I'm dawdling with reviews, Kranburn #10 and HM #269, and a couple other things, await time and motivation from me. Maybe I'll still get one out this week.
However, it's noteworthy that HM has significantly changed its website layout and format, so I thought I'd drop a couple thoughts.
The www. link on my links page is directed to a wdv. site. I haven't figured out the wdv thing, but the format appears adapted for mobile/tablet type viewing, and the layout looks more f-book-y.
It seems the change was timed for the SD ComicCon, and there's a couple features on the Con, including some from Steve Ringgenberg, who did a few years of the return of Dossier in the mag (it's been a couple years since it last appeared though). There's also some features with some video, TMNT trailers (yawn) and something about heavy metal music going soft (?).
It's interesting that the "Shop" button directs to the "old" website shop pages. Otherwise it appears all links to the past site are gone. It was intriguing to see the "Issues" button, it does appear to contain a page for each issue of the mag, with a list of contents and artists. (I didn't count them, but it looks like all the "regular" issues are there, but none of the Specials. It's almost hard to believe it's been three years since they stopped producing those Special issues.) There's also a "review" box that caught my attention, but it's a farcebook thing so I'm not likely to join.
There's so much crap going on with feeds and crawlers on the site that it really bogs down on my cheap notebook. It appears more deeply tied to f-book and other trending/tracking stuff, so maybe that has something to do with it. The changes are kind of interesting to me, if not very exciting. We'll see how it goes now that the Con is done.
Monday, July 28, 2014
Saturday, June 7, 2014
Goodbye Gates
I'm finally giving up on Gates. Billed as HM's first webcomic, and launched with a bit of hype by Hal Hefner in the beginning of 2011, I was very interested.in the premise of transhumanism described in some dystopian future.
The story started slowly and never recovered. The art was ambitious but underachieving, colorful and with broad vision, but annoyingly misproportioned and static. I wanted to like this more than I did. Mr Hefner was often more dynamic and entertaining in the blog posts and comments on the pages, than the comic page presented. I was impressed with his determination but disappointed with the comic itself.
The link still exists on the HM website, in "Just For Fun" but I'm dropping it here. Hints were dropped of some sort of animation, and extending into "Transmedia", and the last entry on the Gates site is a promotion for the published book, but very little has happened in the past year.
I did grab the pdf of the compiled comic that Mr Hefner is kind enough to offer. It can be found at The Serpent Seed site, where it seems Mr Hefner is/was trying to expand Gates:
http://theserpentseed.com/service/gates-the-comic-book/
So best wishes to Mr Hefner, and thanks for your efforts.
The story started slowly and never recovered. The art was ambitious but underachieving, colorful and with broad vision, but annoyingly misproportioned and static. I wanted to like this more than I did. Mr Hefner was often more dynamic and entertaining in the blog posts and comments on the pages, than the comic page presented. I was impressed with his determination but disappointed with the comic itself.
The link still exists on the HM website, in "Just For Fun" but I'm dropping it here. Hints were dropped of some sort of animation, and extending into "Transmedia", and the last entry on the Gates site is a promotion for the published book, but very little has happened in the past year.
I did grab the pdf of the compiled comic that Mr Hefner is kind enough to offer. It can be found at The Serpent Seed site, where it seems Mr Hefner is/was trying to expand Gates:
http://theserpentseed.com/service/gates-the-comic-book/
So best wishes to Mr Hefner, and thanks for your efforts.
Monday, May 26, 2014
Heavy Metal #268
Certainly took my time getting and reading and reviewing this one. There's some pretty good stuff in it, though, and I enjoyed it and I hope you do too.
Cover by Isidore Koliavras - 7 - Nice looking example of the babe-in-some-wacky-outfit, this time some warrior. I liked the detail the most, the software-assisted rendering allows a lot to look into. Funny how the breastplate seemed to get a lot of attention, with the shaping and layers and textures, but the axe has blunt edges.
Animal'z by Bilal - 9 - So now it's a soap opera, with polite fisticuffs, nihilistic duelists, and awkward dinner conversation. People coming together and pasts are reunited. Dreams and departures. All the dialogue with much exposition, tells more about how things got where they are. It may be less mysterious now, but it seems even more strange. I'm really looking forward to more.
Gallery by Dominic Harman - 6 - Some of it's pretty good, some of it's fairly good. Looks like he got a bit in The Other Dead.
A Pressing Position by Andrew Wislocki - 7 - A light but fun one-pager, a Giantess named Vavoomica, loses her ring in the forest. Those mushrooms look funny, but I think I can see why.
In the End, There Will Be Hope by Martinez, Llarena, Bilbao, Cobos, and Jame - 7 - A nice collaboration here. An interesting consideration of artificial intelligence, the writing increases focus as the story goes on, the art is done well, and the style fits the story. I've liked much of Llarena's work before, and I liked how he's part of this group, though it's odd he's not credited in the Contents page. Hopefully just an oversight.
E.V.A. by Marco Turini - 8 - This looks so much like it's from earlier HM, I'm entranced. The nicely drawn ridiculous outfits, the cool techno-future environment, the neat watercolor-ish coloring, it's all so reminiscent. This entry is huge, 21 pages, with so much fun stuff. The devil-headed Nachzehrer with a full page of expository dialog, so much that it got me thinking he couldn't talk like a human with those teeth and no lips, but I don't care. The completely stupid but so cool looking but it can't be comfortable motorcycle. Platform-high-heeled armor, future torture, the failure of over-reliance on technology. And with all this, it's to be "concluded next issue". Oh Boy!
Among by Stefano Cardoselli - 7 - I can simultaneously like and dislike Cardoselli's style. The action, the colors, the enthusiasm, it's so very exciting, but sometimes it's so flat and mindless. It's part of his charm I guess. Looks like he learned (in 2007) to directional splatter paint so we're treated to even more death and dismemberment than usual. He does fit in some social commentary.
Blood Feud by Martinez, Cobos, Sobreiro, and Jame - 5 - I wish this was better, there are a few good bits of art and storytelling peeking through an otherwise flat and disconnected exercise. It has some ambition but doesn't succeed like some of Martinez's other work.
Artist's Studio by Richard Pace - 6 - Some nice looking stuff, much of it swords and dragon type. An interview by Richard Caldwell reveals that Mr Pace was influenced by HM, of course. The little story is kind of funny.
Tales of Dead Earth: Descent by Christian Krank - 7 - A kind of cool art style, a tale of scavenging turns to zombies then quickly to sex and Martian black markets. Mr Krank appears with his comic on Fbook and appears to have more of this. Couldn't help but notice the HM Contents adds a "the" to the title.
The Dirigible Affair by William Bourassa Jr - 5 - A slightly funny one-pager. The art doesn't have to do much more than sit there and look pretty, while the dialogue takes up the page with some banter, that has some funny parts, but some has a creepy distaste to it.
Death From Above by Darren Koziol and Federico de Luca - 7 - I liked the art and composition, very striking, and I seem to enjoy stories of people enduring hells they have created.
Little Red Riding Hood Grows Up by Horacio Domingues - 5 - The art is sketchy but I liked much of it, the action or the boobs perhaps, but the story of a goggles-wearing Grandmother putting her granddaughter at risk to earn a living, and enticing a switch to bait for vampires with a new wardrobe, was just too dumb for me to enjoy.
Marked by Gonzalo Ruggieri - 7 - Nice looking and somewhat funny, I'll inflate my rating since Mr Ruggieri was kind enough to comment last time.
Back Cover by Richard Pace - 7 - Black and white line art of Legionnaires fighting for their lives atop a mountain of corpses. It's downright old school.
So overall I enjoyed this issue, with some good and very good stories, not too many flat spots, and more sex than has been in the mag for years. It seems to have found a groove again, and may even be improving. Here's hoping it keeps up. And I hope I spell everyone's name right, since I'm trying to note the creators' names now. I like to point out typos in HM but I'm not perfect myself.
Cover by Isidore Koliavras - 7 - Nice looking example of the babe-in-some-wacky-outfit, this time some warrior. I liked the detail the most, the software-assisted rendering allows a lot to look into. Funny how the breastplate seemed to get a lot of attention, with the shaping and layers and textures, but the axe has blunt edges.
Animal'z by Bilal - 9 - So now it's a soap opera, with polite fisticuffs, nihilistic duelists, and awkward dinner conversation. People coming together and pasts are reunited. Dreams and departures. All the dialogue with much exposition, tells more about how things got where they are. It may be less mysterious now, but it seems even more strange. I'm really looking forward to more.
Gallery by Dominic Harman - 6 - Some of it's pretty good, some of it's fairly good. Looks like he got a bit in The Other Dead.
A Pressing Position by Andrew Wislocki - 7 - A light but fun one-pager, a Giantess named Vavoomica, loses her ring in the forest. Those mushrooms look funny, but I think I can see why.
In the End, There Will Be Hope by Martinez, Llarena, Bilbao, Cobos, and Jame - 7 - A nice collaboration here. An interesting consideration of artificial intelligence, the writing increases focus as the story goes on, the art is done well, and the style fits the story. I've liked much of Llarena's work before, and I liked how he's part of this group, though it's odd he's not credited in the Contents page. Hopefully just an oversight.
E.V.A. by Marco Turini - 8 - This looks so much like it's from earlier HM, I'm entranced. The nicely drawn ridiculous outfits, the cool techno-future environment, the neat watercolor-ish coloring, it's all so reminiscent. This entry is huge, 21 pages, with so much fun stuff. The devil-headed Nachzehrer with a full page of expository dialog, so much that it got me thinking he couldn't talk like a human with those teeth and no lips, but I don't care. The completely stupid but so cool looking but it can't be comfortable motorcycle. Platform-high-heeled armor, future torture, the failure of over-reliance on technology. And with all this, it's to be "concluded next issue". Oh Boy!
Among by Stefano Cardoselli - 7 - I can simultaneously like and dislike Cardoselli's style. The action, the colors, the enthusiasm, it's so very exciting, but sometimes it's so flat and mindless. It's part of his charm I guess. Looks like he learned (in 2007) to directional splatter paint so we're treated to even more death and dismemberment than usual. He does fit in some social commentary.
Blood Feud by Martinez, Cobos, Sobreiro, and Jame - 5 - I wish this was better, there are a few good bits of art and storytelling peeking through an otherwise flat and disconnected exercise. It has some ambition but doesn't succeed like some of Martinez's other work.
Artist's Studio by Richard Pace - 6 - Some nice looking stuff, much of it swords and dragon type. An interview by Richard Caldwell reveals that Mr Pace was influenced by HM, of course. The little story is kind of funny.
Tales of Dead Earth: Descent by Christian Krank - 7 - A kind of cool art style, a tale of scavenging turns to zombies then quickly to sex and Martian black markets. Mr Krank appears with his comic on Fbook and appears to have more of this. Couldn't help but notice the HM Contents adds a "the" to the title.
The Dirigible Affair by William Bourassa Jr - 5 - A slightly funny one-pager. The art doesn't have to do much more than sit there and look pretty, while the dialogue takes up the page with some banter, that has some funny parts, but some has a creepy distaste to it.
Death From Above by Darren Koziol and Federico de Luca - 7 - I liked the art and composition, very striking, and I seem to enjoy stories of people enduring hells they have created.
Little Red Riding Hood Grows Up by Horacio Domingues - 5 - The art is sketchy but I liked much of it, the action or the boobs perhaps, but the story of a goggles-wearing Grandmother putting her granddaughter at risk to earn a living, and enticing a switch to bait for vampires with a new wardrobe, was just too dumb for me to enjoy.
Marked by Gonzalo Ruggieri - 7 - Nice looking and somewhat funny, I'll inflate my rating since Mr Ruggieri was kind enough to comment last time.
Back Cover by Richard Pace - 7 - Black and white line art of Legionnaires fighting for their lives atop a mountain of corpses. It's downright old school.
So overall I enjoyed this issue, with some good and very good stories, not too many flat spots, and more sex than has been in the mag for years. It seems to have found a groove again, and may even be improving. Here's hoping it keeps up. And I hope I spell everyone's name right, since I'm trying to note the creators' names now. I like to point out typos in HM but I'm not perfect myself.
Thursday, May 15, 2014
RIP
H.R. Giger is reported to have passed away, at 74, surely too soon.
Mr Giger is best known for the Alien movie and his work on the Alien and set design.
He was featured in HM in the 80s in some movie promo and galleries, as well as a couple covers, including the December 81 with Debbie Harry in a Giger outfit. Giger's work was at once sophisticated and twisted, and made quite an impact at the time.
(it's quite unfortunate that Lostboy's fan page has lost its search capacity, apparently the service has shut down. makes research more difficult, waaah, poor me ... )
I came across a "Baphomet - The Tarot of the Underworld, by Akron and H.R. Giger" set at a street sale a while back. It's a Giger Tarot card set, which is pretty cool, and a CD with some sort of dirge metal, that's pretty bad. I'll have to look it over again.
Mr Giger is best known for the Alien movie and his work on the Alien and set design.
He was featured in HM in the 80s in some movie promo and galleries, as well as a couple covers, including the December 81 with Debbie Harry in a Giger outfit. Giger's work was at once sophisticated and twisted, and made quite an impact at the time.
(it's quite unfortunate that Lostboy's fan page has lost its search capacity, apparently the service has shut down. makes research more difficult, waaah, poor me ... )
I came across a "Baphomet - The Tarot of the Underworld, by Akron and H.R. Giger" set at a street sale a while back. It's a Giger Tarot card set, which is pretty cool, and a CD with some sort of dirge metal, that's pretty bad. I'll have to look it over again.
Wednesday, April 30, 2014
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.
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.
Monday, March 31, 2014
More Tex Arcana
Yippee! Mr Findley has produced a few more new pages of Tex Arcana, for his fourth as-yet unpublished book. After a couple years of inactivity, this is the second addition in several months, and I hope it means he'll keep working on it.
www.texarcana.com
They're another terrific installment of his "now-quadfurcated tale" that I highly recommend you go see right now. Mr Findley's style of finely hatched line drawing and otherworldly doings in an Old-West setting was some of my favorite work to appear in Heavy Metal. I'll even link right to the new page, though I really think you should navigate the whole site and read through all of it:
http://www.texarcana.com/texa347.html
I'm very grateful to Mr Findley for continuing this story and sharing it with us. I hope he keeps at it, but even if he doesn't he still has my gratitude and admiration. My only lament is that I don't expect to ever see these in print. Sometimes Tex Arcana was published in the mag on lesser-quality paper, but it's still better seeing it on paper than on my crappy screen. I would like for HM's new owners to bring Mr Findley back in and publish the new Tex Arcana serially, in hopes that it would be worth his while to continue, and to give me something to look forward to in the mag besides Animal'z. I'm not holding my breath.
Thanks again Mr Findley. Hope to see more soon.
www.texarcana.com
They're another terrific installment of his "now-quadfurcated tale" that I highly recommend you go see right now. Mr Findley's style of finely hatched line drawing and otherworldly doings in an Old-West setting was some of my favorite work to appear in Heavy Metal. I'll even link right to the new page, though I really think you should navigate the whole site and read through all of it:
http://www.texarcana.com/texa347.html
I'm very grateful to Mr Findley for continuing this story and sharing it with us. I hope he keeps at it, but even if he doesn't he still has my gratitude and admiration. My only lament is that I don't expect to ever see these in print. Sometimes Tex Arcana was published in the mag on lesser-quality paper, but it's still better seeing it on paper than on my crappy screen. I would like for HM's new owners to bring Mr Findley back in and publish the new Tex Arcana serially, in hopes that it would be worth his while to continue, and to give me something to look forward to in the mag besides Animal'z. I'm not holding my breath.
Thanks again Mr Findley. Hope to see more soon.
Wednesday, March 26, 2014
Heavy Metal #267
Heavy Metal #267
Cover by David Millgate - 6 - a nice looking cover with a scene that's interesting on the surface, an explorer dude encountering giant tiger women, but loses depth the closer you look. Looking for interesting detail I only find afterthoughts, and lower resolution than I'd wish for in a cover.
We are gifted with a Publisher's Note, from Mr Eastman himself. It's been a while, a couple years he says. He makes references to the times good and not so good the mag has experienced, has a mention of the new ownership, and offers praise for the staff. He promises more from himself and the new owners in the coming months. It's a statement about upcoming changes with hints of goodbyes. Like all things HM, especially from Mr Eastman, I'll believe it when I see it. Mostly I hope for the print mag's continued existence, and continue to wish for the spark of imagination and mystery that brought me to Heavy Metal fanhood in the first place, and keeps me buying the damn thing. Perhaps the occasional glimmer we've seen in recent years can grow to a gleam or even a glow.
Animal'z by Bilal - 8 - Part 6, it's actually a continuing series, a story seems to actually be developing. It's still obtuse and sketchy, but some "good" guys come together and fight some "bad" guys. There's butchery and action. I'm amused by a translation of a semiautomatic pistol as a "revolver". It might go on forever, and that might be fantastic.
Deviant Strain by Jim Webb - 7 - I guess we can't have an issue go by without some zombies. An ex-cop takes out some zombies in a church, one of them brings back horrible memories. She's so shaken she makes a prayer to a god she stopped believing in long ago, and inconveniently forgets to free some victims. Stylish art and a decent story.
E.V.A. by Marco Turini - 7 - This feels like it could have been in the magazine 30+ years ago. A dystopian techno-future shown with nicely composed art and a sometimes incomprehensible story. Electromechanically augmented humans fight, characters appear and disappear, rebellion against the established order, this and more. I wanted to like this more than I did, I wanted it to be more intriguing than confusing. I still enjoyed it though, and it says to be continued.
Gallery by DPI Studios - 5 - Not bad for a couple "self-taught artist" guys doing game cards, but not so interesting to me. Some neat technique but poses for cards can be kind of static. I'd bet they could do some neat stuff in a story format, but why should they bother if they like what they're doing?
Heaven's Inferno by Scott O Brown and Ferran Xalabarder - 8 - Continued from the previous issue, this is also the story's conclusion. The protagonist searches for his lost son and endures scrutiny from inside and outside himself. There are references to gods and the heavens, and I'm even more intrigued by the depictions of seraphs and wheels upon wheels. This is a touch better than the previous installment, and makes me wish all the more that the whole of the story was available. I did some exploring and found no indication that's it's been produced, though I did come across what looks like Xalabarder's website, www.westwindcomics.com.
Thracius the Seeker by James Hudnall and Mark Vigouroux - 6 - A slave of the Romans is a scout sent to investigate the slaughter of Roman soldiers. He encounters a conjurer and his demon, and with wit and luck escapes. The art's pretty nice, the story is told well but it's not very substantial.
Mia by Fabio Ruotolo - 7 - Wordlessly told in style and tone very reminiscent of a Mobius or Caza. A traveller encounters a floating rock and reacts poorly to its entreaties. Another visits the rock in a more friendly manner and fares better. We're left to imagine much of what's actually happening, and that's part of the fun.
Artist's Studio by Frank Turco - 6 - a few digitally composed images of models in spacescapes, nicely done. Some may like them more than me.
Drifting Wolves by Jonathan Jay Lee - 6 - A man and a boy traverse some sort of wasteland. They encounter corpses, jungles, and ... babes (!) by a stream. The man hits on the babes, the boy goes swimming, a giant fish eats the boy, man fights fish, babes leave. The art looks pretty nice with an interesting and colorful style, the story is barely there and doesn't match the art.
Cover by David Millgate - 6 - a nice looking cover with a scene that's interesting on the surface, an explorer dude encountering giant tiger women, but loses depth the closer you look. Looking for interesting detail I only find afterthoughts, and lower resolution than I'd wish for in a cover.
We are gifted with a Publisher's Note, from Mr Eastman himself. It's been a while, a couple years he says. He makes references to the times good and not so good the mag has experienced, has a mention of the new ownership, and offers praise for the staff. He promises more from himself and the new owners in the coming months. It's a statement about upcoming changes with hints of goodbyes. Like all things HM, especially from Mr Eastman, I'll believe it when I see it. Mostly I hope for the print mag's continued existence, and continue to wish for the spark of imagination and mystery that brought me to Heavy Metal fanhood in the first place, and keeps me buying the damn thing. Perhaps the occasional glimmer we've seen in recent years can grow to a gleam or even a glow.
Animal'z by Bilal - 8 - Part 6, it's actually a continuing series, a story seems to actually be developing. It's still obtuse and sketchy, but some "good" guys come together and fight some "bad" guys. There's butchery and action. I'm amused by a translation of a semiautomatic pistol as a "revolver". It might go on forever, and that might be fantastic.
Deviant Strain by Jim Webb - 7 - I guess we can't have an issue go by without some zombies. An ex-cop takes out some zombies in a church, one of them brings back horrible memories. She's so shaken she makes a prayer to a god she stopped believing in long ago, and inconveniently forgets to free some victims. Stylish art and a decent story.
E.V.A. by Marco Turini - 7 - This feels like it could have been in the magazine 30+ years ago. A dystopian techno-future shown with nicely composed art and a sometimes incomprehensible story. Electromechanically augmented humans fight, characters appear and disappear, rebellion against the established order, this and more. I wanted to like this more than I did, I wanted it to be more intriguing than confusing. I still enjoyed it though, and it says to be continued.
Gallery by DPI Studios - 5 - Not bad for a couple "self-taught artist" guys doing game cards, but not so interesting to me. Some neat technique but poses for cards can be kind of static. I'd bet they could do some neat stuff in a story format, but why should they bother if they like what they're doing?
Heaven's Inferno by Scott O Brown and Ferran Xalabarder - 8 - Continued from the previous issue, this is also the story's conclusion. The protagonist searches for his lost son and endures scrutiny from inside and outside himself. There are references to gods and the heavens, and I'm even more intrigued by the depictions of seraphs and wheels upon wheels. This is a touch better than the previous installment, and makes me wish all the more that the whole of the story was available. I did some exploring and found no indication that's it's been produced, though I did come across what looks like Xalabarder's website, www.westwindcomics.com.
Thracius the Seeker by James Hudnall and Mark Vigouroux - 6 - A slave of the Romans is a scout sent to investigate the slaughter of Roman soldiers. He encounters a conjurer and his demon, and with wit and luck escapes. The art's pretty nice, the story is told well but it's not very substantial.
Mia by Fabio Ruotolo - 7 - Wordlessly told in style and tone very reminiscent of a Mobius or Caza. A traveller encounters a floating rock and reacts poorly to its entreaties. Another visits the rock in a more friendly manner and fares better. We're left to imagine much of what's actually happening, and that's part of the fun.
Artist's Studio by Frank Turco - 6 - a few digitally composed images of models in spacescapes, nicely done. Some may like them more than me.
Drifting Wolves by Jonathan Jay Lee - 6 - A man and a boy traverse some sort of wasteland. They encounter corpses, jungles, and ... babes (!) by a stream. The man hits on the babes, the boy goes swimming, a giant fish eats the boy, man fights fish, babes leave. The art looks pretty nice with an interesting and colorful style, the story is barely there and doesn't match the art.
Sunday, February 2, 2014
Kranburn #8
Well, I thought I'd finally get around to putting up something for Kranburn #8. I've had it in digital for a few months, and I've even been stalling while I waited for #9 to come out (it's running a bit late according to feccomics.com). Mostly I'm just not in a hurry since the webcomic is falling so far behind the issues that it seems what I could actually review would be limited without spoiling it, not that I get into detail so much.
The webcomic is more than 3/4 into #7. There's a bit more to go, but the main story of the Berrik slave trade is out, and the twist, that the slavers missed a victim, has been shown. At this rate, #7 won't be done on the webcomic for a couple months. #8 wouldn't complete for more than a year from now. I've been trying to review the issues as they came out, and I guess my hesitation is since I try to write to the perspective of someone who has read it and wants to comment, as opposed to telling someone what I think they would like about it. Maybe I could try to add a bit of fluffing ....
So, let's try #8.
If you're reading this, you probably like Kranburn for its vicious portrayal of a post apocalyptic wasteland and the stories of the degeneration of humankind. Years after nearly all humans are killed in a horrifying plague of disease and violence, bands of survivors struggle with bands of marauders. Lead character Brand is one of the "good guys" who also uses murderous violence to inspire fear in his enemies.
I really enjoy the black and white art with some graytones, and how it's so well suited to starkly portray the violence humans are capable to "other" humans. I also enjoy the story's telling, it's pretty straightforward, with a few twists and turns, but not too much convolution or confusing sub-stories.
#8 has another rather detailed cover, this time with some color, some yellow, and lots of red. Smears and splashes and puddles of blood, on the tiled walls, the floor, and an almost naked guy with another enormous knife. Looks like break time in the torture chamber. This may or not be part of any of the story we're told, but it does fit in with the world it's created.
Inside, the story departs from the Berrik slave trade, to the Nong. The Nong leader Lord is annoyed at Brand killing his troops. Along the way we see examples of Lord's brutality but not so much about why he got that way, besides Brand having taken his leg and nose already.
We see back at Kranburn, the Nong deliver another message of body parts. Sylvia is overcome with grief. And that's all. Maybe we'll see more of her in another issue.
Brand re-enters the story and sees (another) example of the Nong demonstrating how inhumane people can be. A chance encounter leaves him overcome with grief. And that's all.
This issue is at once superficial in its portrayal of the horrible violence people can do to their fellow humans, and obtuse in how it tries to show introspection. Enticing gratuitous violence, and morose despair, don't mix as well here as I might like.
I still like it. I like what BMB does with this B&W style, and how the story explores the darker reaches of man's desperation. In general I try to be optimistic about humankind's achievement and potential, but also be aware of our frailties and shortcomings, and how our life of webcomics and blogs, and food and shelter and safety even, can disintegrate rapidly. We're our own worst enemies.
I recommend getting Kranburn, all of them. I might even order the print #8 and #9 soon.
The webcomic is more than 3/4 into #7. There's a bit more to go, but the main story of the Berrik slave trade is out, and the twist, that the slavers missed a victim, has been shown. At this rate, #7 won't be done on the webcomic for a couple months. #8 wouldn't complete for more than a year from now. I've been trying to review the issues as they came out, and I guess my hesitation is since I try to write to the perspective of someone who has read it and wants to comment, as opposed to telling someone what I think they would like about it. Maybe I could try to add a bit of fluffing ....
So, let's try #8.
If you're reading this, you probably like Kranburn for its vicious portrayal of a post apocalyptic wasteland and the stories of the degeneration of humankind. Years after nearly all humans are killed in a horrifying plague of disease and violence, bands of survivors struggle with bands of marauders. Lead character Brand is one of the "good guys" who also uses murderous violence to inspire fear in his enemies.
I really enjoy the black and white art with some graytones, and how it's so well suited to starkly portray the violence humans are capable to "other" humans. I also enjoy the story's telling, it's pretty straightforward, with a few twists and turns, but not too much convolution or confusing sub-stories.
#8 has another rather detailed cover, this time with some color, some yellow, and lots of red. Smears and splashes and puddles of blood, on the tiled walls, the floor, and an almost naked guy with another enormous knife. Looks like break time in the torture chamber. This may or not be part of any of the story we're told, but it does fit in with the world it's created.
Inside, the story departs from the Berrik slave trade, to the Nong. The Nong leader Lord is annoyed at Brand killing his troops. Along the way we see examples of Lord's brutality but not so much about why he got that way, besides Brand having taken his leg and nose already.
We see back at Kranburn, the Nong deliver another message of body parts. Sylvia is overcome with grief. And that's all. Maybe we'll see more of her in another issue.
Brand re-enters the story and sees (another) example of the Nong demonstrating how inhumane people can be. A chance encounter leaves him overcome with grief. And that's all.
This issue is at once superficial in its portrayal of the horrible violence people can do to their fellow humans, and obtuse in how it tries to show introspection. Enticing gratuitous violence, and morose despair, don't mix as well here as I might like.
I still like it. I like what BMB does with this B&W style, and how the story explores the darker reaches of man's desperation. In general I try to be optimistic about humankind's achievement and potential, but also be aware of our frailties and shortcomings, and how our life of webcomics and blogs, and food and shelter and safety even, can disintegrate rapidly. We're our own worst enemies.
I recommend getting Kranburn, all of them. I might even order the print #8 and #9 soon.
Sunday, January 26, 2014
Heavy Metal #266
Cover by Dave Seeley - 6 - The art is pretty nice looking and well-composed, the jetbike is pretty cool even though the windshield placement and some proportion issues are annoying to a nerd like me. The sidebar list of contents is interesting but detracts from the art's impact on the cover.
Animal'z by Enki Bilal - 7 - The art may be getting a bit more refined, and the story might be getting a bit more wordy, and I am getting more confused by the number of guys in wide-brimmed hats. More story details about what may have happened and what might be for lunch are provided. This may already be the kind of convoluted tale that will never get all the loose ends neatly tied up by the end, if it ever even ends. I'm still interested to find out.
The Pugilist by Greg-Michael Follender, Rick J. Bryant, and Wilson Ramos Jr - 7 - A story that brings an ancient myth of a golem to a dystopian future with exploitation video. Art that is mostly good and sometimes spectacular, with furious action scenes putting great expressions together with some neat digital type effects. The story is quite horrifying, holding only the slightest hope. This appears to be the first story in a series, with no indication of it showing up in HM again.
Gallery by Dave Seeley - 6 - While certainly miles better that I could ever do, the art is only sometimes interesting to me. Often stiff poses over fuzzy backgrounds, there are a few points that I like, and more I don't care for. It looks like he has more on his website but I didn't look.
Space Rats by Gonzalo Ruggieri - 4 - Not bad but not so good.
Fate by Homero Rios, Joe Sanchez, and Renato Guerra - 5 - Art and story both ambitious and underachieving, though I do like lines like "We've taken control of the Mega-Arc and destroyed its Patriarchate."
The Age by Tayyar Ozkan - 5 - At least this remake of a story he's already done is different enough to generate a bit more interest.
Artist's Studio by Alicia Hollinger - 6 - For CG pinups, there's a fair amount of personality in these. There's some unfortunate photoshopping and some figures seem hollow, but there's much to like about her work.
Heaven's Inferno by Scott O. Brown and Ferran Xalabarder - 7 - Much of this is merely good, and some of it is quite fantastic, especially near the end. I often enjoy Xalabarder's art and its ability to inspire imagination, and the story is able to put this ability to use once the character enters another world. This installment appears to be in the middle of a story, but at least it says "to be continued."
Water Hat by Spyros Verykios - 8 - A very well-told story of the fate of a Conquistador, with a fine twist and some very nice looking art. It may even be actually painted. I think this is my favorite in the whole issue.
in the end was the word by Mauro Balloni - 6 - Short with simple art. It tries to ask what would happen if all the letters left, but doesn't come up with much of an answer.
A couple ads that weren't selling HM mags, were for a resin cast bust of the 60s TV series Batman (seriously? someone makes this and someone might actually buy it? Does Adam West know about this?), and a public service spot for boostup.org trying to keep kids in school (nice gesture).
Overall getting and reading this issue was nice and not too difficult, and a few stories I quite liked made it enjoyable. Advance notices about #'s 267 and 268 on tfaw.com make me think there will be more of the same coming, for the next couple issues anyway.
Some interesting news about Mr Eastman selling HM and staying the publisher appeared on Variety a while ago:
http://variety.com/2014/biz/news
(comments about this on CBR are amusing: forums.comicbookresources.com/showthread. )
I get the feeling Mr Eastman got some guys to pay him to make HM into the mega-media conglomerate he always wanted. But what do I know.
I do hope the future plans of continuing the print magazine, albeit quarterly, will hold true. I won't hold my breath for movies or anything, so much has been said before that didn't happen to get hopes up (Fistful of Blood movie anyone? and what ever happened to War of the Worlds - Goliath anyway?). I will wait to see what really happens.
Animal'z by Enki Bilal - 7 - The art may be getting a bit more refined, and the story might be getting a bit more wordy, and I am getting more confused by the number of guys in wide-brimmed hats. More story details about what may have happened and what might be for lunch are provided. This may already be the kind of convoluted tale that will never get all the loose ends neatly tied up by the end, if it ever even ends. I'm still interested to find out.
The Pugilist by Greg-Michael Follender, Rick J. Bryant, and Wilson Ramos Jr - 7 - A story that brings an ancient myth of a golem to a dystopian future with exploitation video. Art that is mostly good and sometimes spectacular, with furious action scenes putting great expressions together with some neat digital type effects. The story is quite horrifying, holding only the slightest hope. This appears to be the first story in a series, with no indication of it showing up in HM again.
Gallery by Dave Seeley - 6 - While certainly miles better that I could ever do, the art is only sometimes interesting to me. Often stiff poses over fuzzy backgrounds, there are a few points that I like, and more I don't care for. It looks like he has more on his website but I didn't look.
Space Rats by Gonzalo Ruggieri - 4 - Not bad but not so good.
Fate by Homero Rios, Joe Sanchez, and Renato Guerra - 5 - Art and story both ambitious and underachieving, though I do like lines like "We've taken control of the Mega-Arc and destroyed its Patriarchate."
The Age by Tayyar Ozkan - 5 - At least this remake of a story he's already done is different enough to generate a bit more interest.
Artist's Studio by Alicia Hollinger - 6 - For CG pinups, there's a fair amount of personality in these. There's some unfortunate photoshopping and some figures seem hollow, but there's much to like about her work.
Heaven's Inferno by Scott O. Brown and Ferran Xalabarder - 7 - Much of this is merely good, and some of it is quite fantastic, especially near the end. I often enjoy Xalabarder's art and its ability to inspire imagination, and the story is able to put this ability to use once the character enters another world. This installment appears to be in the middle of a story, but at least it says "to be continued."
Water Hat by Spyros Verykios - 8 - A very well-told story of the fate of a Conquistador, with a fine twist and some very nice looking art. It may even be actually painted. I think this is my favorite in the whole issue.
in the end was the word by Mauro Balloni - 6 - Short with simple art. It tries to ask what would happen if all the letters left, but doesn't come up with much of an answer.
A couple ads that weren't selling HM mags, were for a resin cast bust of the 60s TV series Batman (seriously? someone makes this and someone might actually buy it? Does Adam West know about this?), and a public service spot for boostup.org trying to keep kids in school (nice gesture).
Overall getting and reading this issue was nice and not too difficult, and a few stories I quite liked made it enjoyable. Advance notices about #'s 267 and 268 on tfaw.com make me think there will be more of the same coming, for the next couple issues anyway.
Some interesting news about Mr Eastman selling HM and staying the publisher appeared on Variety a while ago:
http://variety.com/2014/biz/news
(comments about this on CBR are amusing: forums.comicbookresources.com/showthread. )
I get the feeling Mr Eastman got some guys to pay him to make HM into the mega-media conglomerate he always wanted. But what do I know.
I do hope the future plans of continuing the print magazine, albeit quarterly, will hold true. I won't hold my breath for movies or anything, so much has been said before that didn't happen to get hopes up (Fistful of Blood movie anyone? and what ever happened to War of the Worlds - Goliath anyway?). I will wait to see what really happens.
Monday, January 13, 2014
You Are Not Alone
You Are Not Alone is a comic anthology from GrayHaven Comics. GrayHaven Comics gives budding creators an avenue to publishing with its The Gathering anthologies and other comics. You Are Not Alone was created in a response to the recent mass shootings in Colorado and Connecticut, as a way to address bullying and alienation experienced by kids. It was presented as a Kickstarter project in 2012 to generate funds to publish copies to distribute in schools. Advance copies were made available late last year, and it's planned to be published soon.
http://www.grayhavencomics.com/2014/01/02/happy-new-year/
It's a noble and worthwhile effort. With over 40 stories by dozens of creators, I won't try to review them all. As a contribution based anthology, there is a wide range of style, content, and quality. They are grouped in topics of Depression/Suicide, Homophobia, Racism, Abuse, Violence, and Bullying. Each section is followed by a list of support resources.
The stories and art vary widely, from simplistic or incomprehensible, to rich and evocative, but it covers so much ground in topics that growing kids can relate to, and use to integrate their experiences into their growing lives, that I must recommend it. I have high hopes that this will be a continuing effort to raise consciousness of people to the needs of young people, and indeed all people.
A couple stories I liked stand out. Elaine's Story by Elaine Will is a deeply personal account of the author's struggles with depression, and her success. Story from the Desert by Ronald Montgomery and illustrated by Lars Kramhoft was a frightening story of flight from abuse, with barely a happy ending. Here's Looking at You by Ebersole/Gable was nice to see and read, with a more nuanced look at its topic than many others. Forward was a well-crafted story spanning decades linking good deeds.
Many more stories are good, and all of them have valuable qualities. This deserves more attention than I give it. I hope my simple words can encourage others to seek this out and use it to help themselves and others to grow as individuals and societies. We have come so far and have so far to go.
YANA was brought to my attention by Intone Flux, like myself a former denizen of the departed HM website message boards. Thanks for the tip IF.
http://www.grayhavencomics.com/2014/01/02/happy-new-year/
It's a noble and worthwhile effort. With over 40 stories by dozens of creators, I won't try to review them all. As a contribution based anthology, there is a wide range of style, content, and quality. They are grouped in topics of Depression/Suicide, Homophobia, Racism, Abuse, Violence, and Bullying. Each section is followed by a list of support resources.
The stories and art vary widely, from simplistic or incomprehensible, to rich and evocative, but it covers so much ground in topics that growing kids can relate to, and use to integrate their experiences into their growing lives, that I must recommend it. I have high hopes that this will be a continuing effort to raise consciousness of people to the needs of young people, and indeed all people.
A couple stories I liked stand out. Elaine's Story by Elaine Will is a deeply personal account of the author's struggles with depression, and her success. Story from the Desert by Ronald Montgomery and illustrated by Lars Kramhoft was a frightening story of flight from abuse, with barely a happy ending. Here's Looking at You by Ebersole/Gable was nice to see and read, with a more nuanced look at its topic than many others. Forward was a well-crafted story spanning decades linking good deeds.
Many more stories are good, and all of them have valuable qualities. This deserves more attention than I give it. I hope my simple words can encourage others to seek this out and use it to help themselves and others to grow as individuals and societies. We have come so far and have so far to go.
YANA was brought to my attention by Intone Flux, like myself a former denizen of the departed HM website message boards. Thanks for the tip IF.
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