Caught In The Web: Roundup 02/07/2014

In Caught In The Web, we set aside the printed funny books temporarily to delve into the world of digital and web comics. Here we 'roundup' a selection of releases that have recently launched into cyberspace.

THE RISE OF THE ANTICHRIST #1

Writer: Betvin Geant

Art: Kay & Milton Das

Ether Comics $0.99

Matt C: With a title like that it’s not hard to guess where this series is headed, but exactly how the Antichrist will rise isn’t quite certain at this point since we’re practically locked in a mental hospital with a patient having religious delusions, while scripture fills the captions that run through each panel. And it’s a pretty effective, concise descent into madness, rendered with restrained abandon, as facial features get contorted through insanity. There’s clearly a larger design in the background, and while that may mean it skirts towards The Omen territory at some point, overall it’s a good tonal indicator of what may be on the dark horizon. 7/10

Caught In The Web: Roundup 26/03/2015

In Caught In The Web, we set aside the printed funny books temporarily to delve into the world of digital and web comics. Here we 'roundup' a selection of releases that have recently launched into cyberspace.

THE PRIVATE EYE #10

Writer: Brian K. Vaughan

Art: Marcos Martin &  Muntsa Vicente

Panel Syndicate $?.??

Matt C: Two years after it first appeared, essentially changing the rules of how comics could be delivered to readers in game-changing fashion, The Private Eye comes to its dramatic, brilliant conclusion. A story set in a future without the internet, where the villain of the piece wants to bring back the internet, in a comic only available on the internet, it makes some salient points about a culture where privacy is being steadily eroded (although it doesn't make these points in such a heavy handed manner that it overshadows the drama). Tighter in focus than the more sprawling Saga, Vaughan’s knack for characterization really shines through, and Martin’s artwork (with sparkling colour assist from Muntsa Vicente) is a beautiful, brilliant example of a creator at the peak of his powers. Halfway through this issue there’s an astonishing wordless sequence that displays just how emotionally and dramatically potent the medium can be. Whether this pay-as-much-as-you-want-directly-to-the-creators format will catch on in a big way is questionable (it didn’t after Radiohead tried it several years back in the music industry) but it’s made enough of an impact to suggest that it's shaken things up one way or another. However that pans out, what’s clear now is that The Private Eye has been a phenomenal comic, easily one of the best books on the market in recent times, and that no matter what Messers Vaughan and Martin may say, I want a physical copy to stick on my bookshelf in the very near future! 10/10

Caught In The Web: Roundup 26/04/2014

In Caught In The Web, we set aside the printed funny books temporarily to delve into the world of digital and web comics. Here we 'roundup' a selection of releases that have been launched into cyberspace over the past few weeks.

WYNTER #1

Writer: Guy Hasson

Art: Aron Elekes

New World Comics $3.99

Matt C: Another one of those stories that imagines the future of humanity as more fully enmeshed with technology, and very good it is too. There’s an almost dreamlike atmosphere that permeates through the issue, with the protagonist, Liz Wynter, often appearing more connected to her inbuilt operating system than the rest of the world, as though everything else is background. This effect is archived via the narration but also through some rather stunning artwork, with the dark, muted palettes ramping up the sense of isolation. The futuristic environments are well realised, with plenty of little details embellishing them, and the innate sadness Liz exhibits is quite a powerful hook into her world as it all begins to fall apart. A very impressive opener. 8/10

Caught In The Web: AMAZON & COMIXOLOGY - TIM GIBSON INTERVIEW

The big news in the comics world over the last couple of days has been the acquisition of ComiXology by Amazon. It's obviously a sound business move - the corporate behemoth getting hold of what has been the iPad's highest grossing non-game app over the last three years - but it did send shockwaves across social media, with fans questioning what would happen to their digital collections and whether ComiXology would become absorbed into the greater whole, in the same way that other high profile internet purchases have been in the past. Rather than speculate endlessly on what it means for the consumer, we decided it would be a good idea to get some thoughts from someone who sells their work via Comixology, and what the announcement means to them. Who better then, than the writer/artist behind the wonderful digital comic Moth City, Tim Gibson, to answer our questions...

Caught In The Web: Roundup 07/03/2014

In Caught In The Web, we set aside the printed funny books temporarily to delve into the world of digital and web comics. Here we 'roundup' a selection of releases that have been launched into cyberspace over the past few weeks.

MARVEL’S CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE WINTER SOLDIER INFINITE COMIC #1

Writer: Peter David

Art: Daniel Govar, Rock-He Kim & Rain Beredo

Marvel $2.99

Matt C: So there’s some movie coming out in a few weeks. It’s got Captain America in it. You may have heard of him. I hear it’s supposed to be quite good. This, on the other hand, isn’t. I’ve never been a particular fan of movie tie-ins as they never seem like the real deal. There’s the movie Cap and there’s the comic Cap, and there’s such a big difference in each medium that looking at a hand drawn movie Cap, trying to picture him as Chris Evans, doesn’t really work. It never really feels like these are cannon – they always sell them as preludes to the films, as though the events might have some bearing on what happens on the screen, when in reality it’s an often tenuous link that doesn’t give the reader any sort of head start over the rest of the moviegoing audience. You think Evans knows the contents of this tale and amended his performance accordingly? Me neither. No matter the talent involved, these things are ultimately pointless. 4/10

Caught In The Web: Roundup 30/01/2014

In Caught In The Web, we set aside the printed funny books temporarily to delve into the world of digital and web comics. Here we 'roundup' a selection of releases that have been launched into cyberspace over the past few weeks.

D4VE #2

Writer: Ryan Ferrier

Art: Valentin Ramon

Monkeybrain Comics $0.99

Matt C: A bonkers but ingenious ‘how come no one did this before?’ premise that continues to surprise and amuse in equal measure. Imagine a world where artificial intelligence took over, extinguished organic life on Earth and then the rest of the galaxy, only to go on to create a mundane approximation of contemporary human existence, where the robot population are endlessly distracted by the trivial and the inconsequential. And now imagine that all life wasn’t quite wiped out and there are a bunch of aliens ready to reassert their dominance. Can our daydreaming, slacker protagonist step up and prove his heroism? Maybe, but it’ll be with great difficulty! This is a superbly illustrated and tremendously entertaining series that has quite quickly shown itself to be one of the highlights on Monkeybrain’s already impressive roster. 8/10

Caught In The Web: Roundup 03/10/2013

In Caught In The Web, we set aside the printed funny books temporarily to delve into the world of digital and web comics. Here we 'roundup' a selection of releases that have been launched into cyberspace over the past few weeks.

THE BUNKER #3

Writer: Joshua Hale Fialkov

Art: Joe Infurnari

Horse And Buggy $1.99

Matt C: A lot of buzz about this one and it’s fairly easy to say why. A group of teens stumble across a hidden bunker emblazoned with their names (bar one of them) and once they venture inside they discover messages from their futures selves warning of a great catastrophe awaiting the globe. A neat set-up but it’s the delivery that really wins the day as nothing is quite how it first appears, a theme that continues into this issue. The premise may come off initially as a touch unlikely but it’s weaved together so well that doesn’t become a concern, and Infurnari’s black & white, smudged-charcoal palette really sells the ominous tone of what the kids learn will befall not only themselves but the entire planet. After the twist ending of the debut, one that threw things entirely on their head, the narrative has settled – relatively speaking – as the characters start to get to grips with what they’ve learnt of their future selves. A cleverly orchestrated chapter to an immensely promising series that continues to indicate that great things lie ahead. 8/10

Caught In The Web: MOTH CITY #4

In Caught In The Web, we set aside the printed funny books temporarily to delve into the world of digital and web comics. Here we 'roundup' a selection of releases that have been launched into cyberspace over the past few weeks.

MOTH CITY #4

Writer: Tim Gibson

Art: Tim Gibson

Flying Whities $1.99

Matt C: Because of all the instantaneous 'knowledge' now accessible via the internet, these days it's hard to approach any piece of art without preconceptions and expectations. Being bombarded with information prior to the release of a movie/comic/whatever means you've already begun to formulate an idea of what you think it will be, and how you think you'll respond to it. It's a natural reaction, and there are a lot of positive aspects to it, but it does take pure surprise out of the equation. As such, it's rare to come to anything without any expectations, stumbling across a piece of work as if by accident and then finding yourself pulled along into a journey through unknown territory.

Caught In The Web: Roundup 06/07/2013

In Caught In The Web, we set aside the printed funny books temporarily to delve into the world of digital and web comics. Here we 'roundup' a selection of releases that have been launched into cyberspace over the past few weeks.

BATMAN '66 #1

Writer: Jeff Parker

Art: Jonathan Case

DC $0.99

Matt C: DC finally get on board the transitioning comics bandwagon with Batman '66, and while there's probably a discussion to be had about why it's taken them this long, and why they're essentially aping what others have done before with this technology (including Marvel), it's probably best to ignore all that an focus on the actual issue itself. Let's leave the arguments for another time - Batman '66 doesn't deserve to be overshadowed by them because its actually really good. Parker gets the campy, knowing tone of the television show down to a T and Case nails the visual aesthetic perfectly, complete with the sound effects bursting out and filling the screen. There's something quite gratifying about DC starting to embrace new technology with a tale that's so decidedly retro (although I'm sure that wasn't the intention) and while I'm currently steering clear of the New 52 I'm more than happy to tag along with a book as enormously fun as this. 8/10

Caught In The Web: Roundup 07/06/2013

In Caught In The Web, we set aside the printed funny books temporarily to delve into the world of digital and web comics. Here we 'roundup' a selection of releases that have been launched into cyberspace over the past few weeks.

MASKS AND MOBSTERS #7

Writer: Joshua Williamson

Art: Mike Henderson

Monkeybrain Comics $0.99

Matt C: Monkeybrain Comics are at the forefront of the digital comics market at the moment, offering a wide and varied selection of titles, and for me this is the one that really stands out from the pack. Rather than a singular narrative, Masks And Mobsters offers a series of interconnected stories centring around a city in the 1930s where costumed heroes are emerging for the first time and the local gangsters are realising how bad for business this is. This issue concerns a heated discussion between a mob boss and the hoodlum who set off an escalation of superhero activities by offing one of them in cold blood. But, even though that’s the meat of the story, it all takes place in the background, mostly in silhouette. The foreground focuses on a young couple having a picnic, an innocent, pleasant activity that isn't actually what it initially seems. The action in the foreground cleverly reflects and inverts the tone of dialogue in the background at various stages and it's a testament to both the script and the artwork that it all flows seamlessly. There's a hardcover due out soon from Image that collects the first few issues of this series, and if you've not 'gone digital' as yet, seek it out as it's absolutely worthy of the PCG seal of approval! 9/10

Caught In The Web: Roundup 10/05/2013

In Caught In The Web, we set aside the printed funny books temporarily to delve into the world of digital and web comics. Here we 'roundup' a selection of releases that have been launched into cyberspace over the past few weeks.

GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY: INFINITE COMIC #4

Writer: Brian Michael Bendis

Art: Michael Del Mundo

Marvel $0.00

Matt C: I’m starting to lose patience with the regular Guardians comic and to be honest I haven’t been especially impressed by the free Infinite offshoots so far. They’ve seemed more notable for giving slightly more leftfield artists the opportunity to work on mainstream characters, but they’ve by and large been throwaway, lacking any real insights into the various individuals who make up the team. The same could be said for this issue, which is the easily the best of the bunch so far, but then it’s incredibly difficult to provide an insight into a character whose vocabulary is limited to the words “I am Groot!”. It’s a simple but effective tale of defending the downtrodden, wonderfully illustrated and with panel transitions that actually enhance the way the story is told rather than simply being decorative. It doesn’t convince me that Bendis is the right man for the job of scribing the Guardians' adventures, but for a freebie this was a more than fine read. 8/10

Caught In The Web: THE PRIVATE EYE #1

In Caught In The Web, we set aside the printed funny books temporarily to delve into the world of digital and web comics. 

THE PRIVATE EYE #1

Writer: Brian K. Vaughan

Art: Marcos Martin & Muntsa Vicente

Panel Syndicate $????

Tom P: Out of nowhere comes a welcome surprise from artist Marcos Martin and writer Brian K. Vaughan with their new digital comic, The Private Eye. It’s a serialized 32-page sci-fi detective story available to download for whatever price you see fit.

Caught In The Web: GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY: INFINITE COMIC #1

In Caught In The Web, we set aside the printed funny books temporarily to delve into the world of digital and web comics.

GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY: INFINITE COMIC #1
Writer: Brian Michael Bendis
Art: Yves Bigerel, Mike Oeming & Rain Beredo
Marvel $0.00
 

Stewart R: First and foremost, I’m pretty new to the whole digital comics thing; I’ve read a few series on PDF format using my decent sized PC monitor and I’ve looked at just one or two freebies on Comixology using my Android phone in recent months. I find the prospect of using either of these methods flawed for one reason or another - it’s clear that purpose-created digital comics are best suited to the 'tablet' format presently - but I’m still willing to take a look at what is currently out there. Secondly, I’m a big fan of Abnett and Lanning’s run on Guardians of the Galaxy and am a tad skeptical when it comes to Brian Michael Bendis’ 2013 version and where he may take these familiar characters and how he might portray them.

Caught In The Web: Roundup 21/09/2012

In Caught In The Web, we set aside the printed funny books temporarily to delve into the world of digital and web comics. Here we 'roundup' a selection of releases that have been launched into cyberspace over the past few weeks.

MASKS AND MOBSTERS #2
Writer: Joshua Williamson
Art: Mike Henderson
Monkeybrain Comics $0.99

Matt C: This is turning into a pretty nifty series, taking a gangsters-eye view of a Golden Age setting, and now the second instalment is done it looks like it’s possibly going down the route of showing crooks upping their game to compete with the costumed crime-fighters. One of the key strengths of Masks And Mobsters is that it makes the hoods the focus - at this point the superheroes are on the periphery, and because of the era spotlighted (where organised crime was really getting cemented in American society) it provides an interesting perspective on some very familiar tropes. Henderson’s art is the other major strength, employing exaggerated stylings for his illustrations that evoke the classic comic book noir look while adding a dash of realism for good measure. Very promising stuff. 7/10

Caught In The Web: LEGENDS OF THE DARK KNIGHT #11-13

In Caught In The Web, we set aside the printed funny books temporarily to delve into the world of digital and web comics.

LEGENDS OF THE DARK KNIGHT #11-13
Writer: Joshua Hale Fialkov
Art: Phil Hester, Eric Gapstur & Jim Charalampidis
DC $0.99 each

Matt C: He's a Golden Age character that I only became aware of in the last decade or so, but I've got a lot of time for Slam Bradley. The contemporary version (I'm not really familiar with his original iteration) is a hard-as-nails gumshoe working cases on the streets of Gotham, which occasionally puts him at odds with the GCPD and often finds him in the same orbit as the Dark Knight. He's a kind of throwback to a different era, but as Gotham is frequently portrayed as a stylistic mix of the modern and the classical he slots right into the environment.

Caught In The Web: AVENGERS VS. X-MEN: INFINITE #10

In Caught In The Web, we set aside the printed funny books temporarily to delve into the world of digital and web comics.


AVENGERS VS. X-MEN: INFINITE #10
Writers: Mark Waid
Art: Reilly Brown, Marte Gracia, Chris Sotomayor & Yves Bigerel
Marvel $1.99

Matt C: Marvel’s Infinite Comics initiative has seen them take a proactive step forward in the digital comics arena, creating comics that are specifically designed to be read on the iPad or similar tablets. When the first Infinite Comic appeared, coinciding with the launch of Avengers Vs. X-Men #1, I didn’t possess one of those devices, but now I do (a new toy!) and seeing as how Marvel are giving them away for free if you purchase  a copy of the paper and ink series, I couldn’t pass it up, even though my preference is always going to be to have something tangible in my hands, something I can turn the pages of.

Saying that, having read the previous instalments of Avengers Vs. X-Men: Infinite along with this, the latest issue, I’m now convinced of the potential to utilize the digital medium to tell stories in a unique way. It’s not a replacement for comic books or graphic novels in my eyes, but instead it compliments and enhances what the ‘floppies’ do – it’s an additional way to consume the medium we love, not a delivery method that exists to replace our current reading experience.

As with the preceding two issues, Avengers Vs. X-Men: Infinite #10 provides a look behind the curtain, so to speak, of the events occurring in the issue proper. Where that deals with Cyclops assault on the Avengers in K’un Lun, here we focus on the lead up to the battle, as Tony Stark and Hank McCoy enlist the help of Scarlett Witch and her probability power to figure out the best way to defeat the Phoenix-enhanced mutant. Whereas the main series emphasizes the spectacle and the epic scope, the digital ‘backups’ allow the human drama to come to the forefront, injecting a level of emotion that, to be honest, has been largely absent from the uneven event book.

For me, the crucial ingredient to why there has been a consistency in quality in the Infinite issues that the main series hasn’t replicated is Mark Waid. I will start to sound like a broken record soon after all the praise I’ve heaped on him recently, but he has an enviable ability to balance frenetic action with intimate drama and make both elements seem equally essential to the progress of the narrative. And here, with the aid of co-plotter and storyboarder Yves Bigerel, he creates an experience that would be impossible to replicate by simple page-turning.  Artist Reilly Brown brings the visual ideas to life in superb fashion, particularly via several pages (do we still call them pages?) where a three panel grid is employed to effectively demonstrate the three most probable scenarios where the Avengers may come up trumps.

Is this the future of comics? It seems highly possible that this is an indication of how the medium may mutate over the coming years as the ways we can access and consume the material change, but the most important component will always be the story, and if the tale you’re setting out to tell isn’t compelling enough, no amount of fancy trickery can cover that up. Fortunately Waid’s one guy you can rely on to inject genuine emotion into the proceedings, and with him at the forefront of this endeavour it’s turned out to be an unqualified success. The next time Marvel start ramping up for a big event/crossover and need someone to take charge, perhaps they need to consider knocking on Mr Waid’s door. 9/10