Comic Shots #14 with Ali Colluccio: The Shirley Temple of Doom and ‘Cleopatra in Space’

It’s back! Each week the iFanStaff passes along a tasty drink recipe and an even tastier comic book recommendation. The cocktail (or beer, or wine, or booze) and the comic can both be enjoyed independently, but they have a common theme and when served together they can make for the perfect reading experience.

Sometimes you come across a cocktail so epic that you must make sure everyone in the world knows about its awesomeness.

Enter the Shirley Temple of Doom.

As the very clever name would suggest, the drink is an amped up version of the classic virgin cocktail, the Shirley Temple. My good friend Chris Walsh introduced me to this recipe one night when we were out at a bar. The group of us were playing with our smartphones (as one does when they should be socializing) and Chris unearthed an old Evernote titled Shirley Temple of Doom. The source of the recipe may be lost to antiquity, but the recipe itself, as it appeared in Chris’ phone, is as follows:

The Shirley Temple of Doom
– Maker’s Mark
– Ginger Ale
– A metric shit-ton of cherries

Essentially it’s a bourbon and ginger with a lot of garnish. So feel free to use your preferred brand of bourbon (or ginger ale if you’re really picky) and enjoy. Personally, I like 1 ½ parts Maker’s Mark to 2 parts ginger ale, and at least 6 cherries. I guess it should be noted that the cherries you need a metric shit-ton of are Maraschino cherries, not fresh cherries from the produce section… although frozen cherries might work too…

Anyway. It is impossible to have this drink and not think of Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom. And while the film doesn’t hold up as well as Raiders or Last Crusade, it’s still full of fun, action, and adventure.

Enter Cleopatra in Space.

Like the Shirley Temple of Doom, I found Cleopatra in Space through a pleasant, random happenstance (it’s also so epic that I had to make sure everyone in the world knows about its awesomeness). Honestly, I have no idea how it didn’t come to my attention earlier because the comic is very much in my wheel house. And since the titles of the comic and the cocktail sound really fun and reference famous ladies, I thought this would be a match made in heaven.

Cleopatra in Space: Chapters 1 and 2
Written and drawn by Mike Maihack
http://cleopatrainspace.com

In Mike Maihack’s webcomic, a teenage Cleopatra (as in the Last Pharaoh of Ancient Egypt Cleopatra) has been brought to the very distant future (in a galaxy far, far away) by an organization called P.Y.R.A.M.I.D. to save their race from the evil Xerx empire. Kinda like Buzz Lightyear. Cleo is enrolled in a space military academy and the ever-suffering Khensu is charged with keeping an eye on the young would-be savior. Khensu is a space kitty.

This underlying storyline is brought in through some fantastic use of flashbacks and supporting scenes. But the main focus is the adventure. The first chapter opens mid-gun fight as a mission has gone slightly askew. Cleo and Khensu are making a frantic escape and their relationship of Good Cop/Fun Cop is quickly and easily established. Maihack’s smart, snappy dialog makes the trope fresh and interesting. As a fan of shows like Gilmore Girls and comics like Bryan Q. Miller’s Batgirl, I fell immediately in love with Cleo and Khensu’s great back-and-forth. The banter between the two just sings.

The artwork and visual storytelling in this comic are simply gorgeous. Maihack has a beautiful “cartoony” style full of personality, expression, and clean curves. The things that I love about Amanda Conner’s, I love about Mike Maihack’s art. This style works extremely well for the wacky, outer space adventure of the comic. There are a lot of guns in this book–ray guns, blasters, stuff only Cable would carry–as well as some out-there technology only found in classic sci-fi. And it all looks brilliant. There may not be anything particularly ground-breaking about the layouts, but this is expert storytelling with a very cinematic look and feel. Whether you’re reading the first chapter in black and white or the second chapter in full color, this book is very easy on the eyes.

Cleopatra in Space is right up there with Buck Rogers and Flash Gordon and all those sci-fi pulps that inspired the likes of George Lucas and Steven Spielberg. Maihack delivers a story packed with action, adventure, chases, escapes, and pure, unadulterated fun. Cleo is a wonderfully charismatic leading lady that you can’t help but want to follow into immanent danger.

And there’s a space kitty!

Chapter 3 of Cleopatra in Space starts up early next year. But in the meantime you can check out Chapters 1 and 2 online or buy the collected editions.

Ali Colluccio enjoys comics, cocktails, and curling. You can contact her at ali@ifanboy.com (or bug her on Twitter) to suggest a cocktail or comic of your own, because good drinks and good comics should be shared.

Please obey the law and only drink if you are of age. Drink responsibly and never drink and drive. Buy the comics that make you happy, and when they do, pass them on!