Panel Patter: The Newsletter, "You came in with a breeze on Sunday morning" Edition
We reserve the right to change since yesterday WITH OR WITHOUT warning.
Our newsletter attempts to enter your inbox with some levity, so before we get goofy and sarcastic, we’d like to take a moment to direct your attention to the ongoing crisis in Texas. If you are able to donate, charities and aid organizations in the Lone Star state still need your support to get people fed and sheltered. Click here for a link of mutual aid organisations in Texas (via Rolling Stone), here for Charity Advisor’s index of highly rated charities, and here for a list of Texas Food Banks.
Welcome to this week’s iteration of Panel Patter: The Newsletter. You know, Gwen Stefani gets a ton of attention for constantly reinventing herself while seemingly remaining forever young, but can we remember how baller it was to write an entire album about breaking up with your boyfriend . . . while he’s playing bass on said album?
Anyway, thanks for checking back in with your Panel Pal here are Newsletter HQ. It’s been almost a month since you last received your copy of the newsletter. (Please make sure you’re preserving them in Mylar). Things have been a little busy around Newsletter HQ, with both some personal and professional responsibilities vying for our time.
Not to mention the depressing funk we fell into after the feds nixed our deal to buy out ViacomCBS.
What now?
And we were going to reboot Deep Space Nine in the Kelvin timeline.
We were?
Yep, until those Washington insiders started meddling in our business.
They thought we’d become a monopoly?
If we’re going to play Monopoly, I call race car.
This all raises the question, is Panel Patter too big to fail?
We don’t even know how to spell fale!
Onward then . . .
Recent Patterings
Recognizing Your Vacuum of Existence in the MEGA Awesome Notebook [or.. existing in your recognition of the vacuum]
Sean’s pieces are often part analysis and part personal reflection. It’s that injection of individual reaction that adds another layer of insight into his essays. Check out his thoughts about the creative process stirred up in this review.
It’s a sobering read, one that caresses the self-deprecating tendencies in those of us who find solace in a manufactured creative isolation.
A Talking, Fighting Panda, Gibberish Sushi Words, and Other Usable Curses: Jujutsu Kaisen Vol 0 by Gege Akutami
In the first of two recent pieces from EiC Rob McMonigal, our fearless leader dives into a unique concept - a manga “zero” issue. Check out his thoughts.
I imagine you could go into this series without the primer, but it's definitely hooked me enough to even do a full review. I wonder if we'll see more of this in the future, or maybe it's already happening and I'm just out of touch since I can only keep track of so many comics.
Mermaid Saga (Ningyo Shirīzu) Vol. 2 by Rumiko Takahashi
More manga action from one of Panel Patter’s newest free agent acquisitions, K.C. We’re all excited for the manga perspective K.C. brings to Paneldom, and this review shows both her enthusiasm for the form and her knowledge of its history.
It will be interesting to see where Takahashi will take the story in the final book of the series. It opens with a graphic aftermath of a suicide. Or is it murder? We follow a strangely calm child as he moves around the body of his mother, cleaning blood and glass off the floor. The blood cleared away, and the child freshly showered, he returns to the room and sits to stare into the eyes of his dead mother.
Around the Timestream in 180 Pages: Backtrack from Oni Press
Rob returns for another review, this time of the recently collected Backtrack. Rob muses about his fondness for car chase movies and wonders why we don’t more of that style translated into sequential art, because it works so well in this story.
Also ironic is the fact that we don't see more stories about car races in comics. I am sure there are a few out there, but I am hard-pressed to think of any titles off the top of my head. There's plenty of comics where cars (or space ships) feature prominently in the plot, often with a high-speed chase. But a series or graphic novel centering around a race itself? It's an odd hole in the comics world, one that Backtrack aims to fill. And it does a pretty good job of showing how this genre of story could be done in the future, too.
Catch It at the Comic Shop February 17th, 2021
10 picks. 7 different publishers. I don’t know, like five or six different genres. So much comic goodness.
Welcome aboard, Rachel.
The family grows again! Below, Rachel gets acquainted with Paneldom with two great capsule reviews.
Rachel Lapidow is a freelance copy editor, developmental editor, and proofreader of comics, manga, RPGs, board games, and fiction. She loves fantasy, science fiction, and media that contains cute animals. She owns way too many books (and way too many beads) and has no plans to stop buying more. She lives in Vermont and is constantly on the hunt for the perfect apple cider doughnut. You can follow her on Twitter at @Editrix_Rachel.
From the Archives
Neil Spiers Reviews Bitter Root #1
Jump in the time machine and travel to 2018 for the debut of a beloved series in Paneldom, the exceptional Bitter Root. Neil explores the first issue and how Walker, Brown, and Green harness the supernatural to tell a very human story. Bitter Root was one of the forerunners of the genre-melding trends we see in other recent Black literature and media. Check out why we think it’s an essential read.
And that’s what makes the writing of this comic exceptional--it features reminders of the real issues black people faced (and still face) in America but integrates them into the supernatural elements of the world. Written by two African American writers who are passionately portraying a critically important time in American History, when white America started to recognise the creative and intellectual contributions of African Americans, who in turn upheld their identity intellectually. But at the same time, there were those that stuck to their discriminatory beliefs. Which is touched on towards the end of issue one, in a brutal but satisfying way. Add to all this the supernatural, and you have something that has never been seen before in a comic.
Rachel’s Quick Hit Review - Shadow Doctor
Shadow Doctor #1
written by Peter Calloway, art by Georges Jeanty, color by Juancho!, lettering and backmatter design by Charles Pritchett. Published by AfterShock Comics.
Shadow Doctor is based on the true story of writer Peter Calloway’s grandfather Nathaniel Calloway. Nathaniel is a Black man who worked with the mob in Chicago during Prohibition and the Great Depression. Nathaniel is narrating his story from his hospital bed in 1979 to his son David. After surviving an ambush while helping to run whiskey, Nathaniel vows to go to medical school and become a doctor so that he might make a better life for himself. The problem is no hospital would hire him and no bank would loan him money to start a clinic. There’s no question that this is because he’s Black. The hiring managers and loan officers, each of whom is a white man, tell Nathaniel that it isn’t personal, they’re just following the rules. Eventually, it becomes clear to him that his only chance is to turn to the mob for help.
While Nathaniel is depicted as determined, brave, and smart, Peter Calloway avoids lionizing his grandfather by showing that Nathaniel was willing to do some morally gray things in order to realize his dream. As Nathaniel explains to his son, “Most decisions are quiet things, born of an idea, a moment of contemplation. But the ones born from desperation—they aren’t quiet things.” That sense of desperation permeates each page set in the ’20s and ’30s.
The art has a watercolor feel to it and Georges Jeanty is able to convey the different eras quickly and effectively. This isn’t surprising since Jeanty worked on The American Way, which was set in the 1960s. The characters’ expressions in particular are well done, conveying both Nathaniel’s determination and desperation as well as the bigotry of many of the white characters, some of whom have no problem letting Nathaniel know that their horrific treatment of him is personal. Jeanty’s use of light and shadows in the scenes of Depression-struck Chicago are particular stirring. Juancho!’s muted color pallet and red-tinged sky help draw the reader in. This is a series that I plan to continue reading.is based on the true story of writer Peter Calloway’s grandfather Nathaniel Calloway. Nathaniel is a Black man who worked with the mob in Chicago during Prohibition and the Great Depression. Nathaniel is narrating his story from his hospital bed in 1979 to his son David. After surviving an ambush while helping to run whiskey, Nathaniel vows to go to medical school and become a doctor so that he might make a better life for himself. The problem is no hospital would hire him and no bank would loan him money to start a clinic. There’s no question that this is because he’s Black. The hiring managers and loan officers, each of whom is a white man, tell Nathaniel that it isn’t personal, they’re just following the rules. Eventually, it becomes clear to him that his only chance is to turn to the mob for help.
While Nathaniel is depicted as determined, brave, and smart, Peter Calloway avoids lionizing his grandfather by showing that Nathaniel was willing to do some morally gray things in order to realize his dream. As Nathaniel explains to his son, “Most decisions are quiet things, born of an idea, a moment of contemplation. But the ones born from desperation—they aren’t quiet things.” That sense of desperation permeates each page set in the ’20s and ’30s.
The art has a watercolor feel to it and Georges Jeanty is able to convey the different eras quickly and effectively. This isn’t surprising since Jeanty worked on The American Way, which was set in the 1960s. The characters’ expressions in particular are well done, conveying both Nathaniel’s determination and desperation as well as the bigotry of many of the white characters, some of whom have no problem letting Nathaniel know that their horrific treatment of him is personal. Jeanty’s use of light and shadows in the scenes of Depression-struck Chicago are particular stirring. Juancho!’s muted color pallet and red-tinged sky help draw the reader in. This is a series that I plan to continue reading.
Shooting through the Intertubes
Best Shots advance review - Assassin's Creed: Blade of Shao Jun manga takes franchise to 16th Century China
Scott explores the newest iteration of the Assassin’s Creed franchise over at Newsarama.
It's easy to get caught up in Shao Jun's adventures. Kurata's artwork moves briskly through Jun's quest, showing the skill, speed, and ruthlessness of the assassin. Kurata frames the action to be character-centric, giving her the space to define Jun as a character capable of both cruelty and compassion by the ways that she moves through the pages and the expressiveness of her eyes.
Beyond ‘Black Panther’: Afrofuturism Is Booming in Comics
We’ve said before that if you’re not reading the growing amount of awesome Black speculative fiction - be it comics or prose - you’re missing out on some of the best genre stories you can fine. Robert Ito profiles the surging movement for the New York Times, featuring an interview with John Jennings, who helped adapt Nnedi Okorafor’s After the Rain for his Megascope imprint at Abrams.
“Afrofuturism is the catchall,” Jennings, Megascope’s founder and curator, said. “It’s really Black speculative fiction. But that’s sort of a mouthful. I just don’t want people to think that Megascope is only Afrofuturist. We’re dropping horror books, crime fiction, historical fiction.”
Extra-Pattering
What did you read this week?
James
I’ve been reading Superman’s Pal Jimmy Olsen in collected edition.
Neil
Finished The Fearsome Doctor Fang
Started Transformers: More Than Meets The Eye
Rob
Got out my pal Rafer Roberts' Archer and Armstrong from Valiant with David Lafuente and others. His delightful sense of strangeness shines through. Also read Rebellion's Dracula File, collecting some old progs of Scream.
Scott
About 2/3rds of the way through Sloane Leong’s A Map of the Sun. Planning on finishing it this weekend.
Mike
I read the first two volumes of Dawn of X as well as the latest Spider-Man Noir trade. Towards the end of the week, I went on a Junji Ito kick and read both Remina and picked up/restarted No Longer Human after putting it down before. So, I’m pretty much scarred for the next few weeks, I think.
What’s on your reading pile?
James
I recently picked up Die Volume 3 but I think I need to reread the first two volumes to make sure I know what’s going on. It’s a dense series.
Neil
Bleed Them Dry (TPB)
Hellboy Omnibus 1, 2, 3 and 4 (I must start these soon)
Rob
Some Kaiju Score and I’m behind on 2000AD.
Scott
A lot of John Porcellino books, including the latest King-Cat Comics.
Rachel
Rainbow Rowell and Faith Erin Hick's Pumpkinheads.
Giant Days vol. 1 & 2 by John Allison
The Immortal Iron Fist by Fraction, Brubaker, Aja, Zonjic, Kano, Foreman
Monstress: Volume Four, The Chosen by Marjorie Liu and Sana Takeda
Mike
Adventureman hardcover and T
What is a series or run you recently finished reading? What impact did it have on you?
James
I reread the entire Mark Waid Daredevil run, with Paolo Rivera, Marcos Martin, Chris Samnee, and more. It was such a joy. I’m not naturally a Daredevil fan (too grim for my tastes) but Waid et al. found a way to tell stories about Daredevil that were fun and engaging, but also had real stakes. There were dark and serious moments but the overall series had a lightness to it.
Neil
The Fearsome Doctor Fang: Reminded me how much I enjoy old school adventure stories.
Rob
Been re-reading the Usagi books since IDW is reprinting them in color and just impressed with how good it was from the start.
Mike
I’m really working to come to terms with the implications of No Longer Human.