Static

by Matt Lesniewski, Carlos Badilla (Illustrations)

A new original graphic novel by Matt Lesniewski ( The Freak ), about a man at the end of his rope, pushed to the edge.

As if being tracked by a violent gang of drug dealers wasn't enough, a mad scientist's muscle for hire, who hunts creatures for twisted Frankensteinesque experiments, finds himself fighting his boss and the patchwork monsters he helped create.

Genres: Graphic Novels, Comics

120 pages, Paperback

Published May 11, 2021

Reviews

[Alexander Peterhans · Rating 4 out of 5]

Matt Lesniewski! Now there's an artist whose work you are either repulsed by, or like myself, find it sort of mesmerising. He has a hyperrealistic style - all sinews, muscles, hair, sweat, spit, ridges and grooves. It practically undulates on the paper. It feels like a Fantagraphics book that escaped, and is now hiding over at Dark Horse.



Here Lesniewski hasn't just arted the art a bunch, he has also written the book. And he's a better artist than writer - the plot is nothing special, the worldbuilding is nuts and fun, but the narration and dialogue aren't great.



It's the future, and our main character, Emmett, slab of meat become man, is addicted to weird drug bugs that bite him and administer some drug. A gang of bug drugdealers want their money. Emmett hunts down weird wild animals and brings their corpses to a weird doctor, who is building Frankenstein's monster-like creatures out of those bodyparts.



And then everything collides with eachother, and it all becomes even weirder.

Let's face it, though - we're here for the art. And it does not disappoint. You can practically smell the pictures. What more do I need to say?

3.5 stars



(Kindly received an ARC from Dark Horse through Edelweiss)

[Chad · Rating 1 out of 5]

A bounty hunter tracks down strange animals so that a mad scientist can reassemble them into strange Frankenstein-like creatures. He's also being chased by a drug lord he owes money to for some bug that delivers drugs into your system when it bites you. This is like some weird fever dream of an indie comic. The story doesn't make much sense. It's strange and off-putting as is the fugly artwork. It's poorly paced with whole pages devoted to sleeping or smoking a cigarette for 15 panels. Oof, this is the worst thing I've read in a while.






Received a review copy from Dark Horse and Edelweiss.

[Jordan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Guys this is his second comic. SECOND. The other comics artists have to kill him

[Dan Clark · Rating 3 out of 5]

Did you ever think being a muscle for hire would make your life less predictable? Well, Matt Lesiewski’s graphic novel Static may show you that is not in fact the case. The story follows Emmett who works for an eccentric scientist by collecting different wild animals and creatures he can use for his grand experiment. It’s not the most charming job but it is all he has. Considering the people he owes money to he will take what he can get. Emmet is the type of character that is typically a figure piece in most stories. The heavy that does the damage and provides an obstacle for our hero to overcome. Here we see that man’s story and the pain behind the brawn. He goes through this crisis of identity trying to break free from the cycle he has been forced into. What makes it all work is Matt Lesniewski’s art style. To date myself with a reference this feels like a fantastic short you would stumble upon watching late-night reruns of MTV’s Liquid Television. A style trying to break convention in every conceivable way but always remaining dynamic when doing so.

[RSC_Collecting · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a bizarre book. Phenomenal art though. Incredibly detailed. So much insane line work to look at. Every page is absolutely beautiful. The story was super weird. Hard to even describe. Emmett works freelance for a mad scientist. He brings the scientist animals and animal parts the scientist needs for his Frankenstein style creations. Emmett is also on the run from his dealer. To whom he owes a large sum of money. Emmett's sporadic escape and consciousness leads to a fitting ending. It's strange. It's fun. It's gorgeous to look at. All in all I liked it a lot. Quick and fun. My kind of comic. Definitely try it out if you get the chance.

[Sonic · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wonderfully weird and Original. The pacing was awkward and I enjoyed that!

[Joel Alex · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really dig the style, art, and lettering. Great read and I will keep out for more Lesniewski work.