“These spider webs are my home now, and when the sun is down we’ll shake and rattle our bodies”
This will not be a long review, but I wanted to get it out there, in case you were interested. Rich Tommaso does everything in these volumes, which are from Floating World Comics. Let’a have a look!
Volume 3 of Black Phoenix is better than volume 2 but not as good as volume 1. There you have it!
All right, it’s not that short of a review. Tommaso is doing “his take” on classic comics genres, and in volume 1, he did some pulp stuff, which is kind of in his wheelhouse, and in volume 3 he does some horror stuff, which is also in his wheelhouse. Volume 2 was romance stuff, which does not seem to be in his wheelhouse, and it came off as just … off. In this volume, he has fun with horror, and his twisted sense of humor fits that more than it does the romance genre. Of course, that’s just like, you know, my opinion.
Tommaso, I would imagine, is somewhat of an acquired taste, but I’m a fan of his weird sensibilities and his somewhat goofy, cartoonish art. His faces can look simplistic, and they often are, and his figure work is the slightest bit stiff, but he adds just enough hatching to the faces to add nuance, and while they are still somewhat simplistic, he has fun drawings heads of different shapes and sizes, so all the characters have a unique look to them. Meanwhile, his details are actually quite nice. He uses a nice, precise line and bold inks to create solid, interesting worlds and bizarre characters, so that even while strange things are happening, his stories have a realistic weight to them, which makes the oddness work better. When he wants to, he can do really nice work with shading, so that the art can show a bit of subtlety. Tommaso likes drawing attractive women, but his ladies aren’t just pin-up models – they give off a 1950s vibes, sure, but they also have a grounded feel to them that makes them a bit more realistic. The stories in this volume are all tinged orange, which fits with the “Halloween horror” tone of the book, and it’s not a bad choice. Tommaso knows how to tell a story through his art, and it’s more impressive the more you look at it.
The stories are all very Tommaso-esque – he gives us off-beat superheroes, some off-kilter horror stories, and his dark humor that works so well with horror. The serialized story is about a superhero who hasn’t figured out her power yet, so she’s in some tough spots before, finally, she learns what it is. There’s a story in which the Black Phoenix actually appears (it’s unclear why Tommaso named the entire series after her, but her story is fun), a story in which a woman wants to become a monster, a story about an adventuring aviator, a story about an unusual teen band, and several Halloween-themed stories. There’s not much to say about them – they’re fun, a bit goofy, and occasionally humorous. If you’re a fan of Tommaso, you’ll probably enjoy them. If you’re not … well, I don’t know if this will make you one, because unlike some of his longer work, there’s not much plot here, but if you don’t like these stories, you probably won’t like much of Tommaso. It’s not a bad kind of platonic version of a Tommaso comic. Here are some random pages, just to give you an idea of what this is all about:
Anyway, I dig Tommaso, and I’m glad he’s making his wacky comics. You can find this on Amazon, if you’re interested!
Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ½ ☆ ☆ ☆
I’ve been buying this series. I think this third volume is my favorite one so far, but that’s probably because it’s superhero-y, Halloweeny, and colored entirely in orange.
My understanding is that there’s a fancier hardcover that collects all of these Black Phoenix volumes on nicer paper in full color. But it’s also a lot more expensive! Whereas these smaller volumes are on literal newsprint with one dominant color per installment.
They’re fun enough, and I dig Tomasso’s style, though I wish he would get back to doing things a little more longform. I think the next graphic novel, not quite a part of this series, might be doing that very thing. And also I want more Spy Seal.