Monarch #1 feels custom made to disarm you. The title alone gets the job done. The average reader will assume it has something to do with butterflies, while seasoned comic book readers might think it has something to do with butterflies. Venture Bros. tie-in or reference to that awful Armageddon 2001 DC event from the 1990s. (I was guilty of the latter until I realized this was an Image Comics joint.) But flip the first page and you’ll see the face of a man getting blasted from the cheekbones by a of the dozens of lasers coming from the sky.
It then tries to lull you back into that false sense of security by providing a life story about kids growing up in Compton. Our hero, Travon, lives in foster care, but has the love of his guardian, godsister, neighbors, girlfriend (Daysha), and best friend (Todd) to keep him going, even when fellow foster kid Zion tries to stop him. jump on the way to school. Artist Alex Lins and colorist Luis Nct’s soft yellows, reds, pinks, and blues give each panel a sense of comfort, as if the notoriously harsh part of Los Angeles County were a little inviting. The only thing that shakes you out of this serene landscape is the rainbow-colored cloud mysteriously hanging overhead, and it’s not long before the fear returns.
This part of life is immediately interrupted half way through the comic by the alien invasion first alluded to in the early chapters. Tendril-based mechanical creatures suddenly arrive to wipe out everything in sight, and the comic never tries to steer away from the graphic death that suddenly surrounds these pre-teens.
Where Rodney Barnes’ writing really shines with this song is the narration, which keeps shifting to different characters as the story progresses. This gives us a better idea of a group’s reaction to the sudden tragedy, from denial of reality to numbness to introspection. We even get a brief glimpse into the perspective of the bully (Zion) and the unrelenting hatred he carries in his heart, even as the world collapses around him.
Monarch #1 is one underbelly after another, but the characters it manages to create amidst the devastating chaos are already captivating. This is definitely a series to keep an eye on.
Published by Image Comics
On February 7, 2023
Written by Rodney Barnes
Art by Alex Lins
Color through Louis Nct
Letters through Marshall Dillon
Cover Alex Lins and Luis Nct
