Tag Archives: ferran delgado

Spirit of the Shadows #1 features some nice surprises in the story and cool art

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EMBRACE YOUR FEAR . . . THE SPIRIT OF THE SHADOWS DRAWS NEAR! From the darkest recesses within acclaimed cartoonist Nick Cagnetti (Pink Lemonade, XINO) and co-creator Daniel Ziegler (Elodie) comes the most visually stunning, outrageously otherworldly, and hauntingly heartfelt superhero-horror hit of 2026! Once, Erik Leroux was a mortal musician, selflessly devoted to his music and his true love, Katrina . . . until his sudden death plunged his soul into the carnival-like torments of the Spirit World beyond our own. Now, reborn as a phantom with fleeting memories of his life among the living, and forever cursed to bear the arcane costume his corpse wore to the grave, Erik will claw his way back from the infernal planes to uncover the mysteries of his own life . . . and avenge the dark sins that transformed him into the SPIRIT OF THE SHADOWS!

Story: Nick Cagnetti, Daniel Ziegler
Art: Nick Cagnetti
Color: Ferran Delgado

Get your copy now! To find a comic shop near you, visit http://www.comicshoplocator.com or call 1-888-comicbook or digitally and online with the links below.

Zeus Comics
Kindle

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Krypto: The Last Dog of Krypton #4 is another emotional gut punch

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Krypto has made a new friend—another stray—and together, the two of the mare traveling across America. But they are not alone, for a monster from a distant world has come to Earth, and their two paths are now on a collision course. Krypto,with superpowers that are just coming in, must find a way to defend himself, hisfriend—and his planet.

Story: Ryan North
Art: Mike Norton
Color: Ian Herring
Letterer: Ferran Delgado

Get your copy now! To find a comic shop near you, visit http://www.comicshoplocator.com or call 1-888-comicbook or digitally and online with the links below.

Zeus Comics
Kindle

This post contains affiliate links, which means that if you click on one of the product links and make a purchase, we’ll receive a percentage of the sale. Graphic Policy does purchase items from this site. Making purchases through these links helps support the site

Metamorpho The Element Man #3 continues the retro pastiche journey through the Swinging Sixties

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Metamorpho The Element Man #3

Metamorpho The Element Man #3 continues the title’s retro pastiche journey through the Swinging Sixties with period accurate dialogue (With some modern touches/jokes) from writer Al Ewing and day-glo visuals from Steve Lieber and Lee Loughridge. The latest stop on my favorite current Big Two comic’s magical mystery tour is classic spy fiction beginning with lots of pun on James Bond movie names and continuing with lots of gadgets and one-liners. However, Metamorpho #3 isn’t one-note and contains plenty of the adventure fiction type escapes that the character is known for as he, Urania Blackwell, and most importantly, Java, investigate an Olmec-type pyramid that has a very non-Olmec head on it, that of caveman-turned immortal-turned Gotham police commissioner, Vandal Savage.

Even as he introduces very modern concepts like social media influencers and popular music standom, Ewing’s script remains very Silver Age with tongue firmly planted in cheek. A lot of comedy comes from the banter between the unlikely team of Metamorpho, Urania, and Java trying to navigate the literal maze of the pyramid featuring well-placed one-liners about modern pop culture coming from a millennia-old caveman. Plus there’s Vandal Savage channeling Blofeld (Sans cat.) with cheesy one-liners as he interacts with his ally The Mad Mod (Whose panel time is shorter than last issue, but has some of the most hilarious dialogue known to comicdom.) and finally, our intrepid heroes. Like his work on modern superhero comedy/satire classics Superman’s Pal: Jimmy Olsen and One-Star Squadron, Lieber’s skill with facial expressions helps drive Al Ewing’s verbal jokes home. This is definitely a comic where you read a second time and discover all the background jokes (Vandal Savage looking fondly at a sabretooth tiger skull.) although Steve Lieber’s art isn’t dense and lets the story breathe.

Java had all the best lines in Metamorpho #1 and #2 so it’s fitting he gets his own little dramatic arc in issue three, and his actions drive the issue’s narrative with Metamorpho himself doing an elemental take on the third wheel role. The main conflict of the story centers around his rivalry with Vandal Savage. It’s interesting to see the interplay between a man whose key motivation is honor, and another who will do anything to get power. And there’s also lots of setup for future incidents in Metamorpho edging on over-exposition, but it also reminds me a lot of old school Chris Claremont-style comic book plotting where subplots would be introduced in early issues and become the main plot down the road. But mostly it reinforces the corporate sketchiness of Silas Stagg, and how maybe that’s not a guy you want to owe a life debt too.

One of my personal type of panel layout or storytelling device in superhero/science fiction/adventure comics is the hideout cutaway. In Metamorpho #3, Ewing and Lieber have even more fun with it by combining an old fashioned maze with a cutaway. Basically, the reader has to “solve” the layout to get to the inner chambers of Vandal Savage’s temple with Metamorpho and Urania and rescue Java from Vandal Savage. There are all kinds of booby traps, explosions, and frustrated Metamorpho and Urania faces, and it turns what would be a basic transition scene into the most memorable moment of the comic. It shows the uniqueness of comics medium while also continuing the weird will they/won’t they tension between Metamorpho and Urania as well as raising the stakes for the showdown versus Vandal Savage.

Al Ewing, Steve Lieber, and Lee Loughridge don’t rest on their laurels in Metamorpho The Element Man #3 and tell a visually creative spy story that also fleshes out Rex Mason’s supporting cast and connects this sideshow of a title to the larger DC Universe without feeling like a late period MCU flick. There’s a lot of Jim Steranko’s Nick Fury, Agent of SHIELD in this issue’s DNA, but Metamorpho #3 is funnier and more madcap just like its titular protagonist.

Story: Al Ewing Art: Steve Lieber
Colors: Lee Loughridge Letters: Ferran Delgado
Story: 9.0 Art: 9.2 Overall: 9.1 Recommendation: Buy

DC Comics provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review

Purchase: Zeus Comics – Kindle

Metamorpho: The Element Man #1 is a hip start daddy-o

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Metamorpho: The Element Man #1

To know him is to love him–that fab freak who can change himself into any element in the human body! He’s the one and only Rex Mason, alias Metamorpho… but can even he win out against Cy.C.L.O.P.S., the hairy eyeball of crime that gazes from the top of the pop charts to the lowest depths of evil–and even into the far-off, far-out Ra-Realm? To find out, the Element Man must survive a hand-picked assassin who can match him change for change… Metamorpho: The Element Man #1 is the hippest retro start to a comic that’ll have you wanting to come back for more.

I know nothing about Metamorpho. There’s something about changing his body’s elements and that’s about all I’ve got. But, a comic debut written by Al Ewing and art by Steve Lieber, I’m going to check it out no matter who it’s starring. Metamorpho: The Element Man #1 is a solid introduction to the character that gives you enough to understand the character’s powers and a little of his origin. But, you don’t really need to know any of that. There’s a bit about various organizations and a mysterious enemy, and it all comes together for a retro debut that’s just fun.

Ewing and Lieber give a comic that has a bit of a retro flair about it. There’s the dialogue that’s used that feels like it’s a homage and a bit of a wink and nod on classic comics. There’s something kind of 70s about it and the comic overall has a vibe where it should end have music and a narrator saying “until next time.” It creates a fun reading experience that lacks and dark overtone or connotations. It’s just goofy fun.

The art by Lieber is solid. With color by Lee Loughridge and lettering by Ferran Delgado. It has Lieber’s distinctive style and matches the 70s vibe of the story and dialogue. Metamorpho looks solid and a scene where he’s “melted” fantastic. The position of the characters and reactions all look classic in some ways and the comic’s visuals are as entertaining as the story. It’s a solid match and creative team.

Metamorpho: The Element Man #1 is an interesting comic as it feels disconnected from the DC Universe and it’s style is a bit of a throwback. It’s a debut where you can just pick it up and enjoy it without needing to know continuity or caught up with anything else that’s going on. It’s a nice throwback debut you can dive into and enjoy.

Story: Al Ewing Art: Steve Lieber
Color: Lee Loughridge Letterer: Ferran Delgado
Story: 8.0 Art: 8.0 Overall: 8.0 Recommendation: Buy

DC Comics provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review

Purchase: Zeus Comics – Kindle

The Ashcan Edition Episode Nine: Elemental Grooviness with Metamorpho’s Writer Al Ewing

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The Ashcan Edition‘s host Brant Lewis chats with acclaimed writer Al Ewing about his upcoming DC Comics series Metamorpho. So get into the Metamorpho holiday spirit by listening to Al discuss what interests him about Rex and his world, how Steve Lieber draws the perfect fab freak, and what you can do to spread some yvoorg and elemental cheer.

Metamorpho: The Element Man #1 will be released on December 25 by writer Al Ewing, artist Steve Lieber, colorist Lee Loughridge, and letterer Ferran Delgado. You can follow Al on social media @al-ewing or by subscribing to his newsletter https://al-ewing-writes-comics.ghost.io/. You can also follow Brant Lewis on Bluesky @brantlewis.

Music is Win This Battle Win This War by Everet Almond.

DC announces Metamorpho: The Element Man by Al Ewing and Steve Lieber as part of “All In”

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DC has announced new ongoing “All In” comic book series by creators Al Ewing and Steve Lieber—Metamorpho: The Element Man—that fab freak who can change himself into any element in the human body!

To know him is to love him. He’s the one and only Rex Mason, alias Metamorpho… but can even he win out against Cy.C.L.O.P.S., the hairy eyeball of crime that gazes from the top of the pop charts to the lowest depths of evil—and even into the far-off, far-out Ra-Realm? To find out, the Element Man must survive a hand-picked assassin who can match him change for change… and that’s just the first issue!

Metamorpho: The Element Man #1, written by Al Ewing, interior art and main cover by Steve Lieber, colors by Lee Loughridge and lettering Ferran Delgado, will publish on December 25 with variant covers by Erica Henderson, Ian Bertram, and Steve Beach.

Exclusive: Check out Vanessa Cardinali’s art process for The Golem of Venice Beach

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Superstar artists Frank Quitely, David Mack, Nick Dragotta, Howard Chaykin, Dean Haspiel, Jae Lee, Das Pastoras, Juan Jose Ryp, Stan Sakai are teaming up with artist Vanessa Cardinali, writer Chanan Beizer, and letterer Ferran Delgado for the stunning star-studded second and final volume of graphic novel The Golem of Venice Beach. Picking up immediately after the thrilling cliffhanger of Book One, Book Two continues and concludes the epic story about the adventures of a 400-year-old Golem spanning from 16th century Europe, to the horrors of World War II, to modern day Venice Beach, where the Golem has become entangled in a war between a gang and the police. Both a riveting narrative and a celebration of Southern California, both volumes of The Golem of Venice Beach will soon be available on Kickstarter.

Returning to THE GOLEM OF VENICE BEACH to complete the story of Adam the golem presented me an opportunity to experiment with my process in an effort to inject a new vitality into the world Chanan has created. I chiefly accomplished this by, for the first time in my career, skipping the pencil stage and focusing my energy on the layouts, where all the important decisions and storytelling choices are made, and then in the inks & colors, where atmosphere is born and feeling & expression—the most important elements of comics for me—become paramount.

There is an extended fight scene later in the book and this was a challenge that turned out to be my favorite part of the whole story, I had so much fun illustrating this epic battle page after page.

I grew to love some of these characters and will miss them. Working on the GOLEM books with Chanan and Chris these past years has been a highlight of my time in comics and I hope readers enjoy how we concluded this part of the golem’s adventures!

–Vanessa Cardinali

The Golem of Venice Beach: Book Two is a 184-page oversized deluxe hardcover and also available are Kickstarter Exclusive prints, the seven prints from the artists in Book One, and a unique signature plate signed by Quitely.

Vanessa is the engine of THE GOLEM OF VENICE BEACH and has pulled off the neat trick of a girl from Italy living in Italy completely manifesting modern day Venice Beach, California. Her scene setting and character work bring each diverse element of Chanan’s world to distinct and vibrant life all while grounding things with a verisimilitude even lifelong Venice residents could recognize and admire. Already in fine form on Book 1, her shift in process on Book 2 has lifted her even higher up the ladder of today’s best working artists. Did I say work? She is a rarity in comics as I can’t think of one deadline missed, one extra mile not walked in pursuit of the best result. As this story ends now, Vanessa has left her mark on all these characters and places I’ve come to know and love, and I thank her for making the journey with us.

–Chris Stevens (Editor)

In The Golem of Venice Beach: Book 1, Adam is a Golem, a creature of vengeance and destruction, of violence and death created 400 years ago in Eastern Europe. Today he spends his days adrift on the sunny boardwalks of Venice Beach, the only hope of release from his lonely existence being the clueless Jake Loeb, the sole remaining heir of the Golem’s creator. But when Jake becomes involved with a mysterious tattooed woman and a drug-dealing death worship cult, things get complicated and dangerous for Adam. Golems are not meant to walk the Earth forever. Can Adam make a difference? Can he find peace in the California sun? And can a monster have a soul? 

In The Golem of Venice Beach: Book 2 we find Adam the Golem in the midst of gang warfare while trying to protect two runaway teens. To make matters worse, Jake comes under the scrutiny of the very same gang while Uncle Steph tries to mend a rift that has formed between Adam and Jake, and things come to a head when Stephan is kidnapped. It’s up to Adam and Jake to save him—but first, Jake must first find a way to make Adam whole again and restore the Golem that has been part of his family legacy for over 400 years.

We have an exclusive look at Vanessa Cardinali‘s art process including pencils, inks, colors, and lettering as well as some designs.

Crowdfunding Corner: Armored, Andy and his suit of armor return for more action and adventure

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Backer Beware: Crowdfunding projects are not guaranteed to be delivered and/or delivered when promised. We always recommend to do your research before backing.

Armored is a spooky, supernatural comic book series about an orphan who stumbles across a mystical suit of armor haunted by the ghost who wore it centuries ago. Created and written by Michael Schwartz, Armored is illustrated by Ismael Hernandez, lettered by Ferran Delgado, and edited by Eisner-winner Chris Stevens. Issues 3-5 are now being crowdfunded by Clover Press and feature NEW covers by superstar artists David Mack, Becky Cloonan, Trevor Henderson, and Jeff Dickson. And not to be missed, Matthew Therrien continues his stunning character portraits!

Issues 1 and 2 saw orphaned teen Andy get adopted by a strange couple who lost their son under mysterious circumstances. When Andy starts at a new school out in the countryside, he accidentally discovers a haunted suit of armor and its ghostly keeper, Sir William. When Andy is attacked by the same mysterious creature that killed his adoptive parents’ biological son, Sir William and the suit help Andy defeat the monster — but the monster was conjured by someone, and they’ll stop at nothing to gain control of the armor. Issues 3 to 5 unravel the mystery of who that certain someone is and open up the world of Armored to bigger mysteries and further adventures!  

The Armored Kickstarter runs until Saturday, June 29, 2024 at 12:00 AM EDT.

Crowdfunding Corner: Jack Kirby and Wally Wood’s Sky Masters of the Space Force

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Backer Beware: Crowdfunding projects are not guaranteed to be delivered and/or delivered when promised. We always recommend to do your research before backing.
Disclosure: Graphic Policy’s founder Brett is a member of the Zoop team.

Sky Masters of the Space Force

If you’re a fan of comics, then you no doubt know that the godfather of modern comic books is none other than “The King”, Jack Kirby. The co-creator of the Marvel Universe, including such mainstays as Captain America, Fantastic Four, X-Men,, The Hulk, Iron Man, The Avengers and many others, Kirby has firmly established himself on the Mount Rushmore of comic book creators. Fans have always clamored for more of Kirby’s work, and now with the work of Jack Kirby coming to crowdfunding for a historic first time, those fans can get their hands on the collected edition of Sky Masters of the Space Force – The Complete Sunday Strips in Color! The crowdfunding campaign for the book has launched on Zoop.

Sky Masters of the Space Force Sunday comics from 1959-1960 features art and story by Jack Kirby with masterful inking by Wallace Wood, Dick Ayers, and Kirby himself.

And you may be asking yourself, how can new work from Jack Kirby be coming out? Well, that’s all thanks to Tom Kraft and Rand Hoppe, President and Director respectively of The Jack Kirby Museum & Research Center. They have teamed with book designer Ferran Delgado to re-print his Eisner Award nominated book in an expanded deluxe edition! The book compiles the long out of print color Sunday strips of Sky Masters from the 1950s.

Every strip has undergone meticulous remastering back to its vibrant, full-color brilliance thanks to the work of designer/producer Ferran Delgado. But that’s not all – discover an array of never-before-seen visionary scrapbook panels, articles by renowned experts, and examples of stunning original art, among other surprises added by the Jack Kirby Museum & Research Center for this special brand new edition.

The Bugs Head South in Marcus Parks and Henry Zebrowski’s Operation Sunshine: Already Dead

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Did you think that four issues were enough for our ragtag team of bugs to turn themselves human and live happily ever after? Not even close! Marcus Parks and Henry Zebrowski’s Operation Sunshine continues with Operation Sunshine: Already Dead. Written by Parks and Zebrowski, illustrated by David Rubín, colored by K.J. Diaz, and lettered by Ferran Delgado, Operation Sunshine: Already Dead #1 will also feature variant covers by Martin Simmonds and Tyler Jenkins, with a final variant cover to be revealed at a later date.

In Operation Sunshine: Already Dead, the group of young, alienated vampires heads down to the swamps of Florida to disrupt a nasty ancient vampire party and to put into motion “Operation Sunshine”–their plot to steal a magical object that can turn themselves back to human and put an end to the elder vampires once and for all.

Operation Sunshine: Already Dead #1 (of 4) travels to comic shops on April 24, 2024. It is now available to pre-order at your local comic shop for $3.99. 

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