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Mother Panic

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Mother Panic
File:Mother Panic 1.png
Variant cover of the first issue, depicting the titular character and Batman.
Art by Tommy Lee Edwards.
Publication information
PublisherDC Comics (Young Animal)
ScheduleMonthly
GenreSuperhero
Publication date
  • Mother Panic
  • January 2017—December 2017
  • Mother Panic: Gotham A.D.
  • May 2018—August 2018
No. of issues
  • Original series: 12
  • Gotham A.D.: 6
  • Total: 18
Creative team
Created byGerard Way, Jody Houser, Tommy Lee Edwards
Written byJody Houser
Penciller(s)
Inker(s)
  • Tommy Lee Edwards
  • Shawn Crystal
Letterer(s)
Colorist(s)
  • Tommy Lee Edwards
  • Dave Stewart
  • Jean-Francois Beaulieu

Mother Panic is an American comic book series written by Jody Houser, illustrated by Tommy Lee Edwards, and published by DC Comics under their mature readers Young Animal imprint. It tells the story of Violet Paige, a controversial, bisexual celebutante in Gotham City who was tortured and cybernetically-enhanced by a secret organisation in her youth, becoming the vigilante Mother Panic to get revenge. The series features guest appearances by Batman and his allies, and was the only Young Animal launch title to feature an original character at its time.[1]

Publication history

Creation

Young Animal is an imprint of DC Comics, designed to tell stories set within the DC Universe aimed specifically at mature readers.[2] Mother Panic was the final of the imprint's four launch titles to release. The series and its title character, Violet Paige, was conceived by Young Animal curator Gerard Way and illustrator Tommy Lee Edwards, both of whom conceptualized the character's background.[3] Jody Houser, the author of Valiant Comics' Faith,[4] was asked by Young Animal editor Molly Mahan to write several sample pages featuring Mother Panic to see if she "could nail [her] voice". Houser, who had grown up reading Batman, was hired shortly after turning in her work and began to write the series. She expanded upon Way's and Edwards' concept to "flesh out" the main character and establish her within Gotham City and the Batman mythos.[3]

Unlike the other Young Animal titles, which feature established DC characters such as the Doom Patrol, Mother Panic features an original character created for the series.[3][5] Houser's vision of Paige was essentially that of an anti-Batman: unlike Batman, Paige's identity as a vigilante is "not entirely an act" and the character as a whole is "messed up". Houser hoped that the series would last for several years and that Paige will continue to evolve. She also wanted to explore aspects of Gotham not seen in other Batman-related comics, due to the mature themes of Mother Panic; for this reason, she excluded well-known adversaries such as the Penguin and Catwoman. The first several issues were illustrated by Edwards,[3] followed by Shawn Crystal[6] and John Paul Leon.[7] Jim Krueger writes a backup story called "Gotham Radio" for the series.[8]

The first issue of Mother Panic was published on November 9, 2016,[3] cover-dated January 2017.[9] The issue's story established Violet Paige and the series' setting in Gotham City, and featured a cameo by Batman.[5][10]

All Young Animal titles (except Doom Patrol) were placed on hiatus after 12 issues.[11] In early 2018, DC published the five-issue crossover story Milk Wars featuring both Young Animal characters (including Mother Panic) and more traditional DC Universe characters including the Justice League.[12]

Mother Panic was relaunched in May 2018 with a new first issue and given the subtitle Gotham A.D. Unlike the first series, the second volume is set in a dystopian future where masked vigilantes are outlawed, Batman having abandoned Gotham.[13] Gotham A.D. ended after six issues in August 2018.[14]

Reception

The original Mother Panic series has been generally well-received. On the review aggregator ComicBookRoundUp, it holds an average rating on 7.8/10, based on 135 reviews.[15] Reviewing the first issue for IGN, Jesse Schedeen called it the standout of the Young Animal lineup. He wrote that although it was set within Gotham City, Mother Panic felt distinctive from the Batman family and surreal.[5]

Gotham A.D. was also well-received. It holds an average rating of 7.7/10 on ComicBookRoundUp, based on 45 reviews.[16]

References

  1. ^ Diaz, Eric. "Gerard Way Details New DC Comics Imprint for Mature Readers". Nerdist. Retrieved 21 December 2017.
  2. ^ Shiach, Kieran. "Gerard Way Launches Young Animal, A New Mature Readers imprint at DC Comics". Comics Alliance. Retrieved 22 December 2017.
  3. ^ a b c d e McMillan, Graeme. "'Mother Panic': Behind Gotham City's New Comic Book Vigilante". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 21 December 2017.
  4. ^ Mayer, Petra. "Questions For Jody Houser, Writer Of High-Flying 'Faith'". NPR. Retrieved 22 December 2017.
  5. ^ a b c Schedeen, Jesse. "Mother Panic #1 Review". IGN. Retrieved 21 December 2017.
  6. ^ "Talent Directory: Shawn Crystal". DC Comics. Retrieved 22 December 2017.
  7. ^ "Talent Directory: John Paul Leon". DC Comics. Retrieved 22 December 2017.
  8. ^ CBR Staff. "PREVIEW: Mother Panic #9". Comic Book Resources. Retrieved 22 December 2017.
  9. ^ "Mother Panic". Grand Comics Database. Retrieved 22 December 2017.
  10. ^ Kim, Matt. "DC's R-Rated Comic 'Mother Panic' Makes Gotham Totally Psychotic". Inverse. Retrieved 21 December 2017.
  11. ^ https://www.pastemagazine.com/articles/2017/12/gerard-ways-young-animal-relaunches-its-core-comic.html
  12. ^ https://www.dccomics.com/graphic-novels/milk-wars-2018/dcyoung-animal-milk-wars
  13. ^ https://io9.gizmodo.com/dcs-young-animal-imprint-is-getting-a-cosmic-reshuffle-1821300634
  14. ^ Pulliam-Moore, Charles (May 10, 2018). "DC's Excellent Young Animal Imprint Is Coming to an End". io9. Retrieved August 12, 2018.
  15. ^ "Mother Panic Comic Series Reviews". ComicBookRoundUp. Retrieved August 13, 2018.
  16. ^ "Mother Panic: Gotham A.D. Comic Series Reviews". ComicBookRoundUp. Retrieved August 13, 2018.
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