We here at Nerdcenaries are big supporters of the magic that is Monkeybrain Comics, though it has been a wile since we did a big round up and there are a lot of titles I am behind on.
But with that said I got the opportunity to check out Brian Winkeler and Robert Wilson IV’s Knuckleheads and it is a solid comic. Part of it has its roots in the slobbish super hero genre (like Hancock or 50% of non-Big 2 superhero titles) and while it feels a little long in the tooth at times with a somewhat simple story split across three digital issues, it is full of a lot of potential and I look forward to seeing where the series is going, especially since they finished telling the story they all knew.
Trevor K Travinski, wielder of the Crystal Light, is a slacker using his powers that came from an alien source to continue slacking but when a giant monster threatens his livelihood (using the term loosely) he charges forth into battle to save the day along with his roommate Lance, the pizza guy and a woman caught by the monster while coming into conflict with his negative personality traits.
Writer Brian Winkeler fills the script with realistic pop culture references that seem more believable than most used and while the main characters get some solid definition, the world feels a bit too empty and underutilized. There is a definite absence of other people despite being set in a city which ends up feeling more like a setpiece as opposed to an actual location. Everything that gets destroyed is either unnotable or tied to a character and part of me would have preferred to see how people react to giant monsters. Are most civilians non-plussed, is this normal? There are questions here that take me out a bit too far from the story at times. That said though, Thomas Mauer does an excellent job lettering.
Meanwhile Robert Wilson IV’s work is excellent getting a solid balance between heroic and realistic characters (and his gift for realism is also visible in his comic with Ken Lowery, Like A Virus). The scenes are well set up and beyond a few stiffer poses. the art looks incredibly fluid, especially when accompanied with colors by Jordan Boyd who does a great job creating a tones within the comic and balancing out the genre inspirations.
Overall there is a lot of potential for greatness within the team and the comic and since they’ve finished telling the origin story (that they’d originally done a few years back), I’m excited to see where this comic goes. The first three issues are available through Comixology and Monkeybrain for $0.99 an issue – so we’re talking about less than $2.99 for some 30+ pages of comics plus art and notes and that is a solid deal. Get into Knuckleheads before it starts to take off and have some fun.
