LIVEWIRE #10
Written by VITA AYALA
Art by TANA FORD
Colors by KELLY FITZPATRICK
Letters by SAIDA TEMOFONTE
Cover A by STACEY LEE
Cover B by KATIE COOK
Cover C by IRENE KOH
Pre-Order Edition by ELSA CHARRETIER
$3.99 | 32 pgs. | T+ | On sale SEPTEMBER 11th
Amanda McKee—a.k.a. technopath psiot “Livewire”—fights to clear her name.
But when she teams up with a politician to repair her image and make herself a hero again…
…Will the public be able to forgive her?
In Livewire #9, wanted fugitive Livewire has been on the run for months from the authorities for shutting down the country’s power in an effort to protect people gifted with powers.
Valiant‘s Livewire #9, written by Vita Ayala and featuring Tana Ford‘s artistic talents, and Kelly Fitzpatrick opens a new arc. It finds Livewire as the target of a campaign manager who wants to improve her image. It’s a story arc that has the potential to write a scathing commentary of the way we interact with media. Based on the first issue, Ayala seems more than ready to talk about that. That makes this a comic that I’m really interested in, especially given the current climate.
What’s interesting about a campaign manager looking to improve Livewire’s public perception is that we’re going to see how the media and the public will react to Livewire as the campaign manager manipulates the information available – and how it will be done.
We’ve seen what Livewire has done and why she’s viewed as a terrorist by the public. If you don’t know, she intentionally caused a nationwide blackout for several days as a reaction to the murders of young psiots. In so doing she caused the deaths of those who relied on the nations electrical grid. We’ve also become familiar with how Livewire feels about her actions.
Perhaps one of my favorite things about this series is how Vita Ayala has yet to explicitly cast Livewire as a hero in her own book, and that’s what makes the newest arc in the series so interesting; do you see the title character as a hero, a villain or something in between? Ayala is able to challenge our views on what makes a hero a hero without ever really coming out clearly on either side of things.
One thing is for certain, though; under Ayala’s deft hand Amanda McKee has become one of the most interesting characters in comics.
Unfortunately, despite a strong showing from Ayala, Ford seems a little inconsistent with the visuals in the comic. Art, obviously is very subjective. You might read this book and think it’s great. If you do, I’m pleased for you. But for me the comic felt like it lacked a certain polish in more places than not. One of the early scenes in the comic involves a fight. There’s three panels that don’t flow as well as they could have. A different choice in the choreography, a left hand instead of a right hand, would have made a world of difference. Unfortunately, this was early enough in the comic. That took me out just enough to pay attention to the art with a harsher critical eye.
My feelings on the art and the writing live in an odd dichotomy; I’m not a huge fan of one and love the other. This leaves me to think about the product as a whole, and overall it’s still a very strong one.
Livewire has been one of Valiant’s better series over the last few months. It’s one that has been gaining momentum in the quality department. So it can afford a stumble or two without and loss of faith from yours truly. Really, this stumble is entirely down to arguably the most subjective aspect of the comic. Ayala’s willingness to play with the superhero tropes whilst continuing to write a compelling story should not be missed.
Story: Vita Ayala Art: Tana Ford
Colorist: Kelly Fitzpatrick Letterer: Saida Temofonte
Story: 9.1 Art: 7.1 Overall: 8.6 Recommendation: Buy
Valiant provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review
LIVEWIRE #9 (New Arc!)
Written by VITA AYALA
Art by TANA FORD
Colors by KELLY FITZPATRICK
Letters by SAIDA TEMOFONTE
Cover A by STACEY LEE
Cover B by RAÚL ALLÉN
Cover C by KRIS ANKA
Pre-Order Edition by JEN BARTEL
$3.99 | 32 pgs. | T+ | On sale AUGUST 21st
“Hero” begins here!
Wanted fugitive Livewire has been on the run for months from the authorities for shutting down the country’s power in an effort to protect people gifted with powers.
Will a shocking offer to go public pull Livewire into a political spotlight?
Comics publisher Northwest Press, an LGBTQ comics publisher founded in 2010, today launched a crowdfunding campaign for its newest anthology, Theater of Terror: Revenge of the Queers.
Edited by Justin Hall and William O. Tyler, the project will be a full-color, 250-page book, and will feature work by 33 comics writers and artists. It also features cover art by comics superstar Phil Jimenez and features a connecting storyline featuring Peaches Christ, a real-life drag horror hostess.
In addition to Jimenez’ cover, the book has contributions from a lot of prominent comics creators, including Mariko Tamaki, Sina Grace, Brad Rader, Rachel Pollack, Tana Ford, and Terry Blas.
The Kickstarter campaign to fund the production of the book launched on May 17th and runs until June 16. It offers rewards such as print and digital editions of the book, signed limited edition pinup prints, an all-over-printed t-shirt based on the endpapers designed by Michael Wertz, custom video messages from host Peaches Christ, and original art from contributors to the book.
Today, the finalists for the 2019 Hugo Awards, Lodestar Award for Best Young Adult Book, and John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer and for the 1944 Retrospective Hugo Awards were announced online today by Dublin 2019.
Below are the nominees for “Best Graphic Story” and you can get the full list of nominees here. Three Image Comics series were nominated while BOOM!, Marvel, and First Second all received one nomination.
Congrats to all those nominated!
Below are the finalists for the 1944 Retrospective Hugo Awards for “Best Graphic Story.”
From Hugo, Nebula and World Fantasy Award-winning author Nnedi Okorafor and critically acclaimed illustrator Tana Ford comes LaGuardia. This new four-issue miniseries is the latest addition to the second wave of titles in the Berger Books imprint at Dark Horse. LaGuardia reunites Nnedi Okorafor and Tana Ford, the powerhouse creative team behind Marvel’s Black Panther: Long Live the King #6.
Set in an alternative world where aliens have come to Earth and integrated with society, LaGuardia revolves around a pregnant Nigerian-American doctor, Future Nwafor Chukwuebuka who has just returned to NYC under mysterious conditions. After smuggling an illegal alien plant named “Letme Live” through LaGuardia International and Interstellar Airport’s customs and security, she arrives at her grandmother’s tenement, the New Hope Apartments in the South Bronx.
There, she and Letme become part of a growing population of mostly African and shape-shifting alien immigrants, battling against interrogation, discrimination and travel bans, as they try to make it in a new land. But, as the birth of her child nears, Future begins to change in more ways than one. What dark secret is she hiding?
The first issue of LaGuardia goes on sale October 31, 2018, and will soon be available for preorder at your local comic shop for $4.99.
Jem and the Holograms: Dimensions
Sophie Campbell, Kate Leth, Sarah Kuhn, Sarah Winifred Searle & Various (w) • Tana Ford, Sophie Campbell, Siobhan Keenan, Sarah Winifred Searle & Various (a) • Derek Charm (c)
Jem and the Holograms get back to their rock ‘n’ roll roots in this new series of stand-alone stories from some of comics’ most popular creators. A celebration of creativity, friendship, and being true to yourself, Dimensions is full of humor, fun, and characters that radiate positivity. These uplifting stories will bring a smile to readers’ faces even as they put a song in their hearts.
TPB • FC • $15.99 • 96 pages • ISBN: 978-1-68405-242-4
Star Trek: Boldly Go, Vol. 3
Mike Johnson (w) • Josh Hood, Megan Levens, Tana Ford, Marcus To (a) • Tony Shasteen (c)
What if Kirk and the Enterprise crew were robots? What if Klingons founded Starfleet? What if Spock wasn’t Vulcan? What if all these realities collided? The Star Trek mega-event “I.D.I.C.” brings together all of these worlds for one huge, universe-threatening adventure. The Vulcan philosophy of celebrating “Infinite Diversity in Infinite Combinations” is one of acceptance, but can the universe accept the simultaneous existence of multiple realities? It’s a team-up for the ages as numerous incarnations of Kirk, Spock, and the Enterprise crew must work together to stop a foe that threatens all of existence! Featuring the return of Jane Tiberius Kirk and her gender-swapped crew! Collects the entire “I.D.I.C.” storyline from Star Trek: Boldly Go #13-18.
TPB • FC • $19.99 • 144 pages • ISBN: 978-1-68405-248-6
Star Trek: Boldly Go #15
Mike Johnson (w) • Tana Ford (a) • Tony Shasteen (c)
“I.D.I.C.” Part 3 of 6! The 6-part epic adventure “I.D.I.C.” continues, as the mastermind behind the colliding realities is revealed! Can the multiple Kirks and their crews unite in time to save all of their universes?
FC • 32 pages • $3.99
IDW Publishing kicks off their new Jem anthology series strong in Jem and The Holograms: Dimensions #1. The Dimensions series promises a set of stories told outside the main Jem narrative; a gateway book to the larger Jem universe, though it can also stand on its own. After issue one, however, it’s hard not to want more neon-colored nonsense.
The two stories, “Catnap” and “Roll With It” each tell a distinctly modern tale using ‘80s icons. Brightly-colored ski gear and Dungeons and Dragons games, all in the Jem palate of bold makup, huge hair, and stars and lightning bolts on every surface.
Sophie Campbell took the reins on “Catnap” as both writer and artist. Misfit groupie Clash is cat-sitting for band member Pizzazz, but doesn’t want to miss out on her ski trip. She decides to bring the kitty along on the slopes with her friend Misty, after girlfriend Blaze bails on her. When evil Jem groupies show up to steal the cat and get Clash booted from all future Misfit events, Blaze literally flies in to save the day—and the cat!
Colorist M. Victoria Robado keeps things bright and rainbow-hued, even against a snow-capped backdrop. A high-speed chase followed by an avalanche of epic proportions turns the slopes into a flurry of color and action under Campbell and Robado’s efforts. Campbell’s story (and, I would assume, other Jem tales as well) blurs the line between “good” and “evil” as Misfit fans protect a helpless feline from the evil claws of Jem groupies. Some modern additions, such as Misty dressed in her colorful headscarf and Blaze and Clash’s kiss at the end, bring this 80’s classic into today’s landscape.
“Roll With It”, written by Kate Leth with art by Tana Ford, is lighter on story in favor of dissecting some classic characters at the end of their Infinite run. An exhausted group of Holograms try to get Jerrica to take a break after their tour. Kimber suggests a game of Dungeons and Dragons, but as the game is set up Jerrica is elected Dungeon Master—leaving her in charge of the group all over again. She soon loses her cool and the girls must come up with an alternate plan to give ALL of the Holograms the night off.
The girls game characters give a little peek into their psyche along with providing plenty of light-hearted laughter. And while Jerrica and Synergy drive the plot, Kimber shines through as the star of the story. Colorist Brittany Peer sticks to a blue and purple palate, so that when Jerrica attacks the D&D party with an overpowered dragon, the fire-breather truly stands out.
Jem and the Holograms: Dimensions is a super fun romp with a huge cast of female characters. This book not only passes the Bechdel test, but smashes it into pieces. The characters are well-rounded, diverse, and unafraid to be themselves—no matter how outrageous.
Story: Sophie Campbell, Kate Leth
Art: Sophie Campbell, Tana Ford Colors: M. Victoria Robado, Brittany Peer
Story: 9 Art: 9.5 Overall: 9.3 Recommendation: Buy
IDW provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review
