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Review: Tephlon Funk #2

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Tephlon Funk #2

There’s something powerful about a good origin story. We’re swept up in a hero’s motivation. We’re also swept up in a villain’s motivation as can be seen in the fanfare surrounding The Joker. How one arrives in a situation to where they rise above their station is not only telling of their fortitude but their nature.

This is why we are drawn to heroes like Batman. We can appreciate his journey to wearing the cowl. We can also mostly identify with Spider-Man, as his quest for normality is something all of us experience in some way. Then there are those characters like Kamala Khan who everyone can identify with no matter your background. In the second issue of Tephlon Funk, we get into the origins of Gisella Rodriguez and the everyday struggles she faces.

We find Gisella in a pool hall in Washington Heights, as a local hustler tries to shake her down. As one of his goons goes to reach for her, she easily defeats him and his goons, with a combination of moves leaving each of them disorientated. As she leaves the pool hall, a sudden pain interposes her head, causing her to remember the last time this pain came, the last time she saw her best friend Cameron Phoenix. As she knew the reunion would inevitable, but the pain serves as a third eye allowing her to see more than most. By the issue’s end, we find out what caused the rift between the two best friends, and Gisella heads to Queensbridge to reunite with Cameron.

Overall, an issue that gives relevance to this protagonist, as she proves to be more than a  skilled fighter. The story by Stephane Metayer is stirring and action-packed. The art by David Tako and Nicholas Safe is stunning and sparkling. Altogether, an issue which gives us even more back-story to this incredible set of characters.

Story: Stephane Metayer Art: David Tako and Nicholas Safe
Story: 9.0 Art: 9.0 Overall: 9.0 Recommendation: Buy

Review: Tephlon Funk #1

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Tephlon Funk #1

Netflix has become one of those big business machines which produce dozens of television shows and movies at a breakneck pace. It has brought the rise of similar streaming services which have years to go before it can catch up to what Neflix has accomplished. It gave creators freedom in ways that other networks are only beginning to understand and emulate. One of the shows that broke ground and evoked nostalgia for many was Baz Luhrman’s The Get Down.

The show revolved around bunch of teens that through music and the trappings of their neighborhood rose above what was expected of them and realized their dreams. The show gave those of us who grew up in that era a romanticized vision of the birth of Hip Hop. Despite its short tenure, it brought light to the fact that even today stories like these were few and far between. In the epic debut issue of Tephlon Funk, we meet a cast of characters whose grit, much like the characters in The Get Down, give readers heroes to root for.

We’re taken to Queensbridge, New York, where we meet Inez Jozlyn, a downtrodden 14-year-old whose neighborhood has gotten the best of her and her direction in life. We also meet the neighborhood crime lord, Kefflow, who Inez would like to work for since she saw all the money her friend Nassim was making. Everything changes when she meets Gabriel Ainsley, who stops Inez before she makes the same mistake as Nassim. His reasons are more personal than honorable. By issue’s end, we meet Cameron Phoenix, an ambitious young cop whose motivation for stopping Kefflow is personal for other reasons, one which she hopes to infiltrate with an undercover police operation

Overall, an interesting premise that more than delivers on several fronts. The story by Stephane Metayer is electrifying and storied. The art by David Tako and Nicholas Safe is gorgeous and iridescent. Altogether, it’s a new world the reader will be more than happy to get to know.

Story: Stephane Metayer Art: David Tako and Nicholas Safe
Story: 9.0 Art: 9.0 Overall: 9.0 Recommendation: Buy