Shadowman #4 Spotlight: Lettering

 

Shadowman #4 Cover B by Michael Walsh*

In Shadowman #4, letter Clayton Cowles demonstrates his usual understated brilliance.

Shadowman's words, at least when he appears in his Human form of Jack Boniface, are set in a normal font that is pleasing to the eye. When he stresses words in a sentence, the words come in bold and italicized. Again, nothing that makes your eyes (tired no doubt from reading through your pile of new weekly comics) work overtime.

By contrast, Baron Samedi's ornate font is as flamboyant as his dress sense. Would you categorize it as Gothic, Victorian, or Italianate? Either way, the font communicates a sense of history. 

Once Jack lapses into monologue-ing mode, Clayton Cowles shares Jack's thoughts with us as gently rounded narrative boxes. While the white font can be a little harder to read, I like how the black background reveals the loa inside him.

 

This sound effect is a lot of fun, and so effective too. We don't really need to see Jack glance up to know what he's hearing, or the direction the sound is traveling.

This character, whom you'll see more of the pages preceding the preview pages the good folks at Valiant Comics were kind enough to share with us, reveals his unbalanced nature by the style of his font. I like how the balloon background reflects his skin coloring. 

Do the two SS's together suggest that the character is hissing like a snake? Maybe just a little?

One thing I always struggled to understand was the significance of Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou's colored font and sound effects in Max Bemis and Nathan Stockman's recent Savage series. Thankfully, Clayton Cowles' sound effects seem consistent from issue to issue. For example, consider the style, size, and coloring of these sound effects when you compare Shadowman swinging his scythe at an opponent in Shadowman #4 with the first issue.

From Shadowman #1

Such consistency helps unite these issues released months apart. Given the grotesque imagery involved in such moments, that's another source of comfort letterer Clayton Cowles affords readers in this fantastic horror series.

Dragon Dave

* No wonder Shadowman has a headache in artist Jon Davis-Hunt's cover. Somebody get Shadowman that aspirin, and hurry!

A Savage Shadowbox

 

 

I made this to celebrate Valiant's new Savage series. It may not have been the series I had hoped for. Nevertheless, I found depth and value in those four story-packed issues. 

Sadly, this Savage series has ended. Still, I can look at this display and remember all those fun moments. Congratulations again to departing editor Heather Antos, writer Max Bemis, penciler and inker Nathan Stockman, colorist Triona Farrell, and letterer Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou.

Now to find a place to hang my Savage shadowbox.

Thanks again, Valiant Comics, for my Savage bone pen and title pin.

Dragon Dave

Savage #4 Review: Story

 

Savage #4 Cover B by Paulina Ganucheau

Writer Max Bemis has taken us on a wild ride in this Savage miniseries. As you might expect, the craziness reaches its climax in Savage #4. In this final issue, Henry Sauvage discusses his childhood, and explains why he sold out his younger brother Kevin to Professor Nealon, the director of Project Bizarre.

If this sounds like a megalomaniac waxing theatrical by revealing his plans to the captured hero, you'd be right. Well, almost. As Kevin isn't available, Henry hires a stand-in to listen to his monologue.

 

There's more than a hint of Shakespearean melodrama to Savage. It wouldn't surprise me if Max Bemis is an expert on William Shakespeare's work. Due to the constraints of their medium, songwriters must hone their lyrics far more than a short story writer or novelist. What better way to do that than by studying the classics?

After listening to Henry's soliloquy, Kevin's stand-in makes an observation wiser than anything either of the brothers have said in the previous three issues.

This is a theme that resonates through this miniseries in different ways.

Chief among those themes is how isolating social media can be. We tend to think that having lots of virtual friends enriches our lives. But the time we spend with them is time we cannot invest in relationships with those closest to us.

 

After failing to connect with his brother, Kevin found making friends with the hired help equally difficult. So when everything in his world is crumbling apart, Kevin feels all alone.

 

That's when he realizes that someone he's physically met, who isn't impressed by his swagger, popularity, or money, can be a real friend and partner. Neither Kevin nor Mae is as likeable--or as smart--as they think they are. Yet together they form a tight-knit team that could well propel a future Savage series.

Savage #4 makes little sense logically, but it really shines thematically. At its core is a rich vein of Shakespearean melodrama, a rejection of the false society perpetuated through social media, and a reminder that only through hard work can real relationships flourish.

 

 

This Savage series has more in common with Quantum And Woody than its predecessor. If you're a stickler for factual accuracy, you've probably given up on it by now. If you insist upon photorealistic depictions of dinosaurs, it definitely wasn't for you. But if you've enjoyed the melodrama, social commentary, and inventiveness of Max Bemis, then Savage #4 stands as the highlight of this wacky, heartfelt, and extremely fun series. 

 

 

Well done, Max Bemis, on your entertaining and thought-provoking Savage series!

Dragon Dave

Savage #3 Review: Story Part 2

  

Warning: This post contains a potential plot spoiler. If you have not read Savage #3 yet, you may wish to save this post for future reading.

Despite his simple origins on a tropical island, Kevin is not immune to the way money and power affect us. When his chief butler Al rejects his request to enjoy a quiet evening together off-the-clock in Savage #3, the man has every right to do so. Yet Kevin takes this as a rejection.

 

 

Later, when Al sees Kevin in the grips of a monster, the butler quite reasonably assumes that Kevin's situation is hopeless and flees the island. Well, wouldn't you, if a beast like this took over your island?

 

 

Instead, Kevin views Al's actions as an even bigger betrayal. He even laments that Al should have been his Pennyworth, a reference to Bruce Wayne's butler Albert Pennyworth in Batman comics. This makes me wonder if the man's name is even Al, or if Kevin simply bestowed the name on him as a humorous nickname.

 

The way Kevin treats Al when the man displeases him is anything but civil or mature. His words and actions suggest that Kevin has grown used to wielding power over people. Clearly, all this money and power have not helped Kevin become a more caring person, and treat others with compassion.

 

 

Perhaps he has not become totally corrupted, but Kevin seems far more like an antihero than a hero to me.

 

In closing,Savage #3 offers readers plenty of action, and builds upon plots and themes developed in earlier issues. It offers bonuses like glimpses two other Valiant superheroes in action, and explains Valiant's recent Mount Rushmore meme on Twitter. Like Savage #1 and #2, Max Bemis will throw you a curveball you didn't see coming, and make you wonder how he'll possibly follow that development up in Savage #4. Yet one question from Savage #3 remains.

 

What's so special about Savage? Why does the world need him? Or, to put it yet another way, what can Savage do that no one else in the Valiant Universe can? 

For the answer to that, we'll have to wait for Savage #4.

 

Thanks for another entertaining, action-packed, and thought-provoking issue, Max Bemis.

 

Dragon Dave

P.S. Due to circumstances beyond my control, my reviews on Savage #3 have extended far beyond the date of the issue's release. If you've stuck with me for all these posts, thank you. I hope you've enjoyed them.

Savage #3 Review: Story Part 1

 

 

Writer Max Bemis enriches each issue of Savage with witty wordplay and pop culture references. He enlarges Kevin's world with backstory, and invents new organizations that threaten the world. Each issue of his series is packed with action, plot, reflection, dialogue, and is anything but a five-minute read. 

 

Every time I reread this comic, I discover something new. Occasionally, I discover I've missed something basic to my understanding of the story. While Max Bemis planted numerous clues in previous issues, somehow I missed out on the fact that Henry is not just Kevin's life coach and brand manager, but also his older brother. Somehow!

 

Hopefully by now you've had a chance to read Savage #3, and weigh my earlier posts against your own reactions. For this post, I have a few thoughts I'd like to share. But first, if you have not yet read Savage #3, I will warn you that I include a potential spoiler as my final point. I'll post another warning at that point, in case you wish to read up until then.

 

First off, Savage #3 offered explosive action, as Project Bizarre puts its ultimate plans into operation. Yet Kevin's idle on a private island reminds me of Savage #1, when Kevin says that his mind is always active, always working. How could Kevin think that he could just check out on his own exclusive island and be satisfied? 

 

Given his upbringing, Kevin clearly needs to feel as if he's just hanging onto life by his fingertips.

 

 

Secondly, in Savage #2 Mae revealed that she knows about her adoptive father's intended plans for worldwide domination. When Professor Nealon puts those into effect in Savage #3, the mild mannered laboratory researcher turns badass hero.

 

 

Like Kevin, Mae has suffered heartbreak and tragedy. I look forward to seeing what Mae does--and how she might even steal the show--in the climactic final issue of Savage.

Warning: Potential Spoiler Ahead. If you have not read Savage #3 yet, you may wish to save this last portion for later.

 

Lastly, like billionaire Troy Whitaker in Valiant's current X-O Manowar series, Kevin's brother Henry believes that power is an end in itself, and influencing the media is the means of channeling that power. As if we needed it, we get confirmation in Savage #3 that Henry Sauvage will do anything to hold onto that power. 

 

 

Like Mr. Tull, Rampage, and Toyo Harada, money and power have corrupted both Henry Sauvage and Professor Nealon. While Mae seems to have escaped its influence, how about our man Kevin? 

 

What do you think?

 

Dragon Dave

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Savage #3 Review: Coloring

Savage #3 Pre-Order Cover by Paco Diaz

 

From working with my Prismacolor pencils, I know how much work goes into getting the colors the richness and depth I want. It seems as though I spend far more time coloring than I do drawing. Perhaps it's different when coloring on a computer. I don't know. Nonetheless, my sketching experience helps me appreciate the colorist's contributions to comics more.

 

Consider the page above. At first you might think there's just Nathan Stockman's penciling and inking, with a little colors and shading splashed on. But it was colorist Triona Farrell's job to make those shadows look real. Getting the light sources right is an important consideration. If she hadn't worked so hard on these, the scene just wouldn't seem real and three-dimensional.

I especially love how all those shadows cast by the unseen palm branches enhance this scene.

 

Writer Max Bemis conveys a lot of backstory on page two. Penciler and Inker Nathan Stockman met that challenge by composing (for the most part) six old-school style panels. What strikes me as I look at the page is how Triona Farrell colored each panel so differently. 

In the above panel, Triona colors the sky around the roaring fire orange, and adds light to the surrounding foliage. This washes out the greens a little, like overexposing a photo. 

 

Here we see Kevin practicing his Parkour moves along the rim of a volcano. While the volcano isn't erupting, we can see that it is active. Notice the lava reflecting off the interior, and the steam rising from the center. 

Without Triona's coloring, I wouldn't notice that the volcano was active. Nor would I worry about Kevin's health from inhaling all those toxic fumes.

 

Awhile back, I recreated the Pre-Order cover for Incursion #2 using scrapbook papers, colored pencils, and pens. In the end, I was reasonably happy with my interpretation of the Eternal Warrior. But it looked nowhere near as good as artist Tonci Zinjic's original artwork.

Even though I found the right color paper for Gilad's skin, getting all the shading that covers part of his face proved tough. There were colors within the shading, and areas that were more deeply shaded. When looking at the above panel, I'm struck by how Triona's coloring makes Kevin's face look far more real than my own poor efforts with Gilad.

Page four mirrors page two thematically, with six even-more-old-school style panels. Each for the most part replicates the scenes on the earlier page. But these come after his attempt to befriend his butler. Whereas on page two Kevin looked jubilant, on page four he looks bored. Thus, the panel here, when compared with its page two counterpart, looks darker to emphasize his mood. 

The area around the fire isn't overexposed at all.

 

This scene looks even darker, but the time of day tells you that it's nowhere near nightfall. The way Triona adds color to the crater walls reveals that we're looking up at Kevin from inside the hot caldera. Thus, being so close to the intense light from the lava, the sky looks dark by comparison. 

Not only does the dark sky give us a better sense of Kevin's mood, but it also goes with the colors of the fifty pound notes.

I wonder if Valiant pays Triona for her coloring in fifty pound notes?

 

This final scene, showing Kevin's profile and his Mae doll in shadow, reveals just how much the purple tentacle has blocked the light from shining into his tree house. It helps us realize just how big the creature is. No wonder Kevin is surprised. 

Still, language please, Kev. Ladies present!

I really appreciate how much work Triona Farrell put into this issue. Her coloring enhances Savage #3 with the richness and depth Valiant readers demand from their comics. Thank you, Triona!

Dragon Dave

Related Links:

My Eternal Warrior Recreation

Savage #3 Preview Pages & Musings on Jack Kirby

Savage #3 Cover A by Marcus To

 

In Savage #1, we had just caught up with young Kevin Sauvage when dinosaurs attacked his new hometown of London, England. These dinosaurs, impossibly large, ravaged everything in sight, including a familiar and historic London landmark.

Savage #2 found our hero beneath the streets of London, where the research facilities of Project Bizarre were located. There Kevin met Professor Hanley Nealon, the head of the nefarious organization, as well as his perky young protege Mae. Then he learned these researchers who grew such monstrous dinosaurs intended to dissect and study him.

What will happen in Savage #3? I guess we'll find out today, when Savage #3 goes on sale. In case you haven't seen them elsewhere, here are some preview pages to tantalize you before you head out to your local comic shop to pick up your copy of Savage #3.

I'll admit it: there's one thing I wonder about. Could the first page be kind of a comics community in-joke about Marvel's character the Black Panther? Could writer Max Bemis be suggesting that Kevin Sauvage is as good as their jungle hero Ka-Zar? 

Interestingly, Ka-Zar was created by the great Jack Kirby, who also created Devil Dinosaur. Another fun fact: Ka-Zar's real name is Kevin Plunder. So both Marvel and Valiant have two dinosaur-hunting, jungle-loving characters called Kevin!

Now that I think about it, Jack Kirby's Devil Dinosaur series was pretty far out. Just like Max Bemis' Savage, it also juxtaposed a lot of disparate story elements to create an exciting and zany series. I wonder how Nathan Stockman would feel about having his penciling and inking compared with his illustrious predecessor?

Enough musings! Like you, I can't wait to read Savage #3. So I'm going to sign off this post, and dive into the rich, dinosaur-fighting goodness of Savage #3. 

Dragon Dave

P.S. The Black Panther was created by Stan Lee and--you guessed it--Jack Kirby.

Savage #2: The Writing of Max Bemis Part 2 & Savage #3 Covers

 

 

In the Valiant Universe, British secret agent James Bond is a fictional character, but MI-6 is very real. In fact, the MI-6 agency employs not just suave and sophisticated agents, but also trains them in the art of the Ninja. In this scene, Kevin Sauvage (aka Savage) acknowledges the Bond legacy in Britain, right after a dinosaur attack in London in Savage #1.

 

Later in the issue, Kevin will also mention that he's met Ninjak, the most famous ninja ever groomed by MI-6 in the Valiant Universe.

 

Kevin has demonstrated that he's tired of playing a role in social media. He doesn't want to be a celebrity based on a pose. Yet, when he meets a pretty girl, he immediately trades on his social media kingpin status to impress her.

 

When Mae walks away, Kevin tries harder to rouse her interest by explaining that the media might have fashioned him into a saleable image, but he was worthy of its having done so.

I like Professor Nealon's reaction, don't you? Kids!

 

Then Kevin pulls the ultimate James Bond gaff. Remember how James Bond (played by Roger Moore) inadvertently disses Doctor Holly Goodhead when he meets her in Moonraker? Oh, you're a woman, and you're a doctor? 

As a teen, Kevin may be disdainful of adults. As a newcomer to modern Britain, he may have heard of James Bond. But if he's watched the Bond movies, and in particular Moonraker, he obviously hasn't learned from them.

Could this be an Easter Egg, planted by Max Bemis in Savage #2, for Bond fans to enjoy?

Dragon Dave

P.S. By the way, I believe that today is the Final Order Cutoff date for Savage #3. If you have not yet told your local comic shop which cover you want, this is the last day your retailer can change his/her order in the Diamond order system. (After that, you may have to hunt around at other shops, after Savage #3 comes out, in order to get the cover you want). If you haven't seen the covers, here they are:

 

Savage #3 Cover A by Marcus To

Savage #3 Cover B by Joe Quinones

Savage #3 Preorder Cover by Paco Diaz