Comics
Review: ‘Captain Ultimate’ #3
A pleasant tribute to kids cartoons and superhero comics, “Captain Ultimate” #3 is a fun and nostalgic blast to the past. Readers will be genuinely charmed by this earnest superhero tale. What’s not to like in a comic book that has time-traveling wrestlers, intrepid reporters, and a robot alligator.
WRITTEN BY: Benjamin Bailey & Joey Esposito
ART BY: Boykoesh
PUBLISHER: MonkeyBrains Comics
PRICE: .99 cents
RELEASE: October 16th, 2013
With the story of a lifetime in the grasp of her hands, Ratcliffe thinks she has the scoop on the forgotten hero, Captain Ultimate. She just has to convince her editor-in-chief that readers still want to know about Captain Ultimate’s origin. In the future, the Ultimate Power was created by an ambitious group of scientists. Designed as a belt, the Ultimate Power would eventually find its way to the right hands. But that right person would have to wait as the lab was suddenly ambushed by an alien race of robot alligators. Will Nick Mason, the most hated wrestler, answer the Ultimate Power’s call and be a hero?
Writers Benjamin Bailey and Joey Esposito focus more on the back-story of Captain Ultimate in this installment. Combining Superman and Green Lantern’s origin story, readers get to see who Captain Ultimate was in his previous life as Nick Mason. Hated by children and other wrestling fans, Nick Mason made a living as a wrestler known as Captain Carnage. Tired of being a heel and being booed at every night, Nick wanted to be liked by everyone. Bailey and Esposito focus on the internal conflict of being who you are versus who you are supposed to be.
Without being preachy, Bailey and Esposito teach a valuable lesson to children about being true to yourself. Bailey and Esposito reinforce their message by saying it is perfectly okay to dream a little bit bigger. Nick could be making more money as a heel but that’s not what his heart desires. Wanting to be special, Nick has dreams of his own and doesn’t want to turn away from them.
I really enjoyed the character designs of the robot alligator alien race from artist Boy “Boykoesh” Akkerman. In a wide shot, the robot alligators are storming the lab base where the Ultimate Power is. In some of the designs, the robot alligator has this huge canon for a hand. At the top their heads, we see their pink brains behind a glass helmet. Their cybernetic right eye is always glowing red , thanks to Ed Ryzowski’s coloring.
I guess it’s the kid in me that absolutely loves lasers. I thought it was particularly funny when the robot alligators opened their mouths and started shooting lasers. In a big panel, Akkerman illustrates hundreds of robot alligators flying in the air like airplanes, shooting at the rooftops of these futuristic buildings.
Fun for all ages, “Captain Ultimate” #3 has such a good old-fashioned heart that will definitely win over readers. With a strong message about being true to yourself, this is a great way for kids to be introduced to comics. Be sure to get your copy here.
4/5 Skulls
Reviewed by – Jorge Solis
Comics
‘Curse of the Where Wolf’ Bites Into August Release With Trio of Werewolf Theatrical Screenings [Exclusive Preview]
Larry Chaney‘s hairy misadventures are continuing in the sequel graphic novel Curse of the Where Wolf from creative team Rob Saucedo, Debora Lancianese, and Jack Morelli, and its author is celebrating with a trio of horror’s greatest werewolf films.
The Curse of the Where Wolf hits shelves on August 7 from Encyclopocalypse Publications.
That coincides with the launch of a theatrical screening event in Houston, Texas, featuring a trio of seminal werewolf flicks turning 45 this year: The Howling on August 7, Wolfen on August 14, and An American Werewolf in London on August 21.
Each screening features a “werewolf in film” presentation as well as a book signing from Where Wolf author and River Oaks Theatre artistic director Rob Saucedo.
In the new graphic novel, “Being a werewolf sucks. Reporter Larry Chaney wanted to be a hero. Instead, he became a werewolf. Now, caught between incredible new powers and a desire to eat everything (and everyone) in sight, Larry must find a cure for his curse. Or die trying.”
“With Where Wolf, I wanted to tell a whodunit set in a furry convention, so the story was pretty contained within a very specific setting and genre. With Curse of the Where Wolf, I wanted to celebrate everything I love about the possibility of comic books. Curse of the Where Wolf is a funny book, in every sense of the phrase, but it’s also an earnest look at a person’s struggle to become a better version of themselves, especially when the alternative is to become a literal monster,” Saucedo says of Curse.
The original graphic novel was previously serialized as the first webcomic hosted on Fangoria before being collected by Encyclopocalypse Publications in 2023 and has already been optioned for film, podcast, and television development ahead of launch by producers James Fino (“The Freak Brothers” for Tubi, “Rick and Morty” for Adult Swim) and Charles Horak (First Date for Magnolia Pictures).
Expect Larry to find himself in even weirder situations in the 362-page full color sequel; Saucedo has provided Bloody Disgusting with exclusive art pages from the upcoming graphic novel that showcase lupine humor.
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