Over a year ago, rapper and actor Kid Cudi (real name Scott Ramon Seguro Mescudi) starred as a cartoonist in the gorgeous animated Netflix film Entergalactic. Now he really is adding comic book writer to his list of accomplishments, effectively portraying himself as a would-be superhero alongside co-writer Kyle Higgins, artist Marco Locati, colorist Igor Monti, and letterer Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou. Is the double-sized first issue of “Moon Man” good? Let’s dive in.
Written by Scott “Kid Cudi” Mescudi and Kyle HigginsCover by Marco Locati
Art by Marco Locati
Colored by Igor Monti
Lettered by Hassan Otsmane-ElhaouSuperstar musician SCOTT “KID CUDI” MESCUDI makes his comics debut alongside Eisner Award-nominated co-writer KYLE HIGGINS (RADIANT BLACK) and breakout artist MARCO LOCATI in the extra-length first issue of the biggest book of 2024! Ramon is ready for a quiet life. Whatever went wrong on that failed moon mission, whatever happened in the missing minutes the cameras didn’t capture, all he really wants is to settle down back home. But those missing minutes hold an Earth-shattering secret — and, with all eyes turned to him, Ramon will soon find himself becoming something the world has never seen before.
The book begins on a beguiling note, as Ramon floats among the stars, witnessing a nebula form into a sun. We instantly proceed to the more subdued setting of a lab, where Ramon and his fellow astronauts have been quarantined for weeks following an undisclosed incident. Finally let go, Ramon reunites with his younger brother Micah at their childhood home in Columbus, Ohio, where, among other things, he’s confronted over his decision to leave NASA to work for the private spaceflight company Janus.
It’s a compelling set-up for a redemption story, laced with topical social commentary, exploring the generational divide between older and younger progressives. Micah despises Janus, a corporation that sustains but also treats Columbus as its own personal kingdom, but Ramon felt he had to go work for them to keep them from selling the house. Ramon is clearly a generation older than his brother, presumably part of the one that voted in Obama, back when it seemed diversifying those in power would solve systemic inequality alone.
He’s defensive of the compromise he’s had to make, but also sees his brother has a point, accidentally cracking his phone in frustration after their argument. He looks at his reflection, now as two-faced as the god his workplace is named after, beautifully asking those of us approaching middle age if we also feel disappointed in ourselves for not doing more to make the world a better place. Igor Monti’s muted colors are especially effective here, with grainy textures and watercolor-like brush strokes that accentuate the air of gritty realism, making it feel all the more domestic and relatable (especially before the more dazzling spectacle to come.)
The questionable part of the comic is Marco Locati’s linework. It’s fluid and simple, emphasizing expressiveness over consistency, and works especially well with the characters, as well as the moments Ramon dreams about his extraordinary experiences in outer space: the sheer amount of lines even in the dark parts of space subconsciously generates the exhilarating thought of traveling at lightspeed. He’s also not one for decompression, which is great for preventing the comic from being longer than it already is, but it also means the main event of the comic, which is when Ramon finally discovers he has superpowers at a clash between police and protestors, becomes haphazard.
I was left confused by the sequence: did he tackle the cop coming for Micah and fly into the air with him? The way the color dissipates from everyone in the panel didn’t clear up what had happened, or who was in the sky either. It took me a fair few rereads of the sequence to understand, no, Ramon had simply leapt into the air alone, before making a superhero landing to knock aside all the cops and fleeing. Perhaps that was the idea, to make you go, “Wait, what just happened?,” to show you how bewildering it really would be to see a man fly, but I went from appreciating how unique Locati’s work was, to wishing it were more conventional.
Continued belowHassan Otsmane-Elhaou’s lettering is especially great, from the texts to the graffiti, to the sound effects, which blend incredibly well with the action, from the little ‘CROK’ early on when Ramon cracks his shoulder, to the more jagged, soundwave-like speech bubbles that occur whenever the characters becomes more heightened and emotional. It’s also fantastic how the basic speech bubbles appear hand-drawn, further lending the comic a home-made, DIY quality, that makes its story feel all the more authentic and personal. Despite my issues with the comic’s climax, it’s got the series off to an intriguing start, that makes me curious as to how Ramon and Micah’s struggle will progress, and how the art will continue to improve as events become more fantastical.
Hopefully, it’ll prove to be something absolutely stellar.
Final Verdict: 7.9 – despite the linework struggling when it matters most, Kid Cudi and co. have crafted a truly topical superhero story.
