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Review: Monocyte #1 and #2

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Monocyte is a densely gothic work of science fiction that will grab you by the throat and refuse to let you go until the last page. For a book that seems to intentionally disregard all major tropes in mainstream comics today, it is without a doubt a book that will find a large number of fans, and deservingly so. After issue #2 it is certain that IDW has another hit horror book on their hands, one that brings something completely novel to the table, one that works adamantly to re-imagine the horror genre. It’s bleak, dark, absurd, complex, poetic, and it remains steadfast in its use of elevated language and beautiful artwork. The creative team certainly has a wonderfully dark vision, and to let us into their minds is an absolute treasure that you would be hard-pressed to find anywhere else. Read on for the skinny…

monocyte1 Monocyte2 WRITTEN BY: Menton3 & Kasra Ghanbari
ILLUSTRATIONS BY: menton3
PUBLISHER: IDW
RELEASE: Issue #1 available now, Issue #2 Dec 28

As far as the story goes in Monocyte, it’s quite complex, which makes it slightly intimidating at first glance. Set in a very distant future, humanity has simply been brushed aside by two feuding immortal races, the Olignostics and the Antedeluvians (each with their own backstory). Though the near-eradication-of-humanity plot has become quite the popular subgenre, it usually involving zombies or robots. Monocyte on the other hand, brings about two unique and twisted races from realms beyond that really do not compare to anything else (except perhaps Cenobites). Humans, which remain to be seen in the first two installments, are simply being used as slaves, though in very different ways, by the two fighting races.

Enter Monocyte: a one-eyed, all-powerful necromancer summoned by some metaphoric version of death to annihilate both immortal races. Turns out, they are not so immortal as they thought and Monocyte tears through them like a kid in a candy shop. The story becomes increasingly multifaceted as the narrative develops, and it may take a few read-throughs before having a firm grasp on the rich chronicle the team has created. Monocyte gives you the feeling that the creative team has a lot more in their twisted minds than you actually get to see, and this is often makes for the best stories.

The first issue functions, for the most part, as an introduction to the weird and wild futuristic universe. Monocyte is depicted as a god-like entity that towers over his prey, easily disposing of the supposedly immortal Olignostics. Menton3 almost always shows the title character towering above the “immortals”, making their gothic guise seem innocent in contrast to his gigantic, weathered alien body.

Monocyte2_1

The first issue leaves many questions to be answered, the complexity and enigmatic nature of the book leaves your mind in shambles, questioning, “what the hell did I just read?” However, issue #2 completely immerses you into the world of Menton3 and Kasra Ghanbari. Issue #2 begins without missing a beat and progresses the plotline far beyond what I imagined would be accomplished in the one issue. With all the backstory out of the way, the motives of the two clans become clear, and the treachery that ensues complicates the plot further.

Monocyte speaks for the first time in the second issue, and in contrast to his disturbing and large stature, he speaks with eerie elegance and scarcity, quoting the words of Hamlet, which, oddly, fit well within the context of the plot. By the end of the second issue, it’s totally unclear where the writers will take the story, and it’s that unpredictability mixed with the disturbing visuals that makes Monocyte so engaging.

Particularly what blew me away with the second issue is the page of Moses deep in meditation. The text, which surrounds the character in a semi circle, can be read beginning from either end with equal elegance. This is something that if ever, has rarely been done in comics, and it’s extremely refreshing to see someone play around with graphic storytelling.

As you can probably tell, Monocyte really stands out from other popular comics due to its use of high language and unconventional narrative structure. Menton3 and Kasra Ghanbari are totally unafraid and unabashed to delve headfirst into poetic prose, elevating this story to a certain plateau where it is largely untouched by any other popular comic. For those of you that still have friends who believe comics are merely for the dull-witted, show them this book, but warn them that they may never sleep again. Though I admit I do not fully understand all that is going on, I’m totally involved in everything this book represents. Nonetheless, it must be said that the elevated use of language and the complicated universe is not be for everybody. The density of the story, and the convoluted writing style will turn some readers off.

Monocyteol

I shouldn’t even have to mention how good Menton’s artwork is. Menton’s artwork is seriously unparalleled. There is nobody else in the industry, or elsewhere for that matter, that I could even begin to compare him to. It is so utterly different from any other professional artist in comics today, and the bleak and grim style of his work fits the book perfectly. He mixes sketchy charcoal style drawings with painted backgrounds that add a real sense of depth and emotional lighting to the pages. He has an obvious affinity for symbols and emblems, which he throws in every now and then which make this look as though it could be centuries old. Menton3 has the goods, and he’s not afraid to pull out all the stops with Monocyte.

The combination of atypical prose, the deeply metaphoric, and the artistic style make this book so much more terrifying than any currently running horror book. Monocyte may just be the next big thing in horror, going beyond our imagination into the realm of the unknown. There is a certain pseudo-Lovecraftian vision that comes out of Monocyte with its cosmic level of terror, and I feel, or perhaps hope, this will really pave the way for a new kind of horror. The back-stories that come with the issues (specifically Riley Rossmo’s) really pull it together, displaying how vast this world really is. If you’re looking for an offbeat absurdist tale that mixes austere sc-fi, religion, poetry, philosophy, and horror, then run to your comic shop and pick this up.

4.5/5 Skulls

You can check out the free 8-page prelude to the series here

Comics

[Review] Graphic Novel ‘Tender’ Is Brilliant Feminist Body Horror That Will Make You Squirm & Scream

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Tender Beth Hetland Graphic Novel

Beth Hetland’s debut graphic novel, ‘Tender,’ is a modern tale of love, validation, and self-destruction by way of brutal body horror with a feminist edge.

“I’ve wanted this more than anything.”

Men so often dominate the body horror subgenre, which makes it so rare and insightful whenever women tackle this space. This makes Beth Hetland’s Tender such a refreshing change of pace. It’s earnest, honest, and impossibly exposed. Tender takes the body horror subgenre and brilliantly and subversively mixes it together with a narrative that’s steeped in the societal expectations that women face on a daily basis, whether it comes to empowerment, family, or sexuality. It single-handedly beats other 2023 and ‘24 feminine horror texts like American Horror Story: Delicate, Sick, Lisa Frankenstein, and Immaculate at their own game.

Hetland’s Tender is American Psycho meets Rosemary’s Baby meets Swallow. It’s also absolutely not for the faint of heart.

Right from the jump, Tender grabs hold of its audience and doesn’t let go. Carolanne’s quest for romantic fulfillment, validation, and a grander purpose is easy to empathize with and an effective framework for this woeful saga. Carolanne’s wounds cut so deep simply because they’re so incredibly commonplace. Everybody wants to feel wanted.

Tender is full of beautiful, gross, expressive artwork that makes the reader squirm in their seat and itch. Hetland’s drawings are simultaneously minimalist and comprehensively layered. They’re  reminiscent of Charles Burns’ Black Hole, in the best way possible. There’s consistently inspired and striking use of spot coloring that elevates Hetland’s story whenever it’s incorporated, invading Tender’s muted world.

Hetland employs effective, economical storytelling that makes clever use of panels and scene construction so that Tender can breeze through exposition and get to the story’s gooey, aching heart. There’s an excellent page that depicts Carolanne’s menial domestic tasks where the repetitive panels grow increasingly smaller to illustrate the formulaic rut that her life has become. It’s magical. Tender is full of creative devices like this that further let the reader into Carolanne’s mind without ever getting clunky or explicit on the matter. The graphic novel is bookended with a simple moment that shifts from sweet to suffocating.

Tender gives the audience a proper sense of who Carolanne is right away. Hetland adeptly defines her protagonist so that readers are immediately on her side, praying that she gets her “happily ever after,” and makes it out of this sick story alive…And then they’re rapidly wishing for the opposite and utterly aghast over this chameleon. There’s also some creative experimentation with non-linear storytelling that gets to the root of Carolanne and continually recontextualizes who she is and what she wants out of life so that the audience is kept on guard.

Tender casually transforms from a picture-perfect rom-com, right down to the visual style, into a haunting horror story. There’s such a natural quality to how Tender presents the melancholy manner in which a relationship — and life — can decay. Once the horror elements hit, they hit hard, like a jackhammer, and don’t relent. It’s hard not to wince and grimace through Tender’s terrifying images. They’re reminiscent of the nightmarish dadaist visuals from The Ring’s cursed videotape, distilled to blunt comic panels that the reader is forced to confront and digest, rather than something that simply flickers through their mind and is gone a moment later. Tender makes its audience marinate in its mania and incubates its horror as if it’s a gestating fetus in their womb.

Tender tells a powerful, emotional, disturbing story, but its secret weapon may be its sublime pacing. Hetland paces Tender in such an exceptional manner, so that it takes its time, sneaks up on the reader, and gets under their skin until they’re dreading where the story will go next. Tender pushes the audience right up to the edge so that they’re practically begging that Carolanne won’t do the things that she does, yet the other shoe always drops in the most devastating manner. Audiences will read Tender with clenched fists that make it a struggle to turn each page, although they won’t be able to stop. Tender isn’t a short story, at more than 160 pages, but readers will want to take their time and relish each page so that this macabre story lasts for as long as possible before it cascades to its tragic conclusion. 

Tender is an accomplished and uncomfortable debut graphic novel from Hetland that reveals a strong, unflinching voice that’s the perfect fit for horror. Tender indulges in heightened flights of fancy and toes the line with the supernatural. However, Tender is so successful at what it does because it’s so grounded in reality and presents a horror story that’s all too common in society. It’s a heartbreaking meditation on loneliness and codependency that’s one of 2024’s must-read horror graphic novels.

‘Tender,’ by Beth Hetland and published by Fantagraphics, is now available.

4 out of 5 skulls

Tender graphic novel review

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