Kranburn #9

I got Kranburn #9 in digital in February (which means #10 might be appearing in a few weeks), and again I took my time putting up a review.  #8 is just in the first few pages on the webcomic.  I read the webcomic for the occasional slang translation or comment from BMB, and it's sometimes amusing to see reader's comments, guessing wrong about what's happening, or remarking on actual places depicted.

BTW, Mr Byrne commented on the current webcomic pg 4 that he has a new facebook, though the webpage still has the old dead one.  Updating his web page is not his strong suit, though drawing and building model tanks sure are.

Also interesting is that #9 was offered in a .cbz format, which was apparently requested by some, but doesn't appeal to me.  fec comics was nice enough to provide a .pdf when I asked.  I'm interested to see what #10 comes in with.

The cover is again colored, an attacking Nong mob.  This time, it's even a scene from the comic.  That's a hint, not a spoiler.

Kranburn #9 starts with a scene of gloom and despair.  Pouring rain, a search party walking through it (was that Egon?), Brand is wallowing in his despair.  Unsure if he's been doing the right thing, he decides on "one last swing" at the Nong.

The scene shifts to Lawton, still held captive by Nong, just one of them this time.  The Nong is getting ripping drunk, taunting and threatening Lawton.  In this, Lawton sees an opportunity.  I kinda wonder why he hasn't tried before, but hey, it's not me getting carved up and seeing my wife butchered by murderous thugs.

Scenes go back and forth between Lawton and Brand.  Does Lawton make his move?  Does Brand make his big swing at the Nong?  A bit of suspense.  This issue is a lot of setup for what follows, with a couple nice developments.  While perhaps light on the brutality, the art has plenty of horrifying graphic detail, and the rain scenes are deeply moody.

Another fine issue.  It seems like it might want to reach a climax soon, but there's still the Berrik slave trade side of the story to develop, and more, so I think there's a way to go.

If you're reading this, read Kranburn.  It's better than this, and better than lots of other stuff too.