By Damien Becton
Newsprint is back! Alterna Comics is an indie comic book publishing company that prints their books in newsprint. And because of this, their regular books are only $1.50 - this book; It Came Out On A Wednesday, is $1.99 because it is a bi-monthly double-sized anthology book. It highlights up-and-coming creative writers and artists. This book is filled with tons of ideas and set pieces, ranging from the galactic space aliens playing cricket to a horror-inspired supernatural short story about voodoo and witchcraft. So, is this inaugural issue of the ongoing anthology worth your hard-earned $1.99? Of course, it is.
Keep in mind that this book is only two dollars - only two fricking dollars. And with the amount of weird and creative stories that you get from only eight quarters, this is definitely worth your time. One of the highlights, in my opinion, from the writing department is “The Maddening Sound” by Peter Simeti. The story follows a superhero struggling with the mental taxes and damage that you think a superhero might take after years and years of being a crime fighter. It really gets you to ask yourself “How are all of the superheroes in the Marvel Universe and DC Universe handling all of this over the years?” It’s an engaging story that may answer that question as it wraps up extremely well.
Another thing that will make this worth your time is considering how well done the art is on every single story. Along with “The Maddening Sound,” a story in this double-sized anthology that knocks it out of the park with the art is “The End of a Beginning” by Eastin DeVerna and Shawn Daley. The colors in this story replaces unlimited palette options for a constant stream of pinks and blue. This may sound a little concerning, but since it is coupled with an extremely well-done, cartoony art style, the story is able to immerse the reader in the plot even with a limited amount of pages.
Additionally, what makes this book even more interesting is that it provides the reader with interviews with the artists and creators that helped put the book together. You get insight on how far some of the creators have been making comic books, writing, drawing, and illustrating and will probably give aspiring comic book illustrators and writers the nudge not to give up on their dreams. It truly is a welcome inclusion to the book.
Alterna Comics’ inaugural issue of It Came Out On A Wednesday is definitely worth your time. You get to witness creative stories and characters from up-and-coming creators that you probably wouldn’t get to see otherwise. While most books nowadays are four dollars for twenty-something pages, this anthology book provides us with almost double that for half of the price. If you have some extra change in your car cup holder, get this book. If not, get this book anyway - plenty of bang for your two bucks.
SCORE: 4/5
It Came Out On A Wednesday #1
Alterna Comics