Matt Hawkins

The art. Come for the art.
1:47 pm 1 November 2015
Aphrodite IX: Rebirth Volume 1 TP (Aphrodite IX: Rebirth) - Matt Hawkins, Stjepan Sejic


That is some of the loveliest artwork I've seen in graphic novels, and this is the interior art: this was what this whole volume was like. It's spoiled me, to be honest. And while, yes, this was all about sexualizing women (Aphrodite IX can be remotely controlled, and she's a seductress/infiltrator/assasin), there were a lot of panels that focused on her show more face, or the dragons Marcus' people created, or the men who weren't super sexualized like this.

In other worlds, Aphrodite IX is highly problematic as a character (and at least one of the other IXs wasn't as hyper sexualized or problematic as she was) but it's also not mindless sex. This is no porn without purpose, as there is an ideological, religious and socio-political world that is built for her rebirth. I'm not sure if I feel that this world was delved into enough, or glossed over, but I'm hoping it was just a dual focus issue (the world and Aphrodite herself are given equal time) and that in the next volume, that dual focus will show more of this world's depths.

And I was able to overlook some of this: she was intended to be hyper sexualized, and it was clearly not the way all women were in this world. The ending. The art was lovely enough to forgive almost anything. The world was actually well built and obviously thoroughly considered.

Here's hoping that issue two holds up as well! show less

“Welcome to Eden. We’re all sinners here.”

Eden, Wyoming. Population 2,198. “Eden is a town of criminals but we accept no crime. You don’t move here for a second chance. You move here for your last chance.” The mail carrier has Asperger’s Syndrome. I really liked the whole set up of this series! I'm not entirely sure that I like the execution. I do, however, want to check out the next volume. As a current letter carrier for the USPS, I would love to see a 'hero' show more mailman!

“Damaged letters get transcribed.” (I have worked as a mail carrier for over 22 years, and I've never heard of that!)

“Can’t you just deliver the f!n’ mail?”

“But when gods have everything… eventually they destroy it all.”

“I deliver your mail. I know where you live.” show less

A limp spin-off from Stjepan Sejic's erotic Sunstone series, lacking both Sejic's charming writing and sexy art. The characters from the mother title appear to be part of a TV show in this series.

As author Matt Hawkins basically admits in the afterword, this look at a sugar baby is just a riff on Pretty Woman. Julia Capello, the female lead is easy to sympathize with, struggling with two part-time jobs while going to college. But her sugar daddy is a total loser, recently divorced from his show more cheating wife. There is some nudity, but there is never any heat on the page or between the characters. show less

This entry into the Postal series of graphic novels continues to introduce both the town of Eden and it’s quirky inhabitants. Mark is still front and center in the story and we can see that he has desires and ambitions of his own. At this point he is working for his mother, the mayor, but for how long will she be able to control him. We learn that Mark is very smart and good at solving problems when he sets his mind to them.

As the story continues over a number of chapters, the authors are show more continuing to build the momentum toward a confrontation between Mark’s mother and father. The various stories in this volume concern a strange cult that makes the mistake of kidnapping Mark and Eden’s annual “Barn Brawl” a free-for-all boxing match that has Mark helping the underdog. The relationship between Mark and Maggie grows, but is Maggie really being honest or is she manipulating Mark for her own agenda? It also appears that someone very highly placed in the FBI is protecting Eden and I am sure we will be learning more about that in future issues.

While the artwork is fairly standard, it is colorful and clearly helps to connect the reader to the story. Postal is definitely drawing me in with it’s interesting characters and setting. show less