Writers: Jimmy Palmiotti and Justin Gray
Artist: Phil Winslade
Publisher: DC
The Plot:
“It was an urban legend - a guardian created during the Great Depression to protect the immigrants of New York. Now the creature is back in THE MONOLITH, a new ongoing series that kicks off with a 56-page premiere issue for just $3.50!” Yay. Go DC. You said it better than me. But here’s what you missed: Alice Cohen is a girl on the run. General Batman fodder, meaning pimps and drug dealers, want what’s owed to them. And any means of income for our darling Alice would be okay by them. Wink wink, nudge nudge, know what I mean, know what I mean? Fate shines on our forlorn flee-er in the form of a Grandmother’s passing. A home and a new lease on life are instantly granted to her. But what’s this voice Alice is hearing? The one that kindly asks her to read to it? It’s the monster, Monolith, the gray golem. And out of all of the voices that could be talking to her, this one may wind up doing the most damage.
2 Cents:
It’s a first book. Some people find it to be slow, first books I mean, but this one really isn’t. The reason it may seem slow, you Philistines you, is the fact that it’s looooong. 44 actual pages of comic book goodness, 12 pages of ads you people who like retail adventuring, for 3.50. That is what you call bang for your buck. And to all the slight dyslexics out there, go on and buck your bang. It’s all good.
The book is quite good, filled with depth and promise. The concept behind a defender that truly sees the world in black and white is both scary and fabulous. All the scum suckers will rightfully get what they deserve, correct? But what does each deserve? Does a thief deserve to have his neck broken like a mass rapist? From the words in the book, it seems that Alice will now be the one trying to control the monster. How do you deal with something like that? And the wide-open plethora of ramifications that come with a beast like that are quite intriguing.
I could get all factual and nail down some points about the history of Golems, but you know what? Who cares? That would be like me describing the engineering specifics behind the Batmobile or how exactly Superman’s body absorbs solar radiation and what, if any, relation that has to do with photosynthesis in the common house plant. BORING. So just think big strong gray thingee and wait for the writers of the book to give the appropriate nitty gritty behind his lineage.
Last Chamber:
Why doesn’t it get
? It’s first issue and no first issue gets five unless it drops me to the floor with a throat kick. Why are your standards so low? The long and short of it, right here: Buy it. It’s solid, well worth your money, the art is very good (if I catch you complaining about boring backgrounds, I’ll drop you from ten paces) and the wide scale impact of this character could be enormous. Picture Bats or Supes taking this creature on. Fanboys, commence drooling.What did you think of this book?
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