Matt Miner’s Liberator mini-series from Black Mask Studios gave me everything I could ask for: its counter-culture, heavily liberal in its ideology, horrific and disgusting but wonderful at the same time.
Recently I’ve been getting pretty sick of corporate comics. Crossover this, mega-event that… BUY! BUY! BUY! Consumer culture. I am Jack’s sense of utter disappointment. I am Jack’s buyer’s regret. If you examine any medium closely and under extreme scrutiny, constantly scavenging for the cutting edge, game-changing material you will find the counter-culture is where this genesis occurs. In film it’s avante-garde, auteurist cinema; basically anything with a Criterion re-release DVD or Blu-Ray or films so obscure you have to order online or to a specialty movie store. In literature it’s most often post-modern novels, novellas and collections of short stories. In comics it’s the independent presses and publishing houses, to be specific: anything NOT by Marvel, DC, Marvel Max or Vertigo. Marvel Max and Vertigo are often confused as ‘the cutting edge’ because they are smaller imprints of their respective publishers and Vertigo especially publishes a lot of creator-owned titles. Just because these titles don’t sell as much as say Superman, Batman, Spider-Man or any corporate properties, just because they have an esoteric, cult-like following DOES NOT mean they are ‘the cutting edge’. Don’t get me wrong, I collect a lot of Marvel Max and Vertigo, a lot of Marvel and DC as well. I have a DC tattoo on my arm and wear it proudly. However, I don’t think these comics do a lot to change comics as a medium and push it in an altogether new direction from the grassroots. And I’m not sitting here drinking Starbucks with a fucking chapeau like some trendy hipster as I type away.
I love fresh comics though. By fresh I mean something that makes me step outside my comfort zone, broaden my paradigm and engage with something new. A lifestyle I haven’t encountered before in my day-to-day, a character I would never befriend in real life, or sometimes, something that’s altogether too familiar to me but reimagined in a way I’ve never seen before. Matt Miner’s Liberator mini-series from Black Mask Studios gave me everything I could ask for: its counter-culture, heavily liberal in its ideology, horrific and disgusting but wonderful at the same time. I think I’ve found a kindred spirit in Matt Miner, someone who refuses to stand by idly as atrocities are committed under the guise of legality and though these atrocities may be legal, they aren’t morally right and are intolerably evil in my moral view. Needless to say, I champion Liberator and what Matt Miner’s done. Below you’ll see a screenshot of my email communique with Miner, which is probably the BEST reason to get off your ass, hit the local comic shop and purchase Liberator.
If you have a pet, that alone should be a good enough reason to buy this comic!
Your hard-earned money isn’t going to line the pocket of some faceless creator who won’t give you the time of day: ALL of Miner’s share of profits from the book (that’s right, 100% of his profit share) go to canine rescue efforts. I actually feel guilty for getting this free advance review copy so I’m ordering doubles of Liberator for all 4 issues to assuage my guilty conscience. This is, at best, armchair activism. And though I can testify that I’ve adopted all my cats from veterinarian adoption centres, I could be doing a lot more to help canines and felines. You could be too. Trust me, you can’t read Liberator and just put it down and say “someone should save those dogs, think I’ll go get a Coke”. Liberator is a tour de force that does anything but inspire armchair activism.
Down to the nitty gritty aspects, I assume you want to know just what makes this comic so epic and moving.
Down to the nitty gritty aspects, I assume you want to know just what makes this comic so epic and moving. Well… everything. Part of it has to do with the chemistry between Miner, Aranda and Pereyra. You can tell the symbiosis of story flourishes between these three hot talents. Aranda pencils and inks Miner’s story to paper, while Pereyra breathes colourful life into it. When you read this comic, you’ll definitely see the artist interpretations demonstrate a clear understanding of Miner’s cause and moral message, and an agreement with it. I would have to say this story’s message is one of the most important I’ve encountered in my entire readership of comics. I’m in complete awe of it. A large part of this comes from Miner’s selfless nature, it is admirable. The story isn’t just cool for the sake of cool; it’s cool because it’s honest. I believe it was Hemingway that once said any story can be excellent if it’s honest and the prose is clean and neat. Hemingway wasn’t talking comics obviously, so my caveat to Hemingway’s quote would be that the art must also be honest, clean and neat. And it is, as I mentioned above the artistry in Liberator is very telling of a creative team coming together to put out a story that matters.
When you read this comic, you’ll definitely see the artist interpretations demonstrate a clear understanding of Miner’s cause and moral message
To speak to Miner’s ability as a writer is above my capacity. In my own comics writing I feel hindered by my excessive use of caption and dialogue. As I recently told a pal, “I make Bendis look like a fucking silent issue”. Miner doesn’t have my problem. NOT AT ALL. The caption and dialogue are well balanced with the finesse of a seasoned veteran that relies on his artists to tell half the story, while his efforts comprise the other half of the comic. Every word that Miner puts on the page belongs there. Anton Chekhov would be a fan of Miner, because Miner knows the importance of placing a gun in Act 1 and making it go off by Act 3. I’m really looking forward to seeing this mini-series through to its fourth and final issue as Miner introduces numerous subplots that are slowly unfolding by the end of the issue and leave the reader wanting to read more.
The story isn’t just cool for the sake of cool; it’s cool because it’s honest.
I’ll give a brief examination of Liberator’s story without spoilers because I don’t want to ruin it for anyone who is looking forward to grabbing it when it drops on June 19th, next Wednesday. Liberator concerns itself with Damon, an animal rights activist and vigilante dog-rescuer. Fans of Batman and Punisher with liberal leanings will enjoy this series, as the lead character is essentially a Batman of dog rescue. Much like the legendary Bruce Wayne, Damon doesn’t kill, he actually doesn’t even harm sentient beings, his only ‘criminal’ action is property ‘violence’. And this of course is ‘property violence’ as defined by the state. As one writer offers in the afterword to Liberator #1, inanimate objects can’t feel pain nor suffer (I’m paraphrasing this), though animals can. And that is Damon’s heroic quest: to liberate canines (and perhaps other animals in later issues? We’ll have to wait and see) from their abusive human oppressors. It is a noble hero quest, one that Matt Miner doesn’t just sit in his office and place on paper and shove it down our throats… Miner actually goes out and saves these poor animals, much like his hero Damon. Though, I should point out, Damon and Matt aren’t one and the same. I’m sure they’re quite similar but it’s not as if Miner is perpetuating violence, he’s merely using his creative talents to draw attention to an issue that is important to him.
Fans of Batman and Punisher with liberal leanings will enjoy this series, as the lead character is essentially a Batman of dog rescue.
Following a rather explosive opening scene, Miner reveals more and more of his character to his readership. Damon is the common everyman, unlike Bruce Wayne, Damon doesn’t have a plethora of expendable resources at his hands. He works in a Starbucks-esque coffee shop where he’s criticized by a somewhat villainous co-worker for his liberal ideology and feminist sympathies. A cute red-headed siren of a love interest is introduced for all the romantics out there and it’s pretty obvious Damon and Jeanette are going to end up at least allied, if not are already falling head over heels for each other. Jeanette is cute and sweet and tugs on the heart strings of this reader, I’ve got myself a new fictional crush. While Damon works clandestinely, Jeanette is the courageous public protestor who isn’t afraid to get arrested to draw attention to her cause. They are sort of like the ying and the yang of the protest culture; Jeanette the peaceful public face and Damon the anonymous militaristic face. I’m going to stop myself here for the sake of not ruining the story for those hoping to purchase.
I’d have to say Liberator has it all and more.
Aside from drawing attention and raising questions of animal rights, Miner also blends his animal rights epic with other prevalent social issues that beg careful consideration from anyone who hopes to be politically and socially aware. No spoilers but questions of human rights are also raised in Miner’s depiction of totalitarian police control of protests, women’s rights and male patriarchal sexism, friendship and love (including obviously human-animal relationships and human relationships as well). I’d have to say Liberator has it all and more.
I’d encourage everyone to buy Liberator, you won’t regret it. And even if you buy it and do regret it… at least you’ve donated to a noble cause and become involved in something larger than yourself. Just by buying a comic, you’ve helped out, and that’s what Liberator is all about… helping out. So get off your ass and buy it!
Follow James on twitter @JamesMClark87 or check out his website: http://50shadesofbloodandviscera.wordpress.com where he reviews only the most bloody and visceral comics!
Posted on June 15th, 2013
Category: 50 SHADES OF BLOOD AND VISCERA, REVIEWS
Tags: 50 Shades Of Blood and Viscera, Black Mask Studios, Comic Reviews, James M. Clark, Liberator #1 review, Matt Miner