Monocyte #4, and Looking Deep into the Cycle of Life: A Comic Book Review

*full disclosure: an early preview copy was provided by the publishers.

Creators/writers: Menton3 & Kasra Ghanbari.

In the epic conclusion to "Monocyte," this chaos bringer is tightening the thread that connects life and death together. The silver chain has to be loose, than taut, and once that’s broken, the spiritual movement may finally begin. Monocyte can bring hope for the future of mankind. That is, if Grod or Moses will let him. These two individuals are the last men standing…

Some readers may think that Moses is a fool for standing his ground, but he is a prophet after all. The action is swift, and next, Monocyte goes to confront Azrael. Curiously the One-Eye never gets toe-to-toe against Grod, but to reveal all would be telling.

While this divine behemoth still waxes poetic in the safety of his citadel, even that is about to fall. The humans are rebelling.

In a different change of direction, this comic book combines the artwork of three masters of art to create an explosive tour de force of mythic narrative and expressionistic art. The colours assault the senses since artists Menton3, Chris Newman and Ben Templesmith ("30 Days of Night," "Wormwood") share in the chores of finishing this comic. This issue revels in the trenches of supernatural warfare that does not often get seen in fine art.

Newman graduates from his second issue duties of illustrating a side-story to directly contributing. With issue #4, he provides the interior art for pages 12-19, and Templesmith for a two page spread. The mash of styles works because it reflects the chaotic nature of a battlefield. But there is more to how this issue is constructed that will get aficionados of fine art talking.

If this comic book can be made into an analogy of what some German soldiers felt (and a nation) when they lost World War I—especially to those who took up painting and illustration later in life—the works expressed within comic contains plenty of raw emotion. Like Otto Dix, a survivor and soldier, the “Self Portrait” series paint a grim reminder of jaded naivety until there is nothing left but a shadow. In others who simply follow orders, the response should they survive is to become the next god of war.

Newman’s inks reveal what soldiers must have seen when fighting in the front lines. Colours of red, white and blue were exploding everywhere. When the battle between the Olignostics and Antedeluvians come to head, the final moments are duo-toned and decayed. Seraphim and Grod are locked in a moment that is reminiscent of Boorman’s film, Excalibur, where King Arthur is about to meet his end at the hands of Mordred. This spread is drawn like it came from an old oriental scroll. In contrast, the artwork from Newman certainly gives that polished reflective splendor that echoes the reasons why the 1981 film succeeded in theatres—it was colourful and splashy, a reflection of Camelot before it came crumbling down.

But the comic book is not over yet. The scarab like sigil that Grod uses suggests the tale is eternal like the Egyptian dung beetle that rolls excrement into a ball of life to feed its young. This process is symbolic and representative of the cycle of life, and the beetle itself a symbol of regeneration. In alchemy, writer Kasra Ghanbari likens it to being symbol of mercury. The element is amorphous, because it is locked in between two states, liquid and solid, and it can be representative of both life and death. This analogy is is appropriate with the two final side-stories, as they look at the world from the point of view of the human slaves.

Steve Nile’s "Molehill" is a personal narrative. This unnamed individual is walking through the trenches of despair, and readers have to feel for him. The prose is very somber.

Next is Barron Storey’s side-story, "Shizucon." It functions like a prologue to give readers a look back at what the world was like before the power of Absolute Zero was discovered. The look into civilization was schizophrenic. Hopefully more of the mythos that Menton3 and Ghanbari has created will be revealed in essays when this comic book series gets reprinted in hardcover format. If they do not appear in the first edition, the second edition will surely have more than just the initial 60+ pages of new content being offered.

This masterworks collection is scheduled for release August 7th, so the once and future king will awaken again.

More on "Monocyte" at Menton3's homepage:

Menton3's Official Website

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Posted in: 2012,2012 release,comic,comic book,graphic,graphic novels