Voyaga – “Identity”

Voyaga is the only tale which has carried through the anthology so far, and I get more intrigued by the storyline with each issue. This time around, the audience is largely treated to details that help bring the stories together into a cohesive whole. I, for one, love these times when we get to catch up with how the story works.

Ionic continues to kill on art duties, and this chapter ends with a big cliffhanger. I can’t wait to see what happens next.

Kidthulu in “Fetch”

Fetch is just pure fun. See, the lead character is just like every other boy… except for the fact that he is a chthulu. So what if he’ll grow up to become a menacing monster. For now, he’s just a bored kid playing with his alien dog.

With plenty of nods to geek culture and loads of monster cuteness, Kidhulu’s short tale is a blast. I look forward to future tales from writer Martin Brandt and artist Jason Stephens.

Western Addition

The final story is a Western featuring a cowboy on the run. In these few pages, readers get all the staples of a good Western tale: horses, a shootout, and a little house on the prairie.

The story looks great (Where does Barrows find all these artists?!) and moves at a brisk pace. Readers catch a few details about the character based on the choices he makes, as there are few lines of dialogue in the story.

My only trouble with this little tale is that the lead character did not seem all that unique based on this story alone. I see he’s heroic and that he shoots well, but I don’t know how he’s supposed to be any different from other Western heroes.

Knowing writer Brandon Barrows’ previous work leads me to believe there are some unique traits to this hero; I just don’t know them yet.

Reasonably Priced Comics #3 delivers once again. I give this issue 4 of 5 stars.

For more info and to purchase books, please visit www.ReasonablyPricedComics.com/.

I’ve been a big fan of Jack Hammer since issue 1, and issue 3 continues the noir / superhero mashup with an introduction to the ultimate villain behind the crime. And this guy is no lightweight! He’s sure to give Hammer a run for his money.

Ionic continues to dazzle with his artwork. His character expression and dynamic action scenes are a fine example of the comic craft. The colors of this issue especially stood out. Much of this book has a similar feel to it in terms of lighting and shade, and the subtlety and skill of the shading stood out even more.

Barrows has crafted some very interesting characters in Jack Hammer. I’m really looking forward to learning about this villain as much as possible. His sinister nature lurks just below the surface, and he seems even creepier for it. It’s as if he’s just ready to explode with vile behavior at any moment, and we get to see a few of those moments in this issue.

Issue 3 has a ton of story to tell, and it unfortunately falls prey to some intensive blocks of text to convey the necessary information. The story is able to afford a little leeway here since it’s a noir tale with the lead character narrating, but even still the text felt a little heavy. There are moments either described in the text or assumed in the progression of panels that I wish we could have seen in action.

Still, there is plenty enough action to keep readers of superhero comics glued to the fights and car crashes, and the cliffhanger draws the reader in for the final issue of this mini-series.

Issue 3 is a fun read and a great setup to the big finale. 4 Stars

Learn more about the Jack Hammer comic series at Reasonably Priced Comics.

To draw in passers-by to our booth, we had people spin the Wheel of Doom to see if they would survive a Zombie Attack. If the wheel landed on one of the regular characters, then the contestant survived. If the wheel landed on a zombie… too bad, the contestant is now zombie munchies.

Check out all of our messages from the wheel.

The Survivors

• Randall’s speed and clever hiding places make him an impossible target for the lumbering zombies. You Survive!
• Randall is small and scrawny, making him no more than a light zombie snack. The zombies leave, looking for a meal.
• Gus grew up on this farm and knows the land like the back of his hand. He plans a series of ambushes and slowly wipes the zombies out. You survive!
• The zombies decide that Gus would be too tough and chewy. They opt for younger meat. You survive!
• Max is quicker and more capable than Gus & Randall. Remember, you just have to be faster than your friends. You survive!
• As an officer of the Wildlife Preserve Agency, Max is attuned to nature. He calls his furry friends to save him from zombies. You survive!

The Not-So-Fortunate

• You thought you would be a hero and fight the zombies solo with your bare hands. Hey, everyone makes mistakes.
• Your flesh is being devoured by a former world class chef. He realized that the meal (A.K.A. you) needed oregano.
• Surrounded by zombies, you break into Michael Jackson’s Thriller dance routine. The zombies dance for an hour, then still eat you afterwards.
• You try Halloween makeup to trick the zombies into thinking your one of them. They don’t buy it. They eat you instead.
• You are exhausted from running and take a quick catnap. You realize too late that the person spooning you is a zombie.

A Great Experience

Comic book shows are always fun for the opportunity to purchase new books, look for brand new series, and check out the costumes. We saw Superman, Spider-Man, Thor, Neytiri from Avatar, Darth Vader and several Imperial soldiers, Luke, Leia, the Ghostbusters, and even Jessica Rabbit! People go all out for those costumes! The woman who dressed up as the Avatar character spent 4 hours getting ready!

I think one of the biggest things that we took from the show is the need to get issue 2 done! We had lots of questions about the publication date of the next issue, and Ryan is hard at work churning out some art. We have the script completed, so now it’s time for Ryan to make it pretty.

We’ll certainly have updates as we go – and maybe even a few previews.

Quick shout-outs to RJ & Julia at Print Is Dead, a very cool imprint of Creeping Hemlock Press, and to our booth neighbor Amanda Rachels of Blind Eye Comics. We also had a great time getting to talk with comic pros Kody Chamberlain, Rob Guillory and Andy Kuhn. Thanks, guys!

The second issue of the Reasonably Priced Comics anthology is now available, and I can promise that the issue’s price agrees with the book’s title and that the book is more than worth the money. This issue has three short stories, including the ongoing tale Voyaga by series editor Brandon Barrows.

Before jumping into the reviews of the individual stories, let me quickly say that the cover art is absolutely incredible. I’ve been paying close attention to artist Ionic’s cover work, and I can’t get enough of it.

Voyaga – In this issue, we see lead character Dean Kirkland in a version of Earth in the distant future that has survived what appears to be the end of mankind. All of man’s architecture is left behind, but decay has set in over the hundreds of years since the construction of these buildings.

Voyaga continues the tradition of many science fiction stories like Planet of the Apes and I am Legend with the lone man facing a deserted world, and the short story reads like a scene from a novel. Barrows uses heavy narration to give readers a peek into the mind of the character, and the use of the first-person point of view throughout gives the text a sense of immediacy.

Artist Ionic simply kills on art, and his illustration of future environments and oversized, feral house pets is very entertaining. Even in moments of quiet exploration, the art catches the reader’s attention with an unusual angle or an extra level of detail. Barrows and Ionic work well together, allowing the art and the text to comment on one another without simply feeling repetitive.

My Way – Leppy Jooker would be a washed-up Vegas headliner if he were human. Instead, he’s an alien performer at the Starlight lounge in deep space, and he’s in trouble. Leppy only has a week to pay back his loan shark.

The art on this story is more cartoony than the first story, and it suits the mood of the light-hearted tale of heists and mobsters. Artist Robert Durham does a great job including a variety of aliens in music clubs in a Star Wars type manner.

There is a lot of text to squeeze into these panels, and the art felt a bit crowded at times. And even though the ending of the story was not really a surprise, Leppy is an entertaining character with wonderful dialogue. My favorite part of this entire story is the bits of lyrics we read from some of his hit songs, including the line “And that’s why there’s no ‘I’ in space.” No real explanation… it’s just there. And I love that type of humor.

The Communicators – The Communicators is mostly a silent tale showing the two men who lead virtually identical lives with drastically different attitudes. I don’t want to say too much about the plot in fear that I would ruin it for you, but the story is worth a close study. The story says a lot about man in very few words.

The creative team of Nichols and Calloway make great use of the page to show the duality of man. Readers can visually compare these two men through a series of snapshots all the way through their lives.

Final Verdict

Issue 2 of Reasonably Priced Comics is a strong anthology with solid stories and a great variety of themes. Check out Reasonably Priced Comics, and pick up an issue.

Set immediately after the defeat of Poland, issue one deals primarily with Orzel Bialy, the White Eagle of Poland. He is their defending champion, and he is full of rage after seeing his country conquered so easily. When he is outmatched in a battle against the Nazi superhero (or “progressives”), the rest of the Allied Forces are called to intervene.

Allied Forces is a combination of ideas like Captain America and the Justice Society of America along with some of the toys from the retro Hellboy / BPRD stuff. These are classic heroes, drawn in the style of Marvel’s and DC’s earliest line. I won’t spoil the story for you, but the reveal of retro technology at the end made me ready to see issue 2 right away!

My only criticism is that the characters feel a bit stiff in a few panels. By far, the majority of the art was dynamic and kept the pace moving, but there were a few cases where the characters could have been in a more active pose or leaning toward the “camera” a bit more. It’s obvious from looking through this issue that artist Joe Kuzma has real talent, and I look forward to seeing what he does in the rest of the series.

For me, the measure of the quality of a comic book is the attention to the little details. Big ideas are fairly common, but solid execution is rare. The creative team behind Allied Forces really went the extra mile to make this storytelling world come alive. Artistic touches like showing the underside of the White Eagle’s beak made his costume look like a real person could actually wear that outfit, and the writing included some dialog in German to help you feel the confusion that the Polish would have known upon watching these foreign conquerors.

Allied Forces is a tightly constructed book that is firmly rooted in the history of World War II with material that is fresh and engaging. You need to find this book and check it out. I give it a 4 out 5 stars.

Good news and bad news: a friend recently recommended an incredible webcomic to me that I absolutely love, but it’s going on a monthly schedule since the artist has been so busy. Apparently, he’s working on a series for IDW. Come on. You’re going to get industry recognition on a series with one of the bigger indie publishers? Where’s your dedication to webcomics? Ok, so I’m not that much of a jerk. Congratulations to artist David Wachter on the new gig, and I hope you are still able to find time for The Guns of Shadow Valley.

The Guns of Shadow Valley is a Western webcomic that captures the visual grit of Western movies like Unforgiven and the remake of 3:10 to Yuma. The art style has a rough, worn feel to it, and you can practically taste the sand in your teeth in this small desert town. Artist Wachter uses a subdued color palette to capture the washed out, sunburned look of the Old West, and he includes enough detail to record every weathered line on these cowboys’ faces.

The artistic team of Wachter, co-writer James Andrew Clark, and letterer Thomas Mauer have created a fascinating version of the Old West. Chinese immigrants are forced into menial labor, and their prize worker is the size of three NFL linebackers put together. A drunkard cowboy can move quicker than the eye can follow, and the town’s sheriff follows the laws that he believes are good and ignores the rest. The town’s blacksmith customizes rifles into new configurations while thankfully avoiding the ridiculous flavor of Wild, Wild West.

I started reading the series last week and got through a few pages of it before I was distracted by some emergency or another. This week, I finally had the opportunity to sit down and get wrapped up in the story, and I read the rest of the way through the tale in one sitting. This story is comparable to Oni Press’s Sixth Gun, though Wachter’s linework has a grittier feel than Brian Hurtt’s smooth, animated style. Shadow Valley seems more closely akin to movie Westerns, so Wachter’s art is a great fit. The Guns of Shadow Valley‘s use of supernatural elements are more subtle than Sixth Gun, and the webcomic leaves readers wanting more of each character’s mysterious abilities.

I’ve been in a Western mood over the past few months, and The Guns of Shadow Valley is a perfect solution.

Normally, I try to play the part of the ever-dedicated writer who hasn’t quite finished that breakthrough project… that one thing that will certainly rocket anyone to superstardom. But the truth of it is that the journey — the actual process of creation — has to be enjoyable (or cathartic or whatever) for any of these efforts to actually matter. And I am enjoying the process.

Even though my family had a few difficult times last week, my wife and I were able to get away and start the weekend with a lovely dinner over at the Galvez Restaurant in the French Quarter. My career directly provided for the opportunity as I was there to gather material to write blogs for both New Orleans Restaurants and Experience New Orleans.

It has been a wonderful experience to be able to tie in writing and creative expression into my day job. I’ve always tried to find work that would allow me the opportunity to pursue my passions, and I know how rare it is to find a job like that — especially in the midst of difficult economic times.

Another passion of mine is comic books and webcomics. Looking at my list of “to-do’s” and updates for the week, I realized again that I get to work with exceptional artists on a couple of different projects. Ryan Morris is hard at work on issue 2 of our zombie comic The Hidden, and I’ve been having a blast creating topical humor and long-form storytelling with John Davis on Next Door. Both guys have very different art styles, but they both have a very expressive style that keeps me riveted.

I adore storytelling, and collaborative storytelling only seems to elevate the process to the next level. It certainly takes the right combination of people to make it work, but I have been thrilled to see what’s come of mutual editing and encouragement.

This whole post may sound a little whimsical and perhaps even self-congratulatory. Truthfully, I couldn’t have planned all of this if I tried. (And I did try. It didn’t work out!) But it’s important to celebrate the process… to celebrate what we’ve already accomplished and / or have been given. Of course, I still have tons of stuff I’d like to do, but it’s nice to step back every once in a while and enjoy the view.

Captain America: The First Avenger

I grew up reading X-Men books and Superman, so I was never very familiar with Captain America. He always seemed like a more boring version of Superman. After all, he can’t fly, and he doesn’t have any extraordinary superpowers. His shield is supposedly really cool, but that’s nothing compared to the Son of Krypton. But, after seeing the trailer, I am really looking forward to this movie.

Actor Chris Evans was very enjoyable to watch in both The Losers and in Scott Pilgrim. He was even fun to watch in Push, though the movie was much less than I had hoped. It will be interesting to see him in such a straight, action hero kind of role. Other than Push, his roles have mostly relied on humor, and I don’t think we’ll see too much of that coming from Captain America.

Thor

I’m on the fence about this one. The movie appears enjoyable enough, but I’m not a major fan of the character Thor. Anthony Hopkins is a big draw, but I’ve certainly seen him in some movies that were real duds.

While I’m definitely committed to watching it on Netflix, a theater-viewing may be out for me.

Green Lantern

I want to like this movie, but I’m having trouble getting past Green Lantern’s mask. The whole rest of the suit doesn’t bother me, but the mask really throws me. For some reason, it seems like his eyes are set too close together or that he’s going to go cross-eyed. I know that it’s just CG over his regular facial structure, but the solid green color affects distance between his eyes in a weird way.

This one is entirely wait and see.

X-Men

I did not want to be interested in this movie. I’ve already seen 3 X-Men movies and a Wolverine movie, and only two of those films were worth owning. But dangit-all if this trailer doesn’t look fantastic. Taking superheroes back to the 60′s is a fantastic idea. Watchmen did it, but we mostly saw the heroes in their 80′s timeline. This film has the potential of combining the look of Mad Men and the quality and action of the first two X-Men movies (you know, the good ones).

Cowboys & Aliens

I wanted to get the superhero books out of the way first, but Cowboys & Aliens might be one of the movies I’m looking forward to most for the year. The whole idea is so ridiculous and looks like a ton of fun. After this project has been stuck in Hollywood Development Hell for the past ten years, it will be fascinating to see what actually makes it to the screen.

Here’s hoping that they don’t get too serious with the concept.

Am I missing a great reason to go see Thor or Green Lantern in theaters? Let me know in the comments section below? Is there another comic book movie that’s even better than these? Share with the rest of the class!