to create?

I think Thomas is my favorite. It’s hard to choose because somehow they’re all “my kids”, you know? But Thomas is a guy I enjoy drawing a lot. Moreover, I like the chemistry between him and Càssia and I hope to show more of them in this book!

The first volume of IGR did very well on Kickstarter, and since then it has been released via Image Comics as well. What has that process been like for you, and is it different to working with some of the other publishers you’ve been with in the past?

The biggest difference between Image and other publishers, is that we have some control. I’m able to present my own characters and ask my timings that, due to my poor health, is a plus. I had to decline some nice gigs from other publishers because I couldn’t afford to work on a regular issues in their timings. It’s something that I miss, but I’m also learning new experiences in this market that teaches me other ways to do comics.

In my interview with Matt he spoke really highly of your work, and he said how the opening pages of the book, with Inferno Girl flying through the air reflected on buildings as she goes past them made him gasp out loud. What’s been something in the series that you’ve looked back at and thought ‘yeah, that was amazing’?

(Thanks Mat, you’re too kind!) He knows I have some difficulties to see my work as “a good work”. I think of myself as an ambitious person, so I tend to confront my work to who I admire the most, ending to see my art always improvable, always “not enough”. Adding how often I get sick, I feel even more inadequate looking how much work other artists are able to do.

But I have to admit, that looking at the previous Kickstarter, the messages received when I was feeling bad, and the result of the book after all we went thought, that time I thought “Yeah, it’s amazing. I did something I’m proud of”.

Is there anything in particular that you’re looking forward to people seeing in the upcoming book?

I hope they’ll see the growth of our characters and as well, the growth of us as persons. And I can’t wait for them to see the news we’re preparing for them!

And finally, if you had to sum up the second book in one sentence to get people to pick it up, what would that be?

Inferno Ignite!

If you're interested in backing Inferno Girl Red Book Two make sure to check out the Kickstarter!

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Inferno Girl Red Book 2 - Matt Groom Interview

 

2021 saw the beginnings of a new tokusatsu inspired super hero comic, Inferno Girl Red. Funded through Kickstarter, the first volume was an immediate success, and was quickly reaching its goals. The book, featuring script from Matt Groom, and art from Erica D'Urso and Igor Monti, combined the best parts of teen high school drama and character driven story with the action, adventure, and excitement of Japanese tokusatsu entertainment. And this year the first book made its way to comic shops, giving an even larger audience a chance to enjoy the series.

And now it's time for the second book in the Inferno Girl Red series. As previously, Matt Groom has offered fans the opportunity to back the book via Kickstarter, complete with the chance to own an exclusive version of the book, along with a host of other extras such as art prints, and the opportunity to be in the book itself.

I got the chance to chat with Matt about the new Kickstarter, and book two.

Thank you for taking the time to chat about Inferno Girl Red book two, and the Kickstarter.

Of course! It’s always a delight to chat with you, Amy!

The first Inferno Girl Red book launched to huge success, your Kickstarter went really well, and it went on to have an Image Comics release. Did that inspire confidence going into the second book, or did it create a feeling of pressure of having to live up to the first book?

It probably should have inspired some level of confidence? Maybe I’m just not wired that way, though.

The community response from our first Kickstarter was really overwhelming, people who have read the first book have reached out to say just the nicest things, it felt very validating and rewarding to have the physical books in my hands… but I’m also very aware of the (sometimes harsh) realities of publishing, marketing and… well, life.

So while I’m extremely confident in the book, and always have been– I believe wholeheartedly in the story we’re telling, and I’m constantly amazed at the talent of my collaborators– I never take any wins for granted or take any next steps as assumed. At least at this stage, we’re still very much at point where any success is hard won and reliant on at least some good fortune. So yeah, I feel the pressure, I worry. But I also believe it’s a journey worth embarking on. (Again.)

The first IGR book did a fantastic job at creating the world and establishing a history for the characters, have you already planned out a lot of the history for the IGR universe, and if so will readers be learning more about it this time round?

Well, thank you! Yes, I had a lot of the world-building stuff figured out (beyond what is textually in Book One) very early. I think it’s important to work that way, to have lore and logic constructed a few layers deeper than you actually need in the moment, so you have the strongest story foundations for later.

And yes, readers will absolutely discover more in Book Two! It’s a careful balance, we don’t want to bury readers in lore and background details immediately after the introductory book, but I also think a key ingredient of the series is keeping Cássia on the back foot a lot of the time. So just when she feels like she’s getting a handle on things, there’s more to learn, more to reckon with, more to challenge her. So Cássia and readers alike will learn a bit more about her allies, and the legacy of the Inferno Girl– but also more about the forces aligned against her and her friends.

Cássia is new to being a hero in the first book, and is very much discovering her powers and skills. Will she have improved much by the time book two starts, or is she still very much figuring things out? And if so what made you choose to focus on an inexperienced hero?

I guess tying into that last question a bit, Cássia will undoubtedly be a bit more experienced, and bit more confident – but she will very quickly be coming up against challenges that throw all of that into question.

In some ways, like many of coming-of-age stories, there’s an allegory for becoming an adult here– in your teens you have to master so many things so quickly, but the new things pile on as fast (or faster) than you can reasonably deal with them. And I think Cássia’s story doesn’t just represent a stereotypical teenage experience, but what it’s like to come of age now– when it feels like the whole world is coming apart at the seams, and prior generations (who largely created the world-threatening problems) are looking to you to fix them.

So, yes, Cássia will continue to be inexperienced, in the sense that we’re all inexperienced when we’re thrust towards new challenges. But each new challenges will shape her development and build her sense of self.

The first book introduced The Griffin for Cássia to go up against, a more human and intelligent leader for the monsters attacking the city. Will she be getting a new ‘boss’ type adversary in the new book, and if so are you able to tease any details about them?

I can tease a little, sure! So we won’t be getting a new human antagonist in Book Two– we’ll be getting two! And they’re twins!

Specifically, a brother/sister team, around Cássia’s age, who– until very recently– attended Cássia’s school. But how much trouble could two teenage siblings cause, right?

Well, they’re going to turn Cássia’s world upside down, and put Apex through a reign of terror like never before…

The first book gave Cássia the beginnings of a decent support group around her, helping her in her mission. Do you prefer to have larger casts of characters, even if they’re not heroes in the field, over something like a lone character?

I always love a supporting cast. Even my first creator-owned work, SELF/MADE, which had exactly three recurring characters in the book (including the antagonist!) was built around the relationship between the protagonist and the deuteragonist.

I think it’s because… in some ways, we’re only what we are to each other, you know? What we mean to each other, what we do to each other, what we owe to each other. And as much as I understand that it’s important to maintaining our healthy sense of self, I do think our perception of ourselves as individuals is something of an illusion. In ways grand and small, at societal, communal and personal levels, we’re so shaped by each other (and so powerfully shape each other) that I think it’s more honest to look at ourselves as fuzzy nodes in a profoundly-complex, layered series of interlocking systems… and the points at which I stop and you begin is much more nebulous than we like to pretend.

So a strong, fleshed out supporting cast is simply my preference, but I also think it’s the only way to authentically represent our humanity in storytelling.

Are there any themes and ideas that you’re looking to explore with the series that come into play in the second book? Some fans picked out some subtle hints at LGBTQ+ representation and romance with some of the characters, for example.

Absolutely. There’s a whole lot to our cast, our storytelling objectives and our world’s history that we only subtly planted tiny seeds for in the first book, so as to not overwhelm readers in the first volume. But all of that will unfurl as we continue.

As much as INFERNO GIRL RED has a background of oppressive darkness, Apex and our heroes are the contrast to that– an optimistic vision of what we can be as the best version of ourselves. And it’s our firm belief that the most optimistic version of our future is a diverse and inclusive future. And a future with a bit of romance, of course!

You and Erica have created a really cool, incredibly designed world, and I love how the Helix campus looks and it feels like a place you’d want to live; and the monster designs are both frightening and beautiful. What’s the creative process like between the two of you, and was it different working together a second time round?

Particularly in terms of design, it’s very free form and it’s very Erica-led. I’ll speak to her about the story importance of the character, setting or element in question– what I think it means and how I think it should feel– and then Erica takes that and does something incredible with it. Sometimes we’ll go back-and-forth a bit to finalize the design, but that’s always about feeling out a subtle nuance of direction, because every design I’ve ever seen her do is genuinely incredible. 

We’ve (thankfully) always had a very easy collaborative dynamic, so I don’t think too much has changed, except that maybe we know each other better, which saves some time– I have a better idea on how to write to Erica’s exceptional strengths, and I suspect she finds it easier to understand what I’m trying to express now.

Is there anything new that you feel Erica really knocked it out of the park with and are excited for readers to see?

Oh, so much! Most of which I can’t bring myself to spoil. But honestly, every new page is a delight. Like, on the very first page, I wrote as a small detail that Inferno Girl Red flies close to a building, and we see her mirrored back by the reflection on the glass. A tiny, unremarkable thing, right? But Erica (and our colorist Igor Monti!) made it look so damn cool that I genuinely gasped a little when I saw it.

But in Book Two there are some big things, some very-important-to-the-lore things and some iconic locations that we’ll see for the first time, and I can’t wait for you all to see how Erica brings them to life.

IGR has appeared outside of her own book in the first Supermassive, are there any more plans for her to pop up in other places, or are you concentrating more on her own title at the moment?

It’s a balance. Our mission with IGR was that it always remained excessively straightforward and self-contained– to get Cássia’s story, you never have to do anything more than read Book One, Book Two, and so on.

But having a connection to the Massive-Verse allows us to do additional things with Cássia that are really fun, like having her appear in Supermassives or having her (and the Griffin!) be playable characters in the upcoming Massive-Verse card game. So as long as those things never feel mandatory and never derail the core story, we absolutely plan on continuing that. It’s just too much fun not to!

If the Kickstarter goes well are there plans for further volumes of the series?

We’d absolutely love to continue, yes. Tying into what I said at the start, we never want to take it for granted or assume it’s going to happen– but it’s our intention to continue if we’re able. We have a large, overarching story in mind, with a lot of exciting destinations we’d love to reach one day.

Finally, if you had to sum up the second book in one sentence to convince people to back it, how would you describe it?

Oooh, okay. One sentence. Let’s see. I’d probably go with “It’s about finding hope when you can’t succeed, finding romance when you’re not looking for it, and finding compassion when it feels like there’s none left – all wrapped up a blistering, action-packed, explosive and expressive superhero epic.”

I hope it’s not cheating to use that much punctuation. >.>

If you're interested in backing Inferno Girl Red Book Two make sure to check out the Kickstarter!

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