Hyena Man #1 Review: Afrofuturism Meets Superhero Sci-Fi
How about some science fiction superhero meets afrofuturism awesomeness with a slice of mysticism in high tier modern age comic book art with a vibrant colour palette? Then step into the Etianverse with Hyena Man from Etienne Kubwabo, Craig Andrew Mooney and Ben Wilsonham.
Etienne Kubwabo is a comic book creator, filmmaker and founder of Etianverse Comics. His previous works include the highly successful Beats Of War, and he is currently Kickstarting Terra Squad with artist Clark Bint. In film, he has written, directed and produced award-winning documentaries and shot over 120 music videos and commercials. His debut feature film, The Difference Between Us, was released worldwide in 2023 and can be streamed on the STV player.
Co-writer and Editor Craig Andrew Mooney is an actor, writer and producer. He has a short film "Hideous" and credits for ITV's Belgravia, Mortem and The Difference Between Us for which he also became second writer and script editor.
Ben Wilsonham is a Norfolk-based digital artist with over sixteen years of experience in the digital creative field. The freelance illustrator has been featured in Dark Horse Comics, Boom Studios and numerous independent projects, including Beats Of War for Etianverse Comics.
Dizzyingly proficient creators of esteem introduced, we'll have a review.
So, let's start with the art. Ben Wilsonham has an excellent modern digital style full of technical lavishness. Every panel is a showcase for an especially adept artist with beautiful landscape work and powerful character depictions. Ben's brilliance lies in the cinematic qualities that he brings to the artwork. There's dynamic flair added to every panel with this lens that really adds to the quality of the experience on offer.
Art like this sings the quality that the comic book medium can offer while also championing the art of visual storytelling. On every level, the art is firing on all cylinders; it's one hell of a comprehensive package. A damn fine art package.
It's also worth mentioning that lettering is provided by the proficient professional Rob Jones, who continues to produce impressive work. Art archived, how about the story?
Etienne Kubwabo, with some help from Craig Andrew Mooney, has created a fantastically fleshed-out, engaging world full of intrigue, mysticism and action with Hyena Man. Set in a near-future world ravaged by rising sea levels and a diminished population, Etienne wastes no time in throwing the reader into this new world. A clever world map page sets things up perfectly.
We are then whisked away to Nigeria for a taste of the titular character's current incarnation, and then, at a fast pace, whipped to Scotland to meet our main protagonist. A bright but terminally ill boy confined to a hover chair (nice sci-fi), Will Akinyemi is a wonderfully crafted character introduced in a way to garner instant investment. What follows is an emotional and action-packed tale with a beautiful dose of African mysticism. There's room for geopolitical discourse and a sci-fi mystery as well, making this a perfectly balanced opening issue. It sets up an exciting and fascinating story that leaves readers fully invested in the exploits of Will Akinyemi and the future of Hyena Man.
There's a touch of folklore beauty to the telling of this one that feels like the early blossoming edges of something fantastic. It's a series to leave you fully bought in and immersed in the Etianverse and feverishly frantic for the next instalment. Perfectly executed.
Interluding Italic interruption denting integrity. If you like what you've read, please back this book. It's awesome and we'd like to see more. Now we've helped you find another banger of a series. Consider supporting us at CBNUK through Ko-fi or just sharing the site with friends; it would mean everything to us.
For fans of superheroes, sci-fi, action, Afrofuturism, mysticism, Flamingo induced emotional death scenes that carry powerful cinematic weight and serves as a perfect catalyst for full investment in a character, hoverchairs, animal spirits, Africa and art to baste your eyeballs with beauty, take a trip to Hyena Man.
To get your copy, the impatient can head to the Etianverse website here. However, those willing to exercise some restraint will surely be rewarded by signing up for the pre-launch Kickstarter for issue two here. No doubt rewards will be bountiful, and you'll be able to get the next instalment of this exciting series.
Review: 4.9/5.
