Miss Truesdale and the Fall of Hyperborea #1 Review

 

Here's an edited version of a comic I originally reviewed three years ago. It's currently free to read on Neon Ichiban. 

 

Miss Truesdale and the Fall of Hyperborea #1 Review

Writer: Mike Mignola

Artist & Colorist: Jesse Lonergan

Letterer: Clem Robins

Cover Artists: Jesse Lonergan; Mike Mignola with Dave Stewart

Publisher: Dark Horse

Price: $3.99

Release Date: May 17, 2023

 

In 1883, Tefnut Trionus, the Queen of the Heliotropic Brotherhood, asked Miss Truesdale to attend her. She realized that the men of their order—dedicated to preserving the secrets of a long-forgotten age--were making Miss Truesdale's life difficult. But how can Tefnut—the reincarnation of Eugene Remy, who founded the Heliotropic Brotherhood—force Victorian gentlemen to accord Miss Truesdale more respect? Let's unsheathe our swords, leap into Miss Truesdale and the Fall of Hyperborea #1, and find out!

 

Story

After making the arduous journey from England to France, Miss Truesday attends Tefnut Trionus. Like the god Anum-Ra, Tefnut's vision ranges far and wide. But Tefnut is a mortal. She believes she has received her final vision. And the person she wants to share it with is Miss Truesdale.

 

In Tefnut's dream, one woman spends her days in the gladiatorial ring. The second brings her food and drink after her battles. The servant views the axe-wielding warrior as the savior of her people. But the gladiator, who has wearied of these games of slaughter, sees them as equals.

 

After discussing Tefnut's dream, Miss Truesdale returns home. Weary after another long journey, she seeks divine help in incorporating the vision into her daily life. Miss Truesdale and the Fall of Hyperborea #1 speaks to how governments stratify society to control the population. Yet Mike Mignola’s story reminds us that, despite the odds stacked against us, anyone can become a leader.

 

Art

Jesse Lonergan's hand-drawn imagery imbues his characters with personality. He shows how violence excites us without glamorizing the brutality of the gladiatorial ring. Most Hyperboreans look large and roughly shaped in Miss Truesdale and the Fall of Hyperborea #1.

 

The characters of this earlier age contrast with Tefnut, the prim and proper Miss Truesdale, and the Victorian gentlemen of the brotherhood. The architecture of this earlier age also contrasts with Victorian London, as Miss Truesdale walks along the cobblestone streets to her well-appointed flat. Although the males of her order may not respect her, she seems respectful, erudite, and reverent.

 

Lonergan employs a limited color palette in Miss Truesdale and the Fall of Hyperborea #1. Yellow, red, brown, and gray are his primary colors. He dabs darker tones or contrasting colors to build depth and interest. His faces evoke Roman frescoes assembled from tiny clay tiles.

 

Letterer Clem Robins fills white balloons with uppercase black lettering. Words in beige boxes locate us in time and space. Sound effects fill the air as the crowd’s chanting rebounds off the stands circling the arena. Thanks to Neon Ichiban and Dark Horse Comics for sharing this story with us.

 

Final Thoughts

When Tefnut Trionus, the Queen of the Heliotropic Brotherhood, believes her days on the throne are nearing their end. After looking around for a replacement, she summons a shy true believer to her flat in Paris. Miss Truesdale and the Fall of Hyperborea #1 illustrates how easy it is to fall into society’s roles, and the courage it takes to expand beyond them.

 

Rating 8/10

 

To read, set up a Neon Ichiban account. Once you've "bought" it, you can read it anytime. But Miss Truesdale and the Fall of Hyperborea #1 may only be free this week.  

 

To travel back in time (and be appalled by my poor writing), read my original review of Miss Truesdale and the Fall of Hyperborea #1.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Black, White & Green #1 Review

 

Writers: Declan Shalvey, Dave Baker, Jesse Lonergan, Gigi Dutreix, Lorenzo Hall, Paulina Ganucheau

Artists: Declan Shalvey, Jesse Lonergan, Gigi Dutreix, Paulina Ganucheau

Letterer: Nathan Widick

Cover Artists: Declan Shalvey, James Stokoe, Paulina Ganucheau, Dan Berger

Publisher: IDW

Price: $5.99

Release Date: May 8, 2024

 

Donatello, Raphael, Leonardo, and Michelangelo form an effective crime-fighting team. Yet what might the heroes in a half-shell get up to on their own? Let’s grab a pizza, leap into the four stories in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Black, White & Green #1, and find out!

 

Green Screen

Story

Donnie wants to track all the crime reports in New York City. But the perfect algorithm eludes him. So, he blocks out the world while he sits before his computer monitors, wrestling code to compute the most effective way to fight crime. Declan Shalvey's story is aptly named. Once exclusive to TV and film studios, now everyone can use green screens to simulate reality. It takes Master Splinter to point out the obvious. His team needs him, even if only to prevent the pizza from getting cold.

 

Art

Declan Shalvey opens his story in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Black, White & Green #1 with a shot of NYC skyscrapers. The TCRI building rises in the center of the panel. He then moves to a dog, walking on a leash with his owner. Shalvey follows with a shot of the subway before finishing with Donatello hunching toward four monitors, surrounded by pizza boxes, drawings, and his bō. The progression suggests his mutant heritage forced him to live underground, so Donatello works hard to justify his relevance to civilization. Once he realizes where he belongs, Donatello moves swiftly to catch up with his brothers. He peers down into a warehouse where his brothers battle an enormous enemy. Cowabunga!

 

Nathan Widick fills white dialogue balloons with large green uppercase letters in Green Screen and shares Donatello's thoughts with light green lowercase type in green narrative boxes. The letters are less distinct as if printed on a dot matrix printer.

 

The Brutal Sword Of Leonardo

Story

Dave Baker and Jesse Lonergan contribute a sword and sorcery tale to Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Black, White & Green #1, as Donatello's experiment with interdimensional travel goes wrong. Or perhaps it goes right, as Leonardo arrives in a land that needs him. Leonardo bands the locals together, battles the monsters that beset them, and protects the Crystal Shard Of K’azz that powers their citadel. When a foe steals the crystal, Leonardo leads a quest to reclaim it. Baker and Lonergan's story reminds us how circumstances mold us and how power deludes us into believing we are indispensable.

 

Art

The Brutal Sword Of Leonardo may only be seven pages, but Jesse Lonergan packs each with a rampaging horde of panels to give his story an epic feel. Leonardo wields a broadsword and leads his animal friends through many dangers to the keep of Castle Death. The fantasy characters, settings, and situations evoke stories from Robert E. Howard, Mike Mignola, H. P. Lovecraft, and J. R. R. Tolkien. While I agree with his brothers that NYC needs Leo, I'd love to see a sequel. As Jesse Lonergan lavishes green on his art, Nathan Widick fills white dialogue balloons and narrative boxes with large, black uppercase letters. 

 

 

 

The Flame That Fuels You

Story

Raphael tried to combat the Foot Clan alone. His brothers came to his aid, but it didn't go well. As they return home, the turtles are wounded and frustrated. Did Raphael forget he was part of a team? Raphael dreams of fighting alone in Gigi Dutreix and Lorenzo Hall's story. Now, he doesn't have to play by their rules. What might he accomplish if he didn't have to coordinate with others and could fight crime without restraint?

 

Art

Gigi Dutreix’s ink wash art gives Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Black, White & Green #1 a ghostly appearance. With arrows protruding from their arms and the wind buffeting their bodies, the turtles shout at each other and exchange blows. Yellow-green flames surround Raphael as he sleeps and burn at panel edges as he dreams. The flames swell to an inferno as Raphael demonstrates his might. Yet a significant realization banishes the yellow-green flames, replacing them with a vibrant green plant. Nathan Widick fills yellow-green dialogue balloons with black uppercase letters. Anger swells dialogue and prompts color change, while immense sound effects enhance the action in Raphael's dream.

 

Identity Theft

Story

Michelangelo brings Donatello a substance in a jar. Mikey accuses him of playing with snot, but Donatello can’t be bothered, so Mike grabs another of Donatello’s inventions. Donatello doesn’t crave solitude in Paulina Ganucheau’s story, so he plays videos of his brothers’ antics as he works. Then he realizes they’re having too much fun with his invention, and he leaves his lab to make sure he doesn’t miss out.

 

Art

Paulina Ganucheau imbues this story about a young inventor with an all-ages appeal. This final story in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Black, White & Green #1 focuses on the turtles' camaraderie and doesn't take itself too seriously. Green fills Donatello's cellphone screen, his jar of goo, and what happens when his experiment takes on a mind of its own. Nathan Widick brings more green uppercase letters to white dialogue balloons, while the recorded videos speak with black uppercase dialogue in white balloons with green lines. Sound effects boost the fun quotient of Identity Theft as Donatello's creations attack their creator with snotty fists of fury.

 

Thanks to IDW for providing a copy for review.

 

 

 

Final Thoughts

The stories in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Black, White & Green #1 ponder the most effective means of crime-fighting, the influence of power, and how creation often springs from mistakes. Donatello dominates this quartet of turtle tales, reminding us how his genius helps the team battle their superpowered foes.

 

Rating 9.5/10

 

To preview interior art for "Green Screen" see my review at Comic Book Dispatch.

 

Man’s Best #1 Review

 

Writer: Pornsak Pichetshote

Artist & Colorist: Jesse Lonergan

Letterer: Jeff Powell

Cover Artists: Jesse Lonergan; Trish Forstner; Frany; Jae Lee & June Chung; Dustin Nguyen; Ivan Tao

Publisher: Boom!

Price: $4.99

Release Date: March 20, 2024

 

After wars and environmental crises devastated Earth, the Tomorrow Corporation charged Captain Patel with preparing a new home for Humanity. Captain Patel brought along Dr. Winters, an inventor overseeing the terraforming equipment. Can Captain Patel and Dr. Winters reach Epsilon 32 and convert its ecosystem to save Humanity from extinction? Let's climb aboard Starship Horizon, take a giant leap into Man's Best #1, and find out!

 

Story

Dr. Winters' devotion to her education and career led to awkwardness with others. She brought her pets along to keep her company on the voyage. They guard her terraforming equipment from curious crewmembers during the day and keep her company at night. Dr. Winters also directs them through simulated battles in the holo-chamber. We don't learn why Dr. Winters feels her pets might need to defend their new home. Still, it makes sense to have people—or pets—prepare for the unexpected on an alien planet.

 

Captain Patel regards Dr. Winters’ experiments as little more than entertainment in Man’s Best #1. But then, Captain Patel doesn’t believe in his mission. Humanity’s cruelty and rapaciousness seem incurable. A family death further isolates him. He allows Dr. Winters to conduct her experiments, even if they drain the ship’s resources and detract from her duties. Still, Captain Patel has a more pressing concern. The ship's sensors no longer detect Epsilon 32.

 

Athos wasn’t Dr. Winters’ first pet, but the longhaired white cat leads her pack. At least, he tries. Porthos—an affable Golden Retriever--is his enthusiastic right-paw dog. Or should I say, his bionic right-paw dog? The problem pet in the pack is Lovey. The jowly terrier does what he pleases when he pleases, which inevitably dooms their simulated missions.

 

Pornsak Pichetshote fuels Man’s Best #1 with interesting character dynamics. Dr. Winters wishes Captain Patel would return her affection. Some crewmembers share Captain Patel’s disbelief in their mission. Yet Prichetshote primarily focuses on Dr. Winters’ pets. Lovey distrusts his owner and feels disinclined to follow orders. Porthos' exuberance diminishes her focus. Athos wishes he were a decisive leader who inspired his team to greatness.

 

Dysfunctional relationships are the least of their worries when Epsilon 32 suddenly reappears in their path. Captain Patel and his crew struggle to slow the ship’s momentum. After a turbulent blackout, the pets awaken in a wrecked spaceship. Where did the crew and Dr. Winters go? What happened to the terraforming equipment? The Incredible Journey has just begun!

 

Art

Starship Horizon propels an immense storage container between the stars. Captain Patel’s black eyepatch evokes the pirates of yore, while Dr. Winters' immense round glasses compliment her bouffant blonde hair. Jesse Lonergan’s loosely drawn characters give Man’s Best #1 a low-key appearance that lulls readers into this epic tale.

 

Lonergan packs pages with panels that provide insights into the characters without slowing the pace. From the simulated southwest landscape to the grid-like holo room, Starship Horizon’s crowded control room, and finally to Epsilon 32, Athos, Porthos, and Lovey travel through interest-provoking settings. Surgical implants allow Athos to control an exoskeleton, Porthos to generate a forcefield, and Lovey to fire weapons while hurtling about with his jetpack. Or at least when the well-fed terrier feels like it. Then there’s their simulated foe, a Klanker that punches projectile fists and fires lasers from its neck at our canine and feline heroes.

 

Man's Best #1's limited color palette provides contrast in small and large panels. Lonergan imbues characters and backgrounds with a sponged or speckled appearance. The weathering and patinas lend the story a distressed, lived-in appearance that evokes how George Lucas differentiated Star Wars from the idealized futures of earlier sci-fi films.

 

Jeff Powell places large, uppercase letters in colored backgrounds and white dialogue balloons. Words grow bold for inflection and occasionally enlarge or shrink. Sound effects help readers hear the animals purr, howl, hiss, and bark while the Klanger pops its top. Powell shakes the reader when the klaxons blare and the crew of Starship Horizon brave the perils of bashful Epsilon 32.

 

Thanks to Boom! Studios for providing a copy for review.

 

Final Thoughts

When a terraforming mission goes awry, a bionic Golden Retriever, a flying terrier, and a cat clad in exoskeletal armor must brave the dangers of an alien planet to save their Human masters in Man's Best #1.

 

Rating 8.8/10

 

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

Miss Truesdale and the Fall of Hyperborea #2 Review

 

Writer: Mike Mignola

Artist & Colorist: Jesse Lonergan

Letterer: Clem Robins

Cover Artists: Jesse Lonergan; Christine Larsen

Publisher: Dark Horse

Price: $3.99

Release Date: June 14, 2023

 

The year is 1883. The place is London, England. Mrs. Lamb knocks on her door. Miss Truesdale desires neither food nor drink. Five days have passed, yet the dream of Tefnut Trionus, the Queen of the Heliotropic Brotherhood, still dominates her thoughts. What strange ordeal must Miss Truesdale undergo? What battle must she fight? Let's venture into Miss Truesdale and the Fall of Hyperborea #2 and find out!

 

Story

Issue #1 ended with the revelation that Tefnut’s earliest incarnation was the Hyperborean servant, while Miss Truesdale was the warrior Anum Yassa. After the servant’s warning, the gladiator did not drink the poisoned wine. Instead, her owners locked her in her quarters. When they released her, she wandered through the complex. When she reached the temple where her captors once planned to sacrifice her, Anum Yassa saw the servant girl again. Sadly, it wasn't a happy reunion.

 

The intent behind the remainder of Miss Truesdale and the Fall of Hyperborea #2 is unclear. The priest invokes the goddess and disappears. Anum Yassa beholds her wonder and majesty but escapes the temple unharmed. She seeks out the priest and battles people from her past. Did the priest want to sacrifice her? Did he intend for her to die outside the temple? Or did he use her to summon his goddess to draw on her supernatural strength?

 

Secondly, Tefnut shared this dream five days ago. Flashbacks show that Miss Truesdale shared the vision. After returning from Paris, Miss Truesdale sought Anum Ra's guidance. Once again, she peered into prehistoric times. Is she repeating the dream over five days? Did Tefnut see the latter portion?

 

Lastly, Miss Truesdale and the Fall of Hyperborea #2 leaves me uncertain about crucial names. As the hyperborean warrior fights her former foes, she names them. Yet we never learn the name of the servant girl, the priest, or his goddess. Perhaps I missed them? The crowd chanted "Anum Yassa” while she fought. The first angel of Heaven is named Anum. Miss Truesdale prays to a saint or prophet named Anum Ra. Am I correct about the warrior's name? If so, that's a trilogy of Anums.

 

 

Art

Jesse Lonergan's easy-going style suggests the exhilaration of creation. Hyperborean characters look rounded and lumpy, while the priest sports sharp angles. Victorian characters look thin like the priest but have pointy chins. The warrior's chainmail and clothing remind me of Red Sonja, but the nightmarish temple scene, and her battle against her foes, recall Robert E. Howard’s Conan stories. But then, Howard also wrote about Hyperborean times.

 

The goddess may resemble a cupid, yet she holds a head in one hand, a steaming bowl in the other, and wears a sash adorned with skulls. A snake rests on her arms. The eyes behind a mask reminiscent of Kali burn with heavenly fire.

 

Much is gray in Miss Truesdale and the Fall of Hyperborea #2. Yet the patina of Jesse Lonergan's limited palette suggests weathered copper, water-damaged painted wood, or lichen on rocks. What seems simple is quite nuanced.

 

Clem Robins’ uppercase black letters range from small to large. Words are easy to read, and the white dialogue balloons are easy to follow. Colorful sound effects hack through panels like Anum Yassa’s favorite weapon. The RRAAAAA in two panels reminds me of a furiously beeping E.K.G. Might it relate to the second half of the name of Miss Truesdale's patron saint?

 

Final Thoughts

Men ruled Hyperborea and Victorian England. Both countries practiced imperialism. Today England is a beacon of Western civilization. It's granted self-rule to former dominions and champions the rights of women. I don't know whether imperialism and women's rights are inexplicably linked, but I suspect contemporary England represents the better world Tefnut worked to create.

 

Miss Truesdale and the Fall of Hyperborea #2 glow with heroes and action, shine with Mignolaverse lore and sparkle with Tefnut’s hopes of building a better world. Whether you read the issue or not, I hope you’re working to transform her dreams into reality.

 

Rating 8.8/10

 

To preview interior art see my review at Comic Book Dispatch.

Miss Truesdale and the Fall of Hyperborea #1 Review

 

Writer: Mike Mignola

Artist & Colorist: Jesse Lonergan

Letterer: Clem Robins

Cover Artists: Jesse Lonergan; Mike Mignola with Dave Stewart

Publisher: Dark Horse

Price: $3.99

Release Date: May 17, 2023

 

In 1883, Tefnut Trionus, the Queen of the Heliotropic Brotherhood, asked Miss Truesdale to attend her. She understands that the men of their order—dedicated to preserving the secrets of a long-forgotten age--are making Miss Truesdale's life difficult. But how can Tefnut—the reincarnation of Eugene Remy, who founded the Heliotropic Brotherhood—force Victorian gentlemen to accord her more respect? Let's unsheathe our swords, leap into Miss Truesdale and the Fall of Hyperborea #1, and find out!

 

Story

Tefnut claims to be the reincarnation of Eugene Remy, who founded the Heliotropic Brotherhood. She wishes to relate a dream to Miss Truesdale. In the late 19th Century, Miss Truesdale would have traveled from London to the Heliotropic Brotherhood's headquarters in Paris. While that's a hundred years after Percy Blakeney rescued aristocrats from Madam Guillotine during the French Revolution, the methods of travel likely wouldn't have changed much. Miss Truesdale would have traveled by stagecoach from London to Dover. Assuming the tides favored her, she would have boarded a ship heading across the English Channel. (If not, Miss Truesdale would have spent the night in a local inn). After arriving in France, she would board another coach and travel to Paris. We don't learn why Miss Truesdale traveled there or how long she’s been in Paris. It seems a long way to ride in jolting wooden carriages and across a choppy sea if it's just to hear about someone's dream.

 

Tefnut’s dream concerns two women. Both were slaves. The first—I’m assuming her name is Anum Yassa, as that’s what the Hyperborean spectators chant—fights in the arena, using an axe that belonged to her father. The second—a woman taken from the river people of Gerrona--brings her food and drink after her battles. Neither Anum’s hair nor her figure reminds me of Red Sonja. Still, her origin story is similar, and her outfit seems like a cross between Red Sonja's and that of Gilad Anni-Padda, also known as the Eternal Warrior.

 

The women discuss Tefnut's dream, and then Miss Truesdale returns home. She seems to draw strength from it, but I suspect it also troubles her. Miss Truesdale and the Fall of Hyperborea #1 may be a five-minute read, but I look forward to seeing what comes next. Hopefully, Mike Mignola will give us more to sink our teeth into in issue #2.

 

 

 

 

Art

Jesse Lonergan's carefree, hand-drawn imagery doesn't glamorize his characters, but he does give them personality. Most Hyperboreans look large and roughly shaped in Miss Truesdale and the Fall of Hyperborea #1. They certainly contrast with Tefnut, the prim and proper Miss Truesdale, and the Victorian gentlemen of the brotherhood. Perhaps nature or the divine grew more refined as time went on. I especially enjoyed the London scenes: the cobblestone streets and Miss Truesdale's cultured and well-appointed flat. She seems quiet, respectful, erudite, and reverent.

 

Lonergan employs a limited color palette in Miss Truesdale and the Fall of Hyperborea #1. Yellow, red, brown, and gray are his primary colors. His coloring appears blotchy as if he's dabbing darker tones—or another color—to provide depth and interest. Despite the heavy use of brown and gray, vibrant colors provide strong contrast. His faces remind me of Roman frescoes assembled from tiny clay tiles.

 

Letterer Clem Robins’ uppercase black lettering is easy on the eyes. He uses colored sound effects during the gladiatorial games and fills the air with the crowd's chant. They may not be shouting Thulsa Doom's, but you can imagine how hearing her name, echoing across the arena, would empower Anum to conquer her opponents.

 

Final Thoughts

Miss Truesdale and the Fall of Hyperborea #1 marks a new entry in the ever-expanding Hellboy universe. I look forward to discovering how Tefnut's dream about an undefeated female gladiator influences Miss Truesdale’s future in her close-knit male-dominated society.

 

Rating 7.3/10

 

To preview interior art see my review at Comic Book Dispatch.