Smrithi S 3/7/18 Smrithi S 3/7/18

Review: The Book of Silent Sky #1

By Thea Srinivasan

Here is a quick list of attributes I characterize with ninjas: violence, death, and teachers. If these three attributes aren’t somehow involved in a story about ninjas, I’m usually surprised and shocked. But thankfully, this tale has all three just in the first volume itself. Yet the story doesn’t twist it into one giant cliché thankfully. Please note: this story is ONLY for people 16 and up. If blood and gore are too much for you, do NOT read this story.

Dustin Cabeal 3/7/18 Dustin Cabeal 3/7/18

Review: Kingdom of Skulls

By Dustin Cabeal

Kingdom of Skulls is part King Conan and part Mignolaverse, and that’s not only a very difficult thing to accomplish but also enjoyable to read. This one-shot from Ray Wegner introduces the lineage of the Kingdom of Skulls as the current king and last king in the bloodline, prepares for a battle outside his gates.

Smrithi S 3/7/18 Smrithi S 3/7/18

Review: The Tales of Reverie #1 & 2

By Thea Srinivasan

While the mind is considered the greatest source of creativity, I consider one the greatest tools to create adventures we could never experience in reality. Some of the greatest stories end up becoming dream catchers for some people. But unlike dream catchers, the author chooses what they want their readers to see. When I think about it, books are like dream catchers for the author. With their intent in mind, they create tales that give experiences to other people around the world, regardless of how the story is told.

Press Release 3/1/18 Press Release 3/1/18

Fanbase Press Plumbs the Depths of Creativity in THE MARGINS

Press Release

On behalf of Fanbase Press, I am excited to share with you the newest addition to our publishing slate with The Margins, an original, creator-owned graphic novel co-written by David Accampo (Lost Angels, DC’s New Talent Showcase 2017) and Paul Montgomery (Wormwood: A Serialized Mystery, Panels.net) and illustrated by Amanda Donahue.

Smrithi S 3/1/18 Smrithi S 3/1/18

Review: Metropo

By Thea Srinivasan

Whenever we look for answers, we always hope that it’s always going to be simple. Even if we find the answer, we know it in our minds. But how many times do we truly comprehend the answer? Knowing and understanding are two very different things, and it’s one of the hardest concepts to grasp. But for this particular comic, the line tends to blur between knowing, understanding and predicting something from what we know. Before I continue with this review, the following book is an anthology of written and illustrated stories. It is necessarily a comic but a collection of tales from different mediums. If you do not find the idea of written stories or anthologies appealing, I’d suggest you stop reading this review.

Smrithi S 3/1/18 Smrithi S 3/1/18

Review: Little Apple vol. 1

By Thea Srinivasan

Honest children are easy to come by. But blunt children are the rarest of them all. This child has a breadth of knowledge to the point she knows how to blend her knowledge with reality. It’s very rare to see anyone be able to speak the truth with eloquence and be able to open anyone’s eyes to what needs to change. It’s very rare to find a girl who is a revolutionary set against the world.

Kelly Gaines 2/23/18 Kelly Gaines 2/23/18

Review: Polybius Dreams #1

By Kelly Gaines

Welcome back to 1986- the year of the demon video game and painfully slow communication. As of the first issue, Polybius Dreams has set itself up to be the comic version of Stranger Things, mixed with a 1980’s arcade version of Jumanji. While certainly not a boring read, the story is riddled with DeJaVu. We’ve definitely seen all of this before. Polybius Dreams takes off with three young boys, Pat, Paul, and Mike, who only find solace from their bully filled lives at the local arcade. Owned by a woman named Jamie, the shop has recently acquired a new game… MYSTERIOUSLY… that seems to be driving the kids of Autumn Hill NY wild.

Cat Wyatt 2/15/18 Cat Wyatt 2/15/18

Review: Freelance #1

By Cat Wyatt

Freelance is a fun new series about a different group of people who do their best to fight the threats that humanity is better off not facing. They’re an odd group, to say the least. There’s Lance Valiant, the only one who could be called a superhero in the group (by power standards that is); Tasha Kolchak is the genius in the group; and then there’s John Cabot, a reformed criminal (well, mostly reformed). Not really the team I’d picture to step up and protect humanity from some very real threats, but you can bet that nobody would complain about their helping.

Cat Wyatt 2/12/18 Cat Wyatt 2/12/18

Review: Realms of the Void

By Cat Wyatt

Realms of the Void is a new graphic novel that’s currently still in the works. It’s a creative science fiction story, written and drawn by Santiago R. Villa, an impressive feat to say the least. The whole story takes place in space – frequently out in ships or out in the vacuum itself, rather than on any planets. This was an interesting choice, and one that I found appealing.

Kelly Gaines 2/12/18 Kelly Gaines 2/12/18

Review: P M Buchan's Hangover

By Kelly Gaines

Comics like P M Buchan’s Hangover are everything that’s fun about picking up a title with no expectations, and I’m dead serious when I say I went in with NO expectations. I picked the book for a ridiculous and very me reason: I was hungover. I looked at the title and thought ‘Now here’s a book that understands me.’ Was P M Buchan’s Hangover about being hungover? No. Am I happy I read it? Absolutely. If this is what this man's hangovers are like, we need to drink together. Hangover is not one storyline, but an anthology of strange, disturbing, and darkly hilarious short comics. It’s the funny pages for anyone interested in cannibalism, Satan, and things that go bump in the night. I wouldn’t judge anyone who reads it based on that take away alone- shine on you crazy fucking diamonds. This review would go on for pages if I went story by story and talked about my likes and dislikes, so I’m going to try something new in my review structure.

Cat Wyatt 2/12/18 Cat Wyatt 2/12/18

Review: The Big Sheep: A Farm Noir

By Cat Wyatt

The Big Sheep is a farm noir, and by that I mean it’s a noir story involving anthropomorphized farm animals and a mystery (because it wouldn’t be a noir without a little mystery, now would it?). Our main character, Slow Spade, is unsurprisingly a turtle; he’s also a private investigator though the times have been a little been a little rough on him lately.

Smrithi S 2/7/18 Smrithi S 2/7/18

Review: Any One Of Us #2

By Thea Srinivasan

Adrestia has come back into the picture with even more action and an extra dose of humanity ironically enough. But I cannot go any further with this review without a warning. For anyone who has not read the first comic, please do not read this review. This is your only spoiler warning for this review. Turn back now if you DON’T want spoilers. Also, this particular issue will contain very triggering, graphic content in terms of murder, rape, and PTSD. For these reasons, I highly do not recommend this particular comic for anyone who cannot handle such macabre content

Smrithi S 2/7/18 Smrithi S 2/7/18

Review: The Mercenary #1

By Thea Srinivasan

Although this comic was written over several years ago, its charm and beautiful scenery, art, and logic to the world makes it worth so much in the present. I will have to give a viewer discretion for this particular comic as features naked women and violence. This is my only warning for a viewer’s discretion before I go on.

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.

Smrithi S 1/29/18 Smrithi S 1/29/18

Review: Söngr #1

By Thea Srinivasan

For the first time in my life, I listened to Led Zeppelin. While I will never fall in love with them, I now understand why the authors of this piece chose to showcase their lyrics. But are the lyrics what readers want to read? Or are they just another menagerie of long-held desires by the author?

Cat Wyatt 1/29/18 Cat Wyatt 1/29/18

Review: Out of the Woods: A Journey Through Depression and Anxiety

By Cat Wyatt

Where to start; Out of the Woods is a beautiful and thought-provoking story that helps to explain the experiences one has when dealing with depression and anxiety. The main character, Brent is suffering from both, and like many people in today’s society is afraid of the stigma that comes with treatment. More than that, he feels it is wrong to have to take a medication or see a psychologist like they’re a sign of weakness. But the truth is, like any disease out there, the best way to handle it is to go see the appropriate medical professional to get help. Depression and anxiety are no exceptions, no matter how society may feel about it.

Oliver Gerlach 1/25/18 Oliver Gerlach 1/25/18

Review: Audrey’s Magic Nine vol. 1

By Oliver Gerlach

Audrey’s Magic Nine is a charming all-ages fantasy adventure that’s genuinely worth checking out for anyone, adults and children alike. It’s clearly targeted at kids, but there’s a lot of excellent craft and endearing adventure in here for adults too.

Press Release 1/23/18 Press Release 1/23/18

New Comic Book Artist Steven Lowe thinks Black Girls are Superheroes Too

Press Release

Driven to help change the narrative about people of color and marginalized groups, Steven Lowe, in conjunction with Riley S. Wilson (Orange Bright) and Lisa Cortés (Precious), developed a comic book about a little Black girl living and growing up in a rapidly changing Harlem as she uses her claircognizant (all-knowing) powers to combat microaggressions, misogyny and patriarchy.

Kelly Gaines 1/23/18 Kelly Gaines 1/23/18

Review: Weed Magic #1

By Kelly Gaines

Weed Magic #1 is set on the date 4/20. That tells you a majority of what you need to know in regards to this book, but I’ll set the stage as vividly as I can. On the “420 of 420’s”, a wannabe film star and his law clerk roommate are desperate for weed. They visit their guy, the mysterious alley shaman known as My$tic, and are given a bag of weed described as a strain “fertilized with the manure of 50 virgins and hand misted three times a day with the sweat of 100 Thai ladyboys.” This weed, which they are given for free under a grave warning of its power, gives the men (Bunny and Moe) special powers. After a brief intermission of goofing off, Bunny and Moe decide to use their powers for good. After all, with great weed comes great responsibility- right?

Press Release 1/22/18 Press Release 1/22/18

Hit Indie Comic Your Black Friend Now an Animated Short Film

Press Release

Ben Passmore's critically acclaimed Your Black Friend indie comic book premieres today as a 3-minute animation courtesy of Silver Sprocket and Doggo Studios, with narration by Passmore himself.