Comics
Review: “Translucid” #4
“Translucid” #4 tones it down this week in a slower, more existential issue, letting us get more intimate with Cornelius/Navigator and how he deals with the loss of life under very different circumstances. At this point, its been pretty well established that Cornelius and The Navigator are one and the same. Cornelius’s story chronicles his journey to become the super hero, The Navigator, while Navigator’s seems to chronicle his fall from grace into darkness.
WRITTEN BY: Claudio Sanchez & Chondra Echert
ART BY: Daniel Bayliss
PUBLISHER: BOOM! Studios
PRICE: $3.99
RELEASE: July 16, 2014
Reviewed By Torbin Chimners
Cornelius continues to deal with his troubles in a vivid fantasy dream world apart from reality, gaining closure in the way only a child can. With the way his home life is progressing further into decay, how can you blame him? The loss of his brother, who was his abusive fathers favorite son, has brought a tremendous amount of blame down on poor Cornelius. His father hated him before and now he’s twisted the tragic loss into another reason to belittle and neglect his remaining son. Cornelius’s meek mother, unable to cope with Drake’s passing is also taking her grief out on him. Things are looking grim; this is the kind of foundation that can build a hero, super or not.
In contrast to having a life taken away, The Navigator is dealing with the fact that he took an innocent life. It my have been a mistake, an accident, but that does not lessen the action. All life should be sacred to a super hero; if it’s not, then they’re no hero. Navigator speaks aloud to himself, trying to work his way through what has occurred and if he even deserves or wants to be a hero anymore. It’s another awesome example of the originality of this book. You rarely, if ever, see someone like Batman or Spider-Man sit down and try to talk themselves through a terrible mistake. They swing around a city all majestic and broody with an inner monologue that only we see.
The Cornelius/Navigator dominated issue of Translucid this month took its time and it really paid off in spades. The Navigator section of this issue was the definite highlight, his existential crisis and incredibly human response to failure were expertly handled. Super heroes all too often feel like enormous figures, almost godlike, but in most cases they are still just people, human beings like you and me. The Navigator is an incredibly flawed and sympathetic character who I can’t help but be astonished by. I can’t wait to see what next months penultimate issue holds.
Torbin Chimners AKA Torin Chambers is a rad dude from the nineties who does film stuff or something. Thomas the Tank Engine is his favorite transformer. Find him on Twitter@Vulgar_Rhombus
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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