The Stars Below #1 Review

By: Zack Smith (Writer), Rich Ellis (Artist)

The Review: I’m a sucker for an animal comic. Blacksad, Beasts of Burden, Mouse Guard, Pride of Baghdad…I’ve yet to read a comic featuring anthropomorphised  creatures that I haven’t ended up falling in love with. Of course, mostly these kind of books feature animals we all regard as perennially adorable – there’s even something cute about We3’s bomb-pooping Bunny Rabbit – but Pigeons are something of a harder sell. It’s a further testament to the power of sequential art that the latest Monkeybrain Comics digital release, The Stars Below, manages to pull it off, weaving a charming fable out of one sky-rat’s quest to fly among the stars.

Monkeybrain Comics – Lauch titles Quick Review

Background: You may or may not have noticed something trending on Twitter the other day called Monkeybrain comics.  What is this?  Well, it is a new publisher founded by writer Mike Roberson and his wife Allison Baker.  You might remember Roberson as the writer who picked up the pieces after J. Michael Straczynski’s run on Superman fell apart or as the writer of a some Fables spin offs or the Vertigo title I Zombie (which I’ve mostly enjoyed).  A month or so ago, Roberson had a public falling out with DC over the issue of creator rights.  He basically said he could no longer work for a company that had so little respect for creator rights (now and in the past) and DC responded by taking him off all their comics.  I Zombie had already been announced as ending, but I suspect it was probably related to this disagreement.

My assumption at the time was that Roberson would go back to writing novels or we’d see his name attached to something like a new Fathom miniseries.  But it turns out that Roberson had something much more ambitious in mind: MonkeyBrain Comics.  MonkeyBrain is a new publisher of digital-first, creator-owned comics that are available through Comixology (on any smart phone, tablet or PC).

Twitter went atwitter and Comixology and MonkeyBrain decided to make their launch titles available on Monday, July 2 (a few days earlier than expected).  And….why not?  They’re digital-first.  There’s no reason to be beholden to the “new books on Wednesday” comic shop model.  With FIVE titles launching and prices at either $0.99 or $1.99, it was worth checking out.

So, how were the comics?

Bandette #1 – Written by Paul Tobin with art by Colleen Coover, this was a charming first issue.  At 99 cents for a 13-page reading experience, it was just enough to introduce the central character: Bandette.  She’s a young French (Belgian?) woman who is a cat-burglar with a heart.  We meet her as she’s robbing some nasty, arms-dealer dude’s home and also learn that she is a bit of a problem solver for the local police.  The whole thing is light-hearted and sweet.  Coover’s art is delectable.  It looks a lot like her traditional watercolors, but I’d bet she did this digitally.  Everything is sweet, soft and happy in her art.  I’m definitely looking forward to MORE of this title.

Amelia Cole and the Unknown World #1 – Written by Adam P. Knave & DJ Kirkbride with art by Nick Brokenshire, Amelia Cole is a story about magic.  We meet Amelia; she’s a young woman with magical powers who bounces back and forth between the “magic world” and the “normal world.”  Trouble ensues.  Amelia is the star and you feel like you know her character pretty well at the end of the first issue’s 28 pages (this title was $1.99).  The art isn’t anything I want to be buried with, but it is perfectly fine and communicates the story well.  This is a quality title.  Probably not something I’ll stick with because I’m not such a fan of magic, but there are a lot of people who feel differently.

Edison Rex #1 – Checking in at 13 pages for 99 cents is this entry written by Roberson with art by Dennis Culver.  This introductory issue shows us Edison Rex, who was once the world’s greatest scientist but has become the world’s greatest villain.  We see him outwitting a Superman-like character in this issue and you can’t help but think that THIS is something Roberson would have enjoyed doing with Lex Luthor and Superman if he’d continued with DC.  It’s a fresh spin on superheroing with good art and it’s 99 cents!

There are two other titles that I haven’t checked out yet, but will: Aesop’s Ark #1 by J. Torres and Jennifer Meyer claims to be stories that the animals told to each other on Noah’s Ark to pass the time.  The art looks divine.  The October Girl #1 by Matthew Dow Smith and the teaser says it’s a fantasy story about a young girl working at a coffee shop who learns that the world is not what she thought it was.  Both are 99 cents for 13 pages.