A brief weekly rundown of recommendations of new releases I’m intrigued by, excited for and will be grabbing off the shelves to curl up with every new comics day before delving into them later in the week!
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Manic of New York #5- Aftershock comics
It’s probably my own fault I didn’t notice sooner, but haven’t Aftershock been putting out a slew of amazing books lately? The kind of experimental, weirdo comics that used to have a home at Vertigo, Aftershock and it’s creators are taking risks on some more out there concepts such as breakups viewed through the lense of technology in the weirdly haunting Lonely Receiver to mycelial social networks in the beautifully violent I Breathed a body. Maniac of New York by writer Elliot Kalan and artist Andrea Mutti takes the well worn tropes of the gory eighties slasher flicks like Friday the 13th, with it’s seemingly unstoppable and frenzied killer and picking up on the story years later. The public already worn out by years of attacks and no way to stop him have settled into acceptance and taken his violent and sudden attacks as just another inconvenience. Even the news reports speculations on his attacks with all the breezy aid back air of a weather report.
Although the story leans heavily into it’s social commentary ,depicting a not unfamiliar world were the rich and influential are able to avoid the worst of the maniacs attack, and the general public are lulled into acceptance when it becomes clear to the government that they are powerless to do anything. Kalan shows us how ridiculous situations are like this and the public becoming used to them by making said threat a blood soaked, frenzied killer. Even the info dumps support this, a previous issue informing us that attacks of “three or less” are not recorded, as to downplay his threat and fudge the details. Particularly resonant given out current pandemic climate, the majority of us relying on accurate information about threats to our health. However it never forgets it is a comic though and balances all this with a taunt, edge of your seat story complimented perfectly by Mutti’s depictions of snow covered, blood spattered backdrop of a city under siege. Horrific, thought provoking and well worth checking out.
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