Some Recent Silver Sprocket Publications

In this time of social distancing and no comics conventions, I have been checking out books from various small, independent presses whenever I can. That's how I came upon the two titles I am reviewing today, from one of my favorite presses Silver Sprocket.

That Full Moon Feeling is a queer, supernatural, love story about a witch and a werewolf who meet on a dating app. They go on a series of dates, but each one ends in disasters, like being attacked by a swamp monster, a necromancer's army of skeletons, disembodied hands, or giant praying mantises. Somehow, despite all these adversities (or maybe because of them?), they find a connection.

I loved this story, as it is very sweet without being cloying. I found a lot to empathize with a situation where two people just figure out that they are right for each other, and I loved the amount of character work done throughout the book. Both Suzy (the witch) and Jada (the werewolf) are unique, and I found it easy to fall in love with both characters. Also, although this book is clearly set in a fantasy realm, it is an authentic and refreshing take on contemporary romance. 

The artwork complemented the story perfectly, with characters being imbued with lots of heart and emotion. Also, there is a lot of delight in the various monsters and other horrific denizens of this world, not to mention that animal familiars that Suzy associates with. In addition to all the fun imagery, there is also an interesting incorporation of technology in the storytelling, like the interactions on the dating app, texting, and the various group messages that Jada receives from her pack.

This book's creator Ashley Robin Franklin also has published a number of other comics, including the horror/romance tale One Million Tiny Fires. She discusses her career and work on That Full Moon Feeling in this interview.

All of the reviews of this book have found it delightful. Ryan C. wrote that it "lithely threads the needle between two genres that are by and large of little interest to me, specifically romantic comedy and the supernatural, yet nevertheless managed to warm my cynical middle-aged cis white male heart and plant an entirely unforced smile on my face for the duration of its 64 pages." David Charles Bitterbaum called it "a stupendous comic. It is very sweet, fantastically illustrated, and immensely cute."

You can find more info and a preview of That Full Moon Feeling here.

I was way more familiar with this creator's work, as Matt Lubchansky is an Associate Editor and regular contributor to The Nib, so I see a lot of their work regularly. The Antifa Super-Soldier Cookbook is a hilarious, long-form satire about Max Marx, a radical who gets a huge call-up from Antifa. Because of his past successes, the secret council selects him to become a super-soldier.

I love how this book amplifies a paranoid conservative conspiracy theory that what is a loose affiliation of political activists is really a covert, highly organized organization along the lines of COBRA. Their various training initiatives and sabotage operations are shown in nefariously absurd detail, but underlying the silliness is the serious counterpoint that in the police/political realm, such action is actually happening. I found much to laugh at in this book, but the humor is tempered with an edge about what is occurring in our country/world today.

Well suiting its subject matter, the artwork in this book is appropriately over-the-top, with shady police officers, fantastical inventions, and lots of bombastic action. I especially adored all the nifty gadgets built into Max's new robotic body. This book is an excellent satire that balances ridiculous and outrageous imagery with sobering social commentary.

The reviews I have read about this book have been positive. Brett Schenker called it "a solid satire that has fun with the absurd reality some people live in." Ryan C. wrote about it coming from a specific political stance, opining "If...you’re a rational and well-adjusted human being, then you’ll probably get a solid kick out of it."

Also, for those interested, Lubchansky speaks more about this book and their career in this interview.

You can find a preview and more info about The Antifa Super-Soldier Cookbook here.

Because of profanity and adult themes, I recommend both of these books for more mature readers.

Black Magick, Volume 1: Awakening

A lot of comic book series to day seem like pitches for cable series/movies, and the plot of Black Magick certainly seems like a workable concept for a good number of media narratives. The difference here is that this series is exceptionally well crafted and works as an excellent collection of comic books. It stars Rowan Black, a detective and witch, who works hard to keep her lives separate. That peace is threatened when a man takes hostages and demands only that she come talk to him. I will not spoil what happens, but those events precipitate a whole lot of mystery and intrigue.

 

As you can see from this excerpt, the artwork is phenomenal, the dialogue crisp, and the characters and situations are utterly compelling. The only real critique I have to offer is that this volume ended too quickly, and I was left wanting to be able to pick up and keep reading immediately. Alas, this volume collects the first five issues of the series, and they are all there are so far. I am looking very forward to the continuation of this story.

Black Magick is the creation of two established comics professionals. Eisner Award winning writer Greg Rucka has written novels as well as tons of comic books for the big two companies, not to mention his creator-owned series Lazarus, Queen & Country, Stumptown, and Whiteout. Artist Nicola Scott has worked primarily for DC Comics, drawing Secret Six, Wonder Woman, and Earth 2. Rucka speaks about his work on the series here, and Scott does the same in this interview.

All of the reviews I have read about it heap praise on this book. Doug Zawisza called the series "gorgeous, scary and mysterious." Chris Downs added this praise, "Image have become synonymous with quality in the last decade and Black Magick can stand proudly amongst the very best of their titles." Pharoahmiles wrote that "this creative team soars."

Awakening was published by Image Comics, and they links and much more available here.

Revival, Volume One: You're Among Friends

This book collects the first five issues of the hit comic book series. Its premise is a familiar one: the dead have come back to life. But this book is not so much a zombie story as it is a detective yarn. The plot and characters are a fresh take on noir stories, with elements of family relationships, media sensationalism, suspense, religious fanaticism, utter confusion, and horror all set in a sleepy, rural Wisconsin town. The main narrative follows police officer Dana Cypress as she tries to get to the bottom of the situation and also solve a murder mystery. Because of this isolated "the dead are rising" situation, she can speak to the victim, who can't remember what happened, which is pretty horrible. Dana is a single mom whose boss is her father, which creates not a little tension. She also protects a few family secrets (I don't want to give anything away), which creates more tension. I very much enjoyed this aspect of realistic personal relationships in the plot.

But this is not just a crime/mystery/family book. It is also chock full of horrific and creepy images. This ghoulish gallery gets established from the very first scene, where we see a local reporter doing a fluff piece on people with strange jobs. As she is interviewing and recording a junior mortician at work in the crematorium, the unthinkable and unexpected happens:

In time, we also get to see a mysterious, ethereal form haunt the woods in search of a baby:

And not least of all, we get to see that not all of the "revivers" are coherent or in control of themselves, especially not this older woman who is dealing with some major dental issues:

It might go without saying, but this book is for more mature readers who can deal with blood, guts, swearing, and adult themes.

The two driving forces behind this book are writer Tim Seeley and artist Mike Norton (I love the name of his website). In terms of comics, Seeley is probably best known as the co-creator of Hack/Slash, but he has done a bunch of work with various companies, including a long run on G.I. Joe. He loves horror stories and is excellent at setting tones and spinning compelling tales with interesting characters. Norton is a comics veteran probably best known for his Eisner Award-winning webcomic Battlepug, but he also has drawn a great many comics for numerous publishers. He is a masterful visual storyteller. Both creators talk about their work on Revival in this interview.

All of the reviews I have read about this book have been glowing. CBR's Doug Zawisza called the series "an unexpected windfall that evokes an uncomfortable feeling, piques interest and taunts curiosity. It's a good read with great art and a weird, wild diversion from anything else on the stands this week." Alex Lupp gushed, "if you are a fan of character dramas with a tinge of horror and supernatural then this comic-book is a must read!" Drew Bradley summed this book up as "an unsurprisingly great debut to what will hopefully be a long series."

You're Among Friends was published by Image Comics. Here is a preview from Comic Book Resources.

The series is on-going and is currently on issue #18. There are also two additional trade paperback collections available now.

Powers, Volume 1: Who Killed Retro Girl?

  

In a world where superheroes are real, Retro Girl is the world's most acclaimed superheroine, part Supergirl, part Wonder Woman in power, stature, and popularity. Shockingly, this seemingly invulnerable, god-like being turns up dead on the street one morning, and it is up to the police to figure out what happened. Is her death connected to the mysterious graffiti "Kaotic Chic" that is appearing all over town? Was it the act of a supervillain bent on revenge? How did anyone even manage to harm her in the first place? These are the mysteries that the police, primarily main characters Christian Walker and his new partner Deena Pilgrim have to tackle.

Most of what's interesting about this book, to me, lays with the interactions between Walker and Pilgrim. He is obviously a dark character with a past who is strangely familiar with the typically aloof superheroes, and she is strong-willed, spunky, and perhaps just a little too willful and insightful for his liking. Consequently, Powers reads like an R-rated, mismatched buddy-cop book that just happens to be set in a superheroic world.

This volume and series was created by writer Brian Michael Bendis and artist Michael Avon Oeming. Bendis is a very successful comics writer best known for his use of dialogue and a multiple Eisner Award winner. He has been one of the primary architects of the Marvel Comics universe over the past decade, writing Daredevil, Ultimate Spider-Man, Alias, and The New Avengers among other titles. He also has a number of original series/graphic novels to his name, such as Goldfish, Jinx, and Torso. Oeming has worked on a number of comics series, though he is best known for his work on Thor as well as his original series Bulletproof Monk and Mice Templar. 

Most of the reviews I have read about this book have been positive, though not always overwhelmingly so. Andy at Grovel praised Bendis's "snappy and tense" dialogue as well as Oeming's "deeply characterised" art style. Ken Zeider admired the book and wrote "Powers does a great job of bringing the Film Noir genre into comic books, and if you love mysteries you’re going to love this book." Alex Bernstein cautiously recommended the series' potential, stating that it "could easily be one of the strongest and most compelling books on the market. I just wish the creators would stop trying to be 'cool' and start exploring the hearts and minds of their cast."

Powers has been a well received series in general, winning an Eisner Award for best series. Also, it has been the subject of some pilot attempts for adaptation into a TV series. Currently it is under development for FX.

Who Killed Retro Girl? has had a varied publication history. Originally an Image series, currently it is published under the Icon imprint of Marvel Comics.

 

The Green River Killer: A True Detective Story

A real life crime story, The Green River Killer is an intimate account of a decades long effort to find and bring to justice a serial murderer in the Seattle, Washington area. The author Jeff Jensen's father was one of the lead detectives on the case so he has access to the inner workings of what went on. This graphic novel gives two accounts, one of Detective Tom Jensen, who at one point was the only person assigned to the case, and the other of Gary Leon Ridgway, a very troubled man who later admitted to killing at least fifty women between 1982 and 2003. This book is compelling and powerful though not lurid or overly graphic, despite its subject matter. It delves in to the interplay between the killer and detectives as they all search for answers for these brutal, senseless killings.

This graphic novel is a collaboration between Jeff Jensen and Jonathan Case. Jensen is a senior writer for Entertainment Weekly. Jensen wrote about his reasons and intentions for writing the book in this blog entry at Dark Horse. He speaks more about his working on the book with his father in this interview. Jonathan Case is an illustrator and member of the Periscope Studio based in Portland, Oregon. 2011 has been a big year for him, with the publication of this book as well as his well-received graphic novel debut Dear Creature. Case speaks about his process in creating this book here in this blog entry.

The Green River Killer has already received a good number of accolades, appearing on Amazon's, The New York Times', and USA Today's Best of 2011 lists. As could be expected, most reviews have been largely positive. Val Victory wrote that it was a "great read, and I highly recommend it for those who love detective stories and thrillers alike." Jeff Baker called the book "contemporary and timeless." Athira commented that it was "very thought-provoking and well-done," and continued, "It had the right amount of mystery, intrigue, and humanity added to the illustration."

A preview is available here from the book's publisher Dark Horse.