Recommendations: Cannibal XXX, Murder, Kazana the Slayer and Vyper

Three quick recommendations from my weekends reading and one new Kickstarter, it's a mixed bag of styles and genres that's for sure.

First up is Cannibal XXX, by Paul PJ Johnson this is certainly the most NSFW comic I've read in a while and certainly not one to leave out for your kids, but it is a brilliant read.  The premise is that a director of porn films, who is also married to the worlds best porn star, wants to create a porno masterpiece.  He recruits some of the brightest and best talent in the industry and finds a deserted island to film on, not realising that it is, in fact, inhabited by the titular cannibals.  

It goes without saying there is graphic sex and cannibalism throughout the comic but it's not all about shock and gore.  Paul has a brilliant fast paced cinematic feel to his writing, bringing these characters to life without making them two dimensional. If you've ever heard the documentaries by John Ronson about the porn industry, you'll know how deep and dark that particular rabbit warren goes and how nearly everyone involved is scarred in some way physically or mentally, many using drugs just to get through the day. This aspect of the characters isn't overlooked, which gives them a depth that I didn't honestly expect to find here.

If you have a strong stomach, a love of the VHS horror films of the 80s and just bloody good comics you will love this, I'm so glad that I listened to Damian Edwardsons Omen to That podcast and found out about Paul's work.  I can't wait for episode 2, but in the meantime Paul has a catalogue of other titles such as Razor Bastard that I intend to check out.  You can get a copy by DM'ing Paul via Facebook messenger.

Murder by John tucker is a small A6 piece of perfection containing two short stories Narrowing and Poseidon.  John was Influenced by the small one and done independent zines he encountered as a student so wanted to create a love letter to those with Murder.  

If you've not read any John Tucker before you can catch up with his entire back catalogue, digitally, for just a fiver. His stories have a surreal edge and are always written with a great ear for day to day language.  

Murder Volume 1 was a limited edition print run with no reprints but keep your eyes open for volume 2 in the future. Be quick though it's just a one week Kickstarter.

Finally on my read pile was Kazana The Slayer which is Sentinel issue 5, I got a sneak peek from Alan and Ed.  As you might guess from the title it's a Conan the Barbarian style tale where we find our Hero, a wondering swordsman, comes to the aid of a village under attack by an evil overlord.  The fully painted story was originally created by Sentinel artist Ed Doyle sixteen years ago. He has gone back and worked on some of the art while writer Alan Holloway has reworked the original story.

It's a satisfying read that doesn't ask a lot of the reader but to sit back and enjoy the ride.  It has undead, skeletal warriors and a heroic muscular man wielding a sword smiting all before him.  What more could you ask for? The Kickstarter starts tomorrow, Tue 10th November.

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/sentinelcomic/sentinel-issue-5-kazana-the-slayer

My final recommendation is for another Kickstarter, that has already smashed its funding goal it's Vyper. a homage to the action films and TV series we loved in the 80s like Airwolf, Streethawk, Commando.  Full of fast cars, guns and hot women - just like the life we all lead, I'm sure. https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/377292064/vyper-0?ref=nav_search&result=project&term=Vyper

Review: SHIFT

It cannot be denied, 2020 has been a bit of an all round shit show what with global pandemics, lockdowns and the like.  But one spark in the darkness, for us comic fans, has been the wealth of great new indie titles we've had to help us through the rough times. Such as the homage to Starblazer, The Sentinel and Pat Mills (all hail his name) brought us the highly anticipated Spacewarp. While The77 smashed onto the scene bringing with it a wealth of new art and writing talent.

Joining this lineup comes SHIFT, another British anthology comic but as Spacewarp is different to The77 SHIFT is different to them both.  The comic weighs in at a hefty 100 pages and is brought to us by the distributor and publisher GetMyComics. The comic contains a mix of ongoing strips and one and done stories along with articles, creator profiles and interviews.  The interviews and articles come from the team behind the Comic Scene magazine which sadly fell victim to the Lockdown.

SHIFT opens with 'To the Death' by Transformers writer Simon Furman and Geoff Senior, who also draws the cover art, a future war story with full on muscle bound action heroes and huge guns a plenty. This is a strip that wouldn't feel out of place in 2000AD, where Geoff Senior has been an art droid previously.  It's a strip that has been released previously but if it's your first time of reading, it's an action packed treat with a more adult tone.

Another 2000AD droid, Steve Yowell, is on art duties for the next strip 'Foot Soldiers' written by Jim Krueger. Robot overlords rule a dystopian future and it's up to a gang of delinquents to take them on, using equipment from superheroes killed by the robots. I liked the less than typical superpowers the heroes of the story discover and use here.  Coincidentally, I assume, one of the teen heroes looks like a young version of Steve Yowells Zenith.

The titular character of 'Kora' crash lands her craft and has to survive what the planet has to throw at her.  Written and drawn by Chris Geary, he pulls us into the tale with great sequential storytelling and no dialogue.

'Soulwind' is an Eisner winning adventure strip which begins with a very distinctive oriental look, about a boy tutored by monks in remote temple. But then an event happens that changes everything for the boy and for the reader as the art style changes dramatically too. A very interesting start to what promises to be an epic tale.

'Tiny Acts of Violence' is probably my favourite strip here, set in 1968 East Berlin, it is dark and full of tension drawing the reader into the lives of those wanting to escape the restrictions and violence of the East.  Martin Stiffs design here is very strong giving the reader great depth and variety.  He mixes in a folklore tale of two boys into a story of defection and intrigue, complex storytelling done to perfection.

If you like to use your tech then 'Shifter' could be for you, or a great way to introduce your kids to a comic. Simply download an app and use it when reading the comic for the augmented reality embeded in parts of the story to  come to life.  Perfect in a story where people can turn into creatures both real and imagined. 

Finally 'Hungerville' a very satisfying one and done strip from a personal favourite creator of mine Warick Fraser- Coombe, the creator of body horror Skullfucker. A relentless robot debt collector has come to make a collection from a debtor who has taken refuge in an isolated town, Hungerville, we soon discover there is good reason the town is isolated. Stunning use of colours and brilliant imagery throughout this one.

I really enjoyed reading SHIFT, it has a great indie feel to it, but not so much as to make it inaccessible to someone who is used to more mainstream comics.   For someone like me, who fell away from comics for a long period of time, it's great to be able to catch up with previously released titles in this format. However, the fact that all but one of the strips has been released before may be off putting to some of the potential audience for the comic. 

That said, SHIFT is great value for money at £6.99 for 90+ pages and will be available to buy online and from comic retailers every 6 weeks.  This accessibility, to another excellent British anthology comic, will hopefully mean that it can reach a new audience, drawing them in, to the world of comics. That can never be a bad thing!

Buy SHIFT here: https://getmycomics.com/SHIFT

Review: The77 Issue #3

I got my issue #3 of The77 through the door today, so here's a quick spoiler free run through of the stories.

The issue I got came with a great cover by Ade Hughes featuring the characters from 'V', which is the opening story to this issue.  There is also a beautiful variant cover by 2000AD droid Paul Williams. 'V' part 3 Created by Steve Bull and Ade Hughes (SpaceWarp) both expands the world our heroine Anat now finds herself in and adds another layer of intrigue.  Who are her rescuers and what is their 'tech'?

'GRID' Introduces us to a top assassin who just wants a quiet drink Created by Dave Heeley and Neil Sims.  I'm looking forward to seeing where this goes, Neil sims art complimenting Dave Heeleys script perfectly. 

'The Screaming Hand' The third instalment by Kek-W (2000AD: Deadworld, Fall of Deadworld) and Conor Boyle (Hook Jaw)  I think this has been my favourite episode of the story so far, lots of action and lovely artwork from Conor Boyle.  Definitely one for a read through when the series ends.  Wouldn't be out of place in 2000AD.

'The Cell' part 2 by Bambos Georgiou (The Real Ghostbusters, ACES weekly) and Andrew Sawyers. Andrew, like Neil Sims, has been a real breakthrough star of The77 his art here has amazing energy and use of colour. The story from Bambos gives us a look at a very violent,  dystopian future. It's probably my age but I will have to go back and read issue 2 as I'm a bit lost as to what's going on in the story.

'Trackless Depths' part 1/3 Strange things are stirring in the water around a Victorian Clipper. Created by Dave Bedford (Trompe la Morte ) and Ben Macleod (2000AD).  This story has so many elements I love.  Some very nice greyscale artwork which only adds to Dave Bedfords excellent atmospheric script, I just wanted the story to continue! Look out for a great cameo appearance from a certain shark fisherman too.

'Matilda Atkins and the Amulet Of Destiny' created by Michael Powell (The Last Man The77 #1) and Sarah 'Milmo' Millman (Speed Demons - Rebellion's Tammy & Jinty) This is a nice one and done story that I wouldn't say is aimed at me.  But it would be a perfect story for younger comic lovers or anyone who feels out of place in the world. I know Sarah Millmans work from her indie comic series NPC Tea, her clean lined style and great use of colour is perfect for this tale. 

'Division '77' part 3 - Created by Dave Heeley and Sinclair Elliott the future war fan favourite story continues. Could there be mutiny in the ranks? Some nice story building without losing the action we love.  This is followed with a Division 77 pin-up page from Andrew Sawyers.

'SGT Shouty of the Moon Force!' In space everyone can hear him shout'! Created by Lew Stringer (BEANO, Combat Colin, Brickman, Oink!)  Well this is always a one page delight that always takes me right back to my days of reading the Beano. We get some background on the Sarge and his nemesis here, I enjoyed Lews artists impression of a previous event in the story. 

'Forgotten Reality' Created by Anna Everts and Phil Elliott a one off story that in other, lesser, anthology comics might be called a future shock, so no spoilers here.

'Undertow' Created by Joe and Jeremy Dunn.  In my review of episode one of this story I said that I was left underwhelmed.  I was promised that episode two would alter my opinion and yes the guys have followed through on their promise. I really enjoyed part two as our hero heads off on a quest that leaves us with trouble brewing.

'Gut Crawlers' part 2 Essential workers doing the Galaxy's dirtiest job. Created by Dan Whitehead and Paul Williams. Illustrations for part 2 have been taken over by Filippo Roncone and a cracking job he does too.  This conclusion to the story gives us a little more insight into the newest crew member and how she came to be working with the gut crawlers, leaving it open for development. 

'Martian Law' Created by Brendan Wright.  I really wasn't a fan of episode one of this story but I have to admit it's growing on me now.  Brendan's art is colourful and full of energy bringing life to the crazy Martian world he has created.

'Skate Worm' in 'The Frack off !' by Conan. Art by Morgan Gleave.  Another outing for the rebellious worm with attitude as he saves his skate park from destruction.  For me the line work on Morgans artwork came across as a little heavy and lost some definition on the characters. Possibly something to do with reproduction?

'Penny Pentagram' part 3 London's grooviest Paranormal detective by David Thomas (WP Comics, Night Hunters, Avatara) and Jon Roydon (The Lost Graveyard). I'm really trying to like this Buffy-esque character but sadly the story just doesn't do anything for me. But that's an anthology comic for you, not everything is going to hit home for everyone.

This issues Standouts, for me, were Trackless Depths and The Screaming Hand I was really pleased that the Undertow guys lived up to their promise of more to come too.

If this is your first dip into the world of The77 and you enjoyed it I'd definitely recommend grabbing the first two issues while you can. 

Review: Rok, Killing Moon, Knockout & Tigerstyle

With work commitments ramping up, as we prepare for Covid Strikes Back (I work in a hospital), and having a 6 month old baby my free time has been in short supply of late.  But I've tried to cram in some reading whenever I can.  In the spirit of my reading here are a few whirlwind reviews of what has been in my hands recently.

Firstly Rok The God, what can I add that hasn't already been said about this one, not much I guess, but here goes anyway.  If I'm honest, I only bought Rok of the Reds to placate my guilt at asking John Wagner to sign so many things when I met him at ICE Birmingham.  

Now, if like me, you think a football comic isn't for you then think again.  I'm not a massive sportball fan but I loved Rok of the Reds and that feeling carried on here too.  John Wagner and Alan Grant give us a brilliant story as you might expect from two such experienced writers.  Sci-fi, action, humour, football it has the lot wrapped up in a script that shows these two have not lost their edge and are obviously enjoying working on this creator owned project.  Showing how an "all ages" comic should be done.

Dan Cornwell is a favourite artist of mine I have a great Hammerstein and a beautiful commission of John Wick, gifted to me by my wife, hanging in our house.  Again he's given his all for Rok.  As you might expect, we get some stunning splash pages but I enjoy the minutiae he crams into his panels. Look in the background of pictures for the hidden details and Easter eggs.  

Verdict: Comic perfection, peerless writing and an artist at the top of his game. A book that welcomes you in on the first page and keeps you entertained to the last. 5 out of 5

Next up Killing Moon from the guys at Pigdog Press, written by Chris Denton, art by Neil Bhuna Roche and colours from Darren Stephens I've played a bit of DnD in the past and some parts of this swords and sorcery story reminded me of campaigns played with friends. The mix of assassin, sorcerer and grizzled fighter make for a great ensemble cast who bounce off each other.  What is also nice is the humour that runs through the book, not enough to distract from the story but perfectly balanced with the darker elements.

I liked the addition of the history of Killing Moon along with an original black and white strip, as much as I loved the colour work by Darren I'd like to see the modern KM in black and white too. We are also rewarded with an awesome Killing Moon gallery, with contributions from artists such as Matt Soffe and 2000ADs newest Dredd artist Steven Austin.

Verdict: I backed the Kickstarter for a digital copy but I'm betting this looks even better in the flesh. Great, stories and characters but also brilliant value for money. 4 out of 5

Finally Knockout and Tigerstyle, written by Fraser Campbell and art by Adam Falp.  This is a love letter to the bronze age of all-action pulp comics.  I've previously enjoyed Adam's work on the excellent, Atomic Hercules comics. They were never short of action but Fraser has given him a workout here with a script that sees every page filled with some top drawer stuff.

The story sees Knockout, a former boxer with a right hook that can put holes in walls, team up with Tigerstyle a martial arts master streetfighter, to takedown Harlems underground fight scene. I won't say more as I don't want to give any spoilers but you are in for a treat if this is your style of comic.

Verdict: I just love the energy of this comic, I've not really read much bronze age stuff but I'm going to try and find some now. 5 out of 5

All in all some great reading, check them out if you can.

Review: Sentinel Issue #4: Misty Moore

I was recently lucky enough to get a preview of the upcoming issue of Sentinel Issue 4 "Misty Moore".  I'd heard Alan Holloway and Ed Doyle interviewed on Damian Edwardsons "Omen to That" podcast (always worth a listen) and they were talking about issue 4. I was intrigued to learn that it was going to be a horror story, another tangent for The Sentinel.

Misty Moore is the story of a teenage girl whose family up sticks and move to the South West of Englan in the early 80s. They move into a large, grand building that houses a few families and, it turns out, has a dark history of its own.  Misty suffers the trials that any teen moving area and schools might, halfway through a term.  Through no fault of her own, she certainly makes more enemies than friends.  It's at this time the dark past of the house is truly revealed, but how will this affect Misty and those that are bullying her?

When I was a kid growing up in the 70s, God help you if you were caught reading a girls comic by your mates, so I never read anything like Tammy, Jinty or Misty at the time.  But now I realise that I've perhaps missed out on some well crafted stories from the likes of Pat Mills and John Wagner and some lovely art from such artists as Shirley Bellwood and Jesus Redondo. 

I'm sure that Misty Moore would fit easily into the pages of Misty or Scream, Alan Has given us a story that moves along at a good pace and holds the readers interest right to the end, with one or two horrific twists. He has called upon his own family history, which adds to the authentic feel of the comic, setting the story in a village and house that he lived in as a youngster even catching the bus to school from the local precinct, just as Misty does. 

Ian Beedle has described himself as a "self taught artist, with still a lot to learn" well his teacher is doing a great job.  His fine line black and white work here suits the story perfectly and he has captured the feel of the 80s spot on, the clothes, hairstyles and even the bitchy fourth year girls.  Yes, some aspects of his art need a little honing but that can be overlooked for the great storytelling he brings with his work. As a side note, look out for cameos from Alan and Ed in the comic.

You may think this all sounds a little bit tame but, trust me, things turn very dark and very violent. There are some splash pages that certainty aren't for the squeamish, at times more suited for The Walking Dead than Misty or Scream. An enjoyable horror tale that echoes the stories of old, but with a modern twist.

At the time of writing there are 11 days of the Kickstarter still to go, check out the rewards on offer or alternative cover from rising star of The77, Neil Sims.

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/sentinelcomic/sentinel-issue-4-misty-moore?ref=android_project_share

Review: Rejected

I remember the first time I met Baden James Mellonie, it was at the NICE Bedford comicon in 2018. He was sharing a table with Steven Austin and David Millgate and I remember him a) being a fellow fan of the most underrated rock band, Therapy? And b) him showing me some artwork for a book that he was working on Called Rejected. Right away the title and cover by Stephen Sampson hit me, such a stunning multifaceted image and that colour scheme, just gorgeous. 

Baden wanted to address the concept of rejection, in this case by putting together a collection of his scripts that,  for whatever reason, have been turned down in the past.  So was it worth waiting for, should these scripts have stayed rejected? I got a copy and settled down to read.

Right away I was on familiar ground with Steven Austin on the art duties for the first story, Angel, about a father and daughter (the titular Angel) trying to survive after a tsunami. All I'll say is this is a story that deserves a second read, to see it through eyes that know the ending. 

Next comes a script rejected by Tharg as one of his Future shocks, it has all the elements that you would want from a future shock, including art by Karl Richardson. Obviously this includes the final shock or twist, that I won't reveal here, I've read a lot worse in the prog that's for sure.   Perhaps The Mighty One was having an off day when he turned this one down.

Tusk, with art by 2000AD art droid David Millgate, follows just one page of pencils for a story about a trucker being chased down and shot at by armed men. I was left wanting more from both art and story - what or who is Tusk?  How has Jake, the trucker, pissed off a gang of armed men?

Another Future Shock script, The Girl of their Dreams, gives us the tale of a city shares dealing yuppie type, who meets a girl in a bar, but is she who she seems to be? This was the only story that I didn't like as the ending left me a bit cold and not very shocked. But as any 2000AD regular reader knows that is the way of an anthology - not everything will hit the mark.

However Mayne, created with artist David Hitchcock, is one that certaintly the mark.  I'm a fan of David's artwork so was very happy to see him on the pencils for this one.  If you like horror you should grab a copy of his book The Signalman.  This action filled steampunk adventure, centering on the character Mayne as he leaves jail, suits his style perfectly.  Again I was left wanting more.

The Family Man sees a team up once more with David Millgate on this Zombie tale and if you know Badens work on Edge of Extinction you'll know that he gives great Zombie.  The final piece is a co-creation with Steven Austin who, as you might guess, does the art too.   This was my favourite story, one of missing persons and horrors that lie in wait. Steven's art really takes centre stage here, as there is no speech, complementing Badens script perfectly.

The collection rounds off with a lot of extra material such as character sketches, scripts and a great piece from the writer himself giving an insight as to how Rejected came about. He candidly discusses personal issues that affected him and the feelings brought about by the rejection of something that has been a labour of love.  But most tellingly Baden explains how he was able to reframe his thoughts about rejection and turn the negatives into a positive. That positive is the collection of great stories and some awesome black and white artwork sat in front of me now.  

If you want to decide for yourself if these scripts should have been rejected in the first place, then you can get your own copy from: www.eighthcontinentpublishing.com

GGA Galaxy Grappling Alliance: Solarslam XX

My first memories of wrestling were watching greats like Giant Haystacks, Kendo Nagasaki and Mick McManus (funny how you always remember the bad guys.) This was Saturday teatime at the tail end of World of Sport, great fun especially when the camera would cut to some old granny shouting at the bad guy.  

The American wrestling scene kind of passed me by, but when my son was about 5 he got into it.  Like the British stuff the guys were incredible athletes but it was always more about the show and spectacle.   Everything from the presenters to the bosses of the sport were all about the show.  I even took my lad to some of the live WWE when it came over here, possibly more enticed by the thought of the female wrestlers.

Why this trip down memory lane? You may wonder what this has to do with comics.  Well I recently got my hands on Damian Edwardsons second comic of his Galaxy Grappling Alliance (GGA) series titled Solarslam. 

The premise is that in the distant Future any galaxy wide disputes are settled in the wrestling ring, organised by the GGA.  Wrestlers are the champions who represent the parties involved in a dispute.  In this case the survival of thousands from the Runnels system, injured and in need of medical supplies following a natural disaster, relies on the skills of 'Sensational Jade' to beat 'The Fabulous Mauler' Limus Flavus.  Not only fighting for the supplies but also to retain her title as champion.  Problem is Flavus and her corner man are not adverse to using some very dirty tactics to win.

I'm not going to go any further into the plot, to avoid spoilers, but let me tell you you'll be left wanting more. Somehow Damian has managed to capture the feel and atmosphere of a drama filled wrestling match, experienced both in the flesh and through the TV, via his comic.  Of course great storytelling and artwork are his tools here but both are aided by the superb lettering of Aaron Rackley who manages to juggle the speech of Wrestlers, corner men, and commentators so that we never lose track of what's going on in the fast paced story.

A great fun read that brings back happy memories and vividly captures the sport, atmospere and showmanship that is wrestling.  If you want to grab a copy of issue 1 and very soon issue 2 here's a link: 

https://www.artninetwo.com/artninetwoshop/galaxy-grappling-alliance