Letter to Manifest Destiny issues 1/2

Destined:

Yahoo! I can love me some weird! I am all over Manifest Destiny 1 and 2 and eager for 3!  I am so glad to see that I am not the only fan of the coolest niche genre in existence, "weird".  I, too, have long been a fan of such "weird" books as Eerie and Creepy, Heavy Metal, Weird Adventure, Weird War and the like. Remember ole Grimjack and the more recent House of Secrets.

But now comes a mashup of my favorite genre and my favorite explorers! You guys have hit on one of the coolest ideas I've read in 47 years of comics fanaticism.

Dingess' story is both plausible and fantastic. Of course Jefferson would send unconnected men on a dangerous journey, and while Jensen is a coward, he certainly is no fool, though thoroughly, but believably, despicable. I like Clark and Lewis' interactions so far, both true to what I know of the two explorers and carefully played throughout the first two issues. Dingess', you must be having a blast.

And Mr.s Roberts and Gieni seem to be enjoying themselves as well. Roberts renders sufficient identifiable and authentic detail without cluttering a single panel.  His characters are recognizable and expressive through costume and panel changes. Again, Jensen in particular stands out as a character in whose face I can see his thinking.  The first frame of the rat-faced traitor already establishes his ilk.  Three other images stick in my mind: the heron, the skull flower and the buffalotaur.  Mr. Roberts, your attention to detail on the real heron and the totally imaginary flower are only second to the seamless construction of your buffalotaur. Well done. And Gieni's colors are fantastic. Never muddy, the balance of contrast and match makes the artwork even more readable. I was worried that with nothing but earth, sky and greenery, the palette would get bland, but I was wrong.  Of course, a little bright bloody red violence doesn't hurt. 

Even your sound effects work well, specific sounds with plausible spelling without resorting to what I have "heard" a million times before.

Good work, gents.  I can't wait till next month.

Letter to Ice Cream Man re 1-17, 03/23/2020

Gentles: 

Just caught up with you guys through number 17(still a couple holes, but...) and wanted to throw in my own adulation.

ICM gets right up under my skin, like hearing that my gut microbes have a whole society inside me, like realizing i drowned a roach in my hot coffee after pouring it in the dark, like finding blood i can't identify.  It took me a long time to decide this is horror, but it is. I still keep wondering what's the story of the man in white and his foil, the man in black.  Shades of King's Black Tower.  The palindrome issue must have been a design challenge, but it sure works. Tiny Lives creeped me out. Coat Check Story was a straight up psychodelic trip with all the terror of Midsommar. I hope you gotta lot more of these tramping about in your headspace, Mr. Prince.

Mr. Martin's clear line, Mr. Hallorhan's colors, and Good Old Neon's design work make a perfect setting, like the dining room for a feast.  The design creates unity from issue to issue. Clear and clinical colors and the fine black line detail throughout allow the stories' textual creepiness lead. 

This book stays in the collection to read again!  You guys should probably check out DC's FLINCH from 90's(?), a good collection of creep outs.

--

Griffin (like the monster) Mauser (like the gun)

Letter to Grendel Devil's Odyssey 1-3

Gentles:

Just finished reading Grendel Devil’s Odyssey 1-3!

Thanks, Matt et. al., for another incarnation of Grendel. I have about 5000 books in a collection from as early as 1976 and am about to have a major cull down to half, keeping only my most favorite titles and two of ‘em will be all of Mage, and all of Grendel!

Devil’s Odyssey couldn’t be more perfect! Grendel Prime is GrimJack, Judge Dredd, Deathlok, and beyond, and this arc is lovely! Grendel Prime, the reliable authoritarian makes the perfect foil to establish the unique norms of the strange new worlds he is encountering and we have five more issues of exploration ahead with every image lovingly planned and rendered. Matt’s pencils are so consistent yet become more and more refined, leaving all that great design bared at the surface! Brennan’s colors are emblematic and set the black of Grendel Prime the role of the ultimate straight-man.

Can’t wait for issue 4! But I will! Bring it on Misters Wagner, and a “hear hear” for pre-Hunter Rose Grendels!

Vivat Grendel!

Griffin Mauser