Punchline #3
Antarctic Press 2018
Written by Bill Williams
Illustrated by Brian Denham & Matthew Weldon
Coloured by Tiago Barsa
Lettered by Thom Zahler
New Kid in Town
When Versema chases an escaping villain to Hilltop City, she crashes into Beetle Girl. Confusion, punching, and chaos are on the agenda. Later, Mel tells a story about her first meeting with a super-powered villain.
I was so looking forward to this particular issue because I saw Beetle Girl on the cover! I mean this costume is the original, we’re talking Mystery Men Comics #1 in 1939 by Fox Comics original. I do love that she has the skirt feature of the old old costume had because well I'm a geek/nerd and I absolutely love those “forgotten” heroes that paved the way for the ones so beloved today. Sigh so Bill, Antarctic Press is there a Beetle Girl book and if so how do I get my hands on it? Plus it's my hope that this would spark interest in those old characters as well.
Now onto the story at hand. I am actually extremely impressed with how Bill handles the meeting between the two. Yes there is the obligatory fight but it’s not really a fight since Versema is doing her damnedest to explain what’s really going on and not fighting back. It is a smart way to go about this and it brings the history of two colourful costumed characters misreading the situation only it is much classier I believe. It does make me tingle with excitement and the boys all work really well together to bring it to life.
Now the creature that brings them together n ow that’s interesting to me. For now he’ll remain a bit of a mystery as the results that we see here prove however he adds something to the book and that’s untold possibilities. His introduction sparks the readers imagination and has the brain working overtime on their theories which is always a good thing. That this series manages to have the reader go beyond what’s on the page and think about what they are seeing and trying to come up with explanations yeah that’s the way to get readers to return time and time again. Yes I have my own theories but I doubt I'm right and yes that ensures I'll be back even though I am already hooked on this book.
So the interior artwork here is extremely solid and interesting to see. Though I do notice a difference in how we see Versema and Beetle Girl, as the latter seems to have less detail to her and seems as if things are less important in regards to her. Just an observation on my part but hey. This creature that we meet, now there’s some nice imagination and creativity involved on a biblical level if you want my thoughts, which no one does heh. The utilisation of the page layouts and how we see the angles and perspective in the panels shows off a great eye for storytelling. The way we see backgrounds and how they flesh out the scene and bring a size and scope to the book. Also I love the colour work here. The way light sources are utilised so highlights, shading and colour gradation is used show some great skill level here. Overall I think this is a great art team and the work they produce really elevates the book.
So not only do we get new characters but we also see the legacy an old school hero and that to me shows not only respect for the past but knows how to keep their eye on the future as well. I love the quality of storytelling not just here but at Antarctic Press as a whole, as for this one it’s got some fine writing consisting of some hella good characterisation, story & plot development and solid pacing. That alongside this level of interior artwork well yeah this is one of the reasons I love comic books.
Antarctic Press 2018
Written by Bill Williams
Illustrated by Brian Denham & Matthew Weldon
Coloured by Tiago Barsa
Lettered by Thom Zahler
New Kid in Town
When Versema chases an escaping villain to Hilltop City, she crashes into Beetle Girl. Confusion, punching, and chaos are on the agenda. Later, Mel tells a story about her first meeting with a super-powered villain.
I was so looking forward to this particular issue because I saw Beetle Girl on the cover! I mean this costume is the original, we’re talking Mystery Men Comics #1 in 1939 by Fox Comics original. I do love that she has the skirt feature of the old old costume had because well I'm a geek/nerd and I absolutely love those “forgotten” heroes that paved the way for the ones so beloved today. Sigh so Bill, Antarctic Press is there a Beetle Girl book and if so how do I get my hands on it? Plus it's my hope that this would spark interest in those old characters as well.
Now onto the story at hand. I am actually extremely impressed with how Bill handles the meeting between the two. Yes there is the obligatory fight but it’s not really a fight since Versema is doing her damnedest to explain what’s really going on and not fighting back. It is a smart way to go about this and it brings the history of two colourful costumed characters misreading the situation only it is much classier I believe. It does make me tingle with excitement and the boys all work really well together to bring it to life.
Now the creature that brings them together n ow that’s interesting to me. For now he’ll remain a bit of a mystery as the results that we see here prove however he adds something to the book and that’s untold possibilities. His introduction sparks the readers imagination and has the brain working overtime on their theories which is always a good thing. That this series manages to have the reader go beyond what’s on the page and think about what they are seeing and trying to come up with explanations yeah that’s the way to get readers to return time and time again. Yes I have my own theories but I doubt I'm right and yes that ensures I'll be back even though I am already hooked on this book.
So the interior artwork here is extremely solid and interesting to see. Though I do notice a difference in how we see Versema and Beetle Girl, as the latter seems to have less detail to her and seems as if things are less important in regards to her. Just an observation on my part but hey. This creature that we meet, now there’s some nice imagination and creativity involved on a biblical level if you want my thoughts, which no one does heh. The utilisation of the page layouts and how we see the angles and perspective in the panels shows off a great eye for storytelling. The way we see backgrounds and how they flesh out the scene and bring a size and scope to the book. Also I love the colour work here. The way light sources are utilised so highlights, shading and colour gradation is used show some great skill level here. Overall I think this is a great art team and the work they produce really elevates the book.
So not only do we get new characters but we also see the legacy an old school hero and that to me shows not only respect for the past but knows how to keep their eye on the future as well. I love the quality of storytelling not just here but at Antarctic Press as a whole, as for this one it’s got some fine writing consisting of some hella good characterisation, story & plot development and solid pacing. That alongside this level of interior artwork well yeah this is one of the reasons I love comic books.
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