Monarch takes place in one of America’s most conflicted cities Compton. In a new series from acclaimed writer Rodney Barnes and highly talented new artist Alex Lins.
Monarch #1
Image Comics
Written by: Rodney Barnes
Art by: Alex Lins
Color by: Luis Nct
Letters by: Marshall Dillon
Monarch starts by destroying everything and restarting what should be a typical morning for Travon. Like most mornings, we see his attempt to avoid his enemy Zion, a typical school day with his love Daysha, and a mysterious cloud that formed overhead. Like all ominous clouds, this became an alien invasion, and all hell broke loose.
The series is unique as it has different voices and views throughout the first issue. Barnes creates a sense of disjointed narratives that still blends into one story. The disjointed stories allow a sense of mystery and suspension of what is happening.
The art allows the story to bind and bond through the disjointed narrative. Lins can show off why they are highly regarded young talent. His consistency and attention to detail, especially in the aftermath of the invasion, allows readers to truly be absorbed by the sense of dread and uncertainty for Travon, Daysha, and Zion.
Monarch is a unique read as it feels like multiple stories, with one ending and another beginning. Barnes brings his experience with writing different mediums into this issue with how it ends on cliffhangers, forcing readers to come back to the next issue to see what happened with the aliens and Travon.
Looking for more comic book content? Go check out the latest episode of Geeks WorldWide Radio‘s TLDR podcast. Joseph Gilmore and Nick Friar discuss comics weekly and talk to creators from the industry.
Listen and subscribe to the show on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, Amazon Music, Audible — wherever you listen to podcasts!