7/3 Comic Reviews: Family Business
Rogue Sun #20 written by Ryan Parrott and Nick Cotton with art by Abel
After all the tragedy and family drama, sometimes it’s nice to just punch some monsters. At least, that’s what seems to be going through Dylan Siegel’s mind in this week’s issue of Rogue Sun. The issue opens mid-battle between our erstwhile hero and Mad Melody, a banshee-like creature with a destructive voice. As always, the monster designs in this series are fantastic and perfectly blend the American Gothic tone with the monster-of-the-week formula. Dylan makes short work of Mad Melody well enough that even his father, Marcus, has to admit that he’s getting better at superhero-ing. Dylan’s still got a violent streak, but given what he’s building up for, it’s understandable that he’s not holding back. After turning Mad Melody over to the monster handler, Dotty, Dylan starts to vocalize his plan(?) to take on Mourningstar. We still know very little about the main antagonist of the series save that he enjoys making Faustian bargains and trying to maximize the amount of cruelty he can inflict every day. It’s a little frustrating that no one has mentioned how much he looks like Rogue Sun yet, but that connection may be something the story is building towards. The fact that we get a glimpse of his very human daughter further adds to the possibility that there’s more to the villain than meets the eye.
From there, we get a few glimpses of the Bell family and how they’re handling the aftermath of the recent arc. Dylan’s younger half-brother Brock seems to be the only one who has come out ahead from the experience. The brooding kid has really come out of his shell and it’s sweet to see him and Dylan bonding. Even Dylan can’t help softening up around him. Brock gives Dylan a gift which may not seem all that significant beyond the sentimental value but, as a tokusatsu fan, it had me giddy. Juliette and Aurie, Marcus’ wife and daughter, are taking a bit more time to recover. Aurie, not unjustifiably, feels responsible for much of the trouble in recent issues and Juliette is desperately trying to bridge the gap and keep her family together. These moments, combined with the scene at Dylan’s school later, give the impression that normalcy is returning to everyone’s lives, but it seems like it’ll only take one more shake for everything to crumble for good.
Unfortunately, that shake might have burst through the doors to Dylan’s school this issue. Enter: Divinity, a rough and tumble bounty hunter whose job is hunting down monsters. She all but drags Dylan out of school so he can provide backup against the next Mourningstar-empowered villain. This new villain has a few interesting wrinkles setting him apart from previous foes, but it remains to be seen just how much danger he actually presents.
Last issue was focused on re-examining the relationship between Dylan and Marcus, so it was nice to get a look at how the rest of the cast has been handling things. The Bell family and their growing bond with Dylan is endearing to see, and I hope to see their influence start to tether Dylan and keep him from making what appears to be a reckless mistake.
Abel is firing on all cylinders with the art this week too. As I mentioned earlier, the monster designs are such a fun take on the monster-of-the-week premise. Their history as Marcus’ foes helps the world feel more fleshed out and give us more insight into the previous Rogue Sun’s superhero career. Even in the less action-packed moments, the characters’ expressions convey a sense of life and energy as they enjoy these brief moments of calm before the inevitable storm.
While this issue mostly functions as set-up for the next arc, the strength of the character writing helps it stand strong. The art looks great and the issue is full of juicy tidbits giving us hints of what’s to come. Something big is on the way, but it remains to be seen just how it’s going to shake up the lives of the cast. This was another excellent issue in one of the most original superhero books on the stands and I can’t recommend it enough.
Public Domain #6 written and drawn by Chip Zdarksy
The second arc of the slice of life comics publishing comic about comics has arrived! After the first arc’s struggle for the rights to The Domain character, Syd Dallas now has ownership of his character (partially) and a studio with his sons Miles and David. Looks like they’ve got it made, right? (Insert laughter here) No one in the comics industry has it made, sadly, and this book is very much about exploring that. Now that they’re finally ready to start putting a story together, the biases of different generations are beginning to clash. Syd wants to recreate The Domain exactly as it was when he was drawing it before, but forty years is a long time and it may not be what people want. Tanya, the young woman living in Syd and Candy’s house, is full of ideas for reinterpreting the character while keeping the original themes that Syd loved. Unfortunately, the idea of The Domain being “a girl” is too much for Syd, leading to an argument about change in a long-running character that every comic book fan has probably heard at some point. Once again, the younger son David stumbles across a brilliant idea to turn one character into three, but even this compromise doesn’t sit well with Syd and he storms out.
Meanwhile, all is not well at Singular Press as Jerry Jasper is trying to put together his version of The Domain to compete with Syd. The blowhard writer is desperate to prove he’s still got it but, unfortunately, he’s trapped in the corporate machine of a large publisher which comes with its own set of woes. They’re not confident that his name has enough power to draw readers anymore and they decide to saddle him with his worst nightmare, a co-writer. In walks Neil Gai-(awkwardly coughs as a lawyer hands me a note) I mean, Carter Dusk, the man who is wherever the story needs him to be. I was grinning ear to ear as I read every wild and mystical thing he said. It’s especially delightful that all of his dialogue is written with British spellings as he “...[puts] extra vowels in [Jerry’s] American words!” Somehow this book is managing to portray the hundred-year history of the industry in a matter of weeks and it’s amazing. Of course, Jerry Jasper isn’t going to go down without a fight and he’ll to do whatever it takes to win.
Syd bemoans his own dilemma to his wife, Candy, who has been quietly supporting her dysfunctional husband and sons throughout the series. Not one to mince words, Candy makes it clear that Syd is old. There’s a new generation with new stories to tell and fighting that current is just going to lead to bitterness. Once again proving that she’s the only sane person in this book, she encourages Syd to listen to his team and work with them to build something new while also paying tribute to the old. It’s unclear at this point how much of this Syd internalizes, but hopefully it starts to set him on the right track.
This brings Syd and Jerry to a crossover (GET IT?) when they both go to recruit their old editor Cynthia Dann. Jerry brings the promise of a high salary while Syd can only promise she’ll have final say on the book. Cynthia makes her choice, and makes it clear that she won’t compromise her work for the sake of nostalgia or old friends. It seems like she’ll prove to be another voice of reason, but we’ll have to wait and see.
This book is a love letter to the comics industry, warts and all. There are a lot of references to lore and history that will have any fan laughing with delight while also being approachable enough that someone unfamiliar can appreciate the story without feeling overwhelmed. Yes, in the seventies and eighties, publishers brought in a bunch of British writers who revitalized the industry and elevated the medium with some truly wonderful stories while also having tumultuous relationships with the corporate side of things. Do you need that to love Carter Dusk? Absolutely not. Anyone can and everyone should love Carter Dusk.
As Chip Zdarksy is both writer and artist, the book is perfectly harmonized in the way it can only be when a creator plays with themselves. This is the guy who worked with Matt Fraction on Sex Criminals and had me laughing hysterically while also writing a Daredevil book which was one of the most heart-wrenching stories I’ve read in a while. The guy has range and while this book keeps things on the lighter side, it has a melancholic heart at its core as the cast, each with their own creative desires, struggles against the oppressive, cash-grabbing machine that is the comics industry.
This book was a lot of fun, and I’d highly recommend picking up the previous five issues if you haven’t already. Family drama, business warfare, jokes for days, Carter Dusk, this book has it all. I’m not sure if a comic about comics should be a person’s first comic, but maybe it’d make a good second or third? If it is your first, get ready for a crash course in the industry. The wildest thing? All of it is true.