This week we’re doing something a little bit different in this space, looking at DSTLRY’s The Devil’s Cut anthology as well as the ashcan of Transformers #1, a pair of San Diego Comic-Con exclusives that will eventually get wider releases, albeit in different printings and/or versions. So, enjoy the variation. Next week the Wednesday Comics Team will return with the usual rundown of the new #1s, finales and other notable issues from non-Big 2 publishers…enjoy!
The Devil’s Cut
Creators: See below
Publisher: DSTLRY
The first San Diego Comic-Con exclusive I picked up was DSTLRY’s The Devil’s Cut one-shot, an anthology of teasers for the new publisher’s forthcoming launch lineup. Selling for $30 a pop in an oversized format that spans 88 pages, the book features 11 individual pieces by an all-star lineup of creators. They are all essentially samples of what is to come, setting up intriguing concepts or delivering what feels like the first few pages of a new book. And I’ll get into each below, in a bulleted list of quick hit reviews.
But first, a word about the book and the publisher overall. DSTRLY is loaded with good creators and this book is packed with good comics. I went to their panel on Saturday; these are big name folks. And there’s not a story in The Devil’s Cut that feels like a dud. They all take big swings under the editorial guidance of veteran comics editor, Will Dennis. And they all connect. The book leaves me without a doubt — DSTLRY will be publishing excellent, must-read comics.
What remains to be seen, however, is just how efficiently the publisher will be able to distinguish itself from the wide range of other arguably similar projects, the Substacks and comiXology Originals deals, and the like. A key difference here is that each of these founding creators has an ownership stake in the company. This incentivizes them to do better work, but as a reader, that alone isn’t likely to be enough to grab attention.
The books will — I believe — be oversized, like many of DC Comics’ Black Label projects. This is nice, especially when it comes time to bind them in hardcover collections. It’s one way to stand out.
Finally, there’s a digital marketplace that at the panel on Saturday James Tynion IV compared to the ticket resale app, Stub Hub, wherein users get copies of digital comics (designated a certain degree of rare) and determine their own price points. I’m not entirely sure (and maybe I should have gone up and asked), but my impression is that DSTLRY’s digital comics will be available through other channels too, just with this other collectible component readers can chose to participate in, or ignore all together. That’s fine, plenty of publishers use a narrow bunch of collectors to pay for creative. It’s a reality of today’s market. See variant cover bloat.
So, overall that’s where I’m at with DSTLRY after reading the book. These comics are great, much like the comics Tynion is publishing on his Substack and Scott Snyder is publishing through comiXology Originals (my favorite of which, Barnstormers, won an Eisner at the show). Whether DSTLRY makes as big an impact as the quality of the comics merits, however, will come down to branding and marketing and whether the publisher finds a way to get readers excited about yet another new thing in this space (as obvious as that sounds).
Now The Devil’s Cut reviews!
- Spectregraph by wrtiter James Tynion IV, artist Christian Ward, and letterer Aditya Bidikar. This creative team works together so well it’s almost hard to believe this is their first project. This is an intriguing and dark tease, yet another total banger concept from Tynion executed with a perfect set of collaborators.
- Shepherd by writer Marc Bernardin, artist Ariel Kristantina, colorist Lee Loughridge, and letterer Bernardo Brice. Have you seen Kristantina’s linework yet? Well, you will soon — this comic feels like a breakout hit for a rising star.
- 8 Rules to Make It Out in One Piece by writer/artist Elsa Charretier, writer PK Colinet, colorist Nick Filardi, and letterer Clayton Cowles. I’m continually stunned by the versatility Charretier shows between projects, and this is no exception. This is an action-packed spy story that stands on its own as well as any in this book. Not sure if this character is coming back, but I sure hope so.
- What’s Mine Is Hearse by writer Stephanie Phillips, artist Joelle Jones, and letterer Lucas Gattoni. This one is about a woman who makes love to a corpse before running off with it. Now that I’ve got your attention, let me share the words that do the most work here: Inspired By A True Story. This one is the first of three self-contained stories in the book.
- A Blessed Day by writer/artist Mirka Andolfo, and letterer Fabio Amelia, with localization by Steve Orlando. Andolfo’s work is among the most stylish in all of comics, and this opener is no exception. You’ll want to see more of this lead character, for sure.
- The Stowaway by Jock. Jock does it all here, and it looks great. If I’m understanding correctly, the book that springs from this short story will be the first published by DSTLRY, and it’s deserving.
- Deleted Scene #2 by writer Brian Azzarello, artist Eduardo Risso, and letterer Jared K. Fletcher. This one is a stunner, delivering — to sound cliche — Azzarello and Risso as you’ve never seen them before, with a lush atmospheric western story. If this is a deleted scene, I’m excited to see what the full book has kept.
- White Boat by writer Scott Snyder, artist Francesco Francavilla, letterer Andworld Design, and story assistant Tyler Jennes. This one absolutely rules. It’s about a teacher who writes freelance pieces about yachts and other maritime topics in his spare time (hey! I relate to that, swapping yachts for comics, but I digress). Snyder and Francavilla have worked together in the past, and their partnership continues to evolve here.
- What Happens Next by writer/artist Jamie McKelvie and letterer Aditya Bidikar. The second self-contained story, this i one of the most substantial in the collection. This piece is a great-looking and complex bit of hard sci-fi. McKelvie’s character design remains among the best in comics, and this one packs quite a bit of character-driven story into just five pages.
- Waiting to Die by writer Ram V., artist Lee Garbett, colorist Lee Loughridge, and letterer Aditya Bidikar. This one also absolutely rules. It’s such a good creative team grouping, with a concept that’s easy to get into, making for the third (and final) self-contained piece in the collection.
- What Blighted Flame Burns In Thee? by writer/artists Becky Cloonan and Tula Lotay, with letterer Richard Starkings. This one is the rare collaboration where both parties do the art, and it’s absolutely awesome. Another great addition to The Devil’s Cut.
Transformers #1 Ashcan
Writer/Artist: Daniel Warren Johnson
Publisher: Image Comics / Skybound
And now for something totally different. The other show exclusive that presages a book to come was Transformers #1, an ashcan from writer/artist Daniel Warren Johnson. As readers learned recently, Skybound is launching a new shared universe that mixes up Transformers and G.I. Joe, and within that, Johnson is taking on Transformers.
This glimpse — uncolored and unlettered — is a tantalizing one indeed. Johnson discusses this with a note in the back, but he takes an approach to Transformers that leaves the lines sort of flexible and fluid. The original Transformers designs are intact, but Johnson’s cartooning makes them kinetic. When they start pulling wrestling moves on each other, it not only looks great, but you really feel the motion and the impact, too.
Johnson’s sense of pacing is also fantastic, giving the book — even in this state — a real fast-flowing energy. It is, in other words, a total page turner. There are a few redacted panels, and you can maybe guess this is a connection to one of the other tie-in titles, but for the most part, this first issue is entirely readable without the lettering or words.
One thing I liked was the introduction of human characters, who we’ll have to wait for the first issue to learn more about. Though if Johnson’s past work is any indication — from Murder Falcon right on through to Do A Powerbomb — this one will somehow also have a deep and tragic emotional core.
What’s also perhaps worth noting here, is that the exposition seems minimal. There’s not flashback to Cybertron to explain what’s going on here, or who the Autobots and Decepticons are. Maybe building out that mythology will come later — Energon Universe mastermind Robert Kirkman has previously compared this to Marvel’s Ultimate Universe, where things started relatively fresh — but here, you just see your favorites right off, fighting in familiar ways.
Read more entries in the Wednesday Comics reviews series!
Thanks for the reviews!
Pretty stellar review for The Devil’s Cut. Looking forward to checking it out.
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