#advent comics

Out this week: Miskatonic High #1 (Advent Comics, $3.99)

Mike Shea’s highly successful Kickstarter comic comes to comic shops courtesy of Advent Comics. It’s a bout a group of kids who not only have to deal with the hell of high school AND tentacled monsters.  

Southside #2 Advent Comics 2021 Written by Tony Kittrell Illustrated by Chepe Rios Coloured by PH Fuller Lettered by Lettersquids Malone knows who killed his friend and nothing will stop him from getting revenge...he goes to WAR! Don’t be sleeping on Advent Comics just because they are a company where people of colour take centre stage.  Sure there is some language within these pages that if I were to use i’d be labeled a racist but then again in my communities there are similar words and phrases that have the same effect, meaning it’s okay within our own communities but not by outsiders.  So don’t be afraid to visit a culture that’s not yours just respect it and enjoy it for what it is because this is a very intelligently written story underneath all the violence and swearing.  This is a very adult title with naked women, alas no men, and drug use and it represents two very polar opposite types of folks and the tension this brings to the story is actually incredibly well represented and it makes me want to see more.  Seeing more is ultimately what the story is supposed to leave the reader feeling and this does that in some wonderful ways. I like the way that this is being told.  The story & plot development that we see through how the sequence of events unfold as well as how the reader learns information is presented extremely well.  I really appreciate seeing Malone walking through the neighbourhood and noticing that it has gone from he calls “chocolate city” to a “skittles town” and that is an interesting take on what others would call gentrification.  The character development is interesting and I say this because I understand the anger in Malone after having someone close to him murdered but I’m also hoping we don’t only see the angry black man angle take over. The pacing is superb and as it takes us through the pages revealing more and more of the story while also introducing us to new characters is handled extremely well. The way that we see this being structured and the layers within the story continuing from last issue and new ones emerging it really does wonders to help everything move constantly forward.  The way that we see everything working together to create the story’s ebb & flow is really rather delightful. The interiors here are beautifully rendered.  The linework that we see is amazing and how the varying weights and techniques are being utilised to create this quality in the detail work is astounding.  From faces and facial expression to body language that helps further the characterisation to the unexpected moment like seeing a hand snapping a pic on a phone the way we see this detail work is stunning.  That backgrounds are important to the story makes me happy and how they work within the composition within the panels bing us some great depth perception, sense of scale and the overall sense of size and scope to the book.  The utilisation of the page layouts and how we see the angles and perspective in the panels show a really interesting and talented eye for storytelling.  The colour work is truly amazing.  How we see the various hues and tones within the colours being utilised to create the shading, highlights and shadow work shows and eye for how to utilise colour incredibly effectively.  Seeing how light sources cast colour changes and that those colours are unexpected hues and yet are exactly what they should be is pretty spectacular.     Hyper violent and yet this is set in a world that suits it with a wide array of interesting characters with strong personalities who like to play things fast and loose.  This is an intelligently written book with great characterisation and decidedly unique approach to the idea of an urban vigilante.      For more titles and to get involved in their kickstarters head to https://adventcomics.com/​

The Regulators #1 Advent Comics 2020 Written by Tony Kittrell Illustrated by Greg LaRocque Coloured by Rachel LaChance Lettered by Chris LeBlanc    Following events that transpired in PANDEMONIUM: EVIL INCARNATE and CHAMPIONS OF HOPE, dark magical forces led by the evil sorcerer Merlynn and the powerful Cauldron have broken through the shattered dimensional barriers and have come to the Advent Universe! With taking over this dimension in mind, Merlynn launches a plot to capture Mystic the Mighty Mage. But Mystic launches a plan to bring together Earth's greatest protectors to stop them...if they can come together without killing each other first!    Well here we are with another book from Advent Comics.  I like this little publishing house and that Greg LaRocque is doing the interiors makes this even more fabulous!  In the opening paragraph we see that this spins out of an event, so if you missed that fear not because while it is referenced there is enough here to make this new reader friendly.  This is a very small press publishing house but I have to say that this is where you are going to find some of today’s newest and freshest storytelling.  It is also why I urge you all to find these companies at cons and in Previews to find something new that you haven’t read but find interesting from either the title or description.    I am thoroughly enjoying the way that this is being told.  How we see the story & plot development through how the sequence of events unfold as well as how the reader learns information is presented extremely well.  How the story moves forward and the glimpses of insight into the characters who will be involved has both interest and intrigue factors to them.  The character development is interesting as these are established characters and we are getting to see them after they’ve gone through after their most horrific event to date.  So we them at a crossroads and it will be interesting to watch them grow and heal as they move forward.  The pacing is superb and as it takes us through the pages revealing the rather large cast of characters that will be involved alongside a few surprises.  How the book is structured and how we see subplots emerging as well has how everything works together to create the story’s ebb & flow is really nice to see.    The interiors here are gorgeous.  For some unknown reason I didn’t realise that Greg LaRocque was the artist here.  I love his work, always have, and that this large of a cast isn’t anything new for him, Legion of Super-Heroes run, combined with his naturally talented eye for storytelling make the interiors really shine.  I love how we see the linework and it’s varying weights being utilised to show the attention to detail.  Backgrounds are utilised very well here and they really do expand the moments as well as provide depth perception a sense of scale and that overall sense of size and scope to the book.  Greg’s ability to utilise the page layouts and the angles and perspective within the panels is remarkably good.  The colour work here is also a joy to see.  There is some nice use of colours and the hues and tones within them to create the shading, highlights and shadow work.  By the way that last page reveal of Ava yeah that’s as sweet as they come. ​    Advent Comics has some incredibly solid titles on stands and that we can see the love, care and fun they have putting them out is infectious to the reader.  Right now small publishing houses such as these folks right here are putting out the kind of quality superhero stories that you want to read, that I hear folks say they miss.  So why haven’t you gravitated over here?  There’s a whole universe here waiting to be explored by you and it’s high time you came over to give it a go.

The SH*TSHOW Is FINALLY HERE From SCOUT COMICS!

Years after a mysterious force ripped the powers from the world’s power-enabled heroes and villains alike, those left have made the best with what remains, joining together to use their powers as part of a traveling circus! Adam Barnhardt’s debut title, SH*TSHOW is finally almost here! Don’t get caught sleeping on this one!

THE SH*TSHOW STORY

There was once an Age of Heroes, a time Earth…

Southside #1 Advent Comics 2020 Created & Written by Tony Kittrell Illustrated by Chepe Rios Coloured by PH Fuller Lettered by Lettersquids    The Side Pocket     This issue, Dalton Malone returns to the mean streets of Washington D.C. to find the murderer of his best friend.     Oh I enjoyed this a whole heck of a lot.  Probably a lot more than I had thought I would and that is saying something.  I am pretty impressed with this book and I have always enjoyed reading what Advent puts out but this is really something special.  You don’t have to understand the slang to get what it means that’s for sure and regardless of race, sex, gender or age you will find ways to relate to this story.  Another thing about it is that it most certainly reads like it’s a screen adaptation to a film. It has this amazing dynamic feel to it that once you start reading it you’ll be sucked in before you realise it and you won’t want it to let you go.     I am loving the way that this is being told.  The story & plot development that we see through how the sequence of events unfold and how the reader learns information is presented with exceptional skill.  Okay at first I thought the structure at the beginning was a tad standard but by the time we went full circle and there were still surprises to see it was amazing.  The story and book relies heavily on the main character, Malone, and how we see and view him.  So it is no surprise that the character development we see is pretty flawless.  It doesn’t matter what situations or circumstances he’s thrust into we see him, his facade, through his outer shell being as consistent as the tides.  It is what lies underneath that I cannot wait to see explored.  The pacing here is superb and as it takes through the pages revealing the twists and turns along the way we see how everything works together to create the books ebb & flow.   My friends, Romans and countrymen or something like that heh this really is what comics are all about.  This is a book that may feature a black man in the lead role but this isn’t about race or about society doing him wrong.  This is a story about revenge, vengeance and putting a stop to anyone who does him wrong or gets in the way.  It is a strong story told through many different layers and it’s an exceptional read.     The interiors here are extremely interesting.  Part of me sees this 90’s Image style that runs prevalently throughout these pages and I am not sure if this is international or not but we see it.  Then we see Chepe’s own style emerge throughout this as well.  Once we start to see a different style start to emerge it makes me happy.  The linework throughout is extremely well rendered and the way that the attention to detail is stupendous work.  The utilisation of the page layouts and how we see the angles and perspective in the panels show a solid, strong eye for storytelling.  I would like to see backgrounds utilised more because when we do see them they really add to the ambiance and scope of the story.  There is some nice tricking of the eye where they aren’t seen but the illusion of them is.  The colour work is fantastic and how we see some things pop and the subtlety of others show a real nice mastery over how to apply and effectively utilise colour.  The hues and tones within the colours we see and how they are utilised to create the shading, highlights and shadow work is really rather impressive. ​     I really rather like this a whole heck of a lot.  I am impressed with the way that this is being told, how through the layering and through the introduction of characters we see Malone’s world take shape.  I keep saying that you guys need to be reading books from small press-indie comics publishers and this for me is the best surprise read of the week hands down.

Crowdfunding Spotlight: Advent Comics’ Tenth Anniversary anthology, Facets

Advent Comics Facets Tenth Anniversary Cover by Sam Santos

Celebrating its tenth anniversary, US indie publisher Advent Comics has launched a Kickstarter to publish a 100-page anthology, Facetsto mark the occasion – and, like many smaller comics companies across the globe, makes no bones about how it sees Kickstarter and crowdfunding as a way to put their comics in front of readers in a way that…