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NYCC: Indie Comic Round-Up, Part 2 — Alrics, Midgets, & Dreadnoughts… Oh my!
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Alric the Wild
…The Wrath of Sticky Beard!
NY Comic Con Exclusive
Written by Miguel Guerra, Suzy Dias
Art by Miguel Guerra
Iberian Press
Cover price: N/A; Available now

Keeping every single promise the front cover makes — and then some — this Comic Con Exclusive issue is probably the best of the little clutch of titles entrusted to me by Our Lords And Masters, The Geeks of Doom. This all-ages adventure stars a perpetually clueless wild-child by the name of Alric, who has set out to become the world’s greatest hero (and is destined to eventually wear the crown of Eireann upon a troubled etc., etc”¦). He’s one part Hercules, one part George of the Jungle, one part Conan, and I’m even willing to bet there’s some Elric the Albino emulation going on in the name, but that’s all so far. What’s fun about the book is that every single one of those comparisons is entirely intentional. — OH! And also throw in a dash of Princess Mononoke“¦ he was raised by a two-headed god-wolf.

Anyway”¦ the book is just plain fun! Creators Miguel Guerra and Suzy Diaz have infused just the right mix mythic heroism and ironic comedy to make the most out of every page. My only minor complaint would be that sometimes Alric’s ditziness can be daunting even for the reader, but those “Woops! He did the wrong thing again” jokes are outnumbered by other, much cleverer gags scattered throughout the book. (His “Moms’s” one liners are always worth a laugh.) The art by Guerra is light and cartoony, and closely resembles the East/West mixed style of Avatar: The Last Airbender, with a little bit of Astro Boy shining through on occasion. Just based on this introductory issue, I would definitely recommend people try to track down their first graphic novel, Alric the Wild and the Flushing of Atlantis! — I know I will. I give it a B+.

 

Bitter Midgets #1
…and the Marauders From Galaxy X
Written and Illustrated by Chris Wozniak
MetroGnome Media
Cover price: $3.95; Available now

What can I say about this comic”¦? It’s sick, twisted, degenerate, effed up in every possible way you can imagine, and no matter what you do, no matter how hard you resist, you WILL find yourself laughing at some point. And once that laughter starts, be it from shock, disbelief, or a sudden reassessment of the boundaries of your own sense of humor, it probably won’t let up. Cartoonist Chris Wozniac has concocted a strange brew in this book. He’s taken every possible stereotype you can imagine and exploited it in the most blatant and insensitive manner possible, and he’s actually made it, occasionally, really damn funny. How? I have no clue. There’s some form of despicable act being performed on almost every page! You really shouldn’t laugh. Maybe I only did because I’m a little sick in the head.

“¦

…okay, that’s actually very possible. But looking at the book from a purely logical, objective viewpoint, you can’t deny the guy knows how to work a punchline. The story, as you may have guessed, follows a group of down-on-their-luck (yes, that’s a height joke), positivity-impaired little people — and their pet seal — who find themselves at the center of a multi-dimensional alien conspiracy. The art is a mixed bag, with the protagonists (if you can really call them that) depicted through a pulp cartoony lens, the surrounding populace looking like the featureless, faceless figures you’d find in an airplane safety pamphlet, and at least one heroic asian schoolgirl looking like a reject from the Excel Saga chibi league. In other words, this comic is all over the friggin place, and probably provided some much needed artistic therapy for Wozniac in the creation. Here’s hoping he’s at least a little bit happier than his stumpy heroes. I give it a B-.

 

Dreadnought: Invasion Six #1,2
Written by Richard F. Roszko
Pencils & Inks by Guillermo Sanna
Colors by Maria Laura
Letters by Khari Sampson of Terminus Media
TalcMedia Press
Cover price: $3.95; Available now

This title gave me a pleasant surprise. See, when I first heard the name, I immediately thought, “Action Sci-Fi! Shoot-’em up! Bang bang!” But when I finally had the book (or, in this case, books) in hand, the focus seemed to skew more toward the sci-fi than the action — which isn’t a bad thing! It’s just that when you read a title like DREADNAUGHT: INVASION SIX, there’s a certain type of imagery it evokes in your mind”¦ namely, one of spikey robot suits with skulls on their shoulders, and GUNS! Guns larger than the leathernecks that carry them! When that wasn’t the image that greeted me, I’ll admit to feeling a little disappointment. But, then I read it — and HELLO surprise! The tone of the book seems to hover somewhere between the old an new incarnations of Battlestar Galactica. The plot has a modern sensibility, but the atmosphere is pure 1970’s space opera, right down to the walking, talking, girl-shaped android and overbaked character names like Ranor and Sharda. The book is written by Richard Roszko, adapted from his own screenplay, and follows the captain of a military space cruiser as he attempts to reach the planet his wife is stationed on in the wake of a surprise alien attack. Though some of the dialogue comes off a little unrealistic, and moments of levity a bit out of place, Roszko still manages to weave an interesting yarn that actually had me eager to read the third issue by the time I was done with the second. Artist Guillermo Sanna perfectly captures the classic sci-fi look, though his characters can sometimes look more like they’re posing than interacting. I would recommend this book for lovers of Isaac Asimov and his ilk, or just for sci-fi fans who like a little Moebius in their Forbidden Planet. I give it a B.

 

Bizarre New World: Population Explosion
Written & Created by Skipper Martin
Pencils by Christopher Provencher
Colors by Wes Dzioba
Lettering by Ellen Everett
Cover Pencils by Tone Rodriguez
Ape Entertainment
Cover Price: $6.95; On-sale: now

There’s not really anything more I can say about Skipper Martin’s fantastic book that I didn’t already say here, so”¦

Bizarre New World. Bizarre New World. Bizarre New World. Bizarre New World. Bizarre New World. Bizarre New World. Bizarre New World. Bizarre New World. Bizarre New World. Bizarre New World. Bizarre New World. Bizarre New World. Bizarre New World. Bizarre New World. Bizarre New World. Bizarre New World. Bizarre New World. Bizarre New World. Bizarre New World. Bizarre New World. Bizarre New World. Bizarre New World. Bizarre New World. Bizarre New World. Bizarre New World. Bizarre New World. Bizarre New World”¦ Population Explosion.

There. Now it’ll be stuck in your head until you buy it. Go!

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