Indy-Pendant is the first column ever written by Brant W. Fowler running from May 2005 to January 2007. It's a focus on independent comics creators, publishers and titles. These are the reprinted archives, which were originally published on www.comicavalanche.com.
Week 15 - Originally published on September 18, 2005
What up my peeps? Thanks for hanging in there with me last week. I have a few titles reviewed for your reading pleasure. I figure I've been going pretty light with the coverage the past few weeks, so I wanted to give you all a little something extra this time around. So let's get started, shall we?
Hero @ Large
Picked this up on a whim and was
pleasantly surprised. Some publishers say super hero spoofs
are overdone and hard to sell. However, I think this one has a
nice twist to it that makes it fun and entertaining.
What we have is the city of Megalotroplis, where super heroes fight not only to save the day, but to get the ratings! It's kind of a comical answer to the questions Marvel's Supreme Power poses. If super heroes existed wouldn't the government be all over them and in our modern society of paparazzi wouldn't the media be heavily involved? The answer is yes! And in Megalotroplis the supes have agents, movie deals, you name it. They are celebrities first and heroes if the ratings call for it.
The most prominent of these heroes was Alpha Major, the Superman of Megalotroplis. Problem is he started believing his own hype. One thing happens after another leading to this poor schlub getting dropped by his agent, his movie deal falling through, and being replaced as team leader of the Justice Five. To make matters worse, his replacement rips his ID card in half in front of him. So what did the future hold for Megatroplis' former greatest hero? Pizza and pay per view.
In the first issue, Alpha Major, still wearing his costume, which by now surely stinketh, is reminded who he is by a kid and his mom in his apartment building. They take a liking to the former hero and help get him back on his feet. The mom even makes him a new costume. Of course she leaves off a piece, and let's just say that when Megalotroplis takes a gander at their new and improved greatest hero they will see him in a whole new light...moon light!
The story is fun, light hearted and entertaining. The art style is one that is becoming more and more popular in the states, which is to say it's manga influenced with that American charm fused in. But the style fits the story, which makes for an even better read. I look forward to seeing where this story goes. SpeakEasy has done it again.
MIDNITE COMICS
Not to be confused with Midnight Studio Comics, which I've featured before, Midnite
Comics hosts some fine web comics. I was turned onto them by
fellow columnist at comicavalanche, David A J Berner, who
writes and edits for the company. Here's what I found...
We all know of the arms race in our world today and in the past. Well what if there was a new weapon, a human weapon, genetically engineered by the world governments to be the ultimate tactical weapons or killing machines? What if those weapons were human?
That's what this title by Adam Buechler and Oscar Cavazos explores. The Weathermen are "hyper-sapiens", a new breed of human fused with biological weapons. The governments struggle to gain control of these beings to create the perfect army. The super powers of the world each have a similar project going on, seven that are known. The US is now looking to create a new team to counteract the coming threat.
All in all the first few pages that are up are a pretty decent read. They do tend to be a little wordy and honestly the lettering could stand to be a bit better, but the art is solid and the story, other than the wordiness, reads well. It's intelligent and well thought out, and I look forward to seeing what becomes of the Weathermen, who seem to be a hotheaded, ragtag group of characters headed up by a guy who wants no part of the project. Should lead to some interesting team dynamics.
Shades
Speaking
of David A J Berner, in one of Midnite's latest titles, he tells the
story of a group of heroes in Britain that saved the world, but cost
them an empire.
Shades is a very well written story that plays out like a good novel. It starts with a prologue that leaves you wanting more, then segues into chapter one where we meet Stanley Miller, a former tailor. What his connection is to the underground and possibly fictional superheroes is something a group of seemingly terrorists would like to know. They put a tail on the old man to find out his secret.
Chapter 2 introduces us to the first of these "heroes", or so it would appear. Stanley and his grandson, Sunil, then go looking for the rest to warn them someone is looking for them.
Chapter 3 has just begun as the story continues to unravel. The comic is updated every Wednesday.
The art again matches the story in this title, being set in London. Harsho Mohan Chattoraj captured the feel of the story and the environment beautifully. Also to note is the coloring style, which is an infusion of grayscaling and muted tones that give the story a rich, classic look and feel. Many of today's colorists forget how much of an impact coloring can make to a title. This is a nice throwback to the golden age where colors were used to depict the mood of each panel. The entire team on this title has done an excellent job, and I'm hooked!
There are several other great stories at Midnite Comics I intend on covering over the coming weeks. They have everything from Horror, to Sci-Fi, To Suspense Thriller, to Conan style Adventure. There's a little something for everyone, and they are honestly some of the best web comics out there.
Smoke & Mirror
Another
title from SpeakEasy. Luke Gabriel was a high priced lawyer in
Chicago until defending an old man and learning his secrets.
Now he does pro bono work while masquerading as the hero the old man
used to be, Smoke, on the side.
I'm not clear just yet on what Smoke's powers are, whether they're magic or what. In the first issue he cast incantations, but they are all Latin phrases. Regardless, this was a good read and had a timeless quality to it. Even though there wasn't a Golden Age version of it it makes you feel like there was.
In upcoming issues, Ms. Mirror's great niece starts developing powers and becomes the next Ms. Mirror. I am very interested in where this story leads, and I also think it's pretty cool to have a hero set in Chicago. Nice change of pace.
MR. T
If you're looking for a good novelty
comic, check this offering out from AP Comics.
This is a classic street story where the hero battles drug dealing street thugs. And it features 80's icon, MR. T. The cool thing about it, though, is that it's not cheesy like you would expect it to be. MR. T is cast in a different light in this story. He has just gotten out of prison and is not so keen on fighting crime anymore, but reluctantly gets involved. The story is actually pretty good so far, and the art looks great. If you were a fan of his at all, and even if you weren't, you should have an enjoyable read out of this title.
I hope you've enjoyed this somewhat extended version of the column. Next week I give you the scoop on Lullaby: Wisdom Seeker from Alias.
I'll also be taking a look (finally) at the Vicious Circle project, 'cause that's how I roll!
B.-Out
Brant W. Fowler / Writer, Letter, Creator, Reviewer, Columnist and Comic Related PR Coordinator
Brant W. Fowler has been a professional comic book letterer and logo designer for three years, and has been a freelance editor for the past five years. He has also worked with graphic design, writing and many other area of skills for several years honing his talents. You can learn all about what he's up to by visiting Gonzogoose
Design. Brant is also a member of the core
operations team at Comic Related.
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