There are lots of good comics out there, but some clearly stand head-and-shoulders above the rest. “Don’t Miss This” shines a weekly spotlight on the books our staff writers think you need to have on your pull list. This week, we look at “Maniac of New York,” an ongoing series from Aftershock that riffs on classic slasher movie tropes.
“Maniac of New York” is written by Elliot Kalan, lead writer for the Netflix incarnation of Mystery Science Theater 3000 and a former head writer at The Daily Show With Jon Stewart, for which he earned four Primetime Emmy Awards for outstanding writing. Kalan also penned a 6-issue limited series for Marvel called “Spider-Man and the X-Men,” in which the titular hero teaches ethics at the Jean Grey School for Higher Learning.
“Maniac of New York” is illustrated and colored by Italian comic book virtuoso Andrea Mutti, whose credits include work on multiple Star Wars titles, Vertigo’s comic book adaptation of “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” and the creator-owned series “Port of Earth,” which is currently in development for television with Skybound Entertainment and Amazon Studios.
Taylor Esposito, a former staff letterer at DC and verteran production artist/digital compositor at Marvel, brings his flair the book’s letters.
What’s It All About?
Writer Elliott Kalan has described “Maniac of New York” as “a horror story about how crisis situations become our new normal.” More than one reviewer has also called it, “a love letter to slasher films.” Either way, Kalan both deconstructs and reconfigures classic slasher movie tropes to satirize our collective numbness in the face of all-too-frequent, but preventable slaughter.
Harry the Maniac, as he’s been nicknamed, made his auspicious debut with a horrific killing spree in Times Square on New Year’s Eve that left 79 people dead. Four years later, Harry’s rampages are no less horrendous, but they’ve long since become commonplace – thoroughly woven into the fabric of everyday life.
Harry’s random attacks so routine at this point, his last known location is part of morning the traffic report. “We’ve got delays on the Q, L, 2 and 3 lines,” says one particularly chipper TV newscaster, “and unsubstantiated Maniac Harry sightings downtown. If you work near the battery, might want to call in sick today.”
Even so, Maniac Harry is the through line, but the real story centers on detectives Gina Greene, newly appointed head of the mayor’s Maniac Harry Taskforce, and Zelda Pettibone, a defiant, world weary detective who thinks Harry’s not a criminal, “he’s a punishment being visited on the city, here to make our lives hell ‘til we clean up our acts.”
Like so many others, detective Pettibone is resigned to a world in which Harry’s killings are just part of the deal. “All of us must live as if this could happen to us at any of us, anywhere, at any time,” says one TV commentator, grimly concluding, “because it could.”
One the surface, “Maniac of New York” is a bloody, snarky ode to some of the most iconic horror films ever made. Kalan’s multilayered script, however, delivers a surprisingly nuanced take on what happens after the end credits roll. There are still plenty of blood sprays and tense, wonderfully paced horror scenes, but on a deeper level, the book can be seen as an allegory about how we process and react to indiscriminate violence and what we choose to do about it – if anything at all.
What Makes It So Great?
Andrea Mutti’s artwork complements and amplifies Kalan’s story perfectly. Mutti’s loose, unpretentious lines give the book a refreshing air of spontaneity, even as they methodically drive each sequence forward. The camera angles and paneling are pretty conventional. It’s where Mutti directs our attention that makes all the difference. When Harry boards the subway, for example, the doors open wide to reveal his blood-smeared body head to toe, a fresh corpse at his feet. In the next panel we see an extreme close-up of his bloody boot stepping onto the train. The third and final panel of the sequence widens out to an off kilter view down a now empty subway platform, stained a slick, gruesome pool of fresh blood reflecting the overhead lights as the train pulls away.
Continued belowMutti’s stark, muted color scheme is also exceptional. His palette is largely constrained to pale yellows, greens and blues with heavy blacks and stark red accents. The majority of panels are almost monochromatic, washed in a single color with black shadows and white highlights. The effect often makes it feel like we’re watching the scenes unfold on a low res security system or a bystander’s cellphone.
Everything else aside, Kalan and Mutti do an exceptional job of bringing the characters to life. Mutti’s designs are relatively simple, but unique and quite compelling. Our two protagonists contrast each other nicely, even in silhouette, and if Harry wasn’t the walking incarnation of pure evil, he’d damn near be a fashion icon. I defy you to find a bloodthirsty lunatic with a hipper sense of style than Harry the Maniac.
Kalan, for his part, delivers great backstories for the two lead characters and takes just enough time to develop key secondary characters. His dialogue is also well written. On one hand it’s all gratuitous fun, but before we know it, we’ve actually started to care about the characters and want to hear what they have to say.
Notably, this week’s installment introduces a pair of potential new characters and ends with a brilliant cliffhanger that sets up book five for a big reveal. This series has been great from the start, but “Maniac of New York” #4 takes it to a whole new level.
How Can You Read It?
The fourth issue of “Maniac of New York” comes out today. You can find a copy at your local comic shop, via your favorite online retailer or as an ebook directly from Aftershock comics. For all you trade waiters out there, the first collected volume won’t drop until October. Why not enjoy it in real time?
