Category Archives: Matt Kindt

March 8, 2017 · 11:00 am

Review: GRASS KINGS #1

GRASS KINGS #1

Robert is the king of the Grass Kingdom. And his older brother, Bruce, is the sheriff. All works out pretty well for this tucked away off-the-grid community. That is, until outsiders intrude. Then, things can get complicated. And so we set off on this rural mystery series, GRASS KINGS, written by New York Times bestselling writer Matt Kindt (Mind MGMT); illustrated by Tyler Jenkins (Peter Panzerfaust); published by BOOM! Studios.

GRASS KINGS page excerpt

The sheer beauty of the land is brought to life by the artwork of Tyler Jenkins. The folks hid away are not quite as pretty. And Jenkins has a way of brining out their cunning as well as sense of loss and desperation. Matt Kindt has crafted a story about people who desperately wish to be left alone. However, nothing is ever that simple. Early on, Kindt and Jenkins provide an overview of what the Grass Kingdom has been like for the last 800 years leading up to the present day. Idyllic, sure. But there’s always the human element and people will do what people do. Things that may not quite fit with such a bucolic setting.

GRASS KINGS page excerpt

This first issue takes a lyrical pace and then steadily unveils something sinister. The Grass Kingdom does not tolerate trespassers. In this first issue, we have an exchange between Bruce, the official gatekeeper, and Lo, a local kid who has wandered off from the neighboring Cargill territory onto Grass Kingdom territory. Bruce warns Lo that he would already be dead if his brother Robert had caught him. Bruce even tries to appeal to Lo and ends up giving him a quick tour. Lo is unmoved. But Lo can’t help it. He’s sort of undercover investigating a missing person case and a possible murder.

GRASS KINGS #1 is available as of March 8th. For more details, visit Boom! Studios right here.

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Filed under Boom! Studios, Comics, Comics Reviews, Matt Kindt, Tyler Jenkins

Tagged as Boom! Studios, comic books, comics, Comics Reviews, Entertainment, graphic novels, Mystery, Pop Culture

March 6, 2017 · 2:00 pm

ECCC 2017 Panel Recap: Artists Who Write: The Craft and Creation of Comics

Dark Horse Comics panel on Artist/Writers

There is a special hybrid in the comics industry: the artist/writer. This is a combination of skills common enough in some circles (webcomics and indie graphic novels) but not so much in others (ongoing comic book series). That said, an artist/writer is also in a unique position for those projects where the roles of artist and writer are shared. Dark Horse Comics hosted an engaging and informative panel on this subject during Emerald City Comicon this last weekend that featured cartoonists Matt Kindt (Dept. H, Ether), Kristen Gudsnuk (Henchgirl, The Secret Loves of Geek Girls), and Adam Warren (Empowered). It was moderated by Patric Reynolds (Joe Golem).

ETHER by Matt Kindt and David Rubin

ETHER #5 by Matt Kindt and David Rubin. On Sale March 15.

Matt Kindt focused on ETHER, which he writes and David Rubin draws. Kindt is completely in love with all aspects of comics and continually finds ways to push the medium. But he is also quite appreciative when he teams up with an artist that is on a similar wavelength. “I can give David Rubin, say, a page with six panels and he can find a way to turn that into a 12-panel page.”

EMPOWERED by Adam Warren and Karla Diaz

EMPOWERED: Soldier of Love #2 by Adam Warren and Karla Diaz. On Sale March 22.

Adam Warren encouraged any aspiring cartoonists to not worry too much about a formal cartooning education. Warren said that, after he discovered manga, he was ultimately compelled to relearn comics after attending the Joe Kubert School that provided him with a traditional comics education.

HENCHGIRL by Kristen Gudsnuk.

HENCHGIRL TPB by Kristen Gudsnuk. On Sale March 29.

Kristen Gudsnuk stressed that she is self-taught. When she first developed her Henchgirl webcomic, she did not have to consider how to create the same comic for print. But, she did learn that she would not be able to continue drawing her comics on the subway. She redrew the first four issues of her print comic and went from there. A tip from Cliff Chiang really helped. He scans his pencils and prints them in nonphoto blue and uses that to ink on.

Whether the issues are technical or more general, a panel on the creation of comics has something for everyone. It definitely has the potential to inspire. And plenty to relate to. For instance, Matt Kindt admitted that he feels he is no longer qualified for any other job than being a cartoonist. He says he was never really good at being your typical office worker in a cubicle. But there was one bright spot. He worked out his schedule where he did his drawing from home and, while he was at “work” in the office, he would do his writing. For any aspiring cartoonist, finding a job that is so amenable to your dreams is nice work if you can get it.

For more details, visit Dark Horse Comics right here.

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Filed under Comics, Dark Horse Comics, ECCC, Emerald City Comicon, Kristen Gudsnuk, Matt Kindt, Seattle

Tagged as Art, Artists, arts, Cartoonists, comic books, comics, Creativity, Dark Horse Comics, ECCC, Emerald City Comicon, Entertainment, graphic novels, Humor, Media, Pop Culture, Publishing, Seattle, Writers

June 18, 2016 · 11:00 am

Review: DIVINITY II #3 (of 4)

Divinity II #3 variant cover by Carmen Carnero

DIVINITY II is a satisfying time travel thriller. I love a good time travel tale and this series from Valiant takes us to some very interesting places. You can well imagine that if Vladimir Putin was ruling over the only superpower on the planet that he’d be quite alright with that. A chilling thought but just the right frame of mind to enjoy this comic. Great script by Matt Kindt and a very kinetic style to the artwork by Trevor Hairsine.

A whisper in Gorby’s ear.

We have one rogue character, cosmonaut Myshka, with the potential to shift the balance of power in favor of the Soviet Union that she so dearly misses. Hey, you learn quick that changing history is not exactly a piece of cake. You can’t just whisper into a world leader’s ear, suggest a change of course, and then expect to de-wrinkle a moment in time. Just not gonna happen. Of course, you need a very persistent sort to keep trying and that’s our Myshka. She’s set to give pep talks to everyone from Stalin to Gorbachev. Stay resolute, dudes, Communism is here to stay!

Fun stuff! We’ve seen way too many time travel tales about killing Hitler and saving JFK. That said, I wouldn’t mind a whole series, at least a one-shot issue, dedicated to Jeb Bush going back in time to kill baby Hitler. You remember Jeb Bush, right? Oh, how time flies!

Awesome variant cover by Carmen Carnero.

DIVINITY II #3 is available as of June 22nd. For more details, visit Valiant Entertainment right here.

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Filed under Comics, Comics Reviews, Communism, History, Matt Kindt, Russia, Time Travel, Valiant Entertainment

Tagged as Cold War, comic books, comics, Comics Reviews, Communism, Entertainment, graphic novels, Hitler, JFK, Media, Pop Culture, Russia, Sci-Fi, Science Fiction, Soviet Union, Time Travel, Valiant Entertainment

March 24, 2015 · 7:00 pm

Review: PAST AWAYS #1

Past Aways #1 Emerald City Comicon exclusive cover in Seattle, March 27-29, 2015

Do you ever look at a smart phone and think of it as merely a primitive cellular device that does little more than distract you? Well, if you do, you’re ahead of the curve. But you’d definitely think that if you came from the future and found yourself in the distant and scary past of 2015. That’s what happens to a crew of deep-time explorers from 1.2 million years in the future. That’s quite a lot of generations of iPads. Welcome to the first issue of “Past Aways!”

Our explorers crash landed, with no way to get back for sure, plus the future is encroaching upon the past in a huge way. So, the crew is basically dealing with enough to make their heads explode. Matt Kindt’s script is relentlessly good as he introduces characters and juggles all sorts of sticky time travel issues. Scott Kolins provides us with pitch perfect art with a light and vibrant touch. Based on this first issue, it’s safe to say that we truly have here something special. The layers of complexity that are being meted out are flowing nicely. And never underestimate the value of a wicked sense of humor since that seems to be a good part of the glue that keeps this all together.

With more than a million years of evolution separating our main characters from, well, us, you might expect them to be more…evolved. That is hardly the case. They do have an assortment of very cool gadgets though. And they feel sorry for those struggling in 2015 amid never-ending conflicts and basic lack of progress. And yet, they don’t seem all that different from us. They can be just as petty, impatient, and even snarky. Oh, but there are differences. And those differences could lead to mass destruction. Wow. This is one of the most thought-provoking and just plain fun comics you’re likely to find now.

PAST AWAYS #1 is available as of March 25. For more details, visit our friends at Dark Horse Comics right here.

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Filed under Comics, Comics Reviews, Dark Horse Comics, Matt Kindt

Tagged as comic books, comics, Comics Reviews, Dark Horse Comics, Emerald City Comicon, Entertainment, graphic novels, Matt Kindt, Pop Culture, Seattle

March 21, 2015 · 9:10 am

Review: NINJAK #1

Cover art by Lewis Larosa

It is a pleasure to see Matt Kindt’s mind at work. He’s always had a thing for intrigue and circuitous plots. His latest work on Ninjak is right in step with that. I love how this comic opens up with a dramatic fighting scene that turns out to be something from a movie that our main character was viewing when he was a kid. It’s one of those added touches you can expect from Matt Kindt (RAI, Mind MGMT). And you’ve got great follow through from artist Clay Mann (X-Men: Legacy, Gambit) in the first of two parallel stories running in our first issue.

The idea is to show you Colin King from two perspectives: as a raw recruit; and, some years later, as a seasoned MI-6 master assassin. Kindt has a way with getting you deep into the story in unexpected ways. We next see Colin fight the sexy and deadly Roku. She’s been genetically enhanced. Her hair alone is a lethal weapon. It just takes three braided strands and her hair can “garrote or behead a man. It can cut through metal and it has incendiary capabilities.” Whoa, hang on there, how do you “garrote” a man? Yikes, that’s smarts. Quite quirky and memorable line. Kindt is definitely the guy to take Valiant’s Ninjak to new places.

Let’s linger just a bit more. Here’s the thing with a Kindt adventure, it just keeps building, twisting, and turning. That opening scene with the kid repeats itself in different ways to reveal a tumultuous and abused young life. But the kid keeps fighting.

We ultimately find Colin infiltrating the notorious Shadow Seven and then we make the jump to Colin as a raw recruit in North Korea, this time teaming up Kindt with artist Butch Guice (Captain America, Action Comics). The style is rougher and fits in well with that more gritty time in Colin’s life. This second ongoing story lacks some of the potency of the first but perhaps that balances things out. The thing I like most, so far, in this whole comic is the flipping back and forth between the 10 year-od Colin and the 30 year-old Colin in our first story. Overall, this is a well-executed first issue.

NINJAK #1 is available now. For more details, visit our friends at Valiant Entertainment right here.

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Filed under Comics, Comics Reviews, Matt Kindt, Valiant Entertainment

Tagged as Adventure, comic books, comics, Comics Reviews, Entertainment, graphic novels, Matt Kindt, MI-6, Ninjas, Pop Culture, Spies, Valiant Entertainment

December 10, 2014 · 9:55 am

Review: THE VALIANT #1 (of 4)

Gilad has great powers, really great powers, as The Eternal Warrior. But his arch-foe is just as powerful. Hey, he might even be Satan or pretty high up there. He’s The Immortal Enemy. And these two have been duking it out for coming on, what, ten thousand years? That’s pretty long! Well, Gilad is a proud fella and pride never goes out of style.

But Gilad is struggling to adjust to the 21st century. He just might be due for an oil change and a new sidekick. Enter a new breed of Geomancer, this is a young blonde who might have let her alias get the better of her. That will happen when you start to believe your work in public relations is actually real work. This time, the eternal battle is going to require something more. This time, they’re going to need The Valiant!

If you’re new to the Valiant universe, this is a perfect time to dive into an epic story from New York Times best-selling writers Jeff Lemire (Green Arrow, Animal Man) & Matt Kindt (RAI, Mind MGMT) and Eisner Award-winning artist Paolo Rivera (Daredevil). All systems go. Everything here is smooth and appealing. You’ve got your epic battle and a nice mix of humor, intrigue, and adventure. Sounds like a sweet deal.

“The Valiant #1” is available as of December 10. For more details, visit our friends at Valiant Entertainment right here.