Comics Portal: ‘Crocodile Black’ and the Effects of the Pandemic

I think we’ve hopefully reached the place where we can talk about the recent COVID-19 pandemic and explore its effects on us!

MORE ABOUT ‘CROCODILE BLACK’

Never one to shy away from intriguing and even possibly controversial topics, writer Phillip Kennedy Johnson, who is currently doing a high-power job on Marvel’s The Incredible Hulk, is bringing “a new pandemic-era thriller” to BOOM! Studios starting in May, as reported here at MajorSpoilers.

Here’s the description of Crocodile Black:

“What makes someone turn to crime–especially in a modern, pandemic-riddled dystopia?

During the height of the 2020 COVID-19 Pandemic, Danny–a seemingly mundane young man lost in escapism with a spiraling lack of control over his life–sees something during a delivery job that will change him forever, turning his life as dark as the black, crocodile-skin boots he can’t take his eyes off of…. It’s about a COVID-era kid with no prospects of finding something he never knew he wanted, and using it to become someone he never knew he wanted to be: a dangerous man.”

Johnson also said that “at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, I was fascinated with how many people left behind jobs they hated or college programs they were never that interested in, and pursued paths they’d been afraid to before.” He referred to Crocodile Black as “a thought-provoking, disturbing take” on that specific phenomenon. “Given the opportunity, could I be capable of great things, too… or terrible things?”

Hey, even the title has me intrigued!

IS IT TOO SOON?

I have often said in this column that I simply couldn’t wait to not hear the term “COVID-19” again after all the times I had to refer to it and the pandemic’s influence on the comics industry. So, has enough time and experience passed so that we can actually look back on that event and see what happened to us during it?

I think so. I also watched some reporting on the pandemic recently, and I saw that much of it focused on us surviving. We didn’t see much about how we were influenced by the entire event. I mean, I did see discussions about how closed schools impacted children and their development, but how did COVID-19 and the shutdown affect others? I didn’t see much about that, sadly.

It’s been months now since the shutdown and eventual re-opening of schools and other institutions. I do think that we can look into potential experiences some might have dealt with.

Granted, this is a comic book! Did this exact thing happen to someone during the pandemic? Doubtful, but in my opinion, it certainly was possible! We never should totally discount potential happenings. What worries me is that this might actually be calm and quiet compared to what actually took place during COVID-19. Yeesh!

JOHNSON TACKLES THIS KIND OF THING WELL

If there is a writer who could tell this kind of story effectively, it is Phillip Kennedy Johnson. He recently wrote some excellent Superman as well as his current run on the Hulk (not to mention his other writings). See, I have always wondered why people looked at this huge, green, barely clothed monster as someone or something heroic. However, if you are hanging around with mythological gods and people who can shrink or expand in size, well, I guess that just might fit in that team.

If you haven’t been reading his Hulk, I highly recommend it. It is truly a horror comic. Hulk is not only having to deal with Bruce Banner, who is a part of him, but he’s dealing with other unpredictable creatures with amazing and deadly abilities that make them supremely dangerous.

All I can say is, It’s about time!

Johnson has been telling stories that made my head spin for many years! One of my very favorites, and I actually got to tell him so during a comic-con, was Last Sons of America. Of course, it was not a monster tale, but it had an extreme event—a biological terror attack that made it impossible in America for anyone to conceive a child—which shook the country to its core in this book. The whole concept was something that addressed the notion of how the United States would survive if the citizens could not reproduce. They would have to access children from other countries, so they become very valuable commodities.

Wow! That book had smoke pouring out of my ears because it was so thoughtful, scary, and fascinating.

This creator dealing with the pandemic and its results is something I surely want to read!

Crocodile Black #1 will be released in local comic shops on Wednesday, May 8, 2024. Let your LCS know you want to order it as soon as you can!

What do you think? Are we ready to buy and read a comic about the recent pandemic and its effects on people? Does a crime drama focusing on that area interest you? Is a comic dealing with COVID-19 truly a horror story? Whatever your opinions, be sure to share them in the space below!

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