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Listen to Saladin Ahmed Talk About His New Comic Series Abbott on Demand

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On demand: iTunes ¦ Sound Cloud ¦ Stitcher ¦ BlogTalkRadio ¦ Listed on podcastdirectory.com

Abbott is about a female journalist of color in 1970s Detroit named Elena Abbott who investigates a series of grisly crimes the police have ignored—crimes she recognizes to be the work of a dark magical force—the same force that murdered her husband 10 years ago. As she looks for clues, Abbott puts herself in the crosshairs of a mysterious power out for more blood, all the while navigating a harsh social environment that’s structured to protect the powerful, and prevent access to change. Published by BOOM! Studios, Abbott is written by Saladin Ahmed with art by Sami Kivelä.

Saladin Ahmed joined Graphic Policy Radio to discuss this series and more!

Saladin Ahmed is the author of the Hugo and Nebula-nominated Throne of the Crescent Moon, praised by George RR Martin as ‘a rollicking swashbuckler.’ His essays, poetry, and fiction have appeared in The New York Times, Salon, the Boston Globe, Slate, NPR, and BuzzFeed. He is currently writing Black Bolt and Exiles for Marvel Comics and Abbott for BOOM! Studios.

 

Saladin Ahmed Talks His New Comic Series Abbott. Listen in this Monday.

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Abbott is about a female journalist of color in 1970s Detroit named Elena Abbott who investigates a series of grisly crimes the police have ignored—crimes she recognizes to be the work of a dark magical force—the same force that murdered her husband 10 years ago. As she looks for clues, Abbott puts herself in the crosshairs of a mysterious power out for more blood, all the while navigating a harsh social environment that’s structured to protect the powerful, and prevent access to change. Published by BOOM! Studios, Abbott is written by Saladin Ahmed with art by Sami Kivelä.

Saladin Ahmed joins Graphic Policy Radio this Monday to discuss this series and more!

The show airs live at 10pm ET! Listen in or catch it on demand after.

Saladin Ahmed is the author of the Hugo and Nebula-nominated Throne of the Crescent Moon, praised by George RR Martin as ‘a rollicking swashbuckler.’ His essays, poetry, and fiction have appeared in The New York Times, Salon, the Boston Globe, Slate, NPR, and BuzzFeed. He is currently writing Black Bolt and Exiles for Marvel Comics and Abbott for BOOM! Studios.

Listen in this Monday and Tweet us your questions @graphicpolicy.

Listen to the show when it airs live this Monday.

Review: Abbott #1

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The 70’s provided a lot of change for the world but also like in today’s world, not much has changed. For one, racism isn’t over as watered down history books or even bio books for children about Martin Luther King Jr. would like you to believe. And two, the second wave feminist movement had gotten started. Both sets of minority groups to this day are still fighting the oppressors that continuously try to put them down but the groups never gave up and still don’t, no matter what. So in comes Saladin Ahmed with Abbott, fresh off the success of his book for Marvel, Black Bolt. Which received high acclaim and hey, it’s a solid debut for a dude who previously wrote fantasy books influenced by Middle Eastern mythology. How wild is that?

So here is his (so far) first Non-Marvel comic book. It is not based on an existing property, it’s creator owned. And he makes just as much of an impression here as he has done for Black Bolt but of course, he added a different flair.

For one, it’s a period piece. The book takes place in 1972 where the aforementioned aspects of history I mentioned are in full swing especially based on the opening pages of the book (complete with sections of Elena Abbott’s article spread throughout the book) as well as the all out bigotry by old white men whether they’d be cops or people who run the newspaper. Even some who can appear to be allies either have ingrained racism and misogyny or just flat out ignorant.

In any case, it doesn’t deter Elena Abbott herself from delivering the truth to her readers. One of the main driving forces of the book-plotwise, is Abbott’s article about the murder of a 14 year old African American boy by a police officer and yeah, you can see what the motivation no doubt was. Abbott is confident, unapologetic about who she is, a hard smoker and drinker and always seeks out the truth to bring justice. And I loved this woman right from her first scene. She doesn’t allow the men to intimidate her and just doesn’t give one fuck what they say or think of her. One panel just said it all, it was glorious to behold.

There is a murder mystery involved however but it serves as a nice twist because as it turns out, a decapitated horse head and a dead human body are part of a occult scenario. Yes, this book has a supernatural aspect driving the story as well as provides backstory to Abbott herself and what changed her on that very day when she first encountered various demons first hand. Which makes her backstory very tragic and engaging. And it’s this aspect of the story that provides a lot of intrigue especially since given this is the first issue, it set up what kind of world this comic takes place in. And there’s a curious running choice of words about order which I don’t doubt there’s a payoff in future issues.

Saladin Ahmed, artist Sami Kivela and colorist Jason Wordie really do a solid job setting up what this comic has to offer in its world building, its characters and the type of story it wants to tell. Ahmed, Kivela and Wordie with a solid combination of writing, art and coloring gives the book a dark, noir edge to it from the 70’s aesthetic to the last page of the comic. All of which compliment each other very well. Ahmed always has a good grasp on character and it’s no different here. As I said, I love Abbott from her first page and throughout the book, he really made her such a compelling character to read the more I dived into the book. Kivela and Wordie do just as much of the heavy lifting between the character designs and emotions and the backgrounds and gritty, noir feel to the proceedings. It feels natural especially given the setting of Detroit which in a way reminds me of Robocop but less 80’s. Both simply nail the rundown, gritty feel of Detroit, Michigan that makes it interesting to see. And the Horror/Supernatural elements again, do add to the book. You can tell all three creators are eager to dive further into these aspects and how Abbott will cope with them and fight against them.

If you like much of these elements I mentioned, then this book is definitely for you. It’s a must read.

Around the Tubes

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The weekend is almost here! What geeky things will you all be doing? Sound off in the comments below. While you wait for work to end and the weekend begin, here’s some comic news and reviews from around the web.

CBR – The Mystery of the Missing Jack Kirby Demon Word Balloon! – Interesting. Didn’t know about this.

How to Love Comics – Black Panther Reading Order Guide – For those that want to know.

ComicBook – ‘Marvel’s Daredevil’ Season 3 Adds Joanne Whalley To Cast – Nice.

 

Reviews

CBR – Abbott #1

CBR – Legion #1

Comics Bulletin – Postal #25

ICv2 – Tales From the Crypt: The Stalking Dead

Review: Abbott #1

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Elena Abbott is a reporter investigating the mutilation of a police horse in Detroit Michigan in 1972. While the authorities and the press alike are quick to suspect the members of the local Black Panther party, it soon becomes evident that there is something unnatural going on and that its connected to a mysterious man from Elena’s past.

The first thing I noticed on page one of Abbott #1 was how well all the pieces of the comic book creators’ art blend together seamlessly in service to the story. Everything about it from the layout of the panels to the colors to the lettering served to draw me into the time and place of a rust belt city riven by interracial tensions and economic uncertainty.

Writer Saladin Ahmed is probably best known for his prose debut Throne of the Crescent Moon, an epic fantasy that substitutes the typical medieval European milieu for the Middle East. Detroit in the early seventies is about as far away as you can get from that setting while remaining on the same planet but Ahmed accomplishes the shift with aplomb, doling out revelations about Abbott and her world precisely, subverting expectations at just the right moments and ending on a cliffhanger that has me thirsty for a second issue. This is a far better piece of work than the earlier effort and a lot of that is due to the fact that the medium of comics suits his strengths as a writer far more than the novel ever did. It’s a shame that the realities of the market make it difficult for a writer to earn a living from comics alone because its a form that Ahmed certainly has a flair for.

Artist Sami Kivelä adds personality to the characters with his masterful grasp of facial expressions and body language. Kivelä tells you everything you need to know about Elena Abbott in a single image on page two: that she’s a tough, self confident woman of color with a finely honed nose bullshit detector. Given the scenario it would be all too easy for the art to fall into the trap of relying on well worn grind-house cliches but it never does, instead producing a vision of Detroit that seems grounded in the bedrock of realism of the period. It’s a shame Kivelä hasn’t gotten more mainstream notice before now but, if there is any justice in the world of comics, this book will change that quick. I know that I’ll be keeping an eye out for more of his work and you should too. 

Last but not least word needs to be given to colorist Jason Wordie and letterer Jim Campbell. The rich yet muted palette really elevate the pencils to a whole other level, adding immeasurably to the sense of mood and recalling the grainy 35mm stock used in seminal classics of the period like The Godfather and The Exorcist. Scenes come alive with a rich array of earth tones and shades of gray that instantly transport us to a rust belt autumn in the age of Nixon. The letters are elegantly designed and skillfully applied. They guide the eye from panel to panel so that it never misses a beat without ever crowding the artwork. It’s not easy to create lettering that pops out at the reader when it needs to but becomes invisible when it doesn’t yet Campbell does so on page after page. A veteran of the British comics scene, he’s another seasoned pro who has yet to get the attention he deserves from an American audience. 

A lot has been said lately about diversity in comics. While the creation of new legacy characters like Kamala Khan and a rising profile for preexisting characters of color like Black Lightning are valuable, a book like Abbott is probably more important in the long run. The story speaks to Ahmed’s experience growing up as a child of color in the industrial Midwest during a time of immense social and political change as much as his love of things fantastic. The parallels to the modern world, where stories of violence perpetrated both by and against the police are all too common,  should be apparent to any reader who is conscious enough to look for them. It’s a great example of how broadening the pool of both creators and the type of content they produce enriches the entire medium and helps to lift it out of the ghetto of people in colorful tights punching each other. If the next four issues are as good as the first, then this is going to be a book to remember.   

Story: Saladin Ahmed Art: Sami Kivelä
Color: Jason Wordie Letters: Jim Campbell
Cover Art: Taj Tenfold & Micaela Dawn
Story: 8 Art: 9.0 Overall: 8.5 Recommendation: Buy

BOOM! Studios provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review

Graphic Policy’s Top Comic Picks this Week!

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Wednesdays are new comic book day! Each week hundreds of comics are released, and that can be pretty daunting to go over and choose what to buy. That’s where we come in!

Each week our contributors are choosing up to five books and why they’re choosing the books. In other words, this is what we’re looking forward to and think you should be taking a look!

Find out what folks think below, and what comics you should be looking out for this Wednesday.

Joe

Top Pick: Marvel Two-in-One #2 (Marvel) – The Human Torch and The Thing, half of the Fantastic Four are searching for Reed, Sue, and the kids. This has such potential, and I enjoyed the first issue. This should give a massive nostalgia overload for older readers like myself, but also give enough excitement and exploration for the younger crowd.

Action Comics #996 (DC Comics) – We are getting so close to the 1000th issue, and this series has been a blast since Rebirth. I love the addition of Booster Gold recently, and the best Superman book keeps on going strong.

Abbott #1 (BOOM! Studios) – I like a good crime story, and this first issue of this new series that deals with a detective investigating the occult coming from BOOM looks very promising.

Doomsday Clock #3 (DC Comics) – Who’s watching the Watchmen? Apparently the DC Universe as the two combine for a series that has been very promising so far. Sure, this could fall flat on it’s face, but for now, I am enjoying everything, even if it is just for nostalgias sake.

Dissonance #1 (Image Comics) – I love a good sci-if tale, and this looks promising. It is always fun to jump on a new indie series, and we need more science fiction comics.

 

Jon

Top Pick: Abbott # 1 (BOOM! Studios) – A great example of what comics can be when every member of the team contributes the best of their talents. Abbott has all the makings of being the next Locke and Key.

Frankenstein Alive, Alive Trio (IDW Publishing) –  If you missed these three issues when they were printed years ago, IDW is giving you another chance to catch up before the long awaited final issue launches next month. This is a book that’s worth owning for Bernie Wrightson’s art alone and is probably the best value for money you’re going to find at the comic shop this week or any other.

Hungry Ghosts #1 (Dark Horse/Berger Books) – Either Karen Berger or Anthony Bourdain would have been enough for me to give this book a shot but having both attached made it an absolute must-read. I can’t recommend it to everyone (see my full review for details) but for people looking for a horror anthology inspired by Japanese ghost stories its a nice taste of what Dark Horse’s new Berger Book’s imprint has in store.

Raven: Daughter of Darkness # 1 (DC Comics) – Raven was never a character I had much interest in or knowledge of but this book has me hooked for at least a couple more issues. It doesn’t even matter that I missed last year’s mini series. Marv Wolfman manages to use plenty of the tools that made old comics so accessible to new readers without the storytelling ever feeling too retro.

The Demon: Hell is Earth #3 (DC Comics) – This six issue limited series continues to be a fun take on one of my favorite characters with a twisted sense of humor and great visuals.

 

Alex

Top Pick: Ninja-K #3 (Valiant) – Although I enjoyed the previous series the title character starred in, Ninjak, the current series is everything I could want in a comic and more. The art is fantastic, and secondary only to the exquisite writing from Christos Gage. I love this series’ look at the murky history of the Ninja Programme, and at the history only hinted at thus far.

Doomsday Clock #3 (DC Comics) – I still haven’t decided if I expect this to be a train wreck of epic proportions, or somewhat enjoyable… but I’m looking forward to finding out.

X-O Manowar #11 (Valiant) – Now that the opening three arcs are over, I’m really looking forward to seeing what Matt Kindt does with Aric now that he rules an entire planet (or, rather, is failing miserably at ruling a planet). One could argue there’s real world parallels to people interfering in local politics and royally fucking the local situation up while acting the savior, but there’s more meat on that bone than I have space for here.

 

Brett

Top Pick: Southern Bastards #19 (Image Comics) – Any time an issue comes out it’s at the top of my read list. It’s been an amazing series and I don’t mind the gap at all as every issue delivers an emotional punch.

Avengers #677 (Marvel) – “No Surrender” has been excellent so far so I’m all in for this weekly series.

Detective Comics #973 (DC Comics) – Things are falling apart for the team in this finale of the latest arc. I’ve really wanted to see how this one ends.

Legion #1 (Marvel) – After the excellence of the television series, I’m intrigued to see what this limited comic series does.

Star Trek: Discovery #2 (IDW Publishing) – I’ve really enjoyed the television series so to get more in this world has me happy. The first issue added some depth so looking forward to the second to see what it does.

Preview: Abbott #1 (of 5)

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Abbott #1 (of 5)

Publisher: BOOM! Studios
Writer: Saladin Ahmed
Artist: Sami Kivelä
Cover Artists:
Main Cover: Taj Tenfold
Variant Cover: Micaela Dawn
Unlocked Retailer Cover: Tula Lotay
Price: $3.99

Hugo Award-nominated novelist Saladin Ahmed (Black Bolt) and artist Sami Kivelä (Beautiful Canvas) present one woman’s search for the truth that destroyed her family.

Hard-nosed, chain-smoking tabloid reporter Elena Abbott investigates a series of grisly crimes that the police have ignored. Crimes she knows to be the work of dark occult forces. Forces that took her husband from her. Forces she has sworn to destroy.

BOOM! Announces the Supernatural Crime Thriller Abbott by Saladin Ahmed and Sami Kivelä

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BOOM! Studios has announced Abbott, a new, original comic book series launching in January 2018 from Hugo Award-nominated writer Saladin Ahmed and artist Sami Kivelä about a female journalist of color in 1970s Detroit named Elena Abbott who investigates a series of grisly crimes the police have ignored—crimes she recognizes to be the work of a dark magical force—the same force that murdered her husband 10 years ago. As she looks for clues, Abbott puts herself in the crosshairs of a mysterious power out for more blood, all the while navigating a harsh social environment that’s structured to protect the powerful, and prevent access to change.

Born in Detroit, Ahmed had been wanting to write a story set in his hometown, especially during a pivotal moment in its history. He describes Detroit as the “real co-star” of the comic. The comic is set in 1972, the year Nixon was re-elected and Motown Records left for Los Angeles. The series takes place against a backdrop of white flight and black renaissance in the city.

Abbott #1 has a main cover illustrated by Taj Tenfold and a variant cover by Micaela Dawn.

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