General Jack Cosmo and the Vampire Men of Kothos #1 & 2
Written by Andrew M. Shaps
Pencils by Andrew Froedge, Gabe Pena
Inks by Jamie Snell, Gary Mitchell, Jon Alderink
Colors by Nate Lovett, Sonny Leader
Letters by Dave Rothe
Covers by Douglas Klauba, Gabe Pena
GJC Productions
Cover price: $3.00; Available now

If Flash Gordon was addicted to drugs, had a tongue that would make a sailor blush, and a knack for cracking one-liners at the expense of Republicans and pop culture, you would be getting close to the core that is Jack Cosmo. Jack, an Earthling who now makes his home among the vast and expansive planets of the universe, is a throwback to the great outerspace adventurers of pulp serials and 1950s sci-fi with a decidedly modern addition of brutal violence and extreme narcotics. Like the best serials, this series picks up right in the middle of Jack’s latest adventure, where he takes it upon his chivalrous shoulders to save a village of red-skinned busty female warriors from the vile and sadistic ways of the Vampire Men.

From the twisted mind of Aaron M Shaps comes this great indie title that is much farther below the radar than it should. Shaps’ seemingly limitless imagination for what lies out amongst the stars is definitely fueled by late night horror shows, campy science fiction, and a liberal political slant that Shaps cannot help but expose in the sprawling voiceovers and dialogue of Jack Cosmo. Most of the writing is incredibly snappy and smart, save for the over abundant use of profanity which just seems lazy. A varied core of artists bring this world to life with visceral colors, wild characters designs and unrestricted bias. Think Spaceman Spiff as drawn by a team up between Frank Frazetta and Coop. Highly worth hunting down!

Lovely Demon
Demonic-Reaper Chronicles
Story and Art by Zanny Lane
GraphicAnime
Cover price: N/A; Available now

All Takumi Nakano wanted to do was to create the best robotic toy ever. For Kawaii Oni, it an easy wish to grant, and for ten years Takumi had all the fame he could stand. But little did he know that when he made his wish for success to Kawaii, was entering into a pact for his very soul. And now Kawaii Oni has come to collect her latest slave soul, to help her keep the balance of the multi-dimensions. With her giant scythe, the demonic-reaper collects her indentured spirit, and prepares him for battle.

Self-published by Graphic Anime, this eight-page preview provides a very brief and lightening quick introduction to the first two main characters of the series. Zanny Lane, who provides both the story and art, proudly displays her manga influence with big-eyed characters and speed-lines aplenty in her black and white work. Lane’s work feels like a series of incomplete sketches rather than finished pages, while the story itself feels like a compressed version of a full-length book. There is promise here for fans of dark fantasy, with the textual prologue on the inside cover offering a much more exciting story than that of the actual book, but a “do over” will be needed before it can be recommended.

The Grimm #1
The Devil Birds of Carencro Isle
Story, Art, and Letters by Michael Beazley
GJC Productions
Cover price: $3.00; Available now

The Grimm: Devil Birds of Carencro Isle has a lot going for it even if its concept is not overtly original. The premise is simple: When a group of United States Special Forces are caught by Harpies, the U.S. government call upon Jack for help. Jack, aka The Grimm, may look normal but is actual half human, half monster who shows up and cleans up paranormal messes. Oh, and he also carries around a pumpkin head with him on every mission. Micheal Beazley pulls a Frank Miller here, writing, drawing, and lettering the entire issue. This alone deserves much praise. The writing is entertaining and the art is, at times, pretty amazing. The story does seem to borrow a lot of ideas from the Hellboy concept but like a wise man once said “What has been done will be done again; There is nothing new under the sun.” If The Grimm can outgrow the Hellboy similarities and bring something new and fresh to the table, I don’t see how this book could not be successful in the indie circuit.

Contract #0
Contributing artists: Ariel Padilla, Dave Ross, Yvel Guichet, Joe Rubinstein, Kevin Sharpe, Mark McKenna, Anthony Cannonier
First Salvo Productions
Cover price: 25¢; Available now

If you mix Serenity and Lobo, I think you might come up with something that resembles Contract. Set in the future, Contract tells the story of a team of bounty hunters and their criminal-catching exploits. Issue zero offers two stories — one complete story and one with a cliffhanger — written by Garan Maderios and drawn by Dave Ross and Kevin Sharpe that make an entertaining read. Maderios’ writing is snappy and energetic and I was interested by both stories throughout. The only real issue I had with the book was the art. The art for the first story was decent enough but Ross’ art did not fit with the overall tone of the story. The second story drawn by Sharpe is far superior to the first story. The art and the story just clicks, each bringing the best out of the other. I will definitely pick up the first issue but in the long run, I think Contract would gain more success with an artist that resembles Sharpe’s style.