Review: Santa Clause Private Eye vol. 1

April 12, 2018

By Sam King

What is Santa Claus Private Eye Vol. 1 about? Take a magical childhood icon, add festive humor, mix in detective fiction, and sprinkle it with murder. Pour all of that into a hot chocolate mug, and you’ve got Santa Claus Private Eye in a chestnut shell. That is the best way I can describe it. We have all heard that Santa Claus knows who has been naughty and who has been nice. This story has a fresh take on how he gets his information…or rather what his magical intel can reveal when applied to another occupation.

Bruce Lee Hits the Streets in Darby Pop Publishing’s All-New Bruce Lee: The Walk of the Dragon

March 1, 2018

Press Release

Bruce Lee: The Walk of the Dragon, an all-new, all-ages, full-color comic adventure, releases as a “one shot” on March 28, 2018, courtesy of Darby Pop Publishing. The self-contained story lives in the same continuity as the hugely successful Bruce Lee: The Dragon Rises but shines even more of a spotlight on one of history’s few real-life superheroes. This special issue was written by animation superstar Nicole Dubuc (My Little Pony, Star Wars: Rebels, Transformers: Rescue Bots). Interior art is once again courtesy of Brandon McKinney with a cover from John Haun.

Review: Bastard’s Waltz

September 27, 2017

By Dustin Cabeal

I never did find the time to keep up with this series. After reading the great first issue, I definitely wanted more, and so I happily read the trade collecting the series. What a tremendous story it ended up being. Usually, I don’t like superhero homage stories in the least bit. There were traces of it all throughout the trade, but never once did I sigh from the reference. Now, I didn’t cheer either, but then that wasn’t what the creators were striving for you to do.

BASTARD’S WALTZ Trade Paperback Releases September 2017

September 7, 2017

Press Release

Bastard’s Waltz, an all-new, full-length adult crime/conspiracy saga, releases as a trade paperback book on September 27, 2017, courtesy of Darby Pop Publishing. This graphic novel was written by Mark Bertolini with art and cover by Giovanni Guida.

Review: Bastard’s Waltz #1

July 13, 2017

By Dustin Cabeal

With a name like Bastard’s Waltz and the main character named “John The Bastard,” you better fucking believe that I was going to check this book out. The catch is that most people think that anything with “Bastard” in the title is a shoe-in for praise on this site, but it’s the opposite. I’m not just going to stamp our seal of approval on something because it shares a word, but rather I’m going to be tough on it just like any other book.

Darby Pop Publishing Releases Deluxe Editions of Two Sold-Out TPB’s, Indestructible and Side-Kicked

July 11, 2017

Press Release

To celebrate their first month as a truly independent comic book studio sans distribution partnerships, Darby Pop Publishing will release Deluxe Editions of two of their previously sold-out trade paperbacks, Indestructible: Not So Much Vol. #1 Deluxe TPB and Side-Kicked Vol. 1.5 TPB -- each now featuring an additional 22 pages of story.

Darby Pop Publishing Declares Its Independence Day On July 4th

April 28, 2017

After four years of editorial autonomy paired with distribution partnerships, Darby Pop Publishing is ready to become truly “indie.” With a new “direct” deal in place, Darby Pop Publishing’s titles will continue to be available through Diamond Book Distributors and Diamond Comic Distributors, but retailers can now find the publisher’s critically-acclaimed titles listed under Darby Pop’s own heading in the PREVIEWS catalog.

Darby Pop Announces of 2nd "Breaking Into Comics" Contest

August 30, 2016

Darby Pop Publishing is pleased to announce the winners of its second “Breaking Into Comics” contest. After hundreds of submissions were reviewed, and the top writers and artists were selected, Darby Pop created “teams” -- with selected Artists bringing the winning Writers’ scripts to life for the ultimate anthology book, The Women of Darby Pop #1.Featuring 11 all-new stories, The Women of Darby Pop #1 (Diamond Code: JUL16 1751) releases to local comic book shops on September 28, 2016.

“With our second ‘Breaking Into Comics’ contest, Darby Pop Publishing has tried to give aspiring comic book professionals an opportunity to get a foot in the door – and get published,” said Kristine Chester, the book’s Associate Editor. “Plus, we’ll be introducing comic book readers to a wellspring of new talent.”

The winners of Darby Pop’s “Breaking Into Comics” contest are writers and artists with reservoirs of passion and varying degrees of experience. Last year, with her young-adult mystery comic, Ma Douce Rose, 17-year-old Kate Davis was a winner of the “Future of Comics Contest” held at the Baltimore Comic-Con Kids Love Comics Pavilion. Austin Bridges has a background in playwriting and is co-creator of an episodic radio adventure series Mermaid in Manhattan. Matthew Cody is a professional novelist with published works in historical adventure (for kids), science fiction (for teens), and retro-pulp (for adults); his credits include the book Powerless. Among his various creative endeavors, scriptwriter Adrian Reynolds is co-creator and writer of the science fiction web comic Dadtown. Forrest C. Helvie is co-creator and writer of a children’s graphic novel, The Adventures of Whiz Bang: The Boy Robot. Jeff Burns is creator, writer, and director of the Super Knocked Up web series. Brent Hibbard has been working on 2-page kids’ comics for Kids Prize Pack, a monthly subscription box service. And the list goes on and on.

The two things the majority of the aforementioned Creatives have in common: a lifelong passion for comic books, and the dream of earning a living in the comic book industry.

Back in April, Darby Pop Publishing put out a call for the best short scripts (4 pgs. maximum) and sample art featuring (at least) one female character from Darby Pop’s lineup including heroes and villains such as: Stingray, Princess Power, and Gaia from Indestructible; Chloe from City: The Mind in the Machine; Superfecta 5 and Kathleen from The 7^th Sword; Angela Garcia from Doberman; Vargas, Ayala Tal, and Dr. Nash from Dead Squad; Atalanta from Side-Kicked; Cynara Veil from Dead Man’s Party; Charli, Lucy, and Jill from Fake Empire, etc. etc.

And the call was answered.

The Living Finger Is Coming To Trade

July 27, 2016

If you've been following Ben's reviews for The Living Finger then you're in luck... you can just read the trade now. I encourage you to check out his reviews for issue 1 and issue 2, because they're an entertaining and well-written. [su_quote]Synopsis: When well-meaning Jason discovers a disembodied finger that appears to be "alive," it quickly becomes the sole focus of his life. He names the digit "Wendy," learns to communicate with it via "tap code," and discovers that the one thing Wendy wants more than anything else is a living, breathing human body to attach to. But, as soon as Jason helps Wendy secure an unwitting "host," problems arise. Soon, Jason has collected a bathtub full of corpses, a rightly suspicious sister, and a best friend hell-bent on selling Wendy to the highest bidder. Even worse, Jason is beginning to realize that he may have acted a bit rashly, especially when Wendy begins displaying an unhealthy fascination with knives. Is there any way for Jason to set things right without becoming another casualty?[/su_quote]

Review: The Living Finger #2

July 13, 2016

By Ben Boruff

The Living Finger is getting out of hand—and I love it. After reading the first issue of The Living Finger, I had several concerns, the most pressing of which involved the characterization of Jason, the comic’s troublesome protagonist. Jason’s infatuation with the zombie finger—an implausible obsession that led him to commit an unforgivable act of violence—still aggravates me, but the second issue of The Living Finger offers aberrant intellectual nourishment, which is arguably more appealing than reasoned characterization. Author Garth Matthams understands effective pacing. The second issue of The Living Finger begins with philosophical pillow talk and ends with bloodshed. In this issue, Garth Matthams shifts the reader’s attention away from Jason, focusing instead on the finger, which is now a primary character named Wendy. The narrative adds depth to the finger, contemplating the nature of the leechlike appendage. In a few pages, Wendy evolves from a weird body part to a relatively multifaceted character.

The Living Finger is, as the title suggests, about the finger, and a Derridean dissection of the digit unveils an erratic mess of interpretive leaps. The parasitic finger is symbolically pliable. To some, the finger’s sinister deeds are a sort of karmic justice: Jason messed with an abomination, so Jason deserves punishment. (I encourage readers to avoid this type of interpretation. Kismet is lazy logic.) To others, the finger represents unfair expectations and forced changes in the context of romantic interactions. Wendy is a manifestation of Jason’s strongest desires, and he attaches those desires—in the form of a living finger—to Jennifer, which causes Jennifer to become something else. So when Wendy explains that Jennifer is “screaming and cursing and not quite accepting the fact that she’s no longer in control,” the comic is acknowledging the incompatibility of performance and true identity. Perhaps Wendy (the finger) is a personification of Jason’s fragile sociability, and Wendy’s violence is a result of Jason’s insecurities. Or maybe Garth Matthams is simply capitalizing on humanity’s innate fear of malicious, moving objects that should be inanimate.

I refuse to believe that The Living Finger’s living finger is just a living finger. It means something, and I will figure it out. In the meantime, this comic offers enough intriguing action to satisfy my need for bizarre entertainment, and I look forward to more in the next issue.

Score: 4/5

The Living Finger #2
Writer: Garth Matthams
Artist: Armin Odzic
Publisher: Darby Pop Publishing

Available on Comixology