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Monkeybrain Monday Review: “Knuckleheads” #1

Published

10 years ago

on

Monkeybrain comics don’t specialize in anything save for quality books. “Monkeybrain Monday” showcases the digital titles this small publisher has to offer. This week’s entry is on its way to print with IDW publishing. So we thought it time to give “Knuckleheads” a visit.

The slacker archetype is one we all know too well. It’s ripe with satire and makes for a compelling character turn. Except Brian Winkeler and Robert Wilson IV’s Trevor K Trevinski brings it to a whole new level. “Knuckleheads” #1 offers a brilliant blend of the slacker archetype with the superherodom and manages to create hearty laughs while balancing character development.

Knuckleheads-1WRITTEN BY: Brain Winkeler
ART BY: Robert Wilson IV
PUBLISHER: Monkeybrain Comics
PRICE: $0.99
GET IT HERE: http://www.monkeybraincomics.com/

It’s fitting that a book about a slacker superhero doesn’t have any action in the first issue. Although that may seem difficult to find compelling, it isn’t. Brain Winkeler introduces his characters in a dramatic and overzealous fashion only to quickly reveal the drab reality.

The result is a funny and telling look at what it means to have superpowers. One would imagine that any modern day person would much rather use any powers they received in a self-serving manner to make their own lives easier. But Trevor doesn’t really use them at all. He would rather stay home and chill. I get it, eating pizza and playing Xbox all day every day is practically heaven for any twenty something.

Robert Wilson IV brings this “heaven” to life with an unsightly touch of reality. Trevor’s costume first appears to be a tightly crafted amalgamation of different materials. It slowly becomes clear that it’s unwashed leisurewear at best. His apartment and surrounding area comes to define him as an unwashed and lazy slob.

But, it’s really the details in this sloppiness that add so much charm to the book. It’s clear that a lot of time was taken to define this world. Wilson’s thick lines populate each panel and define the world in a fantastic way. Plus, once you reach these final pages, everything else just feels like a teaser for the grand show. The monster is magnificent.

I have a few issues with not developing the crystal fist or exactly what makes Trevor’s powers so ripe. I didn’t get a full picture of him in this first chapter, and although it did leave me feeling slightly unfulfilled it also gave me a number of questions heading into the second issue. Such is the double edged sword of periodic storytelling.

A ripe bromance, a repugnant use of power, and wonderfully paced character introduction are just some of the things “Knuckleheads” #1 offers a reader. It’s a smooth dissection of what makes superhero stories great and straddles the line between satire and coming of age. It’s a beautiful love letter to the superhero tradition of comic books without ever hitting too much of it on the nose. So the result is a refreshing take on old ideas that never ceases to entertain.

Don’t be a knucklehead and pick up the trade from IDW this June.

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Comics

‘Witchblade’ is Getting Resurrected This Summer in New Comic Series from Top Cow and Image Comics

Published

2 days ago

on

April 18, 2024

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Witchblade cover

Witchblade, the popular comic series that initially ran from 1995 to 2015 and launched a TV series, is getting resurrected in a new comic series from Top Cow and Image Comics. It’s set to unleash heavy metal, black magic and blood this summer.

Look for the new Witchblade series to launch on July 17, 2024.

In Witchblade #1, “New York City Police Detective Sara Pezzini’s life was forever fractured by her father’s murder. Cold, cunning, and hellbent on revenge, Sara now stalks a vicious criminal cabal beneath the city, where an ancient power collides and transforms her into something wild, magnificent, and beyond her darkest imaginings. How will Sara use this ancient power, or will she be consumed by it?”

The series is penned by NYT Best-Selling writer Marguerite Bennett (Animosity, Batwoman, DC Bombshells) and visualized by artist Giuseppe Cafaro (Suicide Squad, Power Rangers, Red Sonja). The creative duo is working with original co-creator Marc Silvestri, who is the CEO of Top Cow Productions Inc. and one of the founders of Image Comics. They are set to reintroduce the series to Witchblade’s enduring fans with “a reimagined origin with contemporary takes on familiar characters and new story arcs that will hook new readers and rekindle the energy and excitement that fueled the 90’s Image Revolution that shaped generations of top creators.”

Bennett said in a statement, “The ability to tell a ferocious story full of monsters, sexuality, vision, and history was irresistible.” She adds, “Our saga is sleek, vicious, ferocious, and has a lot to say about power in the 21st century and will be the first time that we are stopping the roller coaster to let more people on. I’ve loved Witchblade since I was a child, and there is truly no other heroine like Sara with such an iconic legacy and such a rich, brutal relationship to her own body.”

“The Witchblade universe is being modernized to reflect how Marguerite beautifully explores the extreme sides of Sara through memories, her personal thoughts, like desire and hunger, in her solitude and when she is possessed by the Witchblade. So, I had to visually intersect a noir True Detective-like world with a supernatural, horror world that is a fantastic mix between Berserk and Zodiac,” Cafaro stated.

Marc Silvestri notes, “This is brand new mythology around Sara, and I can’t wait for you to fall in love with her and all the twists and turns. Discover Witchblade reimagined this summer, and join us as we bring all the fun of the 90s to the modern age and see how exciting comics can be. I can’t wait for you to read this new series.”

Witchblade#1 will be available at comic book shops on Wednesday, July 17th, for $4.99 for 48 pages. And it’ll come with multiple cover variants.

  • Cover A: Marc Silvestri and Arif Prianto (Full Color)

  • Cover B: Giuseppe Cafaro and Arif Prianto (Full Color)

  • Cover C: Blank Sketch Cover

  • Cover D (1/10): Dani and Brad Simpson (Full Color)

  • Cover E (1/25): Marc Silvestri and Arif Prianto, Virgin Cover (Full Color)

  • Cover F (1/50): J.Scott Campbell (Full Color)

  • Cover G (1/100): Bill Sienkiewicz. (Full Color)

  • Cover H (1/250): Line art by Marc. Virgin Cover, Inks (B/W)

Witchblade #1 will also be available across many digital platforms, including Amazon Kindle, Apple Books, and Google Play.

Witchblade comic panel Witchblade #1 cover image

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