Man-Eaters No. 7 review: And now for something from left field
Man-Eaters just threw a completely unexpected curveball!
Image Comics is the imprint to go with if you’re into non-superhero stories, or even stories about superheroes that don’t superhero. Letting the creator own their characters allows for a lot of freedom, and if Man-Eaters is one thing, it’s free. Free to tell a story about a world where women’s periods turn them into were-panthers, and the patriarchy that does it’s best to suppress those periods by putting estrogen in everything it can. Free to include stellar poems from the writer’s daughter. Free to be an indictment of society, and a hilarious and scathing indictment, at that. Writer Chelsea Cain, artist Kate Niemczyk, colorist Rachelle Rosenberg, letterer Joe Caramagna, and co-creator Lia Miternique are putting out one of the most enjoyable comics this year, and the latest issue completely flips the script on what appeared to be happening, which is an absolutely stellar move.
Image Comics
Man-Eaters is on some next-level “consider what you think you know” stuff
In the last issue of Man-Eaters, it was revealed that the missing girl, Sophie E., who likely had turned into a were-panther and was responsible for the recent killings in the area, was being harbored by Maude in her room. This issue begins with some ruminations about what safety actually means in this day and age, and then it dives right into cool graphs of what makes Maude’s mom tick. Her detective father has just found Sophie in her room and is preparing to have a serious talk when Maude’s mother arrives. Things quickly take a sinister turn, as Maude’s dad, Jeff, begins to explain his theory about Sophie being a were-panther, only for us to see Maude’s mom be quite dismissive.
Image Comics
The revolution will not be televised
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A S.W.A.T. team shows up, and it looks like they’re there for Sophie. But Maude’s mom takes action, and the officers are left unconscious on the ground. It’s at this point we realize that some major subterfuge has taken place. Then the issue gets meta by giving us twelve panels of illustrations of all the people who work on Man-Eaters, including Phoenix the cat. Not sure how it connects to the flow of the story. Then Maude’s mom has Mrs. Prescott, who we thought bit the dust several issues ago, radio a signal to an unknown party. Her mother then comforts her family and takes her ex-husband’s hand, and we see that she has vertical slit pupils, common to most felines.
Strange rituals bring discomfort in Isola No. 7!. dark. Next
Her mother was the were-panther all along! Or maybe one of the kids IS a were-panther, but she is too. Or maybe there’s a big ol’ conspiracy of women who want to be were-panthers, and Maude and her father are about to be brought into the fold. Or maybe this is the beginning of the revolution Maude was talking about at the beginning of the issue. Perhaps the story will take a militant turn. This revelation was completely unexpected, and this author can’t wait to see what future issues will have in store for Maude and company. 10/10, highly recommended. Let us know what you think will happen in the comments section below.