- LeFay #2
- No Sleep Press & Evoluzione Publishing
- Created by Marcel Dupree & Joshua Metzger
- Written by Joshua Metzger
- Illustrated by Miguel Angel Ruiz
- Colors by Vittorio Astone
- Letters by Marco Della Verde
Morgan Le Fay was one of the most powerful fay. After a battle with Merlin, she woke up powerless in the modern world. Determined to get her powers back, she has decided to work as a PI for the Fay World in order to find clues on what happened to her.
In the supernatural world of the Fay, there are few beings who instill true fear. One of those would be legendary murderer, now highly paid assassin, Spring Heeled Jack. After a deal involving Jack goes wrong, resulting in some highly sought after missing property, Morgan Le Fay is called on to sort the whole mess out. As the various factions of the Fay circle, waiting for their time to pounce, Morgan closes in with the help of a short list of allies. When the noose tightens, it’ll be quick wits keeping it from cinching closed around her neck.
In the world of indie press comics, there are gems & there are turds. I will just about guarantee that you’ll never hear about the turds from me. I’ll also promise that you’ll rarely see me do back to back repeats on a title, rambling on about the same comic month after month. The truth is that I get a lot of comics sent my way, many of them very much worthy of attention. Because there’s only so much of me to go around, I try to spread the love as best I can. But every now & then I get my hands on a title that’s just too damn good not to talk about.
I reviewed the first issue of Le Fay back in November of 2019, & it stood out in my brain as a comic- indie or otherwise- that was way above par. Joshua Metzger has done a fantastic job of presenting a cast of characters as bizarre & diverse as anything else I’ve seen pretty much anywhere (& believe me when I say that I’ve read a LOT of comics & watched a LOT of movies), all spouting dialogue that would fit seamlessly into a Guy Ritchie movie. And that dialogue is perfectly suited for a cast of recreants who act like they’ve stepped out of The Godfather rather than something out of A Midsummer Night’s Dream. For her part, Morgan Le Fay is portrayed more as a vulgar cockney gumshoe than a member of Arthur Pendragon’s royal court… but I guess anyone who’s actually read up on Arthurian legend is gonna have a pretty easy time with that particular creative choice.
Going hand in hand with the pretty words, Miguel Angel Ruiz & Vittorio Astone have provided some stellar artwork for Le Fay. Ruiz’s lines provide the perfect framework for a world populated by Fay warlords & supernatural mob bosses, & he doesn’t stick exclusively to a single type when drawing characters. It’s well worth mentioning that Morgan herself doesn’t fit into the comfortable model of the comicbook anti-hero. She’s gorgeously- and proudly- Rubenesque and as outspoken in her physical bearing as she is verbally abrasive. Astone’s work on colors provides the depth to Ruiz’s work, giving bright detail to a world that’s often pretty grotesque.
I will happily, unabashedly, & unreservedly stamp my seal of approval on this bad ass indie comic… but it’s gonna come with a word of warning. Le Fay embraces the “mature audiences only” qualifier in pretty much every way you can imagine. For those of you out there a little more imaginative than others, don’t think you’re special… if you believe you’ve thought up something new, odds are that the creative team of Dupree/Metzger/Ruiz have already dreamed it up & put it in there. If you doubt me, you’re gonna have to find the opening page of the issue, which I did NOT attach to this review because my mom reads these.
(Love ya, Ma)
Final Score: 10+
Hey, let’s look at some preview pages… from Le Fay AND a sneak peek (cuz you guys love feeling like you’re getting away with something) at an upcoming title, Dirty Work at the Crossroads, from Evoluzione…
