Quite frankly sir, I don’t know what he’s talking about!
Chapter 255: Too many good comics out this week...
How’s your week going? I’ve got a bunch of big deadlines to cover but still managed to sneak out and do a double feature at the drive-in. Weapons was really fun and should 100% not be seen at a drive-in. No idea what was going on in 20% of the scenes. I think there were some kids? The Naked Gun was a really pleasant successor to the original. Some killer jokes and Liam Neeson kills in the role. But the concession stand closes before the the second movie started so I didn’t get any popcorn, so each movie loses one letter grade. Sucks for them.
Lots of folks saying nice stuff about last week’s WE’RE TAKING EVERYONE DOWN WITH US. Also a lot of people asking me about the chess scene (spoiler: there is a scene called “the chess scene”). I wrote a little thing about scripting that sequence and showing the process, but the book has only been out a week so it felt a little soon to be posting that. So I’m holding it for next week. This is your warning- you have 1 more week to read the issue before I spoil the whole thing by explaining that I write really obnoxious scripts and Stefano is a champ for making them look cool on the page.
Wednesday. Time for new comics. And damn is this a big week. Lots of fun new stuff to read. Here is a small selection of new stuff I think you should check out.
CLOSER - The dream team of Kieron Gillen, Steve Lieber, and Tamra Bonvillain bring you an apocalyptic love story one shot. It’s gorgeous and clever and when was the last time you just read a satisfying one shot story? You owe it to yourself.
EVERYTHING DEAD & DYING #1 - Rural zombie horror that feels completely fresh. The excellent Tate Brombal joins forces with the also excellent Jacob Phillips bring this gorgeous, somber, and surreal story of death and family.
SKIN POLICE 2 #1 - I told you a few weeks ago to pick up Jordan Thomas and Daniel Gete’s excellent collection for Skin Police. Well I hope you did, because the sequel drops today and it’s a banger. The bizarre sci-fi story about rogue homicidal clones and the police tasked with tracking them down turns everything you thought you knew on it’s head in this new story. One of the best sci-fi comics in recent years returns and you’d be silly not to read it.
THE SERPENT IN THE GARDEN hardcover - Mike Mignola, Ben Stenbeck, and Dave Stewart. Really should be all I need to say. It’s full of witches and witchfinders, magic and swords, amazing art and Mignola’s trademark character-rich worlds. It’s just fun.
WHITE HOUSE ROBOT ROMANCE #1 -
, Rachel Stott, and Tamra Bonvillain tell a true story of robotic love and politics. If you’re into those things this is probably the only comic you need to read ever. Even if you’re not this is worth buying.ONCE UPON A TIME AT THE END OF THE WORLD Complete Series hardcover - One of my favorite comics of the last few years is all available in one big book.
, Nick Dragotta, Alexander Tefenkgi, Leila Del Duca, Tamra Bonvillain, & co. created a truly breathtaking story of falling in and out of love after the world ends. It’s funny and weird, somber and exhilarating. Normally on a long series I tell people to just grab the first trade and give it a try, but fuck it. Get the big glorious hardcover and just take it all in. You’ll love it. Also, what a week for Tamra. Getting mentioned in my newsletter 3 times? Crushing.
I have a real soft spot for Modern Life Is War. They were doing some of the catchiest hardcore of the moment but never sacrificing aggression. They played one of the best shows I’ve ever been to. And they always seemed to be saying cool things at a time when a lot of hardcore bands were moving away from making “statements”. And then they went away for a while. Hardcore is a genre that more often than not moves on to the new thing and chews up the old, but I really thought MLIW could have been a band with things to say for years.
And then they returned. It took me a bit to check out the new singles and I was digging them and then I heard this one. It felt like a completely different band at first. Hints of early post punk bands like Wire and Gang of Four, some post hardcore influence from Antioch Arrow or Clikatat Ikatowi mixed with some more poppy stuff like Alkaline Trio. I couldn’t stop listening to it these past few weeks.
Obviously, as a creative person, I have a ton of respect for artist who define themselves with a sound, or a style, or look, and just iterate on that. It’s sort of the unspoken artists dream to have their works all feel like they are “of” each other. You want people to recognize “you” in what you make, no matter what it is.
But there is also something really compelling to me about artists who can take years of work and just decide to go somewhere completely different. When I listen to this now I can obviously recognize the old MLIW stuff in there, but it feels like a different band in such a fearless way. Just making the shit they think is cool and not being concerned with what came before or where it goes next. It’s really invigorating, and terrifying, and I love it.
“I knew you were poor. I heard you’re working for the CIA. I heard you ain’t poor no more.” is a hell of a line.
That’s it for me.
Stay safe. Take care of each other. Spoiler!
-Matthew Rosenberg
CT 9/3/25
I tried to follow the chess but I wasn’t smart enough lol. Any chance We’re Taking Everyone Down with Us will become on ongoing? It’s my favorite new title!
I was going on about the chess scene in the Discord group for the Comic Book Club podcast. It was ingenius and fun. Can't wait to read about the behind-the-scenes of it.
I also yammered on about Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou's lettering, especially in this issue. And I *never* notice lettering. His work is so expressive and artful and only further enhances the story.