Daniel Traeger 6/6/18 Daniel Traeger 6/6/18

Review: Catapulted #1

By Dan Traeger

I love it when comics teach me something without actually beating me over the head with it. Catapulted does just that. Writer/Artist Sebastian Chow has a soft touch with heavy subject matter, and he spins a good yarn in the process. The central conceit of Catapulted is rooted in the real world French space program that in 1963, in an effort to make themselves appear as contenders in the burgeoning space race, sent a cat into orbit because, you know… cats. Apparently, the United States and the Soviet Union had all the dogs and primates pre-scheduled for missions already, so you know… cats.

Hunter Patrick 5/30/18 Hunter Patrick 5/30/18

Review: The Edge Off

By Hunter T. Patrick

Just how a one-shot should be. In a very simplified premise to this comic, a ‘fixer’’ has his daughter kidnapped, and he tries to save her. For a living, he does dangerous, obviously illegal work for his higher-ups and once his daughter has gotten involved, he decides to spring into a very violent persona to make sure no matter what he can get her back. The premise is one that has been shown before, and as has the huge twist of an ending. Luckily both are extremely strong and worth the huge ride showed here. If somehow spoilers are presented to you, avoid them. The ending is well earned. This is a one-shot that takes the short length of a comic book and has so much on this issue that is neither too much or too little. It is beyond just right.

Justin McCarty 3/14/18 Justin McCarty 3/14/18

Review: Transdimensional #2

By Justin McCarty

Recently, I have read several great Kickstarter funded comics. The great thing about Kickstarter is it gets not just original comics made, but unique and inventive comics. Transdimensional is a sci-fi horror comic with some great elements. This issue builds successfully on those elements, and the premise of the first issue, as it takes us deeper into the mystery of the sunken Russian submarine.

Oliver Gerlach 2/5/18 Oliver Gerlach 2/5/18

Review: White Ash #2

By Oliver Gerlach

It’s not often that I get to review the second issue of something; usually, I can’t say more than “a promising start,” or something like that. Seeing a series continue and getting to comment on whether or not it lives up to that potential is something of a rarity in the world of indie comics review. White Ash #1 was one of those books; I liked it, but had concerns about certain aspects and wasn’t sure it would address them. Fortunately, White Ash #2 very much fixes the flaws of the first issue. Just note that this is a spoiler-free review; I’m not going to talk about anything more specific and plot-relevant than general tone and concepts.

Oliver Gerlach 11/13/17 Oliver Gerlach 11/13/17

Review: Whisper Wilds #1

By Oliver Gerlach

Whisper Wilds #1, currently funding (very successfully) on Kickstarter, is the brainchild of Brent Nelson and Emanuele Arnaldi. It’s the story of a woman and her dinosaur-like partner attempting to prevent monsters from escaping an extra-dimensional wasteland and slipping into 1940s Australia. If that sounds like a weird premise, don’t worry! It’s very well-handled, and the end result is far more delightful than the simple plot and concept summary might indicate.

Oliver Gerlach 11/1/17 Oliver Gerlach 11/1/17

Review: Stain the Seas Scarlet

By Oliver Gerlach

Ryan K Lindsay and Alex Cormack’s Stain the Seas Scarlet, coming soon to Kickstarter, is an efficient 22 page oneshot tale of space resistance and revenge. It’s nice to see something so self-contained and confident in its brevity, and for the most part everything attempted here is handled deftly.

Justin McCarty 10/18/17 Justin McCarty 10/18/17

Review: Transdimensional #2

By Justin McCarty

Oliver Gerlach 10/16/17 Oliver Gerlach 10/16/17

Review: White Ash #1

By Oliver Gerlach

White Ash #1, recently Kickstarted with the promise of more to follow, was marketed as something for people who like Lord of the Rings, Twin Peaks, or Supernatural. That seems like a bizarre list of comparisons, and not a particularly coherent one. It is, however, an intriguing list, and one which fits the comic better than expected (although still not perfectly; that Lord of the Rings comparison is a bit ridiculous and out of place).

Ashley Gibbs 9/30/17 Ashley Gibbs 9/30/17

Review: Daughter of Titan #1

By Ashley Gibbs

Going into Daughter of Titan #1 I wasn’t quite sure what to expect, and after having read it, I’m still left confused. The cover art and title are dynamic, depicting a girl and a powerful robot, but the premiere offers so many plots that we don’t actually get any of what the cover promises. While this is only the first issue so all of the secrets can’t be revealed at once, it sets up so many pieces of world-building that it lacks cohesiveness and there is little to no action. If the cover excited you, then prepare to be disappointed, there are no mech battles this issue. However, we are presented with interesting characters in a world in desperate need of change, a common trope and one of many used here. Fair warning, there is some colorful language used that might not be appropriate for younger readers, which is a shame because this could be a good story for young girls.

Oliver Gerlach 9/4/17 Oliver Gerlach 9/4/17

Review: Tales of the Fractured Mind

By Oliver Gerlach

Tales of the Fractured Mind is an anthology comic, which is rare enough. Beyond that, though, it’s a project about mental health, a topic radically underdiscussed in both general life and comics. Even more unusually, this is a large anthology by a single creative team; this is two people discussing a range of mental health issues over the course of 68 pages. I have to admit, my initial excitement at finding a comic discussing a topic I care about greatly was very much tempered on seeing that it was all by the same two people. I generally believe that serious topics, when treated in anthology form like this, benefit from the widest range of voices and perspectives possible. So, could this work?

Dustin Cabeal 9/1/17 Dustin Cabeal 9/1/17

Review: Frankenstein For Mayor

By Dustin Cabeal

I don’t know why, but I thought this would be a humorous book. Just to clarify, it is not. The story takes place in modern day Transylvania. Here vampires, werewolves, and witches co-exist, but not equally. The werewolves are treated like second class citizens and often killed for the smallest crimes or wrongfully killed for other crimes. One werewolf looks to change all that by waking up Frankenstein and asking him for help in getting some real political power over the vampires. Also, Dracula is the Mayor in case you were wondering.

Oliver Gerlach 8/30/17 Oliver Gerlach 8/30/17

Review: Super Robot Mayhem #1

By Oliver Gerlach

Issue #2 Now on Kickstarter

Super Robot Mayhem seems to be half way between Pacific Rim and Alien, and if that isn’t a pitch that at least sounds fun to you then I’m not convinced you have any sense of adventure. It’s a story of sinister alien histories and giant smashy robots and, although there isn’t a lot of robot mayhem in this first issue, there’s a lot to like in here.

Oliver Gerlach 8/22/17 Oliver Gerlach 8/22/17

Review: Corsair #1

By Oliver Gerlach

Corsair #1, currently on Kickstarter, is an interesting piece of uniquely British horror work, for all the good and all the bad associated with that subgenre. It follows Agent Corsair, a man tasked with investigating the nastier side of the occult. It’s a sound, entertaining premise, with a lot of potential to explore a range of different aspects of both horror and Britain itself.

Oliver Gerlach 8/16/17 Oliver Gerlach 8/16/17

Review: The Demon Archives vol. 1

By Oliver Gerlach

The Demon Archives, an ongoing webcomic, is finally transitioning to print through a Kickstarter campaign, approximately two-thirds of the way to reaching its goal as of the time of writing. The kickstarted first volume will contain the first three chapters of the webcomic, currently on its fifth chapter.

Dustin Cabeal 8/9/17 Dustin Cabeal 8/9/17

Review: Replicator #1

By Dustin Cabeal

Replicator wears its influences on its sleeve. It’s sci-fi that’s not unfamiliar in that a plague has swept the planet forcing everyone that’s disease free to wall themselves up and everyone that’s sick or poor to fend for themselves on the outside. It’s a class based system, but there’s not much acknowledgment of that in the story. It is a device that makes it easy to point out that the rich people are bad guys, the poor are the victims, and the middle class is where the story takes place.

Wes Jones 6/28/17 Wes Jones 6/28/17

Review: Chaosphere

By Wes Jones

The Running Man, Rollerball, Smash TV, Mad Max, and now Chaosphere. This self-published title follows in the footsteps of beloved dystopian, sci-fi, deathsport fiction. Oh right, I almost forgot about Deathsport. While the premise of a post-apocalyptic society controlled by corporations and enthralled by a deadly spectator sport isn’t anything new, Chaosphere presents itself as a unique entry in the genre.

Dustin Cabeal 1/19/17 Dustin Cabeal 1/19/17

Jupiter Jet - A 16-Year-Old Girl With A Jet Pack!

By Dustin Cabeal

Alright, alright, I know I said I wouldn't do any more kickstarters, but hey... every now and again I'm going to find one that needs to be pushed or cool people to support. I don't know much about Jupiter Jet that isn't in the video below or the press release that follows, but I do know one of the writer's (Jason Inman) and he's a hell of a dude. Check out the Kickstarter by heading to www.jupiterjetcomic.com and support the book if you're interested.

Dustin Cabeal 11/21/16 Dustin Cabeal 11/21/16

Support Star Bastard, Get The Comic Bastards Variant Cover

By Dustin Cabeal

That's right Bastards! We got bastards left, right and center. We're the "Comic" Bastards and we're supporting "Star" Bastards which is an indie comic I previously reviewed and talked about on the CBMFP. I had a minor issue with the first issue, but after my review creator Andrew Clemson took it to heart and made a change that I think made the book better.

Dustin Cabeal 11/8/16 Dustin Cabeal 11/8/16

Review: The Mark

By Dustin Cabeal

The Mark is more storybook than comic for me. I typically like when Eric Grissom and Claire Connelly team up so I was willing to give this book a chance. Overall it’s a well put together story. I understand what I read, but I feel the deeper meaning it was going for wasn’t clear enough for me to grasp.

Dustin Cabeal 11/8/16 Dustin Cabeal 11/8/16

Review: EIR

By Dustin Cabeal

I’m glad EIR was created. I’m glad Ryan K. Lindsay and Alfie Gallagher made the book, but ultimately I didn’t enjoy it. A lot of that is on me because I’ve read a lot of comics that are very similar to EIR. That, and it’s a book that relies on its ending to make the journey worthwhile. Which isn’t bad, but it does make EIR and one and one reading experience. Unless you deeply connect to the material, but I didn’t.