Monarch #1 follows the story of Travon, an orphan living in Compton with gang members on his heels every day. But when aliens make first contact with Earth, everything changes. Will Travon be able to protect his family and friends from the death and destruction or will he fail?
Written by Rodney Barnes, the star comics writer behind the Eisner-nominated series Killadelphia and the writer/executive producer of HBO’s Winning Time, and up-and-coming Marvel artist Alex Lins comes a new tale of love, triumph, disaster, and defeat!
The story is set up in a slow pace, building characters as we go along. As readers, we can begin to imagine what it’s like for Travon growing up in Compton, Calif., especially when aliens invade. Although Monarch #1 does a great job at creating a vivid picture of its setting, some might find that the story jumps around a bit too much in this first issue.
The lettering from Marshall Dillon was excellent overall. It was easy to follow and had no major flaws that detracted from our reading experience. We were also impressed by the color scheme used by Luis Nct throughout; it gave the comic depth and allowed us to further appreciate the beautiful illustrations and world-building presented.
Finally, as avid readers of comics, we’re always down for an alien invasion story – but Monarch #1 just missed the mark for us. With an interesting setting and characters with potential, there’s always room for improvement in future issues if they are able to tie all those elements together nicely while maintaining its slow-paced storytelling nature.
Overall, Monarch #1 has a lot going for it – great illustrations and lettering combined with an interesting plot that takes place in a unique setting like Compton makes this comic worth checking out for any comic book fan. However, as far as first issues go, some may find that this one falls short due to its slow pacing and scattered structure which fails to effectively tie all its elements together – though hopefully future issues will improve upon that! So if you’re looking for something new to read or love alien invasion stories than give Monarch #1 a chance!
Monarch #1 hit local comic shops on February 8, 2023 with a variant cover from Jason Shawn Alexander in addition to the main cover by Lins and Nct. The second issue will drop March 15.
Monarch #1 Preview
