Aaron Sammut’s tale of 80’s metal and the titular Maurice hit it’s second issue after another successful Kickstarter which I had to back so that I could now get caught up.
While the opening issue set the stage for Maurice’s new found super-strength while listening to metal on his Walkman, this picks up after the revelations from that final page. As his communications with a familiar voice from the Walkman begins to explain just how everything works it’s soon time to test his new power out on some of the people that screwed him around in that opener.
Our protagonist tries his best to use his new found abilities for good and that includes within his own family relationships and beyond but his new swagger doesn’t go unnoticed. While he definitely finds his feet as quickly as he can the mistakes he makes are just as valuable in making sure he learns his limitations……..least of all his lack of fighting experience. The world is a recognizable one though and Aaron really begins to let his creative streak run as wild as the musical beats at the heart of the issue.
An infectious central character coupled with a glow of nostalgia becomes a crucial mix in giving Maurice, the characters around him and the circumstances he finds himself in, a solid grounding and escape a full-on superhero release. Instead, it keeps the music at it’s core as the beating heart and when that’s coupled with the explosive art from Jesse Hamm it’s developing it’s own tempo as things really begin to kick-off. Slick panel layouts capture the energy from the music and inject it directly into the events that are unfolding and with those 80’s links dropping in across the pages it’s built a solid momentum in just two issues.
Maurice and The Metal still ticks a number of boxes for me in it’s themes, direction and overall look but it manages to go beyond even that and engage me at every step, to the point that I’m pretty sure I’ve been tapping my foot to a metal beat as I read. Smart & fun where it needs to be but also engaging, partly because of Maurice himself & partly because it’s from my era but I’m sure all the elements of this book will blend together well for the wider audience too.
The titles website will give you more info on the title and it’s creative team but you can check out the issues (& other merch) over on either their online store, Comixology or Comichaus. You can also keep updated on what’s next over on the Facebook or Instagram pages or with the creators themselves at the links below:
Aaron: Twitter
9/10
G-Man
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