Friday, September 18, 2009

Review -- THE NIGHT PROJECTIONIST

The Night Projectionist
Art by Diego Yapura
Written by Robert Heske
Black House Comics


Do you like vampires and the idea of evil that is ancient, one which reappears all too often to threaten those who are unfortunate enough to be near?
Yes, it's an old storyline, but one good writers pull off with subtle twists of the tale which offer the reader something fresh.
Robert Heske is promising to be one of those authors which can pull this off with the first issue of The Night Projectionist.
The story begins in Hungary in 1709, laying a few nice teasers of evil, then flashes to the present where that evil appears to have emerged again.
This is one of those books which has 'future movie' written all over it. It has a cinematic feel to it which could translate to be big screen quite naturally, which appears to be in the plans.
“Now that the comic is complete as an OGN, the chances are good it will also be made into a film. Myriad Pictures, whom Studio 407 shares office space with and has a "first-look" deal, saw the galleys and optioned the film rights. I'm working on a draft of the screenplay now. Talk about coming around full circle!,” said Heske.
It however, also holds well as a comic book.
Heske said the idea didn't come from other vampire/horror stories.
“Believe it or not, the classic film 12 Angry Men. For some reason, the idea of a captive audience and a 'convict' wrongly accused inspired the idea about a night projectionist who, in actuality, is a renegade vampire on the run from his coven,” he said. “The dark leader of the coven, Theodore Burak, and his new genetic breed of vampires descend upon the town - and the tiny theatre - to settle an old score. But one question remains for the captive audience to solve - in order for them to survive, is the night projectionist friend or foe?”
That said, Heske does like horror flicks himself.
“My favorite horror movie of all time was the original Halloween starring Jamie Lee Curtis -- who, ironically, wasn't the hottest teen chick in the film -- and directed by John Carpenter,” he said. “My favorite comedies growing up even had a horror slant - like Abbot and Costello meets Frankenstein -- a 1948 film that I caught as a constant re-run on TV in the late sixties/early seventies.”
The germ of an idea still took time to grow into an actual book.
“This story has been percolating for about 10 years,” he said. “It started out as a movie idea -- I was a screenwriter before I became a comic creator -- but I never quite got it right. I pitched the idea to Alex Leung at Studio 407, a cutting edge comic book publisher with film connections, and Alex said - 'I love it ... as a comic!'”
Helping set the dark mood is the full colour artwork of Deigo Yapura. He uses shading effectively to feed the mood, although never going so dark that the art loses its definition.
Pick up this title, flip through the pages, and the art will make you want to explore the book in much more detail. The art certainly accomplishes its role of grabbing attention.
“I had nothing to do with the selection of the artist,” said Heske, adding, “I am thankful that Studio 407 put Diego Yapura on the job. He's a new artist in the field, very detail-oriented, and his work has gone from very good in issue one to flat-out fantastic in the subsequent issues ... The combination of the artwork by Diego Yapura and the colors by Jorge Blanco is a rare visual treat for hardcore horror fans.”
In the end The Night Projectionist promises to be a bright new retelling of the story of the vampire. That is not an easy feat in a world where vampire stories are legion, but after one issue Heske seems to have the skill to make this a fresh and entertaining book. Definitely worth a look.
Check it out at Studio 407's website is www.studio-407.com. That's where readers can read more abut the story premise and check out a black and white version of issue one online called NIGHT PROJECTIONIST NOIR. Fans interested in buying the book can get it several places, but one good place to start is www.heavyink.com
-- CALVIN DANIELS
-- Appeared on Yorkton This Week WebXtra

Review -- AMERICAN SINNER

American Sinner
Art by Edson Alves
Written by Glenn Moane
Indie


Comic books are usually thought of as the place where creators tell fantastical stories, people with superpowers, alien works, strange impossible science.
Then there are comic book creators who simply pick up the local newspaper – no not The National Enquirer – using the headlines there to tell some truly chilling, dramatic stories.
Welcome to American Sinner written by Glenn Moane.
The story is horrific, and sadly all too real. It deals with a serial killer, and that is something scarier than any Frankenstein monster story.
Moane does a great job of weaving a story which rings true, which is essential for a tale which is set firmly in the world just outside our doors. If this story felt exaggerated at all it would quickly fall into the realm of the drek which passes for a horror movie in Hollywood. Moane stick handles past that hole in the ice slicker than Steve Yzerman on a breakaway.
Writer Moane said the real world was certainly something which influenced his work.
“I guess you can say that the news was an influence; in terms of what theme I wanted to write about that time,” he said. “I wanted to write something about a business, preferably in its worst possible incarnation. A nationwide snuff movie network seemed like a natural fit, so I went ahead with that idea.”
The characters simply grew out of the dark storyline, said Moane.
“With the concept in mind, the characters came naturally,” he said. “To me, Frank Manning is a metaphor for just another greedy company that will stop at nothing to increase its profits. Kevin is the disobedient worker, and the women they prey upon can be seen as resources that are laid to waste during the production. It’s not exactly subtle, but I couldn't resist the urge not to be.”
Moane said once the idea got into his head, it made it to paper rather quickly.
“As soon as the concept was clear to me, I started toying with various plot ideas,” he said. “As soon I settled with the present one, after about a month or so, I started to write the script. The biggest challenge for me as a Norwegian was to write dialog that didn’t feel corny or forced. I still cringe when I read some of it today, but I figure it could be a lot worse.”
While American Sinner comes from the headlines, Moane's influences are certainly set in the world of comics and scifi.
“Ah, where to start? I love the work of Warren Ellis, Brian Bendis, Jason Aaron and Brian Wood tremendously, but my favorite writer above all is Garth Ennis,” he said. “His Punisher Max run has a special place in my heart, and it directly inspired American Sinner in terms of the 'mood' I wanted the book to have.
“Also, I wouldn’t be the writer I am if not for the noir elements of Miami Vice, or the literature of (Norwegian author) Dag Solstad.
“The list goes on.”
Since the story is a real one, it was important the art work capture that too. Edson Alves is a nice fit that way. The art isn't fantastical. It's real. Look at the people and they look like you and I. That has to be the way in this book for it to work.
The book is black and white, and that really is a good fit too. Sort of reminds of the old newsreels in terms of looking in on the story.
“I found Edson through a Brazilian studio that is now called Pencil Blue Studios (http://pencilbluestudio.blogspot.com),” said Moane. “I found his samples to be quite charming, especially the way he drew faces. In the book, Frank Manning looks just like the bastard I envisioned him to be, so I’m quite happy with my choice.”
The book stands alone, almost having too given the ending, which is another nod to reality.
“The way we leave Frank and Kevin at the end of the story is the way they ended up, so there are no plans for a sequel anytime soon,” said Moane.
The finished product is most gratifying, although Moane said he sees places he would improve.
“As mentioned, there are some things I would like to change when it comes to dialog, plus some other minor bits,” he said. “Also, I think the book would look great in color, so I’m thinking about doing something about that later.”
That said the reviews have been good.
“Dan Royer’s review of the comic in his 'From the Tomb Magazine' was very kind, which is always nice,” said Moane. “I would like to reach a wider audience with this book, and to do that I have to go through other channels than the print-on-demand route, so that’s also in the works.
“But overall, I’m grateful that nobody has yet to label American Sinner as 'a misogynist piece of crap!'”
Since this is a one-shot, it's a great book in the sense you get the full deal with one purchase. It's a great way to get into the head of writer Moane, and one that while satisfying, will have you wanting more from this writer.
The good news, more stories are to come.
“I have a couple of one-shots on the way, which should interest readers who liked American Sinner, as they take place in the same universe. Frank Manning’s misdeeds will be partly responsible for events happening in The Hit (available early 2010), which again is linked to the book Homecoming (available November/December). I have just received the first pages for Homecoming and they look stunning, so check it out when the time comes,” said the writer.
American Sinner can be ordered through the Indyplanet store: http://www.indyplanet.com/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=2130
For information regarding Moane's upcoming projects, go to http://glennmoane.blogspot.com.
-- CALVIN DANIELS
-- Appeared on Yorkton This Week WebXtra

Monday, September 14, 2009

Review -- PHOBOS

Phobos
Art by Jason Brubaker
Written by Jason Brubaker
Coffee Table Comics
Phobos is one of those wonderful stories which really brings a number of very solid elements together.
To begin with, the art immediately catches the eye. Rendered in black and white Jason Brubaker has a style which is reminiscent of Dale Keown on his hit book Pitt. That my friends is high praise in my books.
Brubaker is especially good at facial close-up panels, where he captures emotions such as fear and surprise well.
It is also interesting to note, and to the artist's credit, that issue two of the series is stronger artistically than the first. That shows skill growth with is admirable.
Brubaker said art is his greatest strength at this point.
“I look at myself as more of an artist then a writer and so my influences have always been my favorite artists who wrote their own books,” he said. “When I drew Phobos I was influenced by Sam Kieth, Erik Larsen, Todd McFarlane, Frank Miller and Douglas Adams.” He added he doesn't see the Keown influence as much. “Yeah, Dale Keown has some great stuff and I can't say I wasn't influenced by him but Sam, Erik, Todd and Frank were my main guys for Phobos.”
Brubaker is right that many people will also see Keith's The Maxx in this work in terms of style.
Story wise, Brubaker is in the groove to. Phobos is a tongue-in-cheek horror story, that draws much in terms of approach from the old television series The Munsters. The classic horror icons, vampire, werewolf, Frankenstein are all here, but with a definite humourous twist.
Humour on a title which borrows what could easily become clichéd character types is a risk. The story could easily bog down in silly one-liners, and tired jokes heard before. Brubaker does an excellent job of avoiding such pitfalls. He has a good sense of pace in terms of writing the humour found here.
Brubaker himself said his humour writing is something of a work-in-progress in his mind.
“I don't feel like I really have a grasp on writing humor yet,” he said. “I've always liked how Douglas Adams writes humor in the Hitchhiker's guide to the Galaxy books and can honestly say he is a big influence.”
Brubaker added, that writing is still the mist difficult aspect of creating Phobos.
“Writing is much harder for me,” he said, “although I'd have to say that I'm finding it easier the more stories I create. Drawing has always been a natural thing where as writing takes me a long time and 100 per cent concentration.”
Brubaker said the actual influences in terms of story are rather diverse.
“Back in high school when I came up with this idea I was really into the common horror characters like Dracula and werewolves but I wanted to create a world where these characters were more or less good,” he said. “I loved Bernie Wrightson's Frankenstein illustrations as well as any old black and white Munsters/Addam's Family type look. And making them all friends was the only right thing to do.”
That said, Phobos directly came about as a result of trying to follow in the footsteps of one of the best indie comic titles ever.
“Phobos evolved from a Cerebus (Dave Sim) style character I was trying to create,” said Brubaker. “I realized that he looked bat-like so I made him into a messed up vampire. The rest of the cast quickly followed with a mad scientist and Frank inspired by Sam Kieth's art.”
There is really no weak element with Phobos. Brubaker takes a familiar group of characters and breathes fresh life into the storyline with humour, while offering a visually impressive book. Highly recommended.
The final product satisfied its creator too.
“The final look of the book looks great in my opinion and I'm very pleased with it,” said Brubaker, adding acceptance has been harder to find. “It's been hard finding an audience though. I have some die hard fans who will buy every Phobos thing I make but they're a rare breed.
“I've only taken it to the San Francisco Ape Con one year to test my market but plan on getting booths at lots of conventions for 2010 along with my upcoming graphic novel called "reMIND". I'll try to have a Phobos trade available by then too.”
And, the story may grow beyond a comic too.
“Believe it or not I have been pitching it around to movie studios this last year with several signs of interest,” said Brubaker. “As far as the story goes, let’s just say there’s a Mummy thrown in the mix. Phobos learns more of his dark past, and Frank has an interesting taste of the afterlife.”
Check it out at http://CoffeeTableComics.com the main website with information about ordering Phobos. Brubaker's personal portfolio site is http://Jason-Brubaker.com which has art, animation, and a blog.
-- CALVIN DANIELS
-- Appeared on Yorkton This Week WebXtra

Review -- THE TWILIGHT AGE

The Twilight Age
Art by Jan Scherpenhuizen
Written by Jan Scherpenhuizen
Black House Comics
If you want to be truly creeped out, The Twilight Age is a good comic for the job.
This is a horror story, but one made more horrible by the all too believable storyline.
This is not a tale of scarecrows coming to life. Zombies emerging from their graves, or ghosts haunting a house. Writer and artist Jan Scherpenhuizen has created a scarier take than that.
This is a story of a world where some disease is ravishing the population. When the headlines today are of the H1N1, and the possibility it might mutate into a more virulent and deadly disease, it' a storyline that reads rather close to home.
Now you might think a world in chaos because of a plague killing people would be enough, but Scherpenhuizen ramps up the fear factor by imposing a cereal killer on the overall story. Th killers likes to drain the blood of his victims, and has left a trail of corpses through the preview Zero and Issue One of the book.
Again, any week you can probably find a headline somewhere in North America of some whacked out person visiting unspeakable deaths on others.
Credit Scherpenhuizen for recognizing the scariest horrors are with us. He just put a couple of all too real headlines on a few steroids, and ended up with a horror book based on the possible.
The idea of the book evolved from other efforts, said The Twilight Age's creator.
“Stephen King's The Stand - read it 15 years ago and wrote series of short stories set in Australia based on a similar scenario. When I had the idea for a federal cop getting his man at the end of the world I turned it into a novel of 460 pages - lost the manuscript,” said Scherpenhuizen. “When I spoke to Baden Kirgan about what he wanted to publish I knew this was the time to revive the idea which I always had faith in. Baden wanted it set in the U.S. Other influences: John Wydham's post-apocalyptic novels, HP Lovecraft, X-files, and Twilight Zone.”
The art, this book is in full colour works, although it is not the strength of the title. Scherpenhuizen uses too many close-ups, panels that are from the neck tie up. He also tends to use a lot of smaller panels, which can work if counter balanced by some full page splashes. Here he does not go big and bold often enough.
The result is that you may not immediately gravitate to this book, since art attracts comic readers. In this case though, take the chance. The art is admittedly only average, but the storyline is a compelling one based on it's element of reality.
Scherpenhuizen said he was looking to achieve a classic look with the art.
“I was going for a classic look influenced by Aparo, Buscema, Colan and Adams,” he said, adding he “also loves the Kuberts, Bryan Hitch, Alan Davis, Gibbons and Bolland all of whom have an influence but mainly I'm influenced by the older stuff on this book.”
Scherpenhuizen said he likes doing both the art and the writing himself.
“I like doing both writing and drawing because I get what I want from my artist and I never ask him to draw anything that won't work,” he said. “On the other hand it is a grueling schedule and I'm looking forward to getting an inker/colourist for the next story arc. The writing comes very easy, the art sometimes very hard, other times easy.”
Interestingly, moving forward, Scherpenhuizen said the storyline will veer back to more mystical horror precepts.
“I've about 30 issues plotted roughly for story arcs of three-to-five issues,” he said. “(The main character) Justin will wander the post-apocalyptic world of the twilight age trying to bring law to the lawless. Vampires, zombies, monsters, Mad Max types, a cult led by a Michael Jackson type.
“Essentially, though, the stories are as much character driven as action oriented. The Scarred Man who is intro'ed in issue #3 also plays a major role focusing on the lovecraftian elements and there'll be multi-plot line issues cutting back and forth between different characters.”
Check it out at www.blackhousecomics.com
-- CALVIN DANIELS
-- Appeared on Yorkton This Week WebXtra

Review -- PROJECT ELOHIM

Project ElOhIm
Art by Eliseu Gouveia
Written by Rebecca Hicks
Strange Matter
When it comes to independent comics, most are never destined to make any money. Sadly, that includes the good ones such as Project ElOhIm.
“This is the harsh truth part of the program, kiddies, the only reason Project Elohim has made it past five issues is because I'm paying for the series to continue,” said book creator and writer Rebecca Hicks. “I love writing it, and I know a lot of people that love reading it. But there aren't enough people that love reading it to offset the cost of art, printing, promotion, etc. It's a labor of love, seriously. I would like it to pay for itself one day, but don't know if it ever will.”
Well, after reading the opening five issues of the series, I can appreciate why Hicks as the creator wants to keep the story going. To begin with she has a rather interesting cast of characters going. While not having one character which really takes the lead to be the focus of the reader's interest, the overall cast is interesting enough to keep you involved.
The book in general terms is a superhero-style tale, that is to say characters have superpowers, but here they don't run around in tights and a cape. Instead there is a covert-ops approach, which realistically is more likely. If someone suddenly manifested powers in the real world they'd either end up on some operating table as government looked to see what made them tick, or they would be pushed into some secret service or another to do government's bidding.
While that may sound rather ominous, Hicks hasn't gone down the darkest road. In fact, she manages to keep the story rather humourous, without having to fall into too many clichéd one-liners.
The end result is a story, that over five issues develops nicely. There are a few mysteries seeded along the way, which help build interest. Everything is not as it seems on the surface, but then it rarely is in a superhero comic.
That edge of intrigue makes you want the next installment.
The idea for the story actually grew out of role playing sessions, something many comic readers will appreciate, since many are RPGers as well.
“I worked my dorm's night shift during my years at the University of Kentucky,” said Hicks. “Not a job that required a lot of my attention (occasionally open door, check I.D.), which meant it was a sweet opportunity to read comic books and get in some role-playing. My friend Randy Yarger ran a Marvel Super Heroes campaign on some of the nights I worked. Those games resulted in his creating his own little comic book world, which later evolved into the Strange Matter Comics universe.
“So the inspiration for my storyline comes from the larger Strange Matter Comics storyline, which was created by Randy. And that is very inspired by traditional superhero stories, but also Arthurian folklore and ancient mythology. I love me some superheroes and folklore and mythology, so I truly dig being able to write stories that are inspired by all three.”
Beyond the university gaming sessions, Hicks said it is rather difficult to pinpoint her influences as a writer.
“This one's tough, because there are so many writers, fiction and non-fiction, that inspire me,” she said. “I'm really influenced by writers that develop great characters, and give each of those characters a unique voice. So Greg Rucka, Jim Butcher, Mary Doria Russell, Joss Whedon, to name a few. I'm also influenced by writers that have a dark and whimsical view, like Sara Vowell and Neil Gaiman. And Carroll and Shakespeare, now that I think about it. Really. I do kick it old school.”
So the characters, or at least some of them in Project ElOhIm have been around awhile.
“The characters, specifically Caitlain, Brian, Alex and Lona, they've been with me since those role-playing sessions,” said Hicks. “They've evolved a bit, but, at their core, they're the same characters I created in the early 1990's. The story that they're involved in has changed dramatically over the years. The Project as a government entity didn't exist until I really started sitting down to write the book, for example.”
As for getting the book from idea to print, Hicks said current technology really allowed that to happen.
“As for getting the book into print, shout-out to print-on-demand services like Ka-Blam! Printing technology has come such a long way in the past five years,” she said. “I paid to get my book printed, it got printed. It was that easy. It's all the other stuff, writing, promotion, that's hard. Oh, and working a 'real' job to be able to pay for the printing. That's hard too.”
As for the art of the book, Eliseu Gouveia brings a smooth hand to the black and white art. There is excellent use of shading here as well. The art doesn't necessarily jump of the page to take centre stage, but the clean renderings are a nice compliment to the pacing of Hicks' writing.
Hicks said the artist came to her, again through the use of modern technology which opens many doors to comic creators.
“When I told Randy that I was ready to contribute my book to the Strange Matter Comics line, he suggested I find an artist through Digital Webbing,” she said. I requested an artist that could tell a story through facial expression, since I write for comics as if they're a TV show or movie slowed down I see my characters as actors, and write accordingly.
“What made me select Zeus as my artist were the sample pages he sent me. He could have chosen any four pages of the first issue script to draw. He could have gone with a big action scene, like the apartment fire, for example. But he drew Caitlain and Brian having a conversation. That choice showed me that he was serious about character, and not just in it for the spandex and fight scenes.
“So there was no doubt in my mind that he was the best choice for Project Elohim. The final look of the book goes beyond my expectations, and that's thanks to Zeu. It's a blast collaborating with him. If I ever go to Portugal, I'm hunting him down and hugging him. Real tight squeezy hug. We're talking spine-crushing.”
While not a money maker for Hicks yet, she is persevering with a solid storyline to pursue into the future. That's good news for readers.
“As for what's next, I'm finishing up the second story arc, which delves into the larger story behind the events that Caitlain has found herself embroiled in,” she said. “Then I'm putting it all into a graphic novel, since those have a better chance of being a financial win.
“Then I need to spend a little more time on promotion. Enough people have told me that it's a good read to warrant me spending some time getting more people to read it! And then we'll see where that takes me. I've got more story to tell, that's for sure.”
Comic fans should definitely give this book a look. Hicks tells a good story, in a solid fashion, and that's enough to create a satisfying read.
Check it out at project-elohim.com
-- CALVIN DANIELS
-- Appeared on Yorkton This Week WebXtra

Review -- BATTLE CRY

Battle Cry
Art by Willie Jimenez
Written by Willie Jimenez
When you review independently produced comics, you tend to get a pretty broad range of material, both in terms of storyline, and especially in terms of creative talent.
Battle Cry, an ashcan format book from Willie Jimenez is one of the title which you can tell right away the creator is just cutting his teeth in terms of doing comics.
That is immediately visible in the black and white art. Jimenez is still a touch rough around the edges in terms of rendering his art. The style borrows much from Japanese manga, with a westernized element that makes the art a sort of blend.
It is not the blending that is bothersome, but rather the inconsistent pen strokes. On one panel Jimenez will show a solid approach, especially when dealing with the main human characters. But, on the same page the work can verge on something out of grad school. That is particularly true of the representation of the demons in the book, which seem to hold more in common with abominable snowmen than anything else.
Jimenez said manga is a definite influence on his art. “Of course, some of my favs are Ninja Scroll, Kenshin, Afro Samurai, Samurai Champloo, and basically anything with swords or ninjas,” he said. “I like a lot of action, but I force myself as writer and artist to try to be open-minded and watch everything I can to learn from stuff outside of my genre and put it back in some how.”
Story wise, Jimenez isn't breaking a lot of new ground either. It's a human ninja versus demon, or demon crossbred storyline, with an apparent love story interest already seeded in the first 18-page book. The writing is OK, if not particularly memorable.
Jimenez said he has a number of influences when it comes to writing.
“The movie underworld was big inspiration and so was the anime Vampire Hunter D,” he said, adding, “watching movies and reading are great inspirations for me as you can tell. I like taking ideas and mixing it up into something new, or sometimes I'll take a movie that disappointed me and I'll be like, OK this is how I would have done it.
“This story was more about being fun and entertaining do to the small number of pages, there wasn't much room for a deep story!”
While Battle Cry is not going to rocket Jimenez to stardom, or even to a huge recommendation to go out and buy this book, it is what indie titles are about, a creator taking his early works to the world. He will hopefully grow as both artist and writer, and I have to say good job having the drive to take the story beyond notebook scribbles to a book people can share.
As creator Jimenez is satisfied with the book.
“I think it went beyond my expectations,” he said. “After I posted it on the web and it was printed both independently and by a small company called Purrsia Press, it got picked up but another small company for a series. That company fell apart but by that time I was already working with a super amazing artist called Bernard Llam, and we got picked up for short time by arcana.”
Check Jimenez's work out at http://westwolfonline.com
-- CALVIN DANIELS
-- Appeared on Yorkton This Week WebXtra

Review -- REX

Rex
Art by Danijel Zezelj
Written by Danijel Zezelj
Optimum Wound Comics

If you like your comics dark, and in this case I reference both artistic style, and storyline, then Rex from Optimum Wound Comics is a must.
The 70-page graphic novel from creator Danijel Zezelj is amazing on several levels.
Since comics are a visual medium, let's start with the artistic style.
Zezelj has rendered Rex in darkly detailed black and white. He uses a definite 'noir' style, which has many panels heavily inked. The art is both graphic, in terms of spattering blood and explosions, yet is sort of surreal because of the heavy inking.
The result is eye-catching, somewhat disturbing, and overall, just plain good.
Asked about where the darkness in his art comes from, Zezelj said that was something he gets asks quite often, although he finds answering it difficult.
“I often hear this question and don't know how to answer it - because I don't see my work as dark at all. I guess something is wrong with my eyes,” he said.
“If it's about influences in art art and comics, it all started from studying old baroque paintings, which are all about light and shadow. The most important comic artists for me are Jose Munos and Alberto Breccia, Argentinian masters of black and white. But I was also strongly influenced by the aesthetic of early silent movies; Russian Avant-garde and German Expressionism ( around 1920.).”
The story Zezelj creates is as dark as the art.
Rex doesn't exactly break new ground, good cop gets framed, abused in prison, then escapes to seek girl and wreck vengeance on those who put him behind bars.
But, it's not the framework of the story that Zezelj makes so darkly delectable. Instead, it's his darkly poetic writing style which sets Rex apart as something special.
There are lots of misty illusions created by the words, and that adds to the story in the sense you feel for Rex, and yet are not quite sure if he has evolved to be as bad as those he pursues.
This is a story you truly can't put down. At times you may wish you could because of the imagery of arts and words, but you won't be able too.
Interestingly, Zezelj dark tale was inspired by a song.
“The story was inspired by Tom Waits song Going Out West (Bone Machine CD), by the lyrics and music as well,” he explained. “The song was the starting point, the whole script grew out from there. It is good old revenge story, one way ticket to the end of the world.”
Asked if current headlines were an influence, Zezelj said not in a direct fashion at least.
“Could be, but it is not specific and it doesn't really matter,” he said. “World news fundamentally don't change, pick papers from 10 years ago, it's all the same, just different names.”
Likewise, Zezelj said hard-edged crime is not his first reading choice, although Rex fits into that genre well.
“I actually don't read much of hard edged crime and especially not horror, although I'm big fan of Walter Mosley and James Ellroy and admire their storytelling skills,” he said.
The story is one Zezelj said came together quite quickly once the seed of an idea came to him.
“It all happened quite quickly once I had the starting point and the end. The rest grew during the working process,” he said, adding “I don't write detailed scripts, just a sketch, the more precise writing happens during the process of drawing and building pages and sequences.”
This is a trade paperback that is only $9.99 US, making it an amazing value for it length, and more importantly its quality. Highly recommended.
For buying Rex check out Optimum Wound at www.optimumwound.com
You can follow the creator at www.dzezelj.com
-- CALVIN DANIELS
-- Appeared on Yorkton This Week WebXtra

Review -- 13

13
Art by Sachis Borisich & Donnie Odulio
Written by Dani Dixon
Tumble Creek Press
Wow! How is that for fate. This is the 13th week of this review column, and I'm reviewing the first three issues of the series 13. There's some weird kismet in that you would think.
So what do you get with 13?
Well, writer Dani Dixon has created an interesting take on a world where superpowers are common place, at least for a year in everyone's life. When a child turns 13 he manifests powers, which apparently are only suppose to last a year, although the book hints that may not always be the case.
Now I recall when my two kids were 13, and the thought of them having superpowers at that age is scary – no make that horrifying.
Becoming a teenager is a rather difficult time for children in our mundane world as they start the process of evolving from kids to adults. Add in the prospect of dealing with the ability to telekinetically move objects, or being able to start fires with a thought, and you have the prospect of a world in chaos.
Dixon said her initial goal was to create a superpower book with a different approach.
“Well no 'capes and tights' was definitely in my head,” she said. “There aren’t any secret identities either. With a few exceptions, everything is out in the open - what your power is, how you’ve used it, what the world thinks of what you’ve done.”
In Dixon's world parents actually take a year off in order to supervise their 13s. That makes some sense of course, although any parent will know that controlling a young teen all the time is impossible. Imagine a temper tandem where the 13-year-old can throw the chesterfield with a thought.
The storyline also hints that 13s who do not cause too much damage to the world become more highly sought in terms of career and school in the future, although the details of how that exactly works is not clear in the first three issues. That said, it certainly creates more pressure on the 13s and their parents through the year of power.
The storyline is pretty unique, however, three issues into the story, the pacing is a little slow.
I recognize Dixon is trying to set the mundane world around the 13s, but we all live that mundane world, so that we know.
It may be a case of associating superpowers with superhero comics, but you are left wishing for a bit more action along the way here.
Dixon has a course which starts at point 'A' and is following a rather deliberate course. She would have been better served at times to step forward in time with a bit more action, then filling in a few blanks with a flashback at some future time in the series.
Still, the story is interesting enough you want to stick around to see what the real story of the 13s is, although more action would make the desire to stick around stronger.
Dixon though makes no apologies for the pacing of the book.
“The story dictated it,” she said. “13 is not about one hero facing one villain in an alley. It’s about opening up this entire civilization. Doing that means you can’t front load issue #1 with every character and some issues will have huge payoffs and others will have smaller ones.”
The unique approach to powers and the way the story is rolling out may create a slightly different audience for 13.
“I’ve met a lot of people who wouldn’t consider themselves comic book readers, who can get into the story,” said Dixon. “Some of that is the lack of 'capes & tights', although some people really prefer that, but it is truly serialized, which appeals to people who want to be taken on a journey.”
As for the art, the colours are what strike you first. Bright and bold colours absolutely fly off the page in 13, and that draws interest.
As for style, Sacha Borisich does a nice job with a fairly realistic approach to the world of 13, although I wouldn't say the art is strong enough to sell the book on its own.
The use of glossy paper certainly adds to the book as well, giving in an upscale 'feel'.
Dixon said Borisich has been with the project basically from day one.
“Sacha actually started working on the series when we were doing the ashcan (a small format teaser for the series),” said Dixon. “A couple of years ago, I wanted to have a preview/Issue #0 for Comic-Con. Sacha was the clean up artist on that book -- the ashcan was penciled and colored, but not inked, every issue thereafter was inked. Then she inked the first book. An artist out of Northern California, Donnie Odulio, penciled that one. Sacha inked and co-penciled issue #2 and then issue #3 was all her - pencils and inks.”
Dixon said she feels Borisich's style fits the 13 story.
“I think she’s really great at what’s referred to sometimes as ‘character acting.’ The expressions she comes up with are specific, and age appropriate - which is key when so many of the main characters are minors,” said Dixon. “She’s also good at creating images that really nail the models for each character.”
In the end, an interesting storyline, and solid art combine in 13 to make it worth a closer look.
Dixon said she is proud of the book, which has met her expectations.
“It has. I remember distinctly standing at my printer’s, reaching in the box to pull out, issue #1 for the first time,” she said. “I knew it was going to be 100 lb paper and glossy, and I edited every iteration of the art - pencils, inks and colors, but it still very different to get it ‘hot off the press’ that first time.”
The story of 13 will be ingoing, and Dixon said there is much more to tell in terms of the world and the 13s.
“ They all have very different paths and yet, I’m hopefully telling what is a cohesive larger story,” she said. “Simon, for example, starts off, pretty much as bad as you can imagine. Writing his arc has really been a pleasure, and a challenge. It can't be a simple redemption arc though, because this is a world where it's guaranteed that you will face the consequences of all of your actions.”
Check it out at www.TumbleCreekPress.com where Dixon noted you will find almost everything regarding 13.
“You can buy the books and merchandise, it’ll tell you our touring/appearance schedule. There are trailers, and soon there will be podcasts and some other cool things,” she said.
-- CALVIN DANIELS
-- Appeared on Yorkton Ths Week WebXtra