Catching up on my “pay what you want” titles, today I have one from Homesick creator Jason Walz. I like how he describes the creation of Crap Shoot, the gist being that he doesn’t have the time to commit to a large narrative and so he’s focusing on smaller stories that he’s able to finish and deliver when completed. It’s a great idea and definitely ensures that the fan base doesn’t forget about him since we all know that a majority of comic fans subscribe to the “what have you done for me lately” mind frame. The issue also has a very different set up as it includes two stories from Walz, a conversation/interview with Jeffrey Brown and a guest artist’s story. I’m going to cover the comic content because sum up a conversation third hand would be terrible, so I’ll leave the rest for you to discover for yourself.
The first story is called “Second Chance.” It’s an interesting story that begins with a child being born. The narration is in third person and it takes this event that’s happened to us all, this event that we’re all aware of but never think about and reminds you how shocking and incredible it is. That’s not where the story ends as we follow the character into maturity, but it’s this opening that grabbed me the most. It’s a great short story that is full of powerful, relatable moments.
The second story is called “Cosplay” and you can imagine what it’s about. The thing is the story doesn’t focus on the costumes so much as it does the people who Cosplay. And I’m not talking about their journey to becoming a cosplayer, just their mind-set. Two friends attend Comic Con dressed up and run into two women that are also dressed up, but as their “enemies.” One of the guys and one of the girls face off in a pretend battle while the other two more introverted friends take a liking to each other. It’s a cute story that gets the concept of cosplaying without trying to over complicated it or induce fake drama.
The guest creator’s story is called “The Deliberation of Psyche in Love and Mortality” and is by Trung Le Nguyen. I’ll be honest this is a story I can probably read a dozen times and take something new from it each and every time. I don’t know how to describe the story to you other than by saying that it’s inspired by Greek mythology and deals with love. The artwork is fantastic and has a huge range of skills attached to it. Every bit of the art is filled with solid colors and harsh lines and yet there is an overall softness to the look of the art. It’s definitely a great addition to the issue.
What I really enjoyed about this issue was that in a way it’s an anthology. Walz uses a range of designs for the different stories and with the mixture of a guest creator it really locks in that vibe. Also it’s kind of incredible how much work Walz has put into this issue. I’m sure certain things needed to be done on the art side in order to give the book an overall consistent look, but then when you add in the conversation (which is lengthy, but very informative) and the free music download you begin to see the effort that’s gone into it. Sure he’s not committing to a larger narrative, but maybe he’s committing to a larger amount of content.
If you just want to check out the first issue to get a feel for the series that’s cool, but I think for the amount of content that you’re getting it’s worth it to throw some money Walz’s way. The second issue is actually available as well and I will probably review it when I get a chance so feel free to check back for that or just try it out at the same time.
Score: 5/5
Writer/Artist: Jason Walz and Trung Le Nguyen Self-Published Price: Pay what you want Website