San Junipero Preview

 

Butcher Billy Cover

San Junipero is a party town, and Kelly is determined to wring every bit of enjoyment she can out of it. Yet she's drawn to Yorkie, a shy, retiring gal who has her life planned out for her. The ladies form an instant connection. Yet Kelly is a glowing ember, and Yorkie fears getting too close, in case she gets burned.

 

Black Mirror is a British Sci-Fi TV series. The anthology format lets the showrunners explore a wide variety of stories. After producing a graphic novel adaptation of USS Callister, Twisted Comics is walking back in time from the fourth series to produce the third season story, "San Junipero." 

 

Kelly and Yorkie's story begins in 1987, as US President Ronald Reagan urges Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev to groove to Pink Floyd and tear down the Berlin Wall. Will Yorkie follow through on her carefully made plans? And will Kelly decide there's more to life than the freedom of Saturday nights?

 

Here's all the info from Twisted Comics:

 

Black Mirror: San Junipero HC

Writer: Neil Gibson

Artist: Phil Buckenham

Colorist: Agnese Pozza

Letterer: Rob Jones 

Cover Artist: Butcher Billy 

Publisher: Twisted Comics 

Hardcover Price: £25 (roughly $34) plus shipping

Release Date: See Kickstarter Page 

 

 

Following on from the breakout launch issue of USS Callister comes another fan favourite from the Black Mirror anthology, the infamous San Junipero. Brought to life by the aptly twisted indie publisher, Twisted Comics, Black Mirror’s iconic tales navigate humanity's worst traits, greatest innovations, and unexpected turns that lurk within these mind-bending stories. The latest episode-to-graphic novel adaptation is written by acclaimed writer Neil Gibson, artist Phil Buckenham, and the all-new series cover from Butcher Billy. Are you ready for the holiday of a lifetime?

San Junipero is a party town. All is up for grabs. And midnight is two hours away…

The year is 1987. Tucker’s nightclub is aglow with neon, the music is loud, and people are dancing. The shy Yorkie meets Kelly and plays along with her rejection of Wes, who has been making continued advances to her. The two dance. An offer of how to spend the rest of their evening is made, then declined, and Yorkie and Kelly go their separate ways. Until...

Another week. Another vibe. Another decade. On and on their journey goes, across time, across soundtracks - their intertwined lives in these clubs is just the beginning.

  

Now, let's take a look at Phil Buckenham's inked art:

 

 

 

And here's a look at Agnese Pozza's coloring:

 

 

Twisted Comics offers a variety of add-ons, extras, and cover options. Customers can also purchase a raffle ticket to win a speaking role in the graphic novel. While the Kickstarter project lasts for 29 days, the raffle is limited to the first 3 days. Some options are also limited to the quantities available. So if this looks like a story you'd love to read, head over to the Kickstarter page for Black Mirror: San Junipero HC to take advantage of everything Twisted Comics is offering.

 

Thanks to Twisted Comics for sharing this preview with us.

 

For how this series started, see my review of Black Mirror: USS Callister HC.

Black Mirror: USS Callister HC Review

 

Creators: Charlie Brooker & Annabel Jones

Story: Charlie Brooker & William Bridges

Writer: Neil Gibson

Artist: Silvano Beltramo

Colorist: Agnese Pozza

Letterer: Rob Jones

Cover Artist: Billy Butcher

Publisher: Twisted Comics

Hardcover Price: £25; $32.99 US; $44.99 Canada

 

When Captain Daly reaches the bridge, he finds his ship in crisis. Valdack has returned. And this time, he's loaded for bear. By utilizing the firepower of his stolen Gorgon Dreadnaught, Lieutenant Walton believes their longtime foe can easily destroy them. Will Valdack reduce the USS Callister to atoms? Or can Captain Daly turn the tables on the villain who holds the Plasmorthium Crystal? Let’s grab our phasers, leap into Black Mirror: USS Callister HC, and see!

 

Story

Captain Daly commands a capable crew. Kabir Dudani’s scanners feed him information about their enemy. Tulaski maintains the shields and operates the ship’s weaponry. Nate Packer takes the helm, while Lieutenant Lowery attends the comms. While they’re capable, the crew looks to Captain Daly for direction. And as any wrong decision could allow a villain like Valdack to destroy them, they rejoice in each victory. The female officers express their gratitude to their hunky captain for saving their lives, while the fearful, indecisive Lieutenant Walton is in awe of his commander.

 

In Black Mirror: USS Callister HC, Robert Daly is a man of two worlds. In one, he commands a Federation spaceship, protecting the cosmos from villains like Valdack. In another, he serves as the Chief Technical Officer of Callister Inc. His coworkers avoid him and snicker as the sullen man walks by. But change is on the horizon. Nanette Cole surprises Robert when she bursts into his office on her first day at work. As she introduces herself, Nanette explains that Robert is the reason she wanted to work at Callister Inc. His programming abilities inspired her to follow in his footsteps in building massive multiplayer VR games.

 

But in Neil Gibson's story, Nanette gets more than she bargains for when she meets her hero. Robert Daly avoids his coworkers. He listens in doorways, and one coworker has reported him for staring. Nanette may be the newbie at the company. But when she discovers what Robert hides from everyone else, she'll fight a desperate battle to escape his dominance, and alert the outside world to the danger he represents in Black Mirror: USS Callister HC.

 

Art

The USS Callister hurtles through space like a flying wing. Captain Daly's eyes and pearly whites shine as the muscular blond strides onto the bridge clad in gray clothes and a red jacket. Valdack’s stolen ship resembles a green insect in space. While Dudani sits at his station and watches the viewscreen, he receives reports via his glowing headgear. Lines and dots surround panels when an impact rocks the bridge crew.

 

Agnese Pozza imbues scenes involving the USS Callister with a four-color comics feel. When Robert returns to his day job, Silvano Beltramo’s art enjoys a richer tapestry. Robert frowns and looks down as he walks through a dark green and blue lobby. Like his gray clothes, scenes inside the company receive grays and darker tones. Workers interact and attend to their duties while gamers gaze up at the ceiling from their recliners, their eyes as white as the disks on their foreheads. But when Nanette picks up a VHS case, she notices a brightly colored poster featuring the crew from Robert's favorite TV series in Black Mirror: USS Callister HC.

 

While Rob Jones places black uppercase letters in white dialogue balloons, other bridge officers utter lowercase words. Words shrink for lowered voices and grow bold for intonation, while blue-skinned Tulaska’s utterances appear as small, squeezed-together uppercase letters. Music notes accompany a worker’s multitasking. Sound effects enhance battles and accidents that reinforce Robert's view of a world that’s out to get him. Thanks to Twisted Comics for providing a review copy.

 

Final Thoughts

A science fiction TV series encouraged Robert Daly to become a hero. But as he grew up, others took advantage of him. Instead of rising above his trials to protect others, he withdrew from society. Robert has achieved career success and even inspired a younger generation to emulate his accomplishments. Yet he still feels like a boy beset by schoolyard bullies. Holding onto pain and withdrawing from society transforms Robert Daly into an unhappy man desperate to control others in Black Mirror: USS Callister HC.

 

Rating 9.8/10

 

To look inside, and learn more about the writer and publisher, see my Kickstarter announcement for Black Mirror: USS Callister TP.

 

To order this book, visit the Twisted Comics page. 

 

To register for their next Black Mirror TP, visit the Kickstarter page for Black Mirror: San Junipero. 

 

To get a shot at being drawn into Black Mirror: San Junipero, visit the Black Mirror Comics' competition page. 

 

Follow Black Mirror Comics and Neil Gibson on Instagram:

@blackmirror.comics  (BLACK MIRROR COMICS SOCIALS  

@ngtwistedcomics (NEIL GIBSON COMIC PAGE) 

 

 

The Last Boy #3 Review

 

Writer: Dan Panosian

Artist: Alessio Avallone

Colorists: Valentina Pinto, Agnese Pozza & Rik Mack

Letterer: Jeff Eckleberry

Cover Artists: Dan Panosian, Abigail Jill Harding & A L Kaplan

Logo Design: Dan Panosian

Designer: Grace Park

Editors: Caroline Butler & David Mariotte

Publisher: Boom! Studios

Price: $4.99

Release Date: May 28, 2025

 

Peter Pan wants to play, but his friends have all grown up. When Prince Rogers tells him that the Phantom King has attacked the Neverbird Nest, the Lost Boys mumble excuses instead of leaping for joy. Prince Rogers offers to send soldiers to prevent the Phantom King from burning Fairyhome, but Peter flies off in a huff. Can Peter Pan singlehandedly defeat this new menace? And can Wendy Darling finish her book before she marries Clifford? Let’s grab some fairy dust, leap into The Last Boy #3, and see!

 

Story

The Phantom King proves more dangerous than the late Captain Hook. His scythe slices through Peter's chest, frightening him more than he cares to admit. So when Queen Mab, Tinker Bell, and the fairies whisk him away, Peter fumes that they didn’t allow him to finish off the Phantom King.

 

Like Peter, Wendy's father denies that he needs his medicine. He only accepts it from Wendy because she tells him stories. But after his heart attack, her mother grows more determined to secure Wendy’s future. As much as her father enjoys Wendy's stories, seeing his daughter walk down the aisle will make him feel like he accomplished something with his life.

 

Dan Panosian's story weighs the necessity of growing up against forgetting the joys of childhood. Wendy's mother knows the importance of being accepted by society. But Wendy's father prizes her stories. They bring him a joy that acceptance in society never did.

 

Just as Wendy defies her mother to inspire the young, Peter stands ready to protect those in danger. But while Peter wants Neverland to remain the same, its inhabitants and lands are changing. Peter's imagination and zest for life seem insufficient to prevent Neverland from falling into decline in The Last Boy #3.

 

Art

Alessio Avallone transports us to a small neighborhood park. Instead of reading her manuscript to the local children, she roleplays her stories with boats in a pond. While Wendy’s mother adorns herself in an elegant dress, Wendy’s modest attire reflects her mother’s fears that Wendy will become a spinster. But Florence notices her inspiration is in peril. The girl comes to Wendy’s aid in The Last Boy #3.

 

Valentina Pinto, Agnese Pozza & Rik Mack imbue Wendy’s world with brown, beige, and blue waves for the pond. Wendy enhances the family's sepia home with a bouquet of red flowers and green leaves. The red flowers link Wendy with Queen Mab and Tiger Lily, who adorn their heads with pink or red flowers. A white feather with a touch of pink adorns Peter's green hat. But his fern-green clothes cannot compete with the bright colors of Tiger Lily's tribe or Queen Mab's fairies.

 

Jeff Eckleberry conjures uppercase black letters into white dialogue balloons in The Last Boy #3. The words swell, enlarge, and shrink for lowered voices. Sound effects help us hear Tinker Bell's desperate cry for assistance, Florence's decision to save the woman who inspired her to pursue her dreams, and how Wendy surprises the man who could define her future. Thanks to Boom! Studios for providing a copy for review.

 

Final Thoughts

When Wendy and her brothers flew off to Neverland to have adventures, she ended up playing mother to Peter Pan and the Lost Boys. As Wendy and her mother lock horns over the best way to care for others, other ladies attempt to care for Peter and Neverland in The Last Boy #3.

 

Rating 9.6/10

 

To more covers see my review at Comic Book Dispatch. 

The Last Boy #2 Review

 

Writer: Dan Panosian

Artist: Alessio Avallone

Colorists: Valentina Pinto, Agnese Pozza & Rik Mack

Letterer: Jeff Eckleberry

Cover Artists: Dan Panosian, Elizabeth Torque & Gabriel Rodríguez

Designer: Grace Park

Editors: Caroline Butler, David Mariotte & Matt Gagnon

Publisher: Boom! Studios

Price: $4.99

Release Date: April 23, 2025

 

Wendy Darling is engaged. But she wants to complete her manuscript before she marries. Her mother read bedtime stories to her when Wendy was young. Now, she reads the stories she has written to her father.

 

Peter Pan yearns for excitement. When Tinker Bell suggests that Captain Hook is stealing pelts from the natives, Peter happily investigates. Chief Tiger Lily insists that Captain Hook has given up piracy. Is the Captain a legitimate merchant eyeing retirement? Are Wendy and Peter clinging to their youth instead of embracing change? Let’s grab some fairy dust, leap into The Last Boy #2, and see!

 

Story

In Dan Panosian’s story, Peter refuses to believe Captain Hook’s story. When he forces the old pirate to walk the plank, Tick-Tock swallows Captain Hook. Peter cannot accept that Captain Hook is dead. He must have arranged this ruse to trick him. Still, the Lost Boys can help him track down the crocodile and discover if Captain Cook still lives.

 

In England, Wendy’s father is dying. The only thing that brings light to his eyes is Wendy’s stories. But Mary Darling insists Wendy mustn’t read him any more of her fairy tales. Wendy’s brother John has become a doctor. He advises that any undue excitement could kill their father. Instead of delighting him with stories, Wendy must stop being selfish and let her father see his daughter happily married.

 

In The Last Boy #2, Peter and Wendy's lives are under assault. Their worlds seek to strip away everything that brings them joy. Peter and Wendy must yield to convention or refuse to relinquish their passion.

 

Art

Alessio Avallone portrays Wendy’s grim reality in The Last Boy #2. While her bedridden father smiles at her, her mother and brothers offer frowns. Michael wears a military uniform, while John braves the rain with his overcoat, top hat, and umbrella. Their world is one of beige, brown, gray, and black. Only faint hints of green emerge from the walls, while planters offer pale greenery and muted red flowers.

 

Captain Hook’s pale hand is all that emerges from Tick-Tock’s toothy maw. As the crocodile swims away, his green hide links with Peter's eyes and clothes, while the tip of the white feather in Peter’s cap matches the late Captain's clothes and Mr Smee’s cap. Valentina Pinto, Agnese Pozza & Rik Mack lavish greens on Hangman’s Tree and the surrounding forest. Purple and blue fill the skies of Neverland, while a loaded palette enhances one character’s vibrant home.

 

Jeff Eckleberry conjures uppercase black letters into white dialogue balloons and scraps of beige parchment in The Last Boy #2. The words swell, enlarge, and never shrink. Sound effects reveal that the clock inside Tick-Tock takes a licking but keeps on ticking. As they help us hear a thrum of power and clanging metal, a stranger speaks green words into black cloudy balloons, signaling an oncoming storm that may change Neverland forever. Thanks to Boom! Studios for providing a copy for review.

 

Final Thoughts

Fairy Tales free a dying man from his grim reality. Tales whispered by a fairy shackle a boy to his preconceptions. While Wendy realizes she no longer belongs in her family home, a new menace threatens to destroy everything Peter holds dear in The Last Boy #2.

 

Rating 9.6/10

 

For more cover art see my review at Comic Book Dispatch.