Muhammad Rasheed's Blog, page 146

Lottery Party - Review of Monsters 101, Books Eight & Nine

06 May 2013
Monsters 101
Book Eight: “Little Boy King”
Book Nine: “Speak of the Devil”
Created, written and illustrated
by M. Rasheed


the three cents.
After the Earth-shaking drama of the last installment of Rasheed’s graphic novel series, he took a slight rebreather to pursue some side projects for others (notably contributing quite a bit to the Naive Project’s 100+ page, non-profit book to raise funds for the Brain Aneurism Foundation), but now the writer/artist par excellence is unleashing back-to-back chapters of the soon to wrap title. Every issue has been approximately 150 pages of all-new and highly original content, entirely written and illustrated and lettered and packaged and published by Rasheed all by his lonesome. When Book Ten hits later in the year, the genuinely epic Monsters 101 saga will be finished, clocking in at a 1500 page masterpiece in modern fantasy. What this Joe Kubert School alum has accomplished/is accomplishing is profound in every sense of the term.


Book Eight has the now-human again Pugroff, with the legendary Dragon’s Fang still in hand, trying to preserve his place atop the Nasheran throne, ruling over the dimension of monsters. While he has evolved tremendously from the schoolyard bully of the start of the series, he is still very much the lovable miscreant brute. Elsewise, Mort continues his quest for someone (or something) to play mentor in his magical studies, which involves trips to several very weird places across the fabric of existence. The events of Book Seven may well have been the “slug-festing across dimensions, war of the worlds and the kitchen sink” chapter, but the scale and scope of this series continues its forward march of ever-expansive storytelling. In Monsters 101 Rasheed not only creates a new fictional universe, but the fullest conceivable cosmology to go with it, showing precisely how Christian mythology and ancient Egyptian symbology and European folklore and Terence McKenna’s “neon trolls” and an almost Lovecraftian spin on space and time all actually fit together marvelously well, with even insinuations as to how current socio-economics is affected by such reality tunnels in general. And he does this through the eyes of a couple of preteen boys, coyly examining some truly lofty subject matters comparably like a spoonful of sugar to help the medicine go down. Much of the black and white artwork can be rather cute, yet he captures the absolutely alien “other-ness” of what lies beyond in mood so casually as to be frightening unto itself. The final twenty pages or so of this volume in particular contain a literary jaw-dropper on par with the most intelligently researched of comics from the early years of the Vertigo imprint at DC back when.


Book Nine has a return to Tcharen Koh, the dimension of devils, as Mort’s earlier rejection of the resident princess has apparently resulted in a family feud destroying a ten-million year old city. Later, Mort is recruited by a hermetic order called the African Architects, who inadvertently provide commentary on the entirely false and laughable theology of the Crowley/LaVey crowd. There is also a greatly fun sequence here involving elementals where Rasheed gets to flex his artistic muscles, and like the rest of the book one can flip through and presume by the brushy, animated art style that the content is for younger readers. It really is not, at least none below the more precociously bright mid-teen comic book enthusiasts. But as appealing as the art is, I really think maybe too much of the story may completely go over the heads of even adult audiences, as a lot of the story is very suggestive of intrinsic theological study. His forms have become increasingly more defined though, with his already keen visual storytelling sense showing even more detail in its imagination. Mort is such a neat character especially, believably wise beyond his years and having some very thought-provoking lines of dialogue, but his being one of the few actual humans in the story really serves as a visual anchor for the more fantastic bits, like a measuring post to give perspective to the strangeness and surreality of the narrative, fun as they all nonetheless are. Someone such as Neil Gaiman may readily romanticize a Western take on older mythology, but Rasheed scientifically finds the bridging points between mythology and theology, while being every bit as entertaining in the presentation. But the plotting is so much fun, with clandestine magic-users and superheroes and angels and demons and faerie and…omni-dimensional entities all crossing adventuresome paths. This is really rich fare, so astonishingly full of depth and intrigue, but still surprisingly light-hearted and entirely readable. These installments, and the series they belong too, are high on the list of the most original comics material I have EVER encountered. Rasheed is just such a phenomenally gifted and talented artist and teller of incredibly interesting tales.


For additional details, check out his website linked above, as well as his personal blog. Right now, he has been nominated in three separate categories in the Glyph Comics Awards (story of the year, best writer, and best character). As a longtime fan and friend of the hard-working Rasheed, I am personally thrilled for his success. His skill and passion are thoroughly inspiring.

Buy Monsters 101, Book Eight NOW!

Buy Monsters 101, Book Nine NOW!

~Richard Caldwell



See Also :

Lottery Party - Review of Monsters 101, Book One

Lottery Party - Review of Monsters 101, Book Two

Lottery Party - Review of Monsters 101, Book Three

Lottery Party - Review of Monsters 101, Book Four

Lottery Party - Review of Monsters 101, Book Five

Lottery Party - Review of Monsters 101, Book Six

Lottery Party - Review of Monsters 101, Book Seven

Lottery Party - Review of Monsters 101, Book Eight & Nine

Lottery Party - Review of Monsters 101, Book Ten

Lottery Party - Review of Monsters 101, Book Seven

10 May 2012
Monsters 101, Book Seven
"Eye in the Sky" 
Created, written and illustrated
by M. Rasheed


the three cents: 
In this latest volume of Muhammad’s MASSIVE graphic novel series (with each issue clocking in at over 150 pages), we have several plot threads culminating into my personal favorite overall issue to date. And I really dig this series. But bully turned monster turned hero turned king of the monsters Pugroff has been slowly possessed by something from Beyond, something very comparable to a Lovecraftian Elder God. And with this book the possession is in full swing, as the young monster is now under the full control of Irylor, a First King and the Cosmic Guardian of the Fourteenth Nexus, who wants to take over the Seventeenth Nexus…Earth. As Irylor (via Pugroff) proceeds to destroy the city, battling the police, the army, and an assortment of superheroes and villains, Mort finally meets one of the Golden Order of the Encircled Serpent, with the two teaming with Earth’s mightiest hero the Seventh Unicorn, to battle the other dimensional nightmare in his own realm. As much action as there is in these pages, the amount of plot developments twisting and turning is astounding. The exposition dialogue between Mort and the lady wizard especially is an essay on metaphysical evolution unto itself. There are a number of new characters introduced, along with familiar faces returning, and still we are given flashbacks to legends of old that only flesh out the world of Monsters 101 with startling insinuations. This is just irresistibly phenomenal storytelling, through and through. The art is crisp and clean, and very fun to follow. Even with the warranted appearance from super-powered beings, no stereotypes are paid due, and the pages set in the other realm are as horrific as the story entails. There are even some touches of CGI added into the otherwise black and white artwork, giving even further accentuation to the abnormal elements of the tale. Ending on a couple of powerful twists, Book Seven is a jam-packed page turner. Special attention given to the role of spirituality in the world of Monsters 101 is an added bonus, and as well a further reminder that this is really one smart read. Mort’s quest for magical power is as compellingly original and well-conceived as is the strange life being lived by Pugroff. How this series will end, at this point, is very hard to discern, and I like that. I like to be caught up in something so wonderfully unpredictable, branching off into so many fictional territories so competently well. This is such a unique and imaginative series…I honestly wish more folks would take the chance and get sucked in as profoundly as have I and my picky tastes. It has been a truly great journey thus far, and one I do not care to see end.

Buy Monsters 101, Book Seven NOW!

~Richard Caldwell



See Also :

Lottery Party - Review of Monsters 101, Book One

Lottery Party - Review of Monsters 101, Book Two

Lottery Party - Review of Monsters 101, Book Three

Lottery Party - Review of Monsters 101, Book Four

Lottery Party - Review of Monsters 101, Book Five

Lottery Party - Review of Monsters 101, Book Six

Lottery Party - Review of Monsters 101, Book Seven

Lottery Party - Review of Monsters 101, Book Eight & Nine

Lottery Party - Review of Monsters 101, Book Ten

Lottery Party - Review of Monsters 101, Book Six

17 April 2012
Monsters 101, Book Six 
"Pieces of the Puzzle" 
Created, written and illustrated
by M. Rasheed


the three cents: 
In this latest issue of the Monsters 101 graphic novel series, we have several new plot threads building all at once, from the introduction of a dangerous new human turned way-more-than-human villain to a humorously morbid side story that would greatly appeal to fans of the Goon comics from Eric Powell, to Mort coming closer in his quest to find the Golden Order of the Encircled Serpent. Pugroff is king of the monsters, officially, and Mort is advancing startlingly well on his mystical journey. Rasheed's plot structuring changes here though, I think, with the individual sub-chapters becoming less clearly continuous in execution, though obviously still relating from one to the next. These feel more like collected stories than did previous issues, as opposed to mammoth-sized ones, and this actually works well for expanding more individualistic character developments, as each chapter can stray more liberally. There was an especially great segment in the middle full of Ditko-styled sorcerous action, and dark plot thread unravelings straight out of Lovecraft. This includes some pretty incriminating insinuations for the future of Pugroff. The book ends on an almost abrupt point, following something quite dramatic that had been building among certain characters since day one. There will likely be intense ramifications from this, intense ramifications from much of what transpires in this issue. The art is mayhaps the darkest yet, as gruesome fighting between subhuman creatures is sure to demand. Rasheed proves himself time and again in his ability to draw any setting that the truly imaginative story calls for, from urban and small town city streets to alien landscapes to monsters right out of your own childhood nightmares to crazy super-powered folks to little kids eating candy bars to normal adults having very racially-charged arguments. Expanding on that, I am beginning to wonder if a subversive meme to this series is to entail that all creatures great and small, all are monsters in their own way. Another damn better than good issue, and with number seven nearing release, I am honestly saddened that the series will conclude later this year with number ten. Anyone following Monsters 101 would be. At approximately 150 pages per ish, this is a ton of story, and it's an original and compelling story at that, loaded with realistic character growth and scary, scary monsters. Go to Rasheed's blog or website for information on how to stock yourself on a comic that is worth light-years more than Diamond Steve Geppi's value system.

Buy Monsters 101, Book Six NOW!

~Richard Caldwell



See Also :

Lottery Party - Review of Monsters 101, Book One

Lottery Party - Review of Monsters 101, Book Two

Lottery Party - Review of Monsters 101, Book Three

Lottery Party - Review of Monsters 101, Book Four

Lottery Party - Review of Monsters 101, Book Five

Lottery Party - Review of Monsters 101, Book Six

Lottery Party - Review of Monsters 101, Book Seven

Lottery Party - Review of Monsters 101, Book Eight & Nine

Lottery Party - Review of Monsters 101, Book Ten

Lottery Party - Review of Monsters 101, Book Five

17 April 2012
Monsters 101, Book Five 
"Monsters and Monarchy"
Created, written and illustrated
by M. Rasheed


the three cents: 
Big-time revelations in this issue, starting with Mort and Pugroff's old principal in the first chapter. With bully turned monster turned hero Pugroff now in possession of something everybody else seems to desperately want for themselves, fellow monsters Maescus, Lodeth, Porgram, Benkom and Heddark have all joined up with our young heroes. Which is good, as the dark dragon Azoratain resurrects Pugroff's old hall monitor nemesis Cliff for a rough powerplay. And then the tenth level monster king Ulam lines himself up to take on Pugroff once and for all...with the victor getting the throne to the realm of monsters. Monsters 101 is to be a ten book series mind you, with each ish roughly 150 pages. Reading this marks the halfway point. The ground covered thus far has been a fun ride, and Rasheed's ability to tie every single aspect together continuously is part of the fun. He forgets nothing. One small complaint with the story here though, is that as soon as Ulam and Pugroff agree to battle, Mort disappears to go play shaman. I suppose focusing on advancing his own interests is realistic for most people, especially where regards the selfishness of youth in general; but Pugroff had just saved Mort's life from Ulam. Sure their friendship has been a rocky road, but neither one really has anyone else to share all of the craziness they have been experiencing. Another possibility is Mort's desire to increase his effectiveness, as in fights thus far he's proven to be as useful as, well, a kid. But it really didn't come off that way. The art gets better and better, incorporating very illustrative approaches to the scenes, even in the many violent bits. Such fantastical beings are shown to exhibit their abilities quite well, without it ever coming off as too cartoony. While the covers are brightly colored, the interiors continue to be black and white, which I think actually adds a little more depth to the more surreal aspects in many of the images and setups. Actually, the covers may be false advertising, as the contents tend to address subject matters far, far darker. Pugroff turning bully-killer is classic, for those who've read along in the series. He really has evolved about face. And it does kinda make sense that a badass bully would become an extra special monster of monsters. And the monster part is never downplayed. Pugroff killed back when he was still human, young as he is- something that is acknowledged finally with this issue's story. Compelling narrative and human characters- even the monsters- make for damn good funny book, especially when you throw in well-enlivened humor and shades of spirituality. Anybody not reading Monsters 101 is completely missing out on something truly special.

Buy Monsters 101, Book Five NOW!

~Richard Caldwell



See Also :

Lottery Party - Review of Monsters 101, Book One

Lottery Party - Review of Monsters 101, Book Two

Lottery Party - Review of Monsters 101, Book Three

Lottery Party - Review of Monsters 101, Book Four

Lottery Party - Review of Monsters 101, Book Five

Lottery Party - Review of Monsters 101, Book Six

Lottery Party - Review of Monsters 101, Book Seven

Lottery Party - Review of Monsters 101, Book Eight & Nine

Lottery Party - Review of Monsters 101, Book Ten

Lottery Party - Review of Monsters 101, Book Four

17 April 2012
Monsters 101, Book Four 
"Late Enrollment" 
Created, written and illustrated
by M. Rasheed


the three cents: 
After playing out assorted dramas on the devil world, our heroes Pugroff and Mort return home, finally. Though only having been gone for a few weeks, they find that time flows differently in different realms, so that a full year has passed on Earth. And boy, was Mort's Grandma worried! But the adventure keeps rolling and the plots keep thickening, as the monster trio Maescus, Lodeth, and Porgram are themselves on a vengeance quest for Maescus to empower the fabled Dragon's Fang, ax of the faerie, in order to take over Nashera realm of monsters with an iron claw. Along the way we learn of Dragon's Fang's original owner, the legendary Shargayt the Seawolf, hero of olde. Lots of great story developments here, and honestly...just when I think Rasheed has gone off too far on a side track he expertly brings back past threads, keeping everything wonderfully congruent yet expansive. Absolutely thoughtful world building. Benkom the lone magick-using monster is still around, and I foresee him being cast as neither good or bad per se, just a selfish creep with several tricks up his sleeves. Azoratain the dragon is up to twisting events to his betterment, which suggests the heroes will soon face a darker level of evil than anything they've yet encountered. Ulam, the king of Nashera is another new character introduced and has a fantastically gruesome design. And we have the introduction of Heddark, a monster with similar structuring as Pugroff who elects to betray his people for a newfound pseudo paternal role. So many cool and imaginative characters, fighting through a story that has the friendship of Pugroff and Mort still stumbling as they try to find their direction in the new doorways of magic and adventure and scary things being opened up to them left and right. Story highpoint (for me) was Pugroff being in the monster realm all of ten minutes before initiating a barroom brawl. The art is even smoother and more refined, more sure of itself. Rasheed here also begins utilizing a more dynamic inking style, with bold borders more easily representing the differences in size scale of the many crazy creatures in Monsters 101. He is still using 70s Marvel for inspiration for the many fight sequences, in an incredibly fun way. Very inventive settings and monsters, as always. This still is not a book for younger readers, as for example there are an awful lot of corpses of small children in this issue (the snack of choice for monsters as they peek in our windows late in the evenings to watch television over our shoulders...). The main characters are merely preteens, of course, young and inexperienced in the ways of the real world, let alone the fantastical stuff Rasheed insists on putting them through. As such, they realistically act and react as boys should or would- something that shows extra obvious care on the part of the storyteller. I love small press, especially the small press that really freaking deserves larger markets. Monsters 101 is a complete package. Stunningly original.

Buy Monsters 101, Book Four NOW!

~Richard Caldwell



See Also :

Lottery Party - Review of Monsters 101, Book One

Lottery Party - Review of Monsters 101, Book Two

Lottery Party - Review of Monsters 101, Book Three

Lottery Party - Review of Monsters 101, Book Four

Lottery Party - Review of Monsters 101, Book Five

Lottery Party - Review of Monsters 101, Book Six

Lottery Party - Review of Monsters 101, Book Seven

Lottery Party - Review of Monsters 101, Book Eight & Nine

Lottery Party - Review of Monsters 101, Book Ten

Lottery Party - Review of Monsters 101, Book Three

10 April 2012
Monsters 101, Book Three 
"Devil Take the Hindmost" 
Created, written and illustrated
by M. Rasheed


the three cents: 
The third chapter in the Monsters 101 series of graphic novels continues the otherworld adventures of Pugroff and Mort, with Mort taking the lead role as his thirst for magical powers lands the two deep in the heart of devil country. While Mort's one-track obsession may be endangering their well-being, the boy magician and the boy monster together prove themselves ready for just about anything. Pulled into the inner circle of the devil royalty through valorous deeds, Mort and Pugroff meet new friends and enemies as the ongoing exhibition of monsters (and what the term may ultimately imply...) continues through incredible pages of imagination and clarity of vision. Rasheed is really impressing the heck out of me with his series. Along with keeping his main characters, regardless of physically and emotionally monstrous changes, portrayed as preteen children still, his storytelling can encompass everything from quite humorous bantering back and forth between Mort and Pugroff on up to establishing a massive new cosmology that mixes the Greek poet Hesiod with Milton and Gaiman. Granted, each issue of this is roughly 150 pages or so, but he has already built foundations for a universe here, along with enjoyably realistic heroes and villains. While Pugroff is still an oversized bully turned nightmarish brute, Mort as well is showing himself to be something not quite normal or necessarily hero or villain. A curious pair. If anything, one can surmise by this point in the narrative that indeed all heroes and villains are still monsters to somebody or other. Like Oscar Wilde once said, "Every saint has a past and every sinner has a future." The good guys and the bad guys are all subjective terms, as anybody can turn on a dime, and any hero can have a hero of their own to look up to and any villain can have a villain of their own to be scared to daisies of. I was actually wondering if certain suggestions in the story were going to be left unacknowledged, until the awesome (and tragic) Pherlyren stepped in and laid down the law while pointing the direction the overall story will take. Real neat developments, with the coming quest for Shemesu Heru, the Followers of Second Sight. The art is very nice and portrays some genuinely psychedelic subject matters later on as Mort experiences the altered states and altered dimensions of the path for magical awareness. Very mature stuff, and very engaging representations of things straight out of dream. Lots of forethought is clearly going in to the design and moods of his characters, his settings and his panel-flow. I grew up reading a lot of comics with Milgrom and Sinnott in the credits boxes, and I think Rasheed may have too- in a very, very good way! This is an excellent segment from an excellent line of books. The line about the Black Panthers particularly cracked me up. This story of young monsters infers things that you just don't read of everyday, and for that Rasheed is doing a royally bang up job.

Buy Monsters 101, Book Three NOW!

~Richard Caldwell



See Also :

Lottery Party - Review of Monsters 101, Book One

Lottery Party - Review of Monsters 101, Book Two

Lottery Party - Review of Monsters 101, Book Three

Lottery Party - Review of Monsters 101, Book Four

Lottery Party - Review of Monsters 101, Book Five

Lottery Party - Review of Monsters 101, Book Six

Lottery Party - Review of Monsters 101, Book Seven

Lottery Party - Review of Monsters 101, Book Eight & Nine

Lottery Party - Review of Monsters 101, Book Ten

Lottery Party - Review of Monsters 101, Book Two

09 April 2012
Monsters 101, Book Two
"Heroes and Devils" 
Created, written and illustrated
by M. Rasheed


the three cents: 
Having gone "From Bully to Monster" in Book One of this graphic novel series, the young Willy Pugg has now fully transformed into monstrous Pugroff, and with a debt owed to a dead friend he's finding himself walking the straight and narrow. Or trying to anyways, as old habits die hard. With fellow classmate and brainiac prodigy Mort willing to help Pugroff find a way to continue some kind of life, the two are soon pulled into some of that crazy old misadventure stuff that makes Monsters 101 an especially fun premise. Rasheed's pacing has evolved quite well since the last issue, with the story opening up some day after the previous events and the narrative pulled back to show the whole town of Simline trying to cope with whatever that disaster was that led to the violent deaths of so many local children. Mort stealing food for his new friend is a great symbol of their bonding. Throw in Britain's favorite superhero, the Red Shield, hot on the case of a missing heir and the plot thickens. Rasheed's spin on super-heroism is fun here, as the Red Shield's background is shown enough to reveal that heroes are rarely the pinnacles of respectable excellence we hold them up to be. This plays along intuitively with Pugroff's attempts at reformation incredibly well. Of course without the presence of any other monsters, the British hero and the Simline police department all seem to presume that Pugroff is the one responsible for the missing and dead children, thereby leading through pages of fisticuffs and sound effects. Eventually, the two real heroes have no other choice but to flee, hiding out in another dimension. From here on the story goes deep into fantasy territory, with many smart, interesting observations along the way. Take for example, this line spoken by Kyslo the Devil (not demon!)..."I'd always heard that humans were made of clay! That's why they make the best shape-shifters!" Rasheed is putting some thought into his characters and settings, even if his visual presentation continues to sell a softer message. This, I still believe, is a decision on his part to show how the lives of children can be so much more complicated than they may at first appear. His style is more pronounced here as well, with stances from the slugfests calling forth some of the wackier Jack Kirby and John Buscema action sequences of the 1970s. Many more characters are introduced, and the world is expanded upon tremendously so. I like this comic because its imagination really gives it a distinct uniqueness, with very little homogeneity ever called to mind. Too many comic books (or stories from any medium, truthfully) one can delve through and easily pick up the homages, the inspirations, the swipes. Not Monsters 101. Rasheed is taking his characters somewhere else entirely.

Buy Monsters 101, Book Two NOW!

~Richard Caldwell


See Also :

Lottery Party - Review of Monsters 101, Book One

Lottery Party - Review of Monsters 101, Book Two

Lottery Party - Review of Monsters 101, Book Three

Lottery Party - Review of Monsters 101, Book Four

Lottery Party - Review of Monsters 101, Book Five

Lottery Party - Review of Monsters 101, Book Six

Lottery Party - Review of Monsters 101, Book Seven

Lottery Party - Review of Monsters 101, Book Eight & Nine

Lottery Party - Review of Monsters 101, Book Ten

My Brother the Traffic Cop

Click for Artist's Description
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MEDIUM : Scanned pen & ink cartoon drawing w/Adobe Photoshop color.

SUBSCRIBE and receive a FREE! Weapon of the People eBook by M. Rasheed!

Executive Flim-Flammery

Click for Artist's Description
 ________________________________
MEDIUM : Scanned pen & ink cartoon drawing w/Adobe Photoshop color.

SUBSCRIBE and receive a FREE! Weapon of the People eBook by M. Rasheed!

On the Road to Black Empowerment

Muhammad Rasheed - Today's cartoon was inspired by a couple of fascinating abstracts I came across:

Do Minority-owned Banks Pay Higher Interest Rates on CDs?
Kashian, R., McGregory, R. & Lockwood, N. Rev Black Polit Econ (2014) 41: 13. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12114-013-9169-3

Community Development Credit Unions: Securing and Protecting Assets in Black Communities Gordon Nembhard, J. Rev Black Polit Econ (2013) 40: 459. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12114-013-9166-6

I felt my super Activist character would be all about that and had already mastered the practical application of the principles, so I wanted to share it with however many interested Black people there are within the reach of my voice. This is an excerpt of a lengthier Artist's Description which can be found HERE in its entirety.
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MEDIUM : Scanned pen & ink cartoon drawing w/Adobe Photoshop color.

SUBSCRIBE and receive a FREE! Weapon of the People eBook by M. Rasheed!