Grandville
Written by Bryan Talbot
Pencils by Bryan Talbot
Dark Horse Comics
I have to start this review by simply stating that whenever a graphic novel is afforded the luxury of a hardcover printing, it just gains a level of aesthetic enjoyment that is difficult to explain. I suppose in part it’s the satisfaction of seeing a medium I’ve loved for years reach the acceptance level to warrant hardcover treatment.
As you may have guessed by now Grandville is a hardcover. It has a ‘leather-look’ cover, with raised lettering, which gives it an old-book look and feel. That is again an esthetic plus.
However, a cover only attracts the eye to a book. What’s inside is ultimately what’s important.
In this case creator Bryan Talbot has created a tale which draws on a number of classic elements.
The main character Detective Inspector LeBrock of Scotland Yard is equal parts Sherlock Holmes and James Bond, and oh yes did I mention he’s a badger.
Yep, Talbot has populated the story with talking critters, who all hold a higher station in life in this alternate reality tale than do humans. That in itself is not new either, but it does add to the fun. Anthropomorphic tales are generally fun romps.
And while this is a rather gritty detective story with blood splashes on a few pages, one can’t help but get a few smiles either.
The setting is a ‘steampunk’ one, set in a more or less Victorian age, in a reality where England and France are not on good terms -- OK that’s pretty standard too.
The art here is lavish and striking, and that will bring a lot of readers to Grandville. Once you get into the story you will enjoy it as a detective yarn in the grandest tradition.
Talbot said a number of classic tales were in his mind as Grandville took shape.
“I got the original idea while looking at a book of illustrations by the early 19th century French artist Jean Ignace Isadore Gerard, who worked under the pen name JJ Grandville. He did many drawings of anthropomorphic animals in then contemporary dress,” said Talbot. “Britain also has a long tradition of anthropomorphic comic characters and I grew up reading comics like Rupert the Bear, Harold Hare and Korky the Cat. By the way, the apparent suicide near the beginning of the story takes place in Rupert Bear’s village, Nutwood, and you can see his dad gardening in the background. So Rupert was a big influence, as was Kenneth Graham’s The Wind in the Willows.
“The French illustrator Albert Robida was another. He was really the first science fiction artist and something of a visionary.
“Other influences are the Sherlock Holmes stories of Conan Doyle and some of Quentin Tarantino’s films.”
Talbot said the development of Grandville was really quite a departure for him in as much as everything fell into place rather quickly in terms of story and design.
“I usually think about graphic novels for a long while before starting them, often for years, but in this case I had the idea in one big rush and sat down and wrote the first draft of the script in a week,” he said. “It was like taking dictation. I was so excited by it I had to do it as my next book.”
The art style came along easily too.
“I did a sample illustration in the style I used in the book at the same time that I did the proposal, so that publishers could get an idea of what the artwork would look like,” said Talbot.
The final result is one the creator is rightfully proud of.
“I’m extremely happy with both. I’ve never really done a book like it,” said Talbot.
For the fans of Inspector LeBrock, and that is likely to be anyone who gives Grandville a read, the good news it that there is more to come.
“In Grandville Mon Amour, Detective Inspector LeBrock of Scotland Yard is pitted against a crazed serial killer, an urban guerrilla fighter who’s an old adversary,” said Talbot.
The creator added “there are some sample pages and a trailer here: http://www.bryan-talbot.com/grandville/index.php#grandvilletourdates
Check it out, this is one well worth picking up.
-- CALVIN DANIELS
-- Appeared on Yorkton This Week WebXtra
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
Review -- LUTU: WARRIOR OF THE NORTH
Lutu: Warrior of the North
Written by Steve Coffin
Pencils by Steve Coffin
Ronin Studios
It’s always refreshing to see a comicbook creator who is willing to go against the grain so to speak. Steve Coffin has done that with Lutu: Warrior of the North.
Lutu is part Xena Warrior Princess and part Groo the Wanderer. That is to say Coffin mixes the tried and true storyline of a warrior that might be Red Sonja, yet mixes in the humour.
Coffin also has drawn Lutu different than you might expect. He uses a more cartoon-oriented style, again reminiscent of Groo. I like that for a change of pace.
And, then there is Lutu herself. The tendency is to draw female warriors as skinny amazons, with overly developed breasts.
Coffin has created a more bodacious, chubby heroine, which is refreshing in a world where we seem preoccupied by some media imposed vision of perfection.
Not surprisingly, the idea for Lutu actually started with a woman.
“The original idea for Lutu Warrior of the North came from my wife,” said Coffin. “She suggested that I do a parody book of all those muscle-bound Barbarian stories but that the central character not be your typical warrior woman.
“Then, over time, Lutu was born and the character became a plus size cook who is the twin sister of a famous warrior.”
Artistically, Coffin said he was trying something different with Lutu.
“Previously I had done the comic Kung Fu Engine which was a very stylized art style the borrowed heavily from the Manga Chibi style,” he said. “This time around I wanted a more cartoon style and I went back to one of my old favorites Asterix the Gaul for inspiration.”
Overall, Lutu is just different enough to make it stand out amid the norm in the current comicbook field. It’s not an overly fantastic story, average really, but the attempt to make it different makes it a title to check out.
Coffin is certainly satisfied with Issue #1.
“I am very pleased with the book. I feel that it establishes the central characters and sets the scene for the adventures to follow,” he said. “The book was completely hand drawn and inked which was a complete departure from my previous digital work. Issue two is going to be half and half thanks to the new pen tablet.
“Also I would like to thank the pinup artists Cal Slayton and James V. West for their contributions.”
And Coffin said he has more story to tell too.
“Issue two is coming next, that is due out in the new year under the Ronin Studios Banner, and this will complete the first part of the story,” he said. “Issue three, which is a one-shot, is in the pipeline and I am also working on a pitch for an independent comic publisher at the moment.”
Lutu Warrior of the North #1 can be found online at www.indyplanet.com
Also the Lutu Website is at: http://www.stevecoffin.com/lutu with the publisher website: http://www.ronin-studios.com/
-- CALVIN DANIELS
-- Appeared on Yorkton This Week WebXtra
Written by Steve Coffin
Pencils by Steve Coffin
Ronin Studios
It’s always refreshing to see a comicbook creator who is willing to go against the grain so to speak. Steve Coffin has done that with Lutu: Warrior of the North.
Lutu is part Xena Warrior Princess and part Groo the Wanderer. That is to say Coffin mixes the tried and true storyline of a warrior that might be Red Sonja, yet mixes in the humour.
Coffin also has drawn Lutu different than you might expect. He uses a more cartoon-oriented style, again reminiscent of Groo. I like that for a change of pace.
And, then there is Lutu herself. The tendency is to draw female warriors as skinny amazons, with overly developed breasts.
Coffin has created a more bodacious, chubby heroine, which is refreshing in a world where we seem preoccupied by some media imposed vision of perfection.
Not surprisingly, the idea for Lutu actually started with a woman.
“The original idea for Lutu Warrior of the North came from my wife,” said Coffin. “She suggested that I do a parody book of all those muscle-bound Barbarian stories but that the central character not be your typical warrior woman.
“Then, over time, Lutu was born and the character became a plus size cook who is the twin sister of a famous warrior.”
Artistically, Coffin said he was trying something different with Lutu.
“Previously I had done the comic Kung Fu Engine which was a very stylized art style the borrowed heavily from the Manga Chibi style,” he said. “This time around I wanted a more cartoon style and I went back to one of my old favorites Asterix the Gaul for inspiration.”
Overall, Lutu is just different enough to make it stand out amid the norm in the current comicbook field. It’s not an overly fantastic story, average really, but the attempt to make it different makes it a title to check out.
Coffin is certainly satisfied with Issue #1.
“I am very pleased with the book. I feel that it establishes the central characters and sets the scene for the adventures to follow,” he said. “The book was completely hand drawn and inked which was a complete departure from my previous digital work. Issue two is going to be half and half thanks to the new pen tablet.
“Also I would like to thank the pinup artists Cal Slayton and James V. West for their contributions.”
And Coffin said he has more story to tell too.
“Issue two is coming next, that is due out in the new year under the Ronin Studios Banner, and this will complete the first part of the story,” he said. “Issue three, which is a one-shot, is in the pipeline and I am also working on a pitch for an independent comic publisher at the moment.”
Lutu Warrior of the North #1 can be found online at www.indyplanet.com
Also the Lutu Website is at: http://www.stevecoffin.com/lutu with the publisher website: http://www.ronin-studios.com/
-- CALVIN DANIELS
-- Appeared on Yorkton This Week WebXtra
Review -- TALON
Talon
Written by Scottie Watson
Pencils by Scottie Watson
Spa Comics Group
If you’re a comicbook geek, the idea of a beautiful woman wearing very little in the way of armor, but carrying a really big sword, is automatically a character that is going to attract attention.
If you fit that mold, you have to take a long look at the promo edition of Talon by creator Scottie Watson. Talon is the atypical medieval sword swinging heroine. Add in a big baddie with magical powers, and you have a storyline that is older than Lord of the Rings, but still as popular as ever.
“Originally, I developed the concept for Talon after being introduced to T. H. White’s ‘The Once and Future King’ by a friend,” said Watson. “I was just a kid and I was so caught up in the legend of King Arthur and the Knights of the Roundtable that I started reading more books set in the medieval time period which eventually led to watching every film I could as well as researching books at the library that was set in that time period.
“It wasn’t until after I read about Joan of Arc years later that I knew I wanted to make Talon a strong lead female character. Her story really moved me. I felt strongly that I wanted the story of Talon to move people in the same way Joan of Arc’s story did with me.
“Joan’s story led me to delve deep into the Hundred Years War and Joan’s role in it. I began developing more characters and working them into the time line of the Hundred Years War mixing fiction with fact. For example: King Gervase, the evil ruler in Talon, is responsible for the creation of the black plague in my story. He’s also responsible for Joan of Arc’s demise. It’s a case of mistaken identity. He believes Joan is Talon.
“There are tons of plots and sub-plots to keep readers interested. By blending fact with fiction Talon's story is sure to entertain readers of all ages.”
That is one of the shortcomings of a preview issue of course, the creator doesn't get to reveal a whole lot of the overall story vision in only 12-pages. That said Watson’s ideas do bode well for the future of Talon.
Artistically, Watson’s renderings are all right here, but in checking out some of his other art online, he can do better.
Talon is in black and white, and at times Watson has used too much black, leading scenes to sort of get lost in the gray zone. I would expect moving forward Watson improves on the art side.
“My artistic style is still evolving really,” he said. “I hope it never stops.
“But as for the look of Talon, yes, there is a plan. In the beginning of her story the art will be lighter because she’s still so innocent but as she see’s more death and encounters even more battles the art will become darker to set the tone and mood, matching the story content.
“Just like in real life where we have days that are joyous and days that are dark so will Talon. Her tale is one that will test morality unlike any before it and the art will reflect this.
“I try to convey emotion within my art by varying the overall look in hopes of creating the visual atmosphere needed to relay the appropriate feeling to the reader. Much like music where certain sounds are used to evoke feelings of anger, love, sadness and fear as examples, I try to do the same with my art.”
While there are shortcomings given it is a promo, Watson himself is satisfied with what he established with the book.
“I’m very happy with the story. Issue 0 introduces readers to some of the characters from the regular series without giving anything away,” he said. “There are so many planned cliffhangers in the regular series that after each issue readers will be asking questions while at the same time others will be answered.
“Since I’m an independent I don’t have the same rules as the mainstream titles have in regards to marketing and can write interesting stories that will shock readers. Who knows what I’ll do with these characters and that keeps it interesting for me and the readers.
“Talon’s look will change as the story develops and situations arise that require her to wear a full suit of armor and just as the story will grow so will the look of the characters. Talon will be a thrill ride from the first issue to the last both visually and contextually.”
In terms of story, Watson really is thinking in rather epic terms.
“Right now I’m writing the 128 page Talon graphic novel, Issue 1 of the Talon Animake Over series which is Talon made over Manga style as well creating a Talon sketchbook,” he said.
“Talon is being published by Dimestore Productions but is also being carried and marketed by Red Handed Studios.
“Unfortunately it’s not being carried by comic shops but the plan is to get them in the stores by fans demanding it. The thing about creating a new property is it doesn’t stop at comics. There are other ways to get the product name out there to create the demand so I’ve been producing Talon eCards and Talon merchandise such as mugs, T-shirts, hoodies etc. All of this and more about Talon can be found on the Talon fan site at http://www.facebook.com/l/b53c2;www.thetalonchronicles.ning.com
The book is available through the same website.
-- CALVIN DANIELS
-- Appeared on Yorkton This Week WebXtra
Written by Scottie Watson
Pencils by Scottie Watson
Spa Comics Group
If you’re a comicbook geek, the idea of a beautiful woman wearing very little in the way of armor, but carrying a really big sword, is automatically a character that is going to attract attention.
If you fit that mold, you have to take a long look at the promo edition of Talon by creator Scottie Watson. Talon is the atypical medieval sword swinging heroine. Add in a big baddie with magical powers, and you have a storyline that is older than Lord of the Rings, but still as popular as ever.
“Originally, I developed the concept for Talon after being introduced to T. H. White’s ‘The Once and Future King’ by a friend,” said Watson. “I was just a kid and I was so caught up in the legend of King Arthur and the Knights of the Roundtable that I started reading more books set in the medieval time period which eventually led to watching every film I could as well as researching books at the library that was set in that time period.
“It wasn’t until after I read about Joan of Arc years later that I knew I wanted to make Talon a strong lead female character. Her story really moved me. I felt strongly that I wanted the story of Talon to move people in the same way Joan of Arc’s story did with me.
“Joan’s story led me to delve deep into the Hundred Years War and Joan’s role in it. I began developing more characters and working them into the time line of the Hundred Years War mixing fiction with fact. For example: King Gervase, the evil ruler in Talon, is responsible for the creation of the black plague in my story. He’s also responsible for Joan of Arc’s demise. It’s a case of mistaken identity. He believes Joan is Talon.
“There are tons of plots and sub-plots to keep readers interested. By blending fact with fiction Talon's story is sure to entertain readers of all ages.”
That is one of the shortcomings of a preview issue of course, the creator doesn't get to reveal a whole lot of the overall story vision in only 12-pages. That said Watson’s ideas do bode well for the future of Talon.
Artistically, Watson’s renderings are all right here, but in checking out some of his other art online, he can do better.
Talon is in black and white, and at times Watson has used too much black, leading scenes to sort of get lost in the gray zone. I would expect moving forward Watson improves on the art side.
“My artistic style is still evolving really,” he said. “I hope it never stops.
“But as for the look of Talon, yes, there is a plan. In the beginning of her story the art will be lighter because she’s still so innocent but as she see’s more death and encounters even more battles the art will become darker to set the tone and mood, matching the story content.
“Just like in real life where we have days that are joyous and days that are dark so will Talon. Her tale is one that will test morality unlike any before it and the art will reflect this.
“I try to convey emotion within my art by varying the overall look in hopes of creating the visual atmosphere needed to relay the appropriate feeling to the reader. Much like music where certain sounds are used to evoke feelings of anger, love, sadness and fear as examples, I try to do the same with my art.”
While there are shortcomings given it is a promo, Watson himself is satisfied with what he established with the book.
“I’m very happy with the story. Issue 0 introduces readers to some of the characters from the regular series without giving anything away,” he said. “There are so many planned cliffhangers in the regular series that after each issue readers will be asking questions while at the same time others will be answered.
“Since I’m an independent I don’t have the same rules as the mainstream titles have in regards to marketing and can write interesting stories that will shock readers. Who knows what I’ll do with these characters and that keeps it interesting for me and the readers.
“Talon’s look will change as the story develops and situations arise that require her to wear a full suit of armor and just as the story will grow so will the look of the characters. Talon will be a thrill ride from the first issue to the last both visually and contextually.”
In terms of story, Watson really is thinking in rather epic terms.
“Right now I’m writing the 128 page Talon graphic novel, Issue 1 of the Talon Animake Over series which is Talon made over Manga style as well creating a Talon sketchbook,” he said.
“Talon is being published by Dimestore Productions but is also being carried and marketed by Red Handed Studios.
“Unfortunately it’s not being carried by comic shops but the plan is to get them in the stores by fans demanding it. The thing about creating a new property is it doesn’t stop at comics. There are other ways to get the product name out there to create the demand so I’ve been producing Talon eCards and Talon merchandise such as mugs, T-shirts, hoodies etc. All of this and more about Talon can be found on the Talon fan site at http://www.facebook.com/l/b53c2;www.thetalonchronicles.ning.com
The book is available through the same website.
-- CALVIN DANIELS
-- Appeared on Yorkton This Week WebXtra
Review -- DEADLY ARTISANS
DEADLY ARTISANS
Written by Jan-Michael Franklin
Pencils by Jan-Michael Franklin
Epsalon Press
The idea of a couple of badly injured agents being rebuilt with high tech augmentation is not a new idea, going back farther than the campy Six Million Dollar Man and spin-off Bionic Woman of my youth.
Jan-Michael Franklin takes the same basic premise and shifts it into high gear forcing the rebuilt agents here to be essentially a duo sent out to murder on the orders of their superiors.
Suddenly the main characters are faced with the angst of following orders which essentially has them as hit men. A nice touch indeed.
Franklin said the characters developed over time, evolving as time passed.
“As a beginning writer I think that the characters started out rather two dimensional in earlier manifestations,” he said. “My life experiences and resultant maturity allowed me to inject some depth into the story and characters for the final version. My first wife and I were in a situation with the Army where we were both stuck there. This was a big part of how Malcolm and Sierra eventually turned out. There will be more layers to the characters exposed in later stories as well.”
The influences are those that are more general than being ones he can pinpoint directly.
“It’s hard to pin down exactly what inspired Deadly Artisans (DA). I would say it was most likely a combination of things that I was really into as a kid, such as The X-Men, G.I.Joe, and various other sci-fi creations,” said Franklin. “However, more recently I would attribute the meat of the story to my experience as a criminal investigator and paratrooper for the Army.”
The art is sharp and clean, and Franklin is at his best when the agents, Stiletta and Tangent are in the ‘hero’ costumes and in full action. He can lay down the pencils on a hero action scene very well.
“Early influences are Paul Smith, and John Byrne,” said Franklin. “More recent influences are Brian Stelfreeze and Ron Garney. All of these guys put storytelling before flash, and that’s what I try to do also.”
When a creator both writes and draws a book, it is always interesting to learn which was the hardest.
“I would say that the art is definitely more labor intensive, especially since I do all of it myself,” said Franklin. “As a writer/artist these things happen mostly all at the same time. Paul Pope has a similar process, and I believe that this is the case for many creators that write and draw their own stuff.
“Artists are never 100 per cent satisfied with their work. DA is as good as I could do at this stage in my development, but I am constantly improving. This is as it should be. Artists should always be growing as artists. I don’t do this for the money, so my first thoughts are not about acceptance. I would love to get DA out to a larger audience, and as I learn more about marketing, I believe this will happen. The good thing is that these books don’t get stale. This is also my first project, so I expect constructive criticism.”
The trade paperback, which collects the four-issue mini series in a single 102-page volume is a great way to get this series. A squarebound comic takes it that extra little step closer to being a ‘real book’ (*smile).’
It is a story you are going to enjoy, and Franklin said more is to come.
“This is the first of three volumes for DA,” he said. “I’ll be doing an unrelated project before I return for volume two, but the other volumes will definitely see the light of day.”Check it out at www.epsalonpress.com
-- CALVIN DANIELS
-- Appeared on Yorkton This Week WebXtra
Written by Jan-Michael Franklin
Pencils by Jan-Michael Franklin
Epsalon Press
The idea of a couple of badly injured agents being rebuilt with high tech augmentation is not a new idea, going back farther than the campy Six Million Dollar Man and spin-off Bionic Woman of my youth.
Jan-Michael Franklin takes the same basic premise and shifts it into high gear forcing the rebuilt agents here to be essentially a duo sent out to murder on the orders of their superiors.
Suddenly the main characters are faced with the angst of following orders which essentially has them as hit men. A nice touch indeed.
Franklin said the characters developed over time, evolving as time passed.
“As a beginning writer I think that the characters started out rather two dimensional in earlier manifestations,” he said. “My life experiences and resultant maturity allowed me to inject some depth into the story and characters for the final version. My first wife and I were in a situation with the Army where we were both stuck there. This was a big part of how Malcolm and Sierra eventually turned out. There will be more layers to the characters exposed in later stories as well.”
The influences are those that are more general than being ones he can pinpoint directly.
“It’s hard to pin down exactly what inspired Deadly Artisans (DA). I would say it was most likely a combination of things that I was really into as a kid, such as The X-Men, G.I.Joe, and various other sci-fi creations,” said Franklin. “However, more recently I would attribute the meat of the story to my experience as a criminal investigator and paratrooper for the Army.”
The art is sharp and clean, and Franklin is at his best when the agents, Stiletta and Tangent are in the ‘hero’ costumes and in full action. He can lay down the pencils on a hero action scene very well.
“Early influences are Paul Smith, and John Byrne,” said Franklin. “More recent influences are Brian Stelfreeze and Ron Garney. All of these guys put storytelling before flash, and that’s what I try to do also.”
When a creator both writes and draws a book, it is always interesting to learn which was the hardest.
“I would say that the art is definitely more labor intensive, especially since I do all of it myself,” said Franklin. “As a writer/artist these things happen mostly all at the same time. Paul Pope has a similar process, and I believe that this is the case for many creators that write and draw their own stuff.
“Artists are never 100 per cent satisfied with their work. DA is as good as I could do at this stage in my development, but I am constantly improving. This is as it should be. Artists should always be growing as artists. I don’t do this for the money, so my first thoughts are not about acceptance. I would love to get DA out to a larger audience, and as I learn more about marketing, I believe this will happen. The good thing is that these books don’t get stale. This is also my first project, so I expect constructive criticism.”
The trade paperback, which collects the four-issue mini series in a single 102-page volume is a great way to get this series. A squarebound comic takes it that extra little step closer to being a ‘real book’ (*smile).’
It is a story you are going to enjoy, and Franklin said more is to come.
“This is the first of three volumes for DA,” he said. “I’ll be doing an unrelated project before I return for volume two, but the other volumes will definitely see the light of day.”Check it out at www.epsalonpress.com
-- CALVIN DANIELS
-- Appeared on Yorkton This Week WebXtra
Review -- THE DARK DETECTIVE: SHERLOCK HOLMES
The Dark Detective: Sherlock Holmes
Written by Christopher Sequeira
Pencils by Philip Cornel
Black House Comics
With the new Sherlock Holmes movie starring Robert Downey Jr. being a box office smash, even though the action hero take on the famous Sir Arthur Conan Doyle character is not for everyone, the character is again a household one. That is in itself amazing considering Holmes first came to the printed page in 1887.
Now if you are seeking a more traditional Holmes tale, you won’t go wrong finding The Dark Detective comic from Australian publisher Black House Comics.
The mood, story and look of The Dark Detective sets Holmes in a sort of film noir world of London. There is an edge of darkness to the streets and to the cases Holmes finds himself on.
The preview edition of the comic is entitled The Ghost of Mart Shelley and introduces the Marquis of Frankenstein, while issue one is The Claws of the Chimera. Both offer up images of a couple of famous storylines of horror.
Writer Christopher Sequeira does a smooth job of blending the cerebral detective Holmes with the classic horror elements. It really works perfectly when you consider a classic Doyle tale such as Hound of the Baskerville's has definite horror overtones.
Sequeira said the books actually began because of thoughts of doing a Holmes movie.
“International make-up and creature shop Oscar nominee Dave Elsey approached me about writing a screenplay for a Holmes movie based on a concept of his a few years ago,” said Sequeira. “We started working on the project on spec. We had knocked a big chunk of it when the new Holmes movie got announced - but other than being sure to not do anything that early reports said they were doing it had little impact on my plot or take, other than to make us pretty sure our movie would have little chance of being made as a movie!
“Then publisher Baden Kirgan came along and read my 45-page outline and asked us to do a comic on it -- but to set the story before the events of our movie. The extra background to all of that is that Dave, Phil Cornell and myself have been mad-keen Sherlockians for decades -- so we bring years of ideas to the table that have sat in the backs of our brains waiting to be unleashed.”
When it came to inspiration Sequeira said he basically drew on the character’s rich past.
“This is me writing the way I write, the publisher letting me write the way I write, for characters I love,” he said. “The only influences are Doyle, and perhaps a dollop of inspiration in ‘feel’ from the best Hammer Horrors -- although our pacing is purposefully faster.”
Art wise, Philip Cornel has a style that reminds me much of Classic Illustrated of old, which is where many tales such as Holmes first came to life for young readers in my era.
The covers by Dave Elsey show a painted approach with Holmes the focus. The great detective is dour-faced, grim and determined in the art.
“The art style grew out of Phil Cornell’s ideas and style blended with suggestions from Dave (and the occasional one from me),” said Sequeira. “We wanted something faithful and yet unique, we wanted accurate Victoriana but we wanted an edge. The end result is a superb mix that I bow down to in admiration of; Phil with Dave has produced something masterful.”
This is a great title, one closer to my fondest memories of Holmes than the aforementioned movie. Certainly one to highly recommend for its fresh stories centred on the iconic Holmes.
In true creator fashion Sequeira said he could see things to improve, although he is right this very good as is.
“I’m never happy, we can always reach a tiny per cent more,” he said. “But we’re closer
than anything else I’ve worked on, I suspect!”
And there is more to come, which is fantastic news.
“There are years' worth of stories planned if the market is there; a hundred issues that lead up to the climactic storyline of the screenplay,” said Sequeira. “The current storyline is set in 1887, and the screenplay is set in 1894. All the Doyle stories are woven into our timeline, too. Having said that, issue #4 is a surprise - a real cracker, and issues #5 to #8 are a story we teased in the free preview.”
www.blackhousecomics.com has all the cool stuff and in January sometime international readers will be able to order their hard copies (Aussies can get them from newsstands currently)!
-- CALVIN DANIELS
-- Appeared on Yorkton This Week WebXtra
Written by Christopher Sequeira
Pencils by Philip Cornel
Black House Comics
With the new Sherlock Holmes movie starring Robert Downey Jr. being a box office smash, even though the action hero take on the famous Sir Arthur Conan Doyle character is not for everyone, the character is again a household one. That is in itself amazing considering Holmes first came to the printed page in 1887.
Now if you are seeking a more traditional Holmes tale, you won’t go wrong finding The Dark Detective comic from Australian publisher Black House Comics.
The mood, story and look of The Dark Detective sets Holmes in a sort of film noir world of London. There is an edge of darkness to the streets and to the cases Holmes finds himself on.
The preview edition of the comic is entitled The Ghost of Mart Shelley and introduces the Marquis of Frankenstein, while issue one is The Claws of the Chimera. Both offer up images of a couple of famous storylines of horror.
Writer Christopher Sequeira does a smooth job of blending the cerebral detective Holmes with the classic horror elements. It really works perfectly when you consider a classic Doyle tale such as Hound of the Baskerville's has definite horror overtones.
Sequeira said the books actually began because of thoughts of doing a Holmes movie.
“International make-up and creature shop Oscar nominee Dave Elsey approached me about writing a screenplay for a Holmes movie based on a concept of his a few years ago,” said Sequeira. “We started working on the project on spec. We had knocked a big chunk of it when the new Holmes movie got announced - but other than being sure to not do anything that early reports said they were doing it had little impact on my plot or take, other than to make us pretty sure our movie would have little chance of being made as a movie!
“Then publisher Baden Kirgan came along and read my 45-page outline and asked us to do a comic on it -- but to set the story before the events of our movie. The extra background to all of that is that Dave, Phil Cornell and myself have been mad-keen Sherlockians for decades -- so we bring years of ideas to the table that have sat in the backs of our brains waiting to be unleashed.”
When it came to inspiration Sequeira said he basically drew on the character’s rich past.
“This is me writing the way I write, the publisher letting me write the way I write, for characters I love,” he said. “The only influences are Doyle, and perhaps a dollop of inspiration in ‘feel’ from the best Hammer Horrors -- although our pacing is purposefully faster.”
Art wise, Philip Cornel has a style that reminds me much of Classic Illustrated of old, which is where many tales such as Holmes first came to life for young readers in my era.
The covers by Dave Elsey show a painted approach with Holmes the focus. The great detective is dour-faced, grim and determined in the art.
“The art style grew out of Phil Cornell’s ideas and style blended with suggestions from Dave (and the occasional one from me),” said Sequeira. “We wanted something faithful and yet unique, we wanted accurate Victoriana but we wanted an edge. The end result is a superb mix that I bow down to in admiration of; Phil with Dave has produced something masterful.”
This is a great title, one closer to my fondest memories of Holmes than the aforementioned movie. Certainly one to highly recommend for its fresh stories centred on the iconic Holmes.
In true creator fashion Sequeira said he could see things to improve, although he is right this very good as is.
“I’m never happy, we can always reach a tiny per cent more,” he said. “But we’re closer
than anything else I’ve worked on, I suspect!”
And there is more to come, which is fantastic news.
“There are years' worth of stories planned if the market is there; a hundred issues that lead up to the climactic storyline of the screenplay,” said Sequeira. “The current storyline is set in 1887, and the screenplay is set in 1894. All the Doyle stories are woven into our timeline, too. Having said that, issue #4 is a surprise - a real cracker, and issues #5 to #8 are a story we teased in the free preview.”
www.blackhousecomics.com has all the cool stuff and in January sometime international readers will be able to order their hard copies (Aussies can get them from newsstands currently)!
-- CALVIN DANIELS
-- Appeared on Yorkton This Week WebXtra
Review -- ATHRA
Athra
Written by Nathaniel Sullivan
Pencils by Nathaniel Sullivan
Indie
Athra by Nathaniel Sullivan is one of those titles you can tell is being created by a comic fan. I say that because the creator is tossing a bit of everything into the mix.
The story starts out what appears to be a pretty normal medieval world, but about a dozen pages in the full splash page of a woman in what appears a space suit says there are going to be twists and turns along the way.
The creature that appears part demon and maybe a bit vampire also shows Sullivan is bringing a lot of comic ideas together in Athra.
The story, after only one issue, is intriguing enough that you want to find out more though, and that is a key thing.
It is also obvious Athra is near to Sullivan’s heart the way he talks about how the book evolved as an idea.
“I spend a great deal of time, as much as possible, outside, hiking, working, walking with my dogs and I really began to conceive of the story, of Athra, in terms of images,” he said. “Walking through the woods, crossing fields, hiking beside rivers, I more or less filled the landscape with images, with fragments of stories. I've always done that and I've conceived any number of stories that way. By the time I actually began working on Athra, I had a slew of images in reserve.
“So, for my part, I begin with images. In the case of Athra, images of a rather small, isolated, rural, relatively primitive community, mountains, streams, rivers, and so forth.”
Onto the canvas of the idyllic village, Sullivan said he had to overlay a conflict to create a story.
“Understandably enough, I proceeded to introduce change in the form of a very basic threat and a very basic answer,” he said. “Aristotle observed that a man who can live apart from others is either a god or a beast. Needless to say, such a man is a threat because he’s either far better or far worse than man. I chose the latter, a man who’s a beast, a basic threat to the community, a killer that comes in the night and a basic answer, Athra, a soldier, presumably a deserter, who needs a place to hide and in no position to refuse to try to kill the threat.
“I should add that, for the moment, the story is, in essence, Beowulf. That was the basic inspiration for the storyline. And yes, we'll see the monster's mother, Kaldgrani’s mother.
“That said, I decided very early on in the process that that story should, simultaneously, resonate with a much greater, and for Athra personally, altogether mysterious world. Accordingly, in the first issue, Athra briefly encounters a woman in tears, dressed in some kind of astronaut gear, who knows him and claims to have loved him, before disappearing. In short, there will be science-fiction elements as well and any number of mysteries.
“If I had to sum Athra up very simply, then I'd probably describe it as Conan and Lost. Or the thinking man's Conan.”
Sullivan’s vision is one on a grand scale.
“I should add that Athra is caught between mysterious, warring forces, forces he doesn’t understand, and those forces will intrude on Athra from time to time, sometimes in small ways, sometimes in significant ways.
“I should also add that I won't be cheating. Mysteries will be answered. I have no interest in leading readers down rabbit holes and leaving them there. So, rest assured, the mysteries have answers and answers will be provided.
“Think of Athra walking a long a shore. Sometimes slight ripples from a distant, powerful storm will reach him. And sometimes waves will sweep over him and carry him away.
“The book should be very nearly operatic, tremendous soaring highs, abysmal lows, and great passions surging through the story.
“That was a rather conscious choice. If you read Walter Scott’s novels, then you find that the hero is always a middling man, a man caught between great forces opposing one another. And that will be Athra. Athra is caught between opposing forces, some of which are native to his world and some are greater, much more sophisticated warring forces that are not native to his world.”
Sullivan’s art at times seems a little uninspired. There is for example one two-page spread with 10 panels, with all but one basically a head shot. He does a solid enough job of faces, but at time he needs to mix it up just a bit more.
At other times a page can be quite striking. I particularly like the full page treatment of Athra with a bowstring drawn. The concentration Sullivan captured in the character’s eye was dramatic.
“From the start, Athra has been black and white,” he said. “That was a conscious choice. Given that I’m the writer and artist and that there’s no one else, colour just isn’t an option. With that being the case, I set about trying to construct a book that wanted to be black and white. By that I mean that I decided that Athra wouldn’t look like a book waiting for a colorist. I decided that Athra was going to be a book that worked in black and white that wanted to be black and white.
“And making that work required a lot of experimentation.
“Initially, I composed the pages in pencil and then added ink. Frankly, it was a disaster. The pages were just lifeless. There just wasn’t any energy. One of the things that makes a drawing interesting is line variation. If all the lines of a drawing are the same
weight, executed at the same speed, the same amount of pressure on the paper, then the drawing will just be awful. If you look at master drawings, then you’ll see a great deal of variation in the lines. I just wasn’t able to achieve that doing pencils and adding ink. The drawings just looked labored, dead, lifeless.
“So I started over and changed things radically.
“I began doing a lot of the drawing, and eventually most of it, digitally. I begin with very loose gestural drawings and cover the page with sketches, very light, fast lines. Then I tend to add some weight and some of the dark areas. Then I come back with white ink and cut away at the black. Nearly all of this is done digitally. I continue that process until I have a drawing that really has some spontaneity and as much energy as possible. The process is somewhat akin to etching or scratchboard. In a lot of instances, I’ll add
large areas of black, cut away at them with white ink, and repeat this over and over. The real advantage of this is that it’s not mechanical. Working that way, I can add marks, cut away at them, add more, and keep working on the page, really attacking it, until it’s done. That's not really an option with pencil and ink. Working digitally, I can, and I often do, just eliminate huge areas of art, whole pages sometimes, and come in again and again.”
Sullivan said the effort has been worthwhile, since he is satisfied with Issue #1, although as a self-critic he would change some things.
“On the one hand, I worked very hard, especially on the art and I kept working on the art until I was relatively satisfied,” he said. “To be perfectly honest, however, I’m never satisfied. I spend a great deal of time drawing from life and when the drawings aren’t perfect, and nothing is ever perfect, it’s agony for me. Ingre once broke down in tears because he couldn’t get the eyes just right. I understand that entirely.
“With Athra, I tell myself that there are deadlines, that I have to make progress, and, most importantly, that I’ll improve over time.
“With Athra I set out to make a book that I would really like to read and I don’t read many comic books. I decided Athra was going to have to be something that I would really like, that I would really take an interest in and be passionate about. If you’re planning on doing something like Athra, then you’re going to be spending a lot of time on it. With that being the case, it’s a good idea really to enjoy the endeavour. And I enjoy Athra a great deal. Working on Athra is tremendously rewarding. I don’t find myself approaching the task with anxiety or reservations. To be honest, I really don’t think there’s anything else I’d rather be working on.”
As you might expect with a story conceived on a grand scale, Sullivan has much more to come with Athra.
“As far as what’s next for the title, in the short term, romance. We’re in the midst of the first arc which deals for the most part, with the fight against Kaldgrani -- the monster,” he said. “The third issue is, however, a kind of interlude, a love story, a romance between Athra a rather mysterious, and complicated woman, Saegird, pictured standing over him on the cover of the second issue.
“The fourth issue, the end of the first arc, brings the battle between Athra and Kaldgranit to a decidedly violent and bloody conclusion.
“I should stress that we’ll learn a great deal about Athra’s past and his motivations in the third and fourth issues. And some of those motivations may be disquieting. Athra is motivated by a certain ethic, a certain moral code, but it’s a very harsh and demanding code and will probably lead him to engage in some genuinely horrific and brutal acts in fighting Kaldgrani.
“The first arc will end with Athra returning to the village and to the heroine, Hild.”
There is certainly enough here to want to be around for issue two to see how Sullivan handles the varied plot threads he has laid out in the inaugural issue.
Athra is available at www.athra.net. Sullivan posts a new page every Thursday and the entirety of the first issue and half of the second are available there now.
-- CALVIN DANIELS
-- Appeared on Yorkton This Week WebXtra
Written by Nathaniel Sullivan
Pencils by Nathaniel Sullivan
Indie
Athra by Nathaniel Sullivan is one of those titles you can tell is being created by a comic fan. I say that because the creator is tossing a bit of everything into the mix.
The story starts out what appears to be a pretty normal medieval world, but about a dozen pages in the full splash page of a woman in what appears a space suit says there are going to be twists and turns along the way.
The creature that appears part demon and maybe a bit vampire also shows Sullivan is bringing a lot of comic ideas together in Athra.
The story, after only one issue, is intriguing enough that you want to find out more though, and that is a key thing.
It is also obvious Athra is near to Sullivan’s heart the way he talks about how the book evolved as an idea.
“I spend a great deal of time, as much as possible, outside, hiking, working, walking with my dogs and I really began to conceive of the story, of Athra, in terms of images,” he said. “Walking through the woods, crossing fields, hiking beside rivers, I more or less filled the landscape with images, with fragments of stories. I've always done that and I've conceived any number of stories that way. By the time I actually began working on Athra, I had a slew of images in reserve.
“So, for my part, I begin with images. In the case of Athra, images of a rather small, isolated, rural, relatively primitive community, mountains, streams, rivers, and so forth.”
Onto the canvas of the idyllic village, Sullivan said he had to overlay a conflict to create a story.
“Understandably enough, I proceeded to introduce change in the form of a very basic threat and a very basic answer,” he said. “Aristotle observed that a man who can live apart from others is either a god or a beast. Needless to say, such a man is a threat because he’s either far better or far worse than man. I chose the latter, a man who’s a beast, a basic threat to the community, a killer that comes in the night and a basic answer, Athra, a soldier, presumably a deserter, who needs a place to hide and in no position to refuse to try to kill the threat.
“I should add that, for the moment, the story is, in essence, Beowulf. That was the basic inspiration for the storyline. And yes, we'll see the monster's mother, Kaldgrani’s mother.
“That said, I decided very early on in the process that that story should, simultaneously, resonate with a much greater, and for Athra personally, altogether mysterious world. Accordingly, in the first issue, Athra briefly encounters a woman in tears, dressed in some kind of astronaut gear, who knows him and claims to have loved him, before disappearing. In short, there will be science-fiction elements as well and any number of mysteries.
“If I had to sum Athra up very simply, then I'd probably describe it as Conan and Lost. Or the thinking man's Conan.”
Sullivan’s vision is one on a grand scale.
“I should add that Athra is caught between mysterious, warring forces, forces he doesn’t understand, and those forces will intrude on Athra from time to time, sometimes in small ways, sometimes in significant ways.
“I should also add that I won't be cheating. Mysteries will be answered. I have no interest in leading readers down rabbit holes and leaving them there. So, rest assured, the mysteries have answers and answers will be provided.
“Think of Athra walking a long a shore. Sometimes slight ripples from a distant, powerful storm will reach him. And sometimes waves will sweep over him and carry him away.
“The book should be very nearly operatic, tremendous soaring highs, abysmal lows, and great passions surging through the story.
“That was a rather conscious choice. If you read Walter Scott’s novels, then you find that the hero is always a middling man, a man caught between great forces opposing one another. And that will be Athra. Athra is caught between opposing forces, some of which are native to his world and some are greater, much more sophisticated warring forces that are not native to his world.”
Sullivan’s art at times seems a little uninspired. There is for example one two-page spread with 10 panels, with all but one basically a head shot. He does a solid enough job of faces, but at time he needs to mix it up just a bit more.
At other times a page can be quite striking. I particularly like the full page treatment of Athra with a bowstring drawn. The concentration Sullivan captured in the character’s eye was dramatic.
“From the start, Athra has been black and white,” he said. “That was a conscious choice. Given that I’m the writer and artist and that there’s no one else, colour just isn’t an option. With that being the case, I set about trying to construct a book that wanted to be black and white. By that I mean that I decided that Athra wouldn’t look like a book waiting for a colorist. I decided that Athra was going to be a book that worked in black and white that wanted to be black and white.
“And making that work required a lot of experimentation.
“Initially, I composed the pages in pencil and then added ink. Frankly, it was a disaster. The pages were just lifeless. There just wasn’t any energy. One of the things that makes a drawing interesting is line variation. If all the lines of a drawing are the same
weight, executed at the same speed, the same amount of pressure on the paper, then the drawing will just be awful. If you look at master drawings, then you’ll see a great deal of variation in the lines. I just wasn’t able to achieve that doing pencils and adding ink. The drawings just looked labored, dead, lifeless.
“So I started over and changed things radically.
“I began doing a lot of the drawing, and eventually most of it, digitally. I begin with very loose gestural drawings and cover the page with sketches, very light, fast lines. Then I tend to add some weight and some of the dark areas. Then I come back with white ink and cut away at the black. Nearly all of this is done digitally. I continue that process until I have a drawing that really has some spontaneity and as much energy as possible. The process is somewhat akin to etching or scratchboard. In a lot of instances, I’ll add
large areas of black, cut away at them with white ink, and repeat this over and over. The real advantage of this is that it’s not mechanical. Working that way, I can add marks, cut away at them, add more, and keep working on the page, really attacking it, until it’s done. That's not really an option with pencil and ink. Working digitally, I can, and I often do, just eliminate huge areas of art, whole pages sometimes, and come in again and again.”
Sullivan said the effort has been worthwhile, since he is satisfied with Issue #1, although as a self-critic he would change some things.
“On the one hand, I worked very hard, especially on the art and I kept working on the art until I was relatively satisfied,” he said. “To be perfectly honest, however, I’m never satisfied. I spend a great deal of time drawing from life and when the drawings aren’t perfect, and nothing is ever perfect, it’s agony for me. Ingre once broke down in tears because he couldn’t get the eyes just right. I understand that entirely.
“With Athra, I tell myself that there are deadlines, that I have to make progress, and, most importantly, that I’ll improve over time.
“With Athra I set out to make a book that I would really like to read and I don’t read many comic books. I decided Athra was going to have to be something that I would really like, that I would really take an interest in and be passionate about. If you’re planning on doing something like Athra, then you’re going to be spending a lot of time on it. With that being the case, it’s a good idea really to enjoy the endeavour. And I enjoy Athra a great deal. Working on Athra is tremendously rewarding. I don’t find myself approaching the task with anxiety or reservations. To be honest, I really don’t think there’s anything else I’d rather be working on.”
As you might expect with a story conceived on a grand scale, Sullivan has much more to come with Athra.
“As far as what’s next for the title, in the short term, romance. We’re in the midst of the first arc which deals for the most part, with the fight against Kaldgrani -- the monster,” he said. “The third issue is, however, a kind of interlude, a love story, a romance between Athra a rather mysterious, and complicated woman, Saegird, pictured standing over him on the cover of the second issue.
“The fourth issue, the end of the first arc, brings the battle between Athra and Kaldgranit to a decidedly violent and bloody conclusion.
“I should stress that we’ll learn a great deal about Athra’s past and his motivations in the third and fourth issues. And some of those motivations may be disquieting. Athra is motivated by a certain ethic, a certain moral code, but it’s a very harsh and demanding code and will probably lead him to engage in some genuinely horrific and brutal acts in fighting Kaldgrani.
“The first arc will end with Athra returning to the village and to the heroine, Hild.”
There is certainly enough here to want to be around for issue two to see how Sullivan handles the varied plot threads he has laid out in the inaugural issue.
Athra is available at www.athra.net. Sullivan posts a new page every Thursday and the entirety of the first issue and half of the second are available there now.
-- CALVIN DANIELS
-- Appeared on Yorkton This Week WebXtra
Review -- HERCULES: THE KNIVES OF KUSH
Hercules: The Knives of Kush
Written by Steve Moore
Pencils by Cris Bolson
Colours by Doug Sirois
Radical Comics
When it comes to fantasy, myth, legend and lore, all cornerstones of the comic book industry, few characters are truly more iconic than Hercules. In many respects he was one of the world’s first superheroes, and while he has been used as the central figure in various stories, it’s hard to resist when a new one comes down the pike.
When the new book comes from Radical Comics, a small company with a growing stable of high calibre titles, the allure is even greater.
The Knives of Kush is a follow-up series to the previously produced Hercules: Thracian Wars.
Writer Steve Moore has created a somewhat grittier telling of a Herculean tale. The talk of chopping up the bodies of captured women and children to spread the pieces before the advancing army is darkly descriptive and graphic. It is likely a truer picture of the era than many white-washed telling of Hercules, but it may not be for everyone.
Personally I accept the gritty realism of the story, and quite enjoy Moore telling an adult story.
Asked how it was to write an established character, Moore said he simply focused on his own story.
“Well, actually, I never really thought of Hercules as someone else’s creation. Sure, there are the ancient legends, which I reread in summary before I started thinking about what I wanted to do, and Radical came to me and briefed me on a few basics: that the story should be set in the ancient world, should concentrate more on Hercules’ human side rather than the mythology, and so on,” he said. “But then the development of the storylines, the secondary characters, and suchlike, were all pretty much down to me, and Radical very kindly didn’t interfere in anything I wanted to do, story-wise.
“So I tend to regard these two series (‘Thracian Wars’ and ‘Knives of Kush’) as pretty much ‘my’ Hercules … the story and characters are very much the way I wanted to present them, and I studiously ignored everyone else’s versions of the character, whether that be in comics, movies, TV, or whatever.
“I pretty much wanted to approach this as if I was an ancient Greek storyteller, providing new tales of the original Hercules, and not doing anything stupid like bring him into the 21st century, or turn him into a rubbishy superhero.”
The art by Cris Bolson, aided by Manuel and Leonardo Silva has a sort of Illustrated Classics feel, and those books are fondly remembered from childhood.
Again there are more splashes of blood than those old books, but you are with the same feeling of subdued realism.
Moore said he had input into the art which he appreciated as the writer.
“Yes, I had quite a lot of input into the look, as I decided right from the start that I wanted this to look as authentically Bronze Age as possible, within the constraints of it being a modern comic-book,” he said.
“So right from the start I was providing loads of reference pictures for costumes, architecture, etc. And, of course, being an old-time pro, I write a very detailed script, occasionally with a page or more of description for a single panel.
“Things have worked out better with the second series as well, as the editor, Renae Geerlings, has been sending me everything to look at, from layouts to pencils, colours, etc., so I’ve been able to keep an eye on things at all stages and get things changed if necessary, which wasn’t always the case with the first series.
“So I’m generally happy with the art style and, of course, being set in Egypt, this series gives us a much richer visual texture than the earlier series, which was set in more barbarous Thrace.
“And, Cris Bolson, the penciller, has put in a tremendous amount of work on costume, architecture, etc., while the ‘painted’ finish adds that extra touch of realism. It’s probably about as good as I could have ever hoped for, taken over all.”
Beyond the art Moore, who said he finds himself “in a position where I can retire from mainstream comic-book writing” said his last series is one he is satisfied with.
“Generally I’m pretty happy with things,” he said. “The story’s pretty much exactly what I wanted to write and, like I said, the artists have done a great job. There’ve only been two minor problems. Because of scheduling constraints, the artwork has got a little behind and we’ve had to bring in assistants in the final couple of issues. They’ve done a really nice job, but obviously it would have been great if Cris Bolson and Doug Sirois could have completed the book on their own.
“And because I’m told the distributors won’t allow it, I’ve had to slightly overdress the female characters … there was a lot more nudity in the ancient world, but it seems that modern America prefers to live in a sort of Victorian fantasy-world, rather than face historical facts.
“Apart from that, though, I’m pretty pleased with things.”
The five-issue mini series looks great. The story is great. That just about says it all. Mark this one as well-worth seeking out.Readers can order Hercules: The Knives of Kush from their local comic book store. If they are unable to find it there, they can always order it from http://www.radicalcomics.com or via www.radicalcomics.com. The trade collection of Hercules: The Knives of Kush will be distributed by Random House and will be available in May 2010 in bookstores such as Borders and Barnes & Noble.
-- CALVIN DANIELS
-- Appeared on Yorkton This Week WebXtra
Written by Steve Moore
Pencils by Cris Bolson
Colours by Doug Sirois
Radical Comics
When it comes to fantasy, myth, legend and lore, all cornerstones of the comic book industry, few characters are truly more iconic than Hercules. In many respects he was one of the world’s first superheroes, and while he has been used as the central figure in various stories, it’s hard to resist when a new one comes down the pike.
When the new book comes from Radical Comics, a small company with a growing stable of high calibre titles, the allure is even greater.
The Knives of Kush is a follow-up series to the previously produced Hercules: Thracian Wars.
Writer Steve Moore has created a somewhat grittier telling of a Herculean tale. The talk of chopping up the bodies of captured women and children to spread the pieces before the advancing army is darkly descriptive and graphic. It is likely a truer picture of the era than many white-washed telling of Hercules, but it may not be for everyone.
Personally I accept the gritty realism of the story, and quite enjoy Moore telling an adult story.
Asked how it was to write an established character, Moore said he simply focused on his own story.
“Well, actually, I never really thought of Hercules as someone else’s creation. Sure, there are the ancient legends, which I reread in summary before I started thinking about what I wanted to do, and Radical came to me and briefed me on a few basics: that the story should be set in the ancient world, should concentrate more on Hercules’ human side rather than the mythology, and so on,” he said. “But then the development of the storylines, the secondary characters, and suchlike, were all pretty much down to me, and Radical very kindly didn’t interfere in anything I wanted to do, story-wise.
“So I tend to regard these two series (‘Thracian Wars’ and ‘Knives of Kush’) as pretty much ‘my’ Hercules … the story and characters are very much the way I wanted to present them, and I studiously ignored everyone else’s versions of the character, whether that be in comics, movies, TV, or whatever.
“I pretty much wanted to approach this as if I was an ancient Greek storyteller, providing new tales of the original Hercules, and not doing anything stupid like bring him into the 21st century, or turn him into a rubbishy superhero.”
The art by Cris Bolson, aided by Manuel and Leonardo Silva has a sort of Illustrated Classics feel, and those books are fondly remembered from childhood.
Again there are more splashes of blood than those old books, but you are with the same feeling of subdued realism.
Moore said he had input into the art which he appreciated as the writer.
“Yes, I had quite a lot of input into the look, as I decided right from the start that I wanted this to look as authentically Bronze Age as possible, within the constraints of it being a modern comic-book,” he said.
“So right from the start I was providing loads of reference pictures for costumes, architecture, etc. And, of course, being an old-time pro, I write a very detailed script, occasionally with a page or more of description for a single panel.
“Things have worked out better with the second series as well, as the editor, Renae Geerlings, has been sending me everything to look at, from layouts to pencils, colours, etc., so I’ve been able to keep an eye on things at all stages and get things changed if necessary, which wasn’t always the case with the first series.
“So I’m generally happy with the art style and, of course, being set in Egypt, this series gives us a much richer visual texture than the earlier series, which was set in more barbarous Thrace.
“And, Cris Bolson, the penciller, has put in a tremendous amount of work on costume, architecture, etc., while the ‘painted’ finish adds that extra touch of realism. It’s probably about as good as I could have ever hoped for, taken over all.”
Beyond the art Moore, who said he finds himself “in a position where I can retire from mainstream comic-book writing” said his last series is one he is satisfied with.
“Generally I’m pretty happy with things,” he said. “The story’s pretty much exactly what I wanted to write and, like I said, the artists have done a great job. There’ve only been two minor problems. Because of scheduling constraints, the artwork has got a little behind and we’ve had to bring in assistants in the final couple of issues. They’ve done a really nice job, but obviously it would have been great if Cris Bolson and Doug Sirois could have completed the book on their own.
“And because I’m told the distributors won’t allow it, I’ve had to slightly overdress the female characters … there was a lot more nudity in the ancient world, but it seems that modern America prefers to live in a sort of Victorian fantasy-world, rather than face historical facts.
“Apart from that, though, I’m pretty pleased with things.”
The five-issue mini series looks great. The story is great. That just about says it all. Mark this one as well-worth seeking out.Readers can order Hercules: The Knives of Kush from their local comic book store. If they are unable to find it there, they can always order it from http://www.radicalcomics.com or via www.radicalcomics.com. The trade collection of Hercules: The Knives of Kush will be distributed by Random House and will be available in May 2010 in bookstores such as Borders and Barnes & Noble.
-- CALVIN DANIELS
-- Appeared on Yorkton This Week WebXtra
Review -- LACKADAISY
Lackadaisy
Written by Tracy J. Butler
Pencils by Tracy J. Butler
4th Dimension Entertainment
There are gems among graphic novels, and one of those is the lavish Lackadaisy.
The story runs 68-pages in oversize format, plus several pages of pin-up art and creative sketches. That’s a lot of material, and in the case of this book, more is most certainly better.
The final page of the story states ‘to be continued’. Thank you Tracy J. Butler for that, because this book makes you want more.
“Right now, every ounce of free time I have is devoted to producing Volume 2 of the comic and to completing enough full color art to print an accompanying art book,” she said. “I’m of course keeping the web site updated with new art all the time as well.”
So what makes Lackadaisy so special?
Quite frankly, every aspect of the book.
To begin with the whimsical cats which populate the book are wonderfully drawn.
The use of an antique brown monochrome colouring is a nice touch, since the story is based in the age of prohibition. This is a world where cats run the speakeasies and run the rum.
As I said sort of whimsical, but it works.
Butler said her training helped her develop the overall artistic feel of the book.
“My artistic background is mostly in illustration and animation, so I think it just felt natural to me to approach the art style as a sort of combination of these two things,” she said. “Before diving into formal comic production, I spent a few months nailing down character designs in which the classic animation influence is probably fairly obvious, experimenting with panel layouts and toning.
“In spite of the planning, though, I think the style has continuously evolved from the start – the sort of gradual change that’s probably inevitable with ongoing research and a progressive understanding of the media.”
Over time Butler said she grew more comfortable with Lackadaisy as well.
“I’ve definitely grown more confident about working with the unconventional panel layouts I use, and I feel I’ve developed a better sense for incorporating the art deco stylings of the Jazz Age into the artwork,” she said. “I’ve spent some time indulging in old gangster and noir films since starting on the project as well, and that’s done a lot to inspire me to try to make more artistic use of the monochrome look.
“There’s a lot more emphasis on lighting and visual depth in more recent pages of the comic, and though that diverges a bit from the appearance of earlier pages, hopefully the look has grown to serve the story more effectively.”
The story is one Butler said germinated in her mind years ago.
“Some of the story’s primary characters have been mental fixtures since grade school when I passed the hours sketching them in my class notes,” she said. College-rule notebook paper aside, they essentially existed without context until just a few years ago when I bought an old, turn of the century house in the St. Louis area. I started researching the house’s history, and became subsequently interested in local history in general -- the former golden years of St. Louis, the limestone caves winding beneath the streets, the city’s role in the emergence of jazz and such.
“For reasons I can’t quite put a finger on, all of these elements seemed to naturally congeal into some sort of story in my head, and so I decided to take it a step further and try my hand at putting it to paper in the form of a comic.”
While it might seem Butler has brought some divergent ideas together, the story works because it is an era rich in character and stories to draw upon.
Butler also writes with a good deal of humour interjected into the story, and that meshes perfectly with the fun art style.
As a writer, Butler said the era proved a rich ground to mine.
“Such a variety of things have influenced me, I hardly know where to begin listing them,” she said.
“I’ve gleaned inspiration from a multitude of shady, Prohibition era historical figures and, as I mentioned previously, a host of old films from Cagney gangster fare, to Bogart noir and Marx comedy.
“I suppose it’s almost perfunctory to cite F. Scott Fitzgerald as an influence, if not a resource, for all works of fiction relating to the Roaring Twenties but written in some later decade. Lackadaisy has been no exception. I’ve turned to his writing quite a bit to aid me in tailoring dialogue to match the characters and era.
“Bill Watterson’s Calvin and Hobbes certainly bears mentioning too. It was the comic I had the greatest affinity for growing up. My first attempts at even drawing comics as a child were imitations of Watterson’s strips, in fact. As a result, it has probably impacted my artistic approach and even my sense of comic timing (if it can be said that I have one) in ways I’m not even consciously aware of.”
Citing the influence of Calvin and Hobbes is interesting, because while it was not a connection I immediately made it reading Lackadaisy, I can certainly see common elements as I look a second time.
The overall appeal though is what is most gratifying the way things come together, with the exception of a few print concerns, such as word balloons lost under the actual art in a spot or two.
Butler said initially the title did not start as a graphic novel.
“Lackadaisy is a web comic in its native format,” she said. “When I began the project, I really hadn’t considered that it might someday wind up being a print comic as well.
“Lacking that foresight, I took advantage of the flexibility the web format allowed me, letting the vertical length of each page fluctuate in whatever way best accommodated the story.
“As a result, reformatting it into a shape resembling a book proved to be a Gordian knot of an editing job. In the midst of all of the digital chopping and pasting it required, I was concerned that it might lose any sense of cohesiveness.
“All difficulties considered, however, it turned out better in book form than I had expected it to. Credit is due to my publishers for the nicely embellished cover and for the assuring the quality of the paper and color reproduction too.
“Though we’re planning to make some improvements for the second print run, on the whole, I’m quite pleased with the book.”
This is a book that really should be part of a broad collection of simply fine comics. Find it, and enjoy.Lackadaisy Volume 1 is available from 4th Dimension Entertainment (4de.com). The comic is also freely available in its original web format at Lackadaisycats.com
-- CALVIN DANIELS
-- Appeared on Yorkton This Week WebXtra
Written by Tracy J. Butler
Pencils by Tracy J. Butler
4th Dimension Entertainment
There are gems among graphic novels, and one of those is the lavish Lackadaisy.
The story runs 68-pages in oversize format, plus several pages of pin-up art and creative sketches. That’s a lot of material, and in the case of this book, more is most certainly better.
The final page of the story states ‘to be continued’. Thank you Tracy J. Butler for that, because this book makes you want more.
“Right now, every ounce of free time I have is devoted to producing Volume 2 of the comic and to completing enough full color art to print an accompanying art book,” she said. “I’m of course keeping the web site updated with new art all the time as well.”
So what makes Lackadaisy so special?
Quite frankly, every aspect of the book.
To begin with the whimsical cats which populate the book are wonderfully drawn.
The use of an antique brown monochrome colouring is a nice touch, since the story is based in the age of prohibition. This is a world where cats run the speakeasies and run the rum.
As I said sort of whimsical, but it works.
Butler said her training helped her develop the overall artistic feel of the book.
“My artistic background is mostly in illustration and animation, so I think it just felt natural to me to approach the art style as a sort of combination of these two things,” she said. “Before diving into formal comic production, I spent a few months nailing down character designs in which the classic animation influence is probably fairly obvious, experimenting with panel layouts and toning.
“In spite of the planning, though, I think the style has continuously evolved from the start – the sort of gradual change that’s probably inevitable with ongoing research and a progressive understanding of the media.”
Over time Butler said she grew more comfortable with Lackadaisy as well.
“I’ve definitely grown more confident about working with the unconventional panel layouts I use, and I feel I’ve developed a better sense for incorporating the art deco stylings of the Jazz Age into the artwork,” she said. “I’ve spent some time indulging in old gangster and noir films since starting on the project as well, and that’s done a lot to inspire me to try to make more artistic use of the monochrome look.
“There’s a lot more emphasis on lighting and visual depth in more recent pages of the comic, and though that diverges a bit from the appearance of earlier pages, hopefully the look has grown to serve the story more effectively.”
The story is one Butler said germinated in her mind years ago.
“Some of the story’s primary characters have been mental fixtures since grade school when I passed the hours sketching them in my class notes,” she said. College-rule notebook paper aside, they essentially existed without context until just a few years ago when I bought an old, turn of the century house in the St. Louis area. I started researching the house’s history, and became subsequently interested in local history in general -- the former golden years of St. Louis, the limestone caves winding beneath the streets, the city’s role in the emergence of jazz and such.
“For reasons I can’t quite put a finger on, all of these elements seemed to naturally congeal into some sort of story in my head, and so I decided to take it a step further and try my hand at putting it to paper in the form of a comic.”
While it might seem Butler has brought some divergent ideas together, the story works because it is an era rich in character and stories to draw upon.
Butler also writes with a good deal of humour interjected into the story, and that meshes perfectly with the fun art style.
As a writer, Butler said the era proved a rich ground to mine.
“Such a variety of things have influenced me, I hardly know where to begin listing them,” she said.
“I’ve gleaned inspiration from a multitude of shady, Prohibition era historical figures and, as I mentioned previously, a host of old films from Cagney gangster fare, to Bogart noir and Marx comedy.
“I suppose it’s almost perfunctory to cite F. Scott Fitzgerald as an influence, if not a resource, for all works of fiction relating to the Roaring Twenties but written in some later decade. Lackadaisy has been no exception. I’ve turned to his writing quite a bit to aid me in tailoring dialogue to match the characters and era.
“Bill Watterson’s Calvin and Hobbes certainly bears mentioning too. It was the comic I had the greatest affinity for growing up. My first attempts at even drawing comics as a child were imitations of Watterson’s strips, in fact. As a result, it has probably impacted my artistic approach and even my sense of comic timing (if it can be said that I have one) in ways I’m not even consciously aware of.”
Citing the influence of Calvin and Hobbes is interesting, because while it was not a connection I immediately made it reading Lackadaisy, I can certainly see common elements as I look a second time.
The overall appeal though is what is most gratifying the way things come together, with the exception of a few print concerns, such as word balloons lost under the actual art in a spot or two.
Butler said initially the title did not start as a graphic novel.
“Lackadaisy is a web comic in its native format,” she said. “When I began the project, I really hadn’t considered that it might someday wind up being a print comic as well.
“Lacking that foresight, I took advantage of the flexibility the web format allowed me, letting the vertical length of each page fluctuate in whatever way best accommodated the story.
“As a result, reformatting it into a shape resembling a book proved to be a Gordian knot of an editing job. In the midst of all of the digital chopping and pasting it required, I was concerned that it might lose any sense of cohesiveness.
“All difficulties considered, however, it turned out better in book form than I had expected it to. Credit is due to my publishers for the nicely embellished cover and for the assuring the quality of the paper and color reproduction too.
“Though we’re planning to make some improvements for the second print run, on the whole, I’m quite pleased with the book.”
This is a book that really should be part of a broad collection of simply fine comics. Find it, and enjoy.Lackadaisy Volume 1 is available from 4th Dimension Entertainment (4de.com). The comic is also freely available in its original web format at Lackadaisycats.com
-- CALVIN DANIELS
-- Appeared on Yorkton This Week WebXtra
Review -- HYPOCRITE
Hypocrite
Written by Dakota McFadzean
Pencils by Dakota McFadzean
Indie
It’s always interesting to get a look at a comic from a Saskatchewan creator given there are not a lot of comics created here.
So Hypocrite by Dakota McFadzean was a treat to get a look at.
As a comic Hypocrite is produced in ashcan size, running 22-pages of black and white art.
Stylistically the art reminds of Sunday edition newspaper cartoons, slipping in somewhere between realism and the art of Little Lulu.
It’s not grab you art, but it works.
McFadzean admitted art is something he continues to work at in terms of a defining style.
“'Style is something that I've struggled with,” he said. “When I work on a comic, no matter how hard I try, I often revert to my default way of drawing ... which really isn't particularly eye-catching or unique.
“That said, I tried a little harder to draw naturalistically for this comic. I wanted the Plateau neighbourhood to look real — to invoke a real sense of time and place. I was delighted when a young woman read Hypocrite at the Expozine Alternative Press fair in Montreal and said ‘I used to live in that neighbourhood! It looks exactly like this!’
“In contrast to this, I tried to keep the character's faces simple and undetailed so that the reader would be able to more easily identify with them.
“This was the second time I’ve tried to draw a full-length 24-page comic. Both times, I spent most of the project feeling like I knew nothing. And by the end, I felt like I had learned a little.”
As for McFadzean’s own influence, they are varied.
“There are a number of cartoonists out there who have done really excellent autobiographical work, so it’s impossible not to be influenced by them. Adrian Tomine has become a master of understated, naturalistic storytelling in comics,” he said. “I always tend to over explain things with text, but Tomine is confident enough to allow the story to silently explain itself.
“Robert Crumb is another unavoidable influence on me. I started reading his stuff in my teens, and it's been an unshakable presence whenever I sit down to work on a comic. There have been many artists who have done confessional autobiographies, and Crumb’s work seems to have influenced most of them.”
McFadzean renders a slice of life story here, which rings with truth. It speaks of the reality of relationships in our current world.
At times there are scenes that create smiles and those that tug at the heart, which is of course, a lot like our everyday lives.
I have to credit McFadzean with going with a theme not usually used for material in comics, which tend toward the fantastic.
That said, the audience for Hypocrite may not be vast. That does not mean it should be avoided. In fact, it’s good to expand the boundaries of the medium for comic readers too, and Hypocrite will do that.
“Hypocrite was an attempt to do a straightforward autobiographical story with as little embellishment as possible,” said McFadzean. “The events surrounding my interaction with my former neighbours are true, and I suppose I was trying to make sense of them by putting them into comic form.”
As a book, McFadzean said Hypocrite both impresses him as the creator, but also is a project he would redo differently.
“Whenever I work on a project, I maniacally shift from thinking it's going to be the greatest thing ever made, to thinking that it doesn’t deserve to be run through a photocopier,” he said. “When I finally have a printed copy in my hand, I’m happy for about three minutes, and then I start seeing all the little mistakes, all the things that could have been better, all the bad drawing choices that most readers probably won’t notice but for some reason are all I can see.
“In Hypocrite I wish I had used less text, especially regarding narration.
“Also, I wish I had cross-hatched less. It looks great if you put the time in, but the cross hatching in Hypocrite always looks rushed and flat to me.
“I think these feelings must come from learning so much while working on something. I worked on this thing full time for about two months. I suppose it's natural to feel that I could have done better if I were to do it over again.”
An interesting little book worth a look.Online readers can find McFadzean’s on his website (http://dakotamcfadzean.com), where they can read it for free, or purchase a hard copy. Interested readers can also check out his blog (http://blog.dakotamcfadzean.com), which is updated a little more regularly with information about current work.
-- CALVIN DANIELS
-- Appeared on Yorkton This Week WebXtra
Written by Dakota McFadzean
Pencils by Dakota McFadzean
Indie
It’s always interesting to get a look at a comic from a Saskatchewan creator given there are not a lot of comics created here.
So Hypocrite by Dakota McFadzean was a treat to get a look at.
As a comic Hypocrite is produced in ashcan size, running 22-pages of black and white art.
Stylistically the art reminds of Sunday edition newspaper cartoons, slipping in somewhere between realism and the art of Little Lulu.
It’s not grab you art, but it works.
McFadzean admitted art is something he continues to work at in terms of a defining style.
“'Style is something that I've struggled with,” he said. “When I work on a comic, no matter how hard I try, I often revert to my default way of drawing ... which really isn't particularly eye-catching or unique.
“That said, I tried a little harder to draw naturalistically for this comic. I wanted the Plateau neighbourhood to look real — to invoke a real sense of time and place. I was delighted when a young woman read Hypocrite at the Expozine Alternative Press fair in Montreal and said ‘I used to live in that neighbourhood! It looks exactly like this!’
“In contrast to this, I tried to keep the character's faces simple and undetailed so that the reader would be able to more easily identify with them.
“This was the second time I’ve tried to draw a full-length 24-page comic. Both times, I spent most of the project feeling like I knew nothing. And by the end, I felt like I had learned a little.”
As for McFadzean’s own influence, they are varied.
“There are a number of cartoonists out there who have done really excellent autobiographical work, so it’s impossible not to be influenced by them. Adrian Tomine has become a master of understated, naturalistic storytelling in comics,” he said. “I always tend to over explain things with text, but Tomine is confident enough to allow the story to silently explain itself.
“Robert Crumb is another unavoidable influence on me. I started reading his stuff in my teens, and it's been an unshakable presence whenever I sit down to work on a comic. There have been many artists who have done confessional autobiographies, and Crumb’s work seems to have influenced most of them.”
McFadzean renders a slice of life story here, which rings with truth. It speaks of the reality of relationships in our current world.
At times there are scenes that create smiles and those that tug at the heart, which is of course, a lot like our everyday lives.
I have to credit McFadzean with going with a theme not usually used for material in comics, which tend toward the fantastic.
That said, the audience for Hypocrite may not be vast. That does not mean it should be avoided. In fact, it’s good to expand the boundaries of the medium for comic readers too, and Hypocrite will do that.
“Hypocrite was an attempt to do a straightforward autobiographical story with as little embellishment as possible,” said McFadzean. “The events surrounding my interaction with my former neighbours are true, and I suppose I was trying to make sense of them by putting them into comic form.”
As a book, McFadzean said Hypocrite both impresses him as the creator, but also is a project he would redo differently.
“Whenever I work on a project, I maniacally shift from thinking it's going to be the greatest thing ever made, to thinking that it doesn’t deserve to be run through a photocopier,” he said. “When I finally have a printed copy in my hand, I’m happy for about three minutes, and then I start seeing all the little mistakes, all the things that could have been better, all the bad drawing choices that most readers probably won’t notice but for some reason are all I can see.
“In Hypocrite I wish I had used less text, especially regarding narration.
“Also, I wish I had cross-hatched less. It looks great if you put the time in, but the cross hatching in Hypocrite always looks rushed and flat to me.
“I think these feelings must come from learning so much while working on something. I worked on this thing full time for about two months. I suppose it's natural to feel that I could have done better if I were to do it over again.”
An interesting little book worth a look.Online readers can find McFadzean’s on his website (http://dakotamcfadzean.com), where they can read it for free, or purchase a hard copy. Interested readers can also check out his blog (http://blog.dakotamcfadzean.com), which is updated a little more regularly with information about current work.
-- CALVIN DANIELS
-- Appeared on Yorkton This Week WebXtra
Review -- THE POSSUM
The Possum
Written by Blair Kitchen
Pencils by Blair Kitchen
Possum Press
If you like comics heavy on the tongue-in-cheek humour, then The Possum by Canadian creator Blair Kitchen is an absolute must.
Kitchen has a great handle on the stereotypes associated with both superheros in comic books, but also those dealing with comic readers and collectors. He uses both to great advantage in The Possum.
As you might have guessed The Possum is a superhero, well at least he’s a young man that acquires some level of powers and wants to be a typical superhero. He does manage some heroic moments, but in a decidedly Pink Panther fashion. This guy can bumble his way through the bad guys.
Of course the bad guys here aren’t exactly world dominating types. Come on how scary are seven gun toting, masked midget Mexican wrestlers.
At times I am reminded of some past DC efforts with Plastic Man, although this ends up being even more over-the-top, and that’s fine by me.
The idea for The Possum as a character has been with creator Blair Kitchen for some time.
“My original drawing of the Possum was in Grade 10 (1992),” he said. “I drew him in English class, trying to come up with the lamest superhero. It was one of many doodles I would draw during classes. “I never even looked at the drawing again until 10 years later. I had wanted to do a comic book, but didn’t know what to do, and one day as I was preparing to move, I stumbled across my sketchbook and the drawing. “The idea for the comic came really quick after that and I immediately started sketching. I made one attempt to start the comic and got about six pages into it, then put it away for a while. I then started over again fresh, and it took me about a year and a half, on and off, working in the evenings and weekends.”
As humorous as the title is, Kitchen said he drew from more traditional comics in terms of influence.
“Conscious influences are Spider-man, Batman, Groo and Ronald Searle (illustrator), with a bit of Cerebus,” he said. “Mad Magazine wasn’t conscious at the time, but I loved Don Martin as a kid. “I studied animation at Sheridan College in Oakville, ON., and have worked in animation since 1998, animating for movies such as Curious George, and working on many commercials. “I’m currently doing storyboards for television. “My art influences are comics of course, but I also love artists like Mucha and Liendecker, and countless others.”
As for the comic reader angle, there is a supporting storyline around a comic store that is simply a hoot if you are a one-time collector. Inside style jokes, but they work.Kitchen uses a strong cartoon style, which at times reminds of Mad Magazine, and it is absolutely perfect for The Possum. Kitchen said the style just happened for him.
“I love Mad magazine, but it wasn't intentional,” he said. “I work in animation, where you are forced to draw someone else's style, and follow someone else’s story, so I just wanted to draw how I naturally draw and write whatever came out.”
Kitchen said he likes what he accomplished with The Possum.
“There's always things I would like to do better, but overall it has the feel that I was going for,” he said. “I have had very positive feedback from people who have read the book, and the letters pages are an indication. The goal now is to get more people aware of it.”
New readers and old can expect more adventures for The Possum.
“I've got so many stories in my head, but I can’t get into them all here,” he said. “I really want to focus on the Steve Tacola and Stuart Spankly storyline next, and really develop it. I have no intention to stop making these comics, and I'd love to be able to do it full time one of these days.”
As long as you appreciate humour in a comic, then The Possum is an excellent choice. Very funny.
Check it out at www.possumpress.comKitchen also has a blog at www.possumpress.com/blog, and an online store at www.possumpress.com/store
-- CALVIN DANIELS
-- Appeared on Yorkton This Week WebXtra
Written by Blair Kitchen
Pencils by Blair Kitchen
Possum Press
If you like comics heavy on the tongue-in-cheek humour, then The Possum by Canadian creator Blair Kitchen is an absolute must.
Kitchen has a great handle on the stereotypes associated with both superheros in comic books, but also those dealing with comic readers and collectors. He uses both to great advantage in The Possum.
As you might have guessed The Possum is a superhero, well at least he’s a young man that acquires some level of powers and wants to be a typical superhero. He does manage some heroic moments, but in a decidedly Pink Panther fashion. This guy can bumble his way through the bad guys.
Of course the bad guys here aren’t exactly world dominating types. Come on how scary are seven gun toting, masked midget Mexican wrestlers.
At times I am reminded of some past DC efforts with Plastic Man, although this ends up being even more over-the-top, and that’s fine by me.
The idea for The Possum as a character has been with creator Blair Kitchen for some time.
“My original drawing of the Possum was in Grade 10 (1992),” he said. “I drew him in English class, trying to come up with the lamest superhero. It was one of many doodles I would draw during classes. “I never even looked at the drawing again until 10 years later. I had wanted to do a comic book, but didn’t know what to do, and one day as I was preparing to move, I stumbled across my sketchbook and the drawing. “The idea for the comic came really quick after that and I immediately started sketching. I made one attempt to start the comic and got about six pages into it, then put it away for a while. I then started over again fresh, and it took me about a year and a half, on and off, working in the evenings and weekends.”
As humorous as the title is, Kitchen said he drew from more traditional comics in terms of influence.
“Conscious influences are Spider-man, Batman, Groo and Ronald Searle (illustrator), with a bit of Cerebus,” he said. “Mad Magazine wasn’t conscious at the time, but I loved Don Martin as a kid. “I studied animation at Sheridan College in Oakville, ON., and have worked in animation since 1998, animating for movies such as Curious George, and working on many commercials. “I’m currently doing storyboards for television. “My art influences are comics of course, but I also love artists like Mucha and Liendecker, and countless others.”
As for the comic reader angle, there is a supporting storyline around a comic store that is simply a hoot if you are a one-time collector. Inside style jokes, but they work.Kitchen uses a strong cartoon style, which at times reminds of Mad Magazine, and it is absolutely perfect for The Possum. Kitchen said the style just happened for him.
“I love Mad magazine, but it wasn't intentional,” he said. “I work in animation, where you are forced to draw someone else's style, and follow someone else’s story, so I just wanted to draw how I naturally draw and write whatever came out.”
Kitchen said he likes what he accomplished with The Possum.
“There's always things I would like to do better, but overall it has the feel that I was going for,” he said. “I have had very positive feedback from people who have read the book, and the letters pages are an indication. The goal now is to get more people aware of it.”
New readers and old can expect more adventures for The Possum.
“I've got so many stories in my head, but I can’t get into them all here,” he said. “I really want to focus on the Steve Tacola and Stuart Spankly storyline next, and really develop it. I have no intention to stop making these comics, and I'd love to be able to do it full time one of these days.”
As long as you appreciate humour in a comic, then The Possum is an excellent choice. Very funny.
Check it out at www.possumpress.comKitchen also has a blog at www.possumpress.com/blog, and an online store at www.possumpress.com/store
-- CALVIN DANIELS
-- Appeared on Yorkton This Week WebXtra
Review -- THE OPOSSUM
The Opossum
Written by Aaron Moses
Pencils by Aaron Moses
A&A Studios
The Opossum may not sound like a superhero name to be feared, but creator Aaron Moses has actually created a rather dark hero, with the somewhat unassuming name. There is something of the Marvel’s Punisher and DC’s darker Batman efforts in this one.Don’t judge the hero by the name.“The Opossum according to Webster’s dictionary part of its definition is white beast,” said creator Aaron Moses. “I chose that particular animal because of the way it is perceived by the folks in my home town. They are disgusted by that animal. Some hate and fear the opossum; the Aztec’s would curse a family home by releasing opossums into it. So the irony of it was to have a hero in that guise as their protector and savior.”It is always intriguing when you learn the reasons behind a character name. Suddenly The Opossum is not so unusual for a hero.The story is actually inspired by Batman, not so unusual given the iconic nature of the DC character.“I was very inspired by Bob Kane’s Batman produced by DC,” said Moses. “In my troubled adolescence I wished I was a brooding dark avenger so I could get back at all the bullies that had picked on me. Initially when I sketched the idea of The Opossum down on paper, I was trying to think of a look that inspired terror. I looked out my window and my neighbor was trying to kill a three-foot long opossum. The more my neighbor would hit or smash the opossum with a rock, it wouldn’t give up, its’ sheer will to walk out alive… was impressive. “I connected with that event and I understood what that animal was going through. I was that animal at that moment, that moment of creation!”The character took a decade-and-a-half to go from idea to comic.“The idea of this story took place in late March of 1992,” said Moses. “It was drawn as a private comic book/journal that I made for myself. Then life changed for me and I was in a relationship with a young woman, it was one of those young first love relationships where we would end up together-forever, very idealistic. “The whole comic book thing then took a back seat for a while, right up until she left mysteriously in the spring of 1995. “Not knowing how to handle that emotionally I went back to The Opossum story and developed it further in to a vengeful love story of some sort, by that time I had become a huge fan of James O’Barr’s The Crow and the movie. “In spring of 2007 is when it finally became a full fledged comic book.”The story, while not outstanding, is typical of the masked vigilante books. Not the best of the genre by far, but solid enough for an Issue #1 indie release.The art is rough-edged, at times kind of crude. The effect is actually one which sets a dark mood for the book, which does fit with the character. At times a bit more definition to some of the art might be warranted, yet in terms of the book’s overall dark nature, the art is all right.The problem in the rawness of the art might detract a few for picking up the book.“I have not taken any art lessons other than looking and studying comics, movies and Burne Hogarth's Dynamic Anatomy,” said Moses. “I am influenced by so many talented artists out there James O’Barr, Todd McFarlane, Joe Quesada, Jim Lee and many more.”Moses says the book works for him.“Yes the book has met my expectations in its final production,” he said. “I love the book. It was a great experience and I learned a great deal about the processes of writing, art and comics. With hind sight I know that there could have been some parts better than others. “When it comes to the readers they are mixed reviews but all in all good remarks. I just hope that readers can give my book a chance on this first issue, issue two will show a great leap forward in improved art and skill of the comic book craft.”There is more story to tell too.“Right now my team and I are trying to finish up issue two,” said Moses. “This first story arc is establishing the character in the contemporary time line, where this is the Opossums’ second run at this super hero business. “I have the series for this first story arc pretty well thought out and I hope to make it roughly six-to-nine issues long, maybe a bit more. After this first arc I want to go back and do a flash back run where we discover what happened to The Opossum the first time around. I have a nice run of villains that I would like to go through that battle up against The Opossum.”You can go to www.theopossum.com for more information about The Opossum, page samples, news updates, fan art and you can also order a copy of the comic from there too, via a link to their online distributor: IndyPlanet.com.
-- CALVIN DANIELS
-- Appeared on Yorkton This Week WebXtra
Written by Aaron Moses
Pencils by Aaron Moses
A&A Studios
The Opossum may not sound like a superhero name to be feared, but creator Aaron Moses has actually created a rather dark hero, with the somewhat unassuming name. There is something of the Marvel’s Punisher and DC’s darker Batman efforts in this one.Don’t judge the hero by the name.“The Opossum according to Webster’s dictionary part of its definition is white beast,” said creator Aaron Moses. “I chose that particular animal because of the way it is perceived by the folks in my home town. They are disgusted by that animal. Some hate and fear the opossum; the Aztec’s would curse a family home by releasing opossums into it. So the irony of it was to have a hero in that guise as their protector and savior.”It is always intriguing when you learn the reasons behind a character name. Suddenly The Opossum is not so unusual for a hero.The story is actually inspired by Batman, not so unusual given the iconic nature of the DC character.“I was very inspired by Bob Kane’s Batman produced by DC,” said Moses. “In my troubled adolescence I wished I was a brooding dark avenger so I could get back at all the bullies that had picked on me. Initially when I sketched the idea of The Opossum down on paper, I was trying to think of a look that inspired terror. I looked out my window and my neighbor was trying to kill a three-foot long opossum. The more my neighbor would hit or smash the opossum with a rock, it wouldn’t give up, its’ sheer will to walk out alive… was impressive. “I connected with that event and I understood what that animal was going through. I was that animal at that moment, that moment of creation!”The character took a decade-and-a-half to go from idea to comic.“The idea of this story took place in late March of 1992,” said Moses. “It was drawn as a private comic book/journal that I made for myself. Then life changed for me and I was in a relationship with a young woman, it was one of those young first love relationships where we would end up together-forever, very idealistic. “The whole comic book thing then took a back seat for a while, right up until she left mysteriously in the spring of 1995. “Not knowing how to handle that emotionally I went back to The Opossum story and developed it further in to a vengeful love story of some sort, by that time I had become a huge fan of James O’Barr’s The Crow and the movie. “In spring of 2007 is when it finally became a full fledged comic book.”The story, while not outstanding, is typical of the masked vigilante books. Not the best of the genre by far, but solid enough for an Issue #1 indie release.The art is rough-edged, at times kind of crude. The effect is actually one which sets a dark mood for the book, which does fit with the character. At times a bit more definition to some of the art might be warranted, yet in terms of the book’s overall dark nature, the art is all right.The problem in the rawness of the art might detract a few for picking up the book.“I have not taken any art lessons other than looking and studying comics, movies and Burne Hogarth's Dynamic Anatomy,” said Moses. “I am influenced by so many talented artists out there James O’Barr, Todd McFarlane, Joe Quesada, Jim Lee and many more.”Moses says the book works for him.“Yes the book has met my expectations in its final production,” he said. “I love the book. It was a great experience and I learned a great deal about the processes of writing, art and comics. With hind sight I know that there could have been some parts better than others. “When it comes to the readers they are mixed reviews but all in all good remarks. I just hope that readers can give my book a chance on this first issue, issue two will show a great leap forward in improved art and skill of the comic book craft.”There is more story to tell too.“Right now my team and I are trying to finish up issue two,” said Moses. “This first story arc is establishing the character in the contemporary time line, where this is the Opossums’ second run at this super hero business. “I have the series for this first story arc pretty well thought out and I hope to make it roughly six-to-nine issues long, maybe a bit more. After this first arc I want to go back and do a flash back run where we discover what happened to The Opossum the first time around. I have a nice run of villains that I would like to go through that battle up against The Opossum.”You can go to www.theopossum.com for more information about The Opossum, page samples, news updates, fan art and you can also order a copy of the comic from there too, via a link to their online distributor: IndyPlanet.com.
-- CALVIN DANIELS
-- Appeared on Yorkton This Week WebXtra
Review -- CAFFIENE POISON
Caffiene Poison
Written by Jason Dube
Pencils by Braedon Kuts
Scattered Comics
It is always a pleasing experience to read a comic book which makes you think. I’m not meaning thinking in terms of great philosophical revelations, but rather the storyline has enough fresh ideas, enough questions unanswered that as a reader you are left wondering.
Writer Jason Dube manages to do that with Caffeine Poison, which two issues in still has you wondering exactly what is transpiring with the characters.
The characters initially seem like rather ordinary teens at a coffee shop, but you soon realize there is more going on -- the small dragon is a dead give-away.
The story has developing aspects of fantasy and the fantastic which you soon realize you want to be around to see unfold.
As fantastical as the storyline hints at becoming, Dube said real life was a definite influence.
“I hung out at a lot of coffee shops in my free time,” he said. “I met a lot of very colourful characters and thought — people that frequent coffee shops are so interesting, they would make great characters.
“Then it was a matter of thinking up a larger story around the environment.”
The larger environment came to Dube rather easily too.
“To be honest, I always dream up these wild stories,” he said. “One time I was writing down a dream I had when I realized that the dream was a great backdrop for the origin of the main characters. From there, the comic started writing itself.”
Artistically, Braedon Kuts is clearly a talent. The work has strong Japanese manga influences, with the work also drawing on North American cartooning. The result is a sort of whimsical style which is ideally suited to the storyline.
The black and white art will catch your attention, especially manga fans, but the story is what will keep you coming back. That’s a rather deadly combination. You have to like it — a lot.
Dube said Kuts was a natural to do the art.
“Working with the talented Braedon Kuts on a short comic before in my ‘Scattered’ series, I really wanted to have her work on this series,” he said. “She has a very dramatic style that gives both the drama and humor I wanted to show in the comic.”
The style fits because Dube said Japanese anime was a definite influence to the overall book.
“I would have to say, I really tried to capture the humor and light-heartedness that I got from watching anime shows like ‘Ranma 1/2’, and ‘Oh My Goddess’. I really like the low-stress feel of shows like that, and wanted the same sort of tone in the series,” he said.
The finished book is also one Dube said works for him as its creator.
“I am so happy and proud with how the comic turned out,” he said. “Everything really seemed to come together in the story and Braedon’s artwork really matched exactly what I was envisioning when I had it in my head,” he said.
There are also many plans tied to the title for the future.
“Well, Issue #3 comes out in a few weeks, with #4 scheduled for a February 2010 release,” he said.
“In the meantime, there is a CD soundtrack being developed to be released along with Issue #4, and I’m going to set up a coffee shop book signing tour for the summer.
“Lastly, I am going to publish a Coffee Table art book which will have artwork from various artists with work that is inspired from the series. Proceeds of the art book will go to a charity.”
The cartoon, teen elements of Caffiene Poison may not be everybody’s cup of tea, but give it a chance. You’ll soon be ordering an extra large cup of this fun comic romp.
Dube said the comic book is sold through Comixpress, Comic Works, and Haven Distribution.
“I hope everyone decides to pick up a copy and give it a read,” he said, adding “don't forget to have a cup of coffee while you read it too!”
-- CALVIN DANIELS
-- Appeared on Yorkton This Week WebXtra
Written by Jason Dube
Pencils by Braedon Kuts
Scattered Comics
It is always a pleasing experience to read a comic book which makes you think. I’m not meaning thinking in terms of great philosophical revelations, but rather the storyline has enough fresh ideas, enough questions unanswered that as a reader you are left wondering.
Writer Jason Dube manages to do that with Caffeine Poison, which two issues in still has you wondering exactly what is transpiring with the characters.
The characters initially seem like rather ordinary teens at a coffee shop, but you soon realize there is more going on -- the small dragon is a dead give-away.
The story has developing aspects of fantasy and the fantastic which you soon realize you want to be around to see unfold.
As fantastical as the storyline hints at becoming, Dube said real life was a definite influence.
“I hung out at a lot of coffee shops in my free time,” he said. “I met a lot of very colourful characters and thought — people that frequent coffee shops are so interesting, they would make great characters.
“Then it was a matter of thinking up a larger story around the environment.”
The larger environment came to Dube rather easily too.
“To be honest, I always dream up these wild stories,” he said. “One time I was writing down a dream I had when I realized that the dream was a great backdrop for the origin of the main characters. From there, the comic started writing itself.”
Artistically, Braedon Kuts is clearly a talent. The work has strong Japanese manga influences, with the work also drawing on North American cartooning. The result is a sort of whimsical style which is ideally suited to the storyline.
The black and white art will catch your attention, especially manga fans, but the story is what will keep you coming back. That’s a rather deadly combination. You have to like it — a lot.
Dube said Kuts was a natural to do the art.
“Working with the talented Braedon Kuts on a short comic before in my ‘Scattered’ series, I really wanted to have her work on this series,” he said. “She has a very dramatic style that gives both the drama and humor I wanted to show in the comic.”
The style fits because Dube said Japanese anime was a definite influence to the overall book.
“I would have to say, I really tried to capture the humor and light-heartedness that I got from watching anime shows like ‘Ranma 1/2’, and ‘Oh My Goddess’. I really like the low-stress feel of shows like that, and wanted the same sort of tone in the series,” he said.
The finished book is also one Dube said works for him as its creator.
“I am so happy and proud with how the comic turned out,” he said. “Everything really seemed to come together in the story and Braedon’s artwork really matched exactly what I was envisioning when I had it in my head,” he said.
There are also many plans tied to the title for the future.
“Well, Issue #3 comes out in a few weeks, with #4 scheduled for a February 2010 release,” he said.
“In the meantime, there is a CD soundtrack being developed to be released along with Issue #4, and I’m going to set up a coffee shop book signing tour for the summer.
“Lastly, I am going to publish a Coffee Table art book which will have artwork from various artists with work that is inspired from the series. Proceeds of the art book will go to a charity.”
The cartoon, teen elements of Caffiene Poison may not be everybody’s cup of tea, but give it a chance. You’ll soon be ordering an extra large cup of this fun comic romp.
Dube said the comic book is sold through Comixpress, Comic Works, and Haven Distribution.
“I hope everyone decides to pick up a copy and give it a read,” he said, adding “don't forget to have a cup of coffee while you read it too!”
-- CALVIN DANIELS
-- Appeared on Yorkton This Week WebXtra
Review -- DEADHEAD
Deadhead
Written by Sebastien Regnier
Pencils by Nadim (Mahi-Bahi)
Scattered Comics
You get the feeling Sebastien Regnier and Nadim are living out the dream of every kid who has ever read a comic book.
There comes that time when you put down the latest issue of Batman, beside the older issue of Star Wars, and a Scrooge McDuck and say to yourself ‘if I did a comic I’d put elements of everything in it.’
With Deadhead the creative duo have a quasi superhero book, starring of course Deadhead, layered with a ton of cheeky humour.
Of course the mere fact there is a talking gorilla is enough for me. Come on, you know talking apes are cool comic fare.
The storyline is not surprisingly pretty over-the-top, but the title would not work any other way.
Once you commit to the crazy, you have to go all the way. There is no half way.
So don’t expect Ernest Hemingway writing here, or even Alan Moore or Neil Gaiman. Regnier is raw, at times tickling the funny bone, and at times managing only a groan at the attempt.
That is the charm of an indie title like Deadhead.
Nadim said the story came about over a period of time.
“Deadhead existed for a while actually,” he said. “It started as a joke we came up with around 2002 maybe. We were big comic readers, and we wanted to do a comic more humour oriented. I guess he is a poor man's ‘Spiderman’. That’s how he was kinda designed; if Peter Parker wasn’t a genius.”
Other characters just sort of happened, said Nadim.
“I have no idea where the apeman is from,” he said. “In the comic world there’s a lot of gorillas/ape characters for some reason. More than any other animal character. I don't know why.
“I guess it was subconscious.”
Nadim is likewise raw in the art. It has the look of the art you might see scrawled in the margin of an artistically interested, but rough-edged high school student’s notebook.
The art while undefined, again fits the weirdness of the title.
“The format rules. It’s really cool to see it as a standard sized comic,” said the artist. “I think that’s great.
“The drawings are getting better I hope. I’m not satisfied 100 per cent with the look of it, but I work on making it better each page.
“If you wait for your work to be perfect to put it out, it will never get out. Maybe if you are a virtuoso but I’m certainly not.”
The book is also Canadian, a bonus in my books.
However, Nadim said it was another barrier to producing the title because the publishing opportunities here are limited.
“It was really difficult to get it in print form,” he said. “I stumbled on the ka-blam.com web site and they rule! I wish there was something like that in Canada/Québec. They are really cool. I could not have printed the comic without them …
“It cost way too much to print them here in Montréal. I would have had to print a 1,000 copies which would not sell. It’s all from my pocket. I ain’t got a 1000 bucks and I don’t want any government subvention for this comic. If someone would finance it, it would be great but I won't hold my breath.”
While there have been challenges to producing Deadhead, Nadim said there is more story yet to tell.
“We have more stories to tell, some, I think, could be really good I hope,” he said.
Deadhead in many ways is what indie comics are about. It’s an expression of raw creativity, sans slick production, and big budgets. It exists because writer and artist made it happen. Not a book everyone will appreciate, but it has the raw charm to recommend giving it a look.
All the links to where to get the comic and the info about it is at www.deadheadcomicks.com
-- CALVIN DANIELS
-- Appeared on Yorkton This Week WebXtra
Written by Sebastien Regnier
Pencils by Nadim (Mahi-Bahi)
Scattered Comics
You get the feeling Sebastien Regnier and Nadim are living out the dream of every kid who has ever read a comic book.
There comes that time when you put down the latest issue of Batman, beside the older issue of Star Wars, and a Scrooge McDuck and say to yourself ‘if I did a comic I’d put elements of everything in it.’
With Deadhead the creative duo have a quasi superhero book, starring of course Deadhead, layered with a ton of cheeky humour.
Of course the mere fact there is a talking gorilla is enough for me. Come on, you know talking apes are cool comic fare.
The storyline is not surprisingly pretty over-the-top, but the title would not work any other way.
Once you commit to the crazy, you have to go all the way. There is no half way.
So don’t expect Ernest Hemingway writing here, or even Alan Moore or Neil Gaiman. Regnier is raw, at times tickling the funny bone, and at times managing only a groan at the attempt.
That is the charm of an indie title like Deadhead.
Nadim said the story came about over a period of time.
“Deadhead existed for a while actually,” he said. “It started as a joke we came up with around 2002 maybe. We were big comic readers, and we wanted to do a comic more humour oriented. I guess he is a poor man's ‘Spiderman’. That’s how he was kinda designed; if Peter Parker wasn’t a genius.”
Other characters just sort of happened, said Nadim.
“I have no idea where the apeman is from,” he said. “In the comic world there’s a lot of gorillas/ape characters for some reason. More than any other animal character. I don't know why.
“I guess it was subconscious.”
Nadim is likewise raw in the art. It has the look of the art you might see scrawled in the margin of an artistically interested, but rough-edged high school student’s notebook.
The art while undefined, again fits the weirdness of the title.
“The format rules. It’s really cool to see it as a standard sized comic,” said the artist. “I think that’s great.
“The drawings are getting better I hope. I’m not satisfied 100 per cent with the look of it, but I work on making it better each page.
“If you wait for your work to be perfect to put it out, it will never get out. Maybe if you are a virtuoso but I’m certainly not.”
The book is also Canadian, a bonus in my books.
However, Nadim said it was another barrier to producing the title because the publishing opportunities here are limited.
“It was really difficult to get it in print form,” he said. “I stumbled on the ka-blam.com web site and they rule! I wish there was something like that in Canada/Québec. They are really cool. I could not have printed the comic without them …
“It cost way too much to print them here in Montréal. I would have had to print a 1,000 copies which would not sell. It’s all from my pocket. I ain’t got a 1000 bucks and I don’t want any government subvention for this comic. If someone would finance it, it would be great but I won't hold my breath.”
While there have been challenges to producing Deadhead, Nadim said there is more story yet to tell.
“We have more stories to tell, some, I think, could be really good I hope,” he said.
Deadhead in many ways is what indie comics are about. It’s an expression of raw creativity, sans slick production, and big budgets. It exists because writer and artist made it happen. Not a book everyone will appreciate, but it has the raw charm to recommend giving it a look.
All the links to where to get the comic and the info about it is at www.deadheadcomicks.com
-- CALVIN DANIELS
-- Appeared on Yorkton This Week WebXtra
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