Hey all!
We're doing things a little differently this week on the Lifeline Comics newsletter: we're asking for YOUR FEEDBACK about our content - in exchange for some free Digital comics!
We'll also talk about the art of ending a series, our thoughts on Disney's Elemental and Harley Quinn Season Four, and more!
Without further ado, let's get into it all!
Reminder: HAUNTING & The Dancer are LIVE and FUNDED!
A quick reminder that we have two Kickstarters live right now - supernatural horror series HAUNTING and psychological martial arts series, The Dancer!
Both have hit their funding goals and begun announcing Stretch Goals! We hope you'll consider checking them out!
"Teen necromancers, Bram & Faith, try to outrun their past...and a psycho Femme Fatale ghost hunter!"
Back HAUNTING: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/philfalco/haunting6?ref=1jws85
"THE LAST ISSUE! A dancer/ASSASSIN is forced to deal with her childhood trauma of witnessing her parents' deaths."
Back The Dancer: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/comicuno/dancer4?ref=9gmeki
Lifeline Comics' Census
We're looking to collect feedback from you - in exchange for some really cool Digital Comics!
Our Lifeline Comics Census is a ~10 minute questionnaire to collect data about all aspects of our business, from our comics, to our newsletter, to our Kickstarters.
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We're looking to collect honest, anonymous feedback with these questions. We really value your thoughts and perspective, so we hope you'll share your thoughts with us!
As a thank you for your time, you'll receive two short digital comics for completing the survey. MONSTER MAKEUP by Kat and WHEN YOU'RE OLDER by Phil. These are never-before-seen comics for Lifeline supporters. The only place they've been released previously is through the horror anthology, Nightmare Theater.
We're really proud of these shorts, and love the opportunity to share them with you for completing our survey!
Complete the Lifeline Comics Census
The Art of Endings
It's never easy to say goodbye, but it's time for The Dancer to take her final bow. I first came up with the concept of The Dancer when I was in college. I wanted a series to follow Like Father, Like Daughter, something I could eventually pitch around. So it needed to be a tight four issue mini-series with a concise beginning, middle, and end.
The Dancer is pretty different from our other titles because Mia is really just a vehicle to tell a bigger story about mental health. As a character driven writer, it was fun to write something a bit outside of my comfort zone.
I wrote this during a darker time in my life. I had just graduated college, and just like any other college graduate, I was terrified of the unknown. I had structure for 20+ years of my life, and now there was just...nothing.
I wanted to write a story about tackling those inner demons on a larger scale. What it means to grow up. I was always fascinated by the similarities between dance and martial arts. I spent most of my childhood doing both! That was the starting point. It was the basis behind Mia becoming a dancer and assassin - one foot in both worlds.
When plotting the second issue, it all clicked for what this book was truly going to be about. And I did something I never do when writing, I wrote the ending before even wrapping the second issue. An ending that will hopefully make you want to read the whole series again to see all the little signs that I planted for the conclusion. The twist ending has always been baked into the story, and will help you better understand Mia as a character and exactly why she has kept you at arms lengths.
In a culture full of nostalgia and sequels, I've always wanted to build the Dancer as something with a concrete ending. Has that changed over the years? Not really. You may see a small epilogue story in an upcoming project (hint: you will), but other than that I don't have any plans to revive the series anytime soon because there are some stories that just end...and that's okay.
Popular Media
Let's discuss some non-comics media we've seen recently!
Harley Quinn Season 4
Kat: Harley Quinn is seriously one of my favorite TV shows on right now! As a lifelong Batman fan, the show has numerous deep cuts, while still delivering a mainstream comedy for non-comic fans. Harley Quinn is still brilliant...but compared to its previous season this installment was a bit bumpy.
Season 4 tackles an interesting premise...can Harley and Poison Ivy still have a healthy relationship even if they're fighting on different sides of the law? The Answer: um....kind of...I guess. The show tries really hard to give you HarlIvy moments (and as a queer fan) I'm happy to see them get so much screen time, but with them on different sides of the fence it doesn't always organically fit into every episode.
This season's strongest element is seeing Harley come into her own as a hero, and form bonds with the rest of the Bat Family (especially Alfred and Batgirl). Sadly, Poison Ivy's "Girl Boss" plotline was less interesting. She had some great characters to offer one-liners, but lacked a supporting cast with depth.
Without spoiling anything, the end of the season gives us a new status quo that I'm SUPER EXCITED about and can help dodge many of season 4's issues.
Phil: The good news is that there is still no bad season of Harley Quinn. The bad news is that I do think that season four, while enjoyable, is the weakest season to date.
Starting with the positive, this is a pretty great season for Harley herself. Seeing her with the Bat Family is a lot of fun, and the journey she goes through in realizing that she doesn't fit the mold of hero or villain is very fitting for the character. Plus, her relationships with the members of the Bat Family - particularly Barbara - were a highlight. And the comedy of all of the heroic antics is lots of fun (Damian, in particular, is used to strong comedic effect). If anything, I wish we got more time with the Bat Family. In some ways, it felt like we only scratched the surface of all of the interesting storytelling possibilities.
The Legion of Doom elements of the season are a bit more hit-or-miss for me. Sometimes, it works. Sometimes, it doesn't. And unfortunately, this extends to the Harley and Ivy relationship as well. While the first three seasons did an expert job at building this relationship and making me excited to see the characters together, this season I found them to be frustrating almost as often as endearing. So much of the season is centered around keeping the couple apart. But the times that they do come together, they just rhapsodize about how "hot" they are and how much of a "power couple" they are.
Thankfully, I do think that things started to come together more cleanly in the last two episodes of the season. Elements that weren't working for me (the Legion of Doom, and the Harley/Ivy relationship) ended on a strong note. And the cliffhanger for next season is one that is sure to leave fans excited.
If you're a fan of Harley Quinn's first three seasons, you'll definitely have a good time with season four. Even if not every aspect of the show is perfect all the time, it's still a great series with hilarious comedy, solid action, and a well-realized lead.
The Comeback
Phil: While we typically only talk about contemporary media in this newsletter, Lisa Kudrow's The Comeback is a criminally underappreciated masterpiece that I recently finished and just NEED to talk about.
For those who haven't heard of it, The Comeback is a satirical found-footage comedy about a former sitcom star, Valeria Cherish (Kudrow) who is trying to make her "comeback" in Hollywood. The 13-episode first season aired all the way back in 2005. And an 8-episode second season aired nine years later, in 2014.
The Comeback is a show that I've never even heard mention of before my sister showed it to me. And the more I watched, the more shocked I was by just how prescient it was. To say that this show was ahead of its time (especially the first season all the way back in 2005) would be a criminal understatement. The commentary being made was the kind of stuff I didn't think was openly talked about on TV until several years later.
Outside of just being "ahead of its time", The Comeback is also just an amazing character story. Valeria Cherish is such a multifaceted character. She is horrible, and beautiful, and empathetic, and self-centered, and hilarious, and cringe - all at the same time. It's a star-making performance for an actor who was already a huge name. It's rare that I see one property that changes my entire view of an actor - and The Comeback is exactly that for Lisa Kudrow. I liked her before. I think she's absolutely brilliant now.
The balance of comedy and drama is also perfect. While mostly comedic, there were some truly heart-breaking moments throughout the show's twenty-one episodes. And it's all so quotable - the moments that make you laugh and the moments that make you cry.
This series is also maybe one of the best examples I've ever seen of a revival that stands toe-to-toe with its original. Despite the nine-year gap between seasons one and two, The Comeback doesn't miss a beat. Watching the seasons back-to-back, it feels like the exact same show with no loss of quality in any department (if anything, it's only a gain in camera quality).
I honestly could gush about The Comeback for an entire newsletter, so let me cut myself off here. It's a truly overlooked gem. If you're looking for a quick series to watch on (HBO) Max, I can't recommend it enough.
Elemental
Kat: We somehow kept missing this one in theaters, but Elemental has luckily found another life on Disney Plus (a trend with many of their recent films, like Encanto). Elemental is your run of the mill romance - fire ball meets boy/girl meets a puddle of water. As a romance, the relationship is a bit rushed for my liking. They have a fun contrast (especially visually), but there were no big moments that truly build or even challenge their romance. Why should I care for them besides their Romeo & Juliet dilemma?
But as a Pixar film, Elemental has a unique premise. The studios tend to focus more on adventure, and sometimes those adventures can get VERY LONG WINDED. So it was nice to see them tackle a character piece instead.
Elemental didn't blow my mind, but I'm glad I saw it. And a Disney Plus viewing at home is the perfect way to watch it!
Phil: I was not sold on Disney's Elemental in its first half hour. I found myself constantly comparing the film to Zootopia. While Zootopia is expert in its use of allegory - the eponymous city seamlessly feeling like its own world while still serving as an obvious metaphor - Elemental comes across much more heavy-handed. It's hard to get drawn into the world of the film when it's nudging you so hard about exactly what it's using its element schtick as a stand-in for.
Thankfully, once the film's lead couple - Wade and Ember - actually begin their courtship, I found it much easier to engage. Their relationship had a rocky start. And I didn't fully buy their first becoming a couple (which was largely accomplished through montage). But it was refreshing to see the lead characters as the couple of a Disney movie for the majority of the film - rather than just coupling up at the end.
It's hard not to be endeared by the couple, and the element motif is definitely used to its greatest (and least hammy) effect when showcasing the different worlds that Wade and Ember come from. The pair never achieve the kind of layered relationship that Judy and Nick managed in Zootopia (without even needing to become a romance). But by the end of the movie, they were definitely a pairing that I enjoyed, was rooting for, and would even be excited to see more of.
I would be remiss not to quickly mention the visuals, as this is probably the strongest aspect of Elemental. Even if the story may not always integrate the element motif seamlessly, the animation makes full and beautiful use of the world. The fire is bright, beautiful, and colorful. The water is sleek and kinetic. The actual is fluid. It's just a really great looking movie, that even has some really creative direction and editing. I can think of at least two transitions between scenes that really surprised me in how artful they were.
Elemental is definitely worth watching for a fan of Disney films. I don't think it's as fully realized as, say, Encanto. But there's plenty of fun and interesting stuff to be seen.
Comics
And finally, let's talk about comics! As always, we'll share a Direct Market Indie Comic, a Marvel or DC comic, a Webcomic, and a Kickstarter comic that have been on our radar!
Indie Comic: Kill Your Darlings (Image Comics)
Kat: I don't say this lightly. Kill Your Darlings has the PERFECT first issue. If you're an up-and-coming writer who wants to learn how to write comics - dissect this one.
A girl loves to play pretend, but what happens when her world of pretend starts to invade her real life? The premiere issue squeezes a lot of information/character beats into 22 pages without it feeling like an exposition dump, and it has a KILLER cliffhanger that begs the reader to grab more.
I already feel for the characters. We've seen stories about a mom who can't pay the bills, but the way this book plays it out feels organic to the story. She genuinely wants to spend time with her daughter, but is drowning with "adult problems". It makes the whole situation feel more real!
The book does a beautiful job at telling a realistic story filled with characters that feel lived in. I literally can't wait to see where this goes. Kill Your Darlings has so much potential, right down to playing with its 90's setting.
Phil: Sometimes, you read an issue one and just know: "This is gonna be good".
So many comics try to do it all in the first issue - trying to get all of their amazing ideas out right away to convince you to come back for more. But even more powerful than the things you do say are the things that you don't. And Kill Your Darlings knows exactly what to say in its premiere issue.
Looking at purely the events/plot of the issue, not much actually happens. But it's the intrigue and tension that keeps you turning the page. Weaving between young Rose's fantasy world and real world, there's a growing sense of discontent that culminates in a fantastic cliffhanger.
I'm already waiting with bated breath for the next issue.
Marvel Comic: Incredible Hulk
Kat: I loved Immortal Hulk! I never thought there would be another Hulk series like it...until Philip Kennedy Johnson and Nic Klein's run. Incredible Hulk captures the magic of Immortal Hulk, while still creating its own type of horror. This book is much more external than the previous, and finds an identity by adding Charlie as a supporting character (a teen with her own demons that the creative team expertly unravels). If you're a fan of all things scary I can't recommend this series enough!
Webcomic: Stick n Poke
"Mal Hassan is a trans girl living on her mom's farm. But when she is offered a once in a lifetime chance to work with her favorite band, she drops everything to follow them on tour. Is this a dream come true or a disaster waiting to happen?"
Phil: We actually first discovered Stick n Poke when we came across their Volume 1 Kickstarter, which is currently crowdfunding with four days left. From there, we checked out their Webtoon and had a really great time reading!
Our protagonist, Mal, is goofy and fun, but can also be earnest and endearing. Every relationship (her relationships with her mother, her friend Amelie, and with the band) feels layered and lived in - a testament to the talented creative team behind the book.
Read Stick n Poke on Webtoon: https://www.webtoons.com/en/canvas/stick-n-poke/list?title_no=331009
Check out the Stick n Poke Kickstarter: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/mdlabick/stick-n-poke-volume-1
Kickstarter: Hearteater #1- A NSFW Pirate Adventure
"A beautiful pirate rescues a mysterious stranger from the hangman's noose in this erotic 18+ adventure."
Phil: From Laurie Foster and Laguna Studios comes Hearteater #1! We absolutely love everything Laurie does for the indie comic community, and all of the content she puts out. Marry that with a sexy pirate adventure? Easy sell.
Hearteater #1 looks like exactly the kind of swashbuckling adventure that we love - and has five beautiful cover variants available. Definitely recommend checking it out!
Back Hearteater on Kickstarter: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/lagunastudios/hearteater-1
Current Kickstarters:
Next Conventions/Events:
- October 28th: South Jersey Geekfest
- November 3rd-5th: Rhode Island Comic Con
Anthology Accepting Submissions: Transphoria: A Trans & Non-binary Anthology
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Kat’s Socials: Twitter | YouTube
Read “Slice of Life” on Zestworld: https://www.zestworld.com/LifelineComics/slice-of-life-gl