COMIC TITLE: New Lieutenants Of Metal #2 (2018)
Ulises Farinas– Artist
Joe Casey–Writer
August 8, 2018
Image Comics
For today, we are checking out some more issues that came out this past week and I figured we could start with my new favorite the New Lieutenants Of Metal #2 which was written by Joe Casey (Dethlok: Rage Against The Machine) and illustrated by Ulises Farinas (Godzilla In Hell). Steppenwulf is a member of a group known as the New Lieutenants of Metal who protect the world from shitty pop music that has plagued it for years. For years, he has not been a part of the team, but when of their members goes missing, he is called into action. There is only one problem with this whole situation and that is he is afraid of unleashing the beast inside himself and he struggles with that while we find out that the boy band group led by Beebs has kidnapped Manowarrior. In this issue entitled Victim Of Changes, the group is struggling with the fact that they can’t locate their fellow comrade who is being tortured by the boy band group while Stepppenwulf still struggles with his inner beasts. He’ll have to put that aside when the riot house is attacked by the evil grunge monster.
So, I have a fun time counting all the references to heavy metal albums, songs, etc every time I read this comic. It all starts with the title of the issue in Victim Of Changes (Judas Priest) and then it continues with subtle ones like Home Sweet Home (Mötley Crüe), tonight there’s going to be a jailbreak lyric (Thin Lizzy), Show No Mercy (Slayer), and the reveal of the title of the next issue Metal Up Your A** (Metallica). The issue also featured the grunge saying lyrics to Nirvana, Soundgarden while looking like a zombie version of Kurt Cobain while Boy Band Nation says boy band lyrics. The story is getting better as we see some developments as to what these guys can do and the mystery of will they find their comrade before they implode. So, it’s more than likely that I’ll be there ready to buy issue three and why not it also features a playlist for every issue. This issue has a track by Metallica, W.A.S.P., and Mötley Crüe. The only thing I am not a huge fan of is the artwork, but it’s something that you get over real quick because it works with this comic. As I have said before, the artwork reminds me of a lot of Adult Swim programs like China, IL. and Ballmastrz: 9009 and I liked those shows. If you like heavy metal puns and references then check out this comic from Image. Otherwise, check out my grades below:
Grades:
Story/Plot: A+
Artwork: A
Character Representation: A+
Entertainment Value: A+
There has been a lot of crap going in the world as there seems to be some sort of problem in every form of media whether it be film, music, and unfortunately even comics. I however understand what the issue is and I have to agree with the consensus that the stories should never be compromised because we read these comics to escape the troubles of our own world. Anytime, I pick a comic book it’s because it either looks awesome to me, it pulls on what my interests are, or the story sounds intriguing. That is why I chose to read a new comic from Image Comics entitled the New Lieutenants Of Metal #1 which was written by Joe Casey (Dethlok: Rage Against The Machine) and illustrated by Ulises Farinas (Godzilla In Hell). The comic follows Steppenwulf, a guy who is apart of a special task force known as New Lieutenants of Metal. The only problem is that Wulf is questioning himself and his worth in the world when his commander The Mighty Krieg tells him that one of the members in Manowarrior has gone missing and some giant monsters are attacking the city.
If I could get a dollar for every heavy metal reference in this comic book from the names of characters to what they say I’d have a lot of money. I mean they reference everything from Dio, Judas Priest, Pantera, and even Queen. Even the title of the chapter is a Metallica reference and I think it’s very cool. When I would write articles back in college, I was always referencing heavy metal album and song titles all the time so I guess it’s a metal head thing. I actually enjoyed the story and I actually look forward to reading the next issue of the comic. I definitely like the way it ended because heavy metal’s natural enemy is behind the mystery so wait till you find out. The artwork reminds me of a lot of Adult Swim programs like China, IL. and Ballmastrz: 9009 if you get what I am saying with that. I like that kind of artwork as long as it serves it’s purpose kind of like if it fits the content and it definitely fits with this one. If you love tons of metal name dropping then check out this comic because I’ll be waiting for the next one. Check out my grades below:
One of the coolest things I started seeing pop up in the comic book stores were these Rock and Roll Biographies. I am one of the biggest metal heads in the world so of course when I see something like this I have to pick it up. The one that I believe I saw first was a 
I am going to start off by saying that if you are going to cover a band and their biography then you better get all of the important details right. I am a huge stickler for details and one of those details hits you almost from the start. Pantera’s first major release was entitled Cowboys From Hell and not Cowboys In Hell which is what the author put in there. Other than that, the details to the story seem pretty legit and as I said with the White Zombie biography, if you’re looking for something unknown to anyone, then don’t look here. If you do not know who Pantera is and you want the short version, then get this comic book for a quick history lesson. I am a fan of the black and white, old school looking artwork, but there is one tiny problem I have with it. Vinnie and Dime look a little too buff than what they were in real life or at least in my opinion. Dime’s facial features also seemed a little off for me, but it’s a comic book. There are details in the comic as far as dialogue that I didn’t know so it was cool to read some of that. Check it out if you can find it and check out my grades below:
For those that know me know that I am a huge fan of heavy metal music and biographies. So when you combine those two elements, you will always certainly have me excited to want to read. To top it all off, when you decided to combine those elements and make it a comic book, I will definitely try it out for sure. Rock and Roll Biographies from Acme Ink presents the biography of legendary horror metal act White Zombie on side and a short biography of Rob Zombie on the other side. The comic book takes a look at how the legend of White Zombie started from it’s inception to it’s very end and what happened to the band members afterwards. The other story will explore life for Rob Zombie after he left White Zombie all the way up to the present times. I tried to find a website for all of you to check out just in case you were curious about more than just this issue, but truth be told I couldn’t find it. What I do have is the comic book database 
The comic book is basically a small scale biography of the band and it’s history so if you don’t know enough about the band then check it out. If you’re looking for information that maybe hasn’t been said yet then no need to look here. It’s a cool enough story about a band that I truly love. My only issue is with the phrasing of some of the words in some of the bubbles because they don’t make a lot of sense when you read it out loud. Other than that, it’s interesting something different that I haven’t seen before. The artwork is really old school looking as far as the drawings and in black and white which means no color for those of you that love that. One thing I noticed is that some of the artwork will contain parts that look life like, almost like a picture that was placed in there. I couldn’t find any examples of the artwork from this issue, but if you look they have plenty of other issues in the rock and roll biographies series. The panels are easy to follow along and there is some interesting scenes in the issue. Despite the grades I may give this issue, it’s not going to deter me from checking out anymore in the series because I am interested to see what else they have.
365 Comics In 365 Days Challenge 