Kickstarter Recommendation: White Heat Comics Digest No.1

Backing new Kickstarter is always exciting, let's face it you're taking a gamble especially if it's a brand new comic.  You rely on the sales pitch of the creator and obviously the artwork that is released to grab your interest. When I saw the initial promotion for White Heat Comics Digest No.1 my interest was piqued, in no small way aided by Alex Ronalds excellent cover art.  Let's face it a voluptuous half naked jungle girl riding a sabre toothed tiger isn't something you see every day.  So when creator Stephen Reid got in touch and asked me if I'd take a look at the digital version, I was happy to get my hands on the preview and take a look at what was behind the cover.

White Heat, named after the James Cagney film of the same name, is a tribute to the comics of the 40s. The comic opens with jungle girl strip Kyla The Goddess Who Walks The Earth, created and drawn by Stephen Reid and scripted by Steven Ross.  You may know both from the ECBT2000AD podcast, now putting their money where their mouths are and putting out their own work. I'm going to go spoiler light here as the book isn't out there yet but Kyla, our voluptuous cover star, is a genetically "tweaked" human created to be a saviour of mankind following a less than ideal interaction with alien races. She just wants to lead a simple life in the jungle she calls home, but when armed men start abducting villagers for nefarious purposes it's time to kick ass.

There's a lot of story dropped in this first episode of what will hopefully be an ongoing series but still moves along at a good pace.  The art is great, as you'd expect from an award winning artist and animator, bringing Kyla to life on the page. I was surprised by the levels of violence and claret that was spilt on the pages here.  Kyla is no cheesecake cover star that requires saving by a hero, let's just say her jewel encrusted knife sees a lot of action.  A great opener that promises more.

A brief intermission is provided Pete Stewart's comic strip debut, a quirky two pager called Jungle John, King of the Amazon, then it's on to the digests second feature, Deb Bonair.

Deb Bonair is the leader of a gang of female space pirates who raid a space freighter and steal its cargo.  The problem being that the cargo belongs to galactic crime boss Murdo the Oppressor who is, not best pleased at the theft. Another story created, written and coloured by Stephen Reid with Rory Hensley on pencils for this one. Rounding off the digest is a pin-up of Kyla, beautifully drawn by Rory Hensley.

If Kickstarters are a gamble then I'd say that you are onto a safe bet with White Heat Comics Digest No.1.  I had a lot of fun reading this comic, great pulpy stories complimented by exciting full colour artwork that really pops.  At 66 pages,  you are getting a lot of bang for your buck too.

If you want to back the Kickstarter yourself here's the link: 

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/928224654/white-heat-comics-digest-no1

Recommended: Hidden Lives by Tony Esmond

I've been lucky enough to read quite a few small press titles recently so I thought that, over the next few blog posts, I'd share some recommendations from what I've read and enjoyed.

First up is Hidden Lives from Tony Esmond, a quick look at previous reviews here will show that I'm a fan of his earlier titles including The Whore Chronicles, Atomic Hercules and George Mayhem.  Happily, Hidden Lives doesn't disappoint and continues a brilliant catalogue of work.

Hidden Lives is an anthology of adult stories that give an insight into the sort of people that you might pass in the street any day.  The people that hide dark or sad realities behind the face they present to the world.

I sat down and read it cover to cover twice, two stories 'Chrissy' and 'Sam' were particularly touching. I was also pleased to see a call back to The Whore Chronicles, with two stories that round off this book.

As someone who has done a little script writing previously, I am very envious of how Tony can  convey so much emotion and story in so few words.  There's no doubt that collaboration with great artists plays a massive part in this too.  In this case that includes Johnny Cannon, Dan Butcher and Cliff Cumber to name just a few involved.

It's obvious that Tony has led a life and can channel his life experiences into his writing, in this case capturing that elusive element of a troubled soul perfectly.  Highly recommended reading.

You can get a copy for yourself here: https://neverironanything.bigcartel.com/product/hidden-lives-physical