SATYR #0
Review by Cliff Biggers - Comic Shop News
I confess... I jumped to the wrong conclusions when I first saw this comic. Given the title and the cover image, complete with a horns-and-hoofs title character, I was fearing a dreary, cliched sex farce. What I got instead was a clever, lightly irreverent story obviously inspired by a deep appreciation for ancient Greek culture and literature.
Silenus, king of all the woodland creatures, is the focal Satyr of the series; in this introductory issue, he celebrates the Dionysian festival with a play of his own creation, a light-hearted retelling of the classic story of Oedipus, son of Laius and Jocasta, who tried ineffectually to evade his own fate. The retelling is fascinating on its own -- but placed in context with the charming framing sequence, the book's blend of legend, literature, and sometimes-jarring contemporary sensibilities is reminiscent of such works as Stig's Inferno, Epicurus the Sage, and The Cartoon History of the Universe.
All in all, a most Satyrs-fying read; I'm eager to see what else Indovina has in store for upcoming issues!
Review by Rose Silpayamanant - Sequential Tart (www.sequentialtart.com)
At a feast to Dionysus, Silenus, king of the Satyrs, leads his followers in a performance of his own setting of Oedipus Rex, entitled "Satyr but Wiser". The play is not only an accurate retelling of the Oedipus myth, but also a hilarious post-modern performance with consistently funny jokes. Silenus himself stars as a pot-bellied Oedipus in a cast that includes a Sphinx with Freud's head and a Greek chorus of Three-Stooges-like Satyrs.
As far as I'm concerned, Satyr is just about as good as it gets! The Greek major in me is glad to see the concept of Satyr Plays getting translated for a modern audience, and Indovina clearly knows his classics. The art is clean and cartoony, totally appropriate for the over-the-top story. The writing is top-notch: concise and funny. Even better, I didn't notice a single typo, which is a nice change from many comic books - mainstream or independent. Admittedly, I'm probably in Satyr's target audience, but I'm looking forward to lending it to my younger brothers, who may not remember the myth but will appreciate the humor. And unlike ancient Greek Satyr plays, Satyr is actually family fare.
SATYR #1
Review by Paul Dale Roberts - Jazma (http://jazmaonline.com)
Who needs Tom Green or MTV's Jackass for laughs when you can find them right here in Satyr? Mike Indovina knows his Mythology well, and places great humor on myths of old. What I really enjoyed was the way he incorporates some 21st century humor into the story as well. In the beginning there is an homage to Mother Gaea by a satyr named Dionysus, and from here on out the story starts rolling with fun and excitement! There are satyrs aplenty -- and what is cool is that the characters of this comic book realize they are part of a comic book for other people's entertainment. In fact, some of the characters even walk around the panels. I had a good laugh as the satyrs, in unison, yell out that the Dionysus wine was made in New York City! Then I got a real treat with the story of the Cyclops. This is one funny looking cyclops named Polyphemus, who claims to be the son of Poseidon. I love Mike's artwork. It's very cartoonish, and does well with the story. A very hilarious moment takes place as Polyphemus starts chasing around a male satyr, thinking he is a female. Yep, the cyclops gets blinded, but it's done in such a way that you won't have time to feel sad for the poor guy, and you'll still be busting up your stitches with laughter. Satyr is a smack dab hit, and I wouldn't be surprised to see it climb the comic book charts into the #1 spot!
Review by David LeBlanc - Comic Book Net Electronic Magazine (http://members.aol.com/ComicBkNet)
The first issue covers the classic Greek myth of Odysseus and the Cyclops. The set up involves the main characters of the book, a group of satyrs and the main character, Silenus. The newly reborn god, Dionysus is kidnapped by some people posing as satyrs and whisked off to New York. Yeah, this is in modern times but the point is Silenus starts to tell a tale of how Dionysus was kidnapped by pirates. Silenus and the others went to sea in search of him and shipwrecked on the Cyclops' Island where they are forced to tend his flock of sheep and keep his house.
One day, Odysseus arrives hoping to trade wine for food and water. Before Silenus can complete the trade, Polyphemus the Cyclops returns. Hoping to save himself, Silenus lies about the visitors and the cyclops shows his taste for human flesh, trapping the rest in a cave. The rest is pretty much the classic tale of how they get the cyclops drunk and then blind him so they can escape. The fun is the spin on the story like the Cyclops naming of his antagonist "Oh, Dis I is" but he prefers to call him nobody. Of course later as he calls to his brothers that "Nobody has blinded me!", they laugh at the joke rather than take it serious.
The art is in line with the cartoonish nature of the story and their are lots of puns which will make you laugh or groan depending on how you take those kind of jokes. All in all a decent first issue and a bit of fun for everyone.
SATYR #2
Review by David LeBlanc - Comic Book Net Electronic Magazine (http://members.aol.com/ComicBkNet)
This is an interesting comic as it has different levels of story. The bigger story is that Dionysus appears to the satyrs every year for a ritual. The whys and wherefores of that ritual are explained at the end of this issue for at the start of the book he is not where he should be, he has been kidnapped and taken to New York City. So Silenus is sent to retrieve him. Now, a Satyr is a satyr. They have small horns and hoofs for feet but even so he does not try to disguise himself. And after all, this is New York City! That will give you the idea of the tone of this comic. It is lighthearted humor from the secluded mythical society to the streets of modern U.S. Silenus tracks down his objective but can't get to him right away. Lucky for him a centaur in disguise is there to help.
I mentioned levels in the story and within this part Silenus pauses to tell Cheiron the centaur the story of King Midas. We have all heard it before and seen interpretations but this one is different and involves Dionysus. One nice thing that Mike throws in is little jokes by satyrs in the gutters of the panels. Some are corny and some are just sarcastic commentary but they add to the entertainment without distracting.
After the rescue succeeds, Dionysus is awoken from the spell he was in and takes his place in Nysa for the ceremony. Here we learn his true nature, that he dies to fertilize the earth so that all things may be renewed when the spring comes.
The title is a pleasant mixture of interesting
mythological fact with humorous fiction. The art style is unique
and engaging. Even the letters page adds another dimension. Well
there are really two, the real one and the ASK SILENUS page. If
you are not fond of puns and plays on words do not go near the
latter. You may be able to find #1 still at your store, if not
go to the web page above and check out what this fun comic is
all about.
Review by Paul Dale Roberts - Jazma (http://jazmaonline.com)
Lots of great laughter comes with Satyr #2 -- Greek and Roman mythology mixed with modern urban adventure. From a land of fantasy on the island of Nysa, you the reader are then transported into the modern streets of New York. You never know where you are going with this story. You'll frolic with various Satyrs, and may even encounter a Satyr in human clothing. You'll encounter a cool Centaur who teams up with a Satyr and it's hard to predict what will happen next. There are a lot of great twists and turns to this story. You'll watch how a Satyr handles a hold up in New York and watch his extraordinary powers. Yes, this is a strange fantasy indeed and it only gets stranger as the Satyrs communicate with the great god Zeus via an electronic speaker. At the height of the strangeness comes a Sphinx that has a human nerdy head, you'll have some of the characters looking at you from behind a panel, heck you'll even get a full King Midas story thrown into the mix. Sit back and enjoy -- because with all of the fun, you'll find a moral to the story even though you are aware that a demi-god Satyr still lives and owns a chain of muffler shops! The two main things I learned from this story is that Prometheus created all living things and life begins anew. You'll find out why Dionysus died, came back alive, and died again. Mike Indovina takes ancient mythology, does a few adjustments, and comes up with the brilliant saga called: Satyr!
SATYR COLOR SPECIAL #1
Review by Paul Dale Roberts - Jazma (http://jazmaonline.com)
I love myths. I have always believed that myths have a foundation to reality. The Satyr comic book is the best mythical comic book I have come across since the Silver Age Marvel's Thor and all of the mythical gods of Asgard. As a kid, I was awe struck in thinking that there could be a place called Asgard, and that a powerful god named Odin ruled this heavenly kingdom. I am now an adult and I found myself awe struck with Satyr! There is a lot of research placed into this comic book story and the myths come to life with Satyr. Imagine the god Apollo talking eloquently to the many Satyrs that live on some forsaken island. Imagine the Satyrs paying great homage to this mighty god. Imagine Apollo enjoying this Satyr retreat from his other godly duties. Imagine watching a Satyr named Skeledros prepare for a special performance for Apollo. Yep! Your imagination can go wild with Satyr. Besides the mythical boundaries that this story has, there is also some hilarious humor. I found myself laughing hysterically when the Satyr leader Silenus and his servant Polynymphes discuss a former ladder and latter ladder. There is some confusion to the wording and it kind of reminded me of humor found with great comedians like Abbott and Costello or Laurel and Hardy. There is music competition as the Satyrs pay great respect to Apollo. Now, tell me if I am seeing things. Did I see the Banana Splits with the Satyrs in this story? Nah ... must have been seeing things. Hmmmm. Silenus does a great Elvis impersonator routine and Apollo didn't know what to think of it, but still shows gratitude for the performance. There is even some drama as Apollo searches out for a thief and discovers Hermes - God of the Internet! Satyr is the next level of enjoyable comic book reading! Make sure to put this on your buy list!
Review by David LeBlanc - Comic Book Net Electronic Magazine (http://members.aol.com/ComicBkNet)
If you haven't caught the earlier issues, the idea is that the satyrs of ancient legends have tales to tell us and they do so; thereby bringing a bit of knowledge of the myths of ancient Greece to the readers with a lot of modern fun along the way. This time they prepare for their annual music festival. Each participant vies for the prize from Apollo, the god of music himself. But how did the gift of music come into being? One participant uses the contest to relate that story and hopefully win the god's favor. Meanwhile as each act is getting ready you see that wonderful sense of humor that Mike brings. Satyrs dressed up like the Monkees and other pop-culture characters. All through the book characters break the fourth wall by peaking from behind panels to make sarcastic comments. As the competition heats up it looks like Silenus will win with his Elvis impression (yeah I know, weird) but one more contestant, Skeledros shows up. He has a ballad, told to him by the Muse on how music came to be. Long a go Apollo's cattle were stolen. The satyrs found out and began looking with him. Soon they heard strange sounds from a cave. Soon they learn it is Hermes, god of messengers, travelers and the Internet. He explains the mystery of the lost cows and the "noise" from the cave. This is really a fun title. Every pages is filled with chuckles and the stories are interesting as well. There is plot, conflict and resolution like any well structured writing should have. This is the kind of comic that keeps the funny in funny books. It is a treat for all ages.
Interview by Paul Dale Roberts - Jazma (http://jazmaonline.com)
Paul Dale Roberts: Mike, tell us something about yourself. Your family life. Schools you attended, how you got into the comic book industry, etc.
Mike Indovina: I attended Loyola University here in Chicago, then the Joe Kubert School of Cartoon and Graphic art. My first comic was called Chimera, and was published by a small company called 5th Panel Comics. I did five ashcan-sized issues with them, then I decided to self publish. I started Satyr Play Productions in the mid 90s, and did five more issues (full-sized this time) of Chimera. Last year I did Satyr #0, which was picked up by Diamond Comic Distributors. Now I hope to keep doing Satyr for as long as I can.
PDR: How did you come up with the idea of Satyr?
MI: Well, in ancient Greece, they would always top off a trilogy of tragic plays with something called a satyr play. Satyr plays were humorous versions of the myths with satyrs inserted into the stories. Only one of these satyr plays still exists today, The Cyclops, on which issue #1 of Satyr is loosely based.
PDR: Will Satyr be a continuing series?
MI: The gods be willing!
PDR: What other plans do you have for Satyr?
MI: Oh, I have many plans. Each issue will incorporate a story from Greek Mythology or History -- made over to my specifications, of course.
PDR: Tell us about some of the characters of Satyr?
MI: First of all, most of the characters are satyrs. For those who don't know, a satyr is half man, half goat or horse. They are generally depicted as fun-loving characters who enjoy the simple pleasures of life. They love to drink and eat and dance and ... well, you get the idea. The main character is Silenus. I call him the King of the Satyrs, though he's not really a king -- the satyrs have no real government -- he's just the oldest and wisest. I say oldest -- but in my world, satyrs don't age, so Silenus is still pretty chipper for someone who's pushing 4000. Another satyr is named Skeledros. He's the youngest of the lot, and is something of a brown noser. Satyr also includes a host of other creatures, including centaurs, nymphs, and anything else I feel like drawing.
PDR: Do you have a background in mythology?
MI: I've been reading Mythology since I've been old enough to read.
PDR: How do you come up with your storylines?
MI: The original myths are my main inspiration. I just think of an old story, and try to figure out how I could do it with satyrs.
PDR: I love your artwork. How did you become so good?
MI: Well, I've been drawing a long time. It's been a constant struggle -- I try to improve my work with every project I do. I also learned a lot at the Kubert School about figure drawing and sequential storytelling. I highly recommend it!
PDR: What comic cons will you be attending in the future?
MI: I'm always at the Wizard World Chicago con. Hopefully I'll branch out more in the near future.
PDR: This ends the interview. Thank you. Any parting words?
MI: Just this: Thanks ever so much for doing this interview. Truly, I am blessed by the gods!